Sightings - Friday 30th June 2017

Osprey - 1 Middlebere
Little Gull - 1 Herbury Gore
Common Rosefinch - 1 Southwell Portland

Sightings - Thursday 29th June 2017

Little Ringed Plover - 2 Lytchett Fields (no access from Watery Lane)
Common Rosefinch - 1 private gardens Southwell Portland

Reports of interest, Wednesday 28 June 2017.

Common Rosefinch - 1 still at Southwell but very elusive.

Reports of interest, Tuesday 27 June 2017.

Firecrest - 1 Hengistbury Head.
Common Rosefinch - 1 still at Southwell.

Sandwich Tern at Brownsea Island © Clinton Whale

Sandwich Tern at Brownsea Island © Clinton Whale

Mediterranean Gull at Brownsea Island © Clinton Whale

Reports of interest, Monday 26 June 2017.

Manx Shearwater - 13 Portland Bill.
Balearic Shearwater - 1 Portland Bill.
Spoonbill - 5 Brownsea Island.
Common Rosefinch - 1 still at Southwell.

Sandwich Tern, Brownsea Island © Clive Hargrave

Common Terns, Brownsea Island © Clive Hargrave

Common Terns, Brownsea Island © Clive Hargrave

Reports of interest, Sunday 25 June 2017.

Spoonbill - 5 Brownsea Island.
Hobby - 1 Lodmoor.
Little Ringed Plover - 1 Lytchett Fields.
Whimbrel - 1 Stanpit.
Green Sandpiper - 1 Lodmoor.
Common Sandpiper - 1 heard Christchurch Harbour.
Greenshank - 1 Brownsea Island.
Common Rosefinch - The long-staying bird was at Southwell.

Juvenile Swallow on the river at Wareham © Clinton Whale

Sightings - Saturday 24th June 2017

Spoonbill - 5 still on Brownsea Lagoon.
Alpine Swift - 1 over Lodmoor Postbox Pool until 20:20 (first seen c12:20).

Alpine Swift - Lodmoor © Brett Spencer

Alpine Swift - Lodmoor © Brett Spencer

Alpine Swift - Lodmoor © Roger Hewitt

Sandwich Tern - Brownsea Lagoon © Clinton Whale

Black-headed Gull - Brownsea Lagoon © Clinton Whale

Sightings - Friday 23rd June 2017

Spoonbill - 4 on Lytchett Fields.

juvenile Bullfinch - Merley Park © John Hammick

Black-headed Gull - Brownsea Island © Marcus Lawson

Sightings - Thursday 22nd June 2017

Spoonbill - 5 on Brownsea Lagoon
Elegant Tern - roosted on Brownsea Lagoon then left at c4.45am.
Little Gull - 1 Langton Herring.

Dartford Warbler - Hengistbury Head © Clinton Whale

Sightings - Wednesday 21st June 2017

Spoonbill - 5 Brownsea Lagoon.
Osprey - 2 Wareham Channel.
ELEGANT TERN - 1 on Brownsea mid-afternoon then late evening to roost in front of Mac Hide.
Common Rosefinch - 1 in a Southwell garden.

Some history of the Elegant Tern from Birdguides:

"Bird C has also been seen only in France during the breeding season, and primarily at Banc d'Arguin. The first sighting of this bird came on the reserve in 2002; it was caught on 3 July 2003 and fitted with a metal ring (FT67249) on the right tibia and with three plastic rings — one white on the right tarsus, and green above yellow on the left tarsus (J Gernigon). The bird, identified as a male by behaviour, bred with a Sandwich Tern for several years (2005–07, 2009, 2010, 2013) in the Banc d'Arguin colony, but also on one or two occasions in the Noirmoutier colony. Bird C has also been seen once in winter — close to Cape Town, South Africa, on 1 January 2007 (Tony Tree). Though it was ringed a long time ago, further sightings are otherwise sparse — though this is probably because of its choice of the inaccessible Banc d'Arguin as a breeding site and because it has also long been considered a hybrid because of its perceived less 'classic' appearance."

Full article here:
http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?print=1&a=5856

Some info on it's visit to South Africa:
http://safring.adu.org.za/story_content.php?id=189

As this bird has been DNA tested and proven to be an Elegant Tern then it should be accepted as the first confirmed British Record although there have been 3 sightings previously which will most likely prove acceptable now:

2005 Dorset, Stanpit Marsh, Christchurch Harbour, adult, 10 May
2002 Caernarfonshire Black Rock Sands, Porthmadog, 23–26 July
2002 Devon, Dawlish Warren, 18 May; same, 18–19 July.

Elegant Tern - Brownsea Lagoon © Paul Morton

Elegant Tern - Brownsea Lagoon © Paul Morton

Sightings - Tuesday 20th June 2017

Storm Petrel - 15+ in Lyme Bay 1.6km off shore from Charmouth
Spoonbill - 5 still on Brownsea Island lagoon
Osprey - 1 Wareham Channel
Hobby - 2 Morden Bog, 1 Morden Park Lake
Green Sandpiper - 1 Abbotsbury Swannery, 1 Lytchett Fields

Sightings - Monday 19th June 2017

Common Scoter - 34 past Portland Bill
Manx Shearwater - 6 past Portland Bill
Spoonbill - 5 Brownsea Island
Osprey - 1 Middlebere
Hobby - 1 West Bexington
Whimbrel - 4 past Portland Bill
Black Redstart - 1 Blacknor, Portland

Juvenile Green Woodpecker at Hengistbury Head © Joe Murphy

Swallow fledgling at Canford © Roger Peart



Stonechat at Hengistbury Head © David Wareham

Sightings - Sunday 18th June 2017

Osprey  - 1 Middlebere
Red-footed Falcon - 1st summer female at Morden Bog



Red-footed Falcon at Morden Bog © Aidan Brown

Pochard at Radipole © David Wareham

Sightings - Saturday 17th June 2017

Spoonbill - 5 Brownsea Island
Osprey  - 1 Lytchett Bay, 1 Middlebere
Green Sandpiper - 3 Lytchett Fields
Little Tern - 1 Brownsea Island

Reed Warbler at Stanpit Marsh © Joe Murphy

Greenfinch at Hengistbury Head © David Wareham

Sightings - Friday 16th June 2017

Osprey - 2 Middlebere

Sightings - Thursday 15th June 2017

Apologies for late post - IT problems

Osprey - 1 Arne
Buff-breasted Sandpiper - 1 Lytchett Fields 0600-0800
Little Gull - 1 Abbotsbury Swannery
Balearic Shearwater - 2 past Portland Bill
Quail - 1 singing from a field West Compton
Serin - 1 briefly Southwell

Buff-breasted Sandpiper Lytchett Fields copyright Ian Ballam

Sightings - Wednesday 14th June 2017

Osprey - 2 Middlebere
Eastern Common Tern (longipennis) - 1 possible Abbotsbury Swannery

Meditteranean Gull Brownsea Island copyright Clinton Whale

Linnet Hengistbury Head copyright David Wareham
 

Sightings - Tuesday 13th June 2017

Osprey - 1 Morden Bog
Storm Petrel - 2 ringed at Portland Bill last night
Little Gull - 1 Abbotsbury Swannery
Eastern Common Tern (longipennis) - 1 possible Abbotsbury Swannery

Possible Eastern Common Tern - Abbotsbury Swannery © Steve Groves

Sightings - Monday 12th June 2017

Spoonbill - 5 Lytchett Fields RSPB.
Osprey  - 2 Wareham Channel. The ring on one of them was read yesterday (S1) and it is a 2 year old male from @rutlandospreys hatched in 2015.
Little Gull - 1 Abbotsbury Swannery.

Sightings - Sunday 11th June 2017

Sooty Shearwater - 1 reported past Portland Bill
Long-tailed Skua  - 1 reported past Portland Bill

The third and final chick from the Bournemouth Peregrines fledged yesterday (see below):

Juvenile female Peregrine (PK) - Bournemouth © Adrian Groves

Great Spotted Woodpecker - Merley Park © John Hammick

Sightings - Saturday 10th June 2017

Osprey - 1 Morden Bog

Osprey - Morden Bog © Aidan Brown

Gannet - Hengistbury Head © Joe Murphy

Woodlark - Dorset © Geoff Upton

Sightings - Friday 9th June 2017

Storm Petrel - at least 15 off Hengistbury Head
Spoonbill - 5 in Lytchett Bay
Osprey - 1 in the Wareham Channel

Grey Heron - Iford Weir © Clinton Whale

Sightings - Thursday 8th June 2017

Common Scoter - 21 Hengistbury Hd, 1 Arne off Shipstall Pt.
Manx Shearwater - 1517 Portland Bill, 85 Christchurch Bay
Balearic Shearwater - 2 Lyme Regis, 1 Portland Bill
Storm Petrel - 20 Hengistbury Hd, 5 Mudeford Quay, 4 Burton Bradstock, 3 West Bexington, 3 Lyme Regis, 2 Branksome Chine, 1 Portland Bill
Arctic Skua - 1 Christchurch Bay
Puffin - 1 Portland Bill

Sightings - Wednesday 7th June 2017

Storm Petrel - 17 Hengistbury Hd, 6 Mudeford Quay
Spoonbill - 5 over the Wareham Channel later on Lytchett fields.
Osprey - 1 over Wareham Channel a.m.
Hobby - 2 Wareham Channel area a.m.

Common Swift - Radipole Lake © Joe Murphy

Sightings - Tuesday 6th June 2017

Common Scoter - 63 Hengistbury Hd.
Storm Petrel - 15 off Mudeford to Hengistbury Hd. beach hut.
Arctic Skua - 4 Portland Bill
Hobby - 1 in off sea Hengistbury Hd.

Sightings - Monday 5th June 2017

Common Scoter - 41 Hengistbury Hd.
Sooty Shearwater - 1 Portland Bill
Manx Shearwater - 300 per hour day total poss. 2000 Portland Bill
Balearic Shearwater - 1 Portland Bill
Storm Petrel - 3 Portland Bill, 1 Mudeford Quay
Spoonbill - 5 Lytchett Fields
Spotted Redshank - 1 Middlebere

Sightings - Sunday 4th June 2017.

Shelduck - 17 ducklings. Christchurch Harbour. First confirmed breeding for several years.
Common Scoter - 7 past Portland Bill.
Manx Shearwater - 75 past Portland Bill.
Quail - 1 California Farm, Durlston.
Sanderling - 10 Ferrybridge.
Dunlin - 6 Ferrybridge.
Great Skua - 1 past Portland Bill.
Arctic Skua - 1 past Portland Bill.

Sand Martin – Hengistbury Head © Joe Murphy.

Sightings - Saturday 3rd June 2017.

Common Scoter - 25 past Portland Bill.
Grey Partridge - 2 Badbury Rings area.
Spoonbill - 5 Sherford Pools, Lytchett.
Marsh Harrier - 1 Chesil Beach.
Black-tailed Godwit - 112 Lytchett Fields.
Sanderling - 17 Ferrybridge.
Dunlin - 12 Ferrybridge.
Great Skua - 1 past Portland Bill.

Sightings - Friday 2nd June 2017.

Garganey - 1 Longham Lakes.
Common Scoter - 28 past Portland Bill.
Manx Shearwater - 50 past Portland Bill.
Red Kite - 2 over Stanpit Marsh.
Marsh Harrier - 1 over Stanpit Marsh.
Great Skua - 1 past Portland Bill.
Turtle Dove - 1 Portland.
Cuckoo - 1 Wick Hams.
Woodchat Shrike - 1 Clayhanger Farm(nr. Abbotsbury).

Dipper – Maiden Newton © Nick Priddle.

Sightings - Thursday 1st June 2017.

Greenish Warbler - 1 Portland Observatory.
Golden Oriole - 1 Portland.
Linnet - 50+ Kimmeridge.