Dorset Birds: May 2020

Sightings - Sunday 31st May 2020

Puffin - 1 Portland Bill
Osprey - 1 Arne Moors
Red Kite - 2 Dorchester, 1 Tolpuddle, 1 Kinson, 1 Sydling St Nicholas
Short-eared Owl - 1 Swineham Point
Hobby - 1 Arne Moors, 1 White Nothe
Marsh Warbler - 1 still at Bestwell RSPB (Wareham)
Rose-coloured Starling - 1 briefly at Portland Bill
Red-throated Pipit - 1 probable seen briefly in Fortuneswell (Portland)

Reed Warbler, Wareham © David Foster

Reed Bunting, Wareham © David Foster

Whitethroat at Iford © Clinton Whale

Sightings - Saturday 30th May 2020

Red Kite - 1 Worth Matravers
Honey Buzzard - 1 over Ferndown
Hobby - 1 Melbury Hill
Green Sandpiper - 1 Lytchett Fields RSPB
Marsh Warbler - 1 Bestwell RSPB (Wareham) for second day

Mute Swan at Tuckton © Dave Hill

Marsh Harrier, Weymouth © Edmund Mackrill

Reports of interest, Friday 29th May 2020.

Brent Goose - 2 Fisherman's Bank.
Red Kite - 1 Bridport.
Osprey - 1 Culpepper's Dish.
Grey Plover - 1 Fisherman's Bank.
Knot - 1+ Durlston CP.
Bar-Tailed Godwit - 2 Fisherman's Bank.
Cuckoo - 1 Iford.
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Poundbury.
Red-Breasted Flycatcher - 1 Portland Bill (Obs garden).
Crossbill - 12 over Studland golf club.

Late news: Hen Harrier near Kingston yesterday.

Great Tit in Tuckton © Dave Hill.

Linnet at Cogden Beach © Trevor Wilkinson.

Rock Pipit at Tilly Whim © Fiona Keeling

Reports of interest, Thursday 28th May 2020.

Barnacle Goose - 1 Stanpit.
Brent Goose - 2 Stanpit.
Garganey - 2 Abbotsbury Swannery.
Great Northern Diver - 1 past Portland Bill.
Balearic Shearwater - 1 past Portland Bill.
Purple Heron - 1 north through Christchurch Harbour.
Sanderling - 16 Ferrybridge.
Cuckoo - 1 Higher Hyde, 1 Nether Compton.

Meadow Pipit at Ferrybridge © Will Bown

Sanderling at Ferrybridge © Will Bown

Cuckoo at Higher Hyde © Clive Hargrave

Reports of interest, Wednesday 27th May 2020.

Barnacle Goose - 35 past Brand's Bay, 35 through Christchurch Harbour.
Brent Goose - 2 Stanpit.
Fulmar - 1 through Christchurch Harbour.
Red Kite - 1 Bridport, 1 Ringstead, 1 Winspit.
Honey Buzzard - 1 N over Pymore.
Osprey - 1 Brand's Bay.
Little Ringed Plover - 1 Bramble Bush Bay.
Grey Plover - 3 Stanpit.
Sanderling - 17 Ferrybridge.
Greenshank - 3 Stanpit.
Golden Oriole - 1 West Bexington flew west.
Cuckoo - 1 Christchurch Harbour, 1 Hurn.

Great Black-Backed Gull in Tuckton, © Dave Hill

Great Spotted Woodpecker in Bournemouth, © David Wareham.

Peregrine in Bournemouth, © David Wareham.

Reports of interest, Tuesday 26th May 2020.

Brent Goose - 2 Stanpit.
Egyptian Goose - 2 Canford Magna, 4 Silverlake.
White Stork - 1 Silverlake.
Spoonbill - 2 NE over Melcombe Regis.
Red Kite - 1 Almer, 1 Milborne Port, 1 Wareham, 1 World's End.
Osprey - 1 Morden Bog.
Hobby - 2 central Portland.
Bar-Tailed Godwit - 2 Stanpit.
Turtle Dove - 1 Portland Bill.
Golden Oriole - 1 first-year briefly Wick.
Cuckoo - 1 Morden Bog.

Late news: White Stork over Holt on Sunday. Whinchat near Hurn airport yesterday.

White Stork over Holt on Saturday © Ian Vincent

Mute Swan cygnets at Iford © Clinton Whale

Goldfinch at Oakley © Roger Peart

Mallard at Oakley © Roger Peart

Sightings - Monday 25th May 2020.

White Stork - 1 Wool.
Osprey - 1 over Stoborough.
Red Kite - 1 over Badbury Rings, 1 over Sturminster Newton.
Ringed Plover - 19 through(11 settled) Christchurch Harbour, 3 Lytchett Fields RSPB.
Little Ringed Plover - 1 through Christchurch Harbour.
Whimbrel - 2 through Christchurch Harbour, 2 Lytchett Fields RSPB.
Cuckoo - 1 Lytchett Fields RSPB, 1 Trailway Bridge, 1 Upton.
Garden Warbler - 2 Blandford.

Reed Warbler – Iford © Clinton Whale.

Spotted Flycatcher – Sturminster Newton © Stuart Jones.

Linnet –Arrowsmith Rd. © Roger Peart.

Stonechat Juvenile – Arrowsmith Rd. © Roger Peart.

Stonechat – Arrowsmith Rd. © Roger Peart.

Sightings - Sunday 24th May 2020.

White Stork - 1 nr. Wool.
Roseate Tern - 2 Brownsea Lagoon.
Arctic Skua - 2 past Portland Bill.
Cuckoo - 1 Christchurch Harbour.
Spotted Flycatcher - 8 Portland, Pair nest building Tolpuddle 1 Stour Valley LNR.
Crossbill - 4 Meyrick Park GC.

Lesser Whitethroat – Lodmoor RSPB © Sue Buckland.

Corn Bunting – Badbury Rings © David Foster.

Sightings - Saturday 23rd May 2020.

Great Northern Diver - 1W East Bexington.
Storm Petrel - 1 off Portland Bill.
Squacco Heron -1 still at Lodmoor RSPB.
Curlew - 1 Holt Heath.
Roseate Tern - 1 Brownsea Lagoon.
Great Skua - 2 past Portland Bill, 1W East Bexington.
Arctic Skua - 2 past Portland Bill.
Swift - 5 Charminster.
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Christchurch Harbour, 1 Portland Bird Observatory.

Sightings - Friday 22nd May 2020.

Red-throated Diver - 1W past Christchurch Harbour.
Great Northern Diver - 1 past Portland Bill.
Balearic Shearwater - 1 past Portland Bill.
Squacco Heron -1 Lodmoor RSPB.
PLEASE REMAIN ON THE PATHS AND DO NOT ENTER THE REEDBED/VEGETATION
Great Skua - 2 Chesil Beach, 1 Portland Bill.
Arctic Skua - 1 Chesil Beach.
Puffin - 3 past Portland Bill.
Swift - c50 Swineham.
Hobby - 1 Ridge, 1 Hydes Heath, 1 Slepe Heath.

Squacco Heron – Lodmoor RSPB © Chris Minvalla.

Sightings - Thursday 21st May 2020

Red Kite - 5 over Lodmoor, 3 over Kimmeridge area, 4 over Moordown, 2 over North Canford Heath, 1 over Lytchett, 1 over Rodden Hive
Squacco Heron - 1 Lodmoor

Squacco Heron Lodmoor copyright Daragh Croxson

Squacco Heron Lodmoor copyright Vaughan Ashby

Sightings - Wednesday 20th May 2020

Wigeon - 2 Rodden Hive
Honey Buzzard - 1 over Portland and Radipole Lake
Red Kite - 1 over Broadwey
Sanderling - 35 Rodden Hive, 21 Hengistbury Head
Temminck's Stint - 1 Swineham
Spotted Flycatcher - 4 Wick Christchurch Harbour

Sightings - Tuesday 19th May 2020

Osprey - 1 Blacknor, Portland
Temminck's Stint - 1 Swineham Pools
Common Sandpiper - 3 Christchurch Harbour

Whimbrel Hengistbury Head copyright David Wareham

Juv Great Spotted Woodpecker copyright Clinton Whale

Sightings - Monday 18th May 2020

Great Northern Diver - 1 over Portland Harbour
Osprey - 1 north Blacknor, Portland

Collared Dove copyright David Wareham

Sightings - Sunday 17th May 2020

Dark-bellied Brent Goose - 3 still at Stanpit Marsh
Egyptian Goose - 6 Longham lakes
Red Kite - 1 Cerne Abbas
Osprey - 1 Middlebere
Arctic Skua - 2 Ferrybridge
Cuckoo - 1 Hampreston, 1 Batcombe, 1 Stanpit Marsh, 1 Cerne Abbas
Hobby - 5 Western Poole Hbr, 1 Lower Frome Valley, 1 Middlebere
Whinchat - 1 Ferrybridge

Bathing Starling - private garden © Dave Harrop

Little Egret - Canford © Roger Peart

Sightings - Saturday 16th May 2020

Common Scoter - 12 past east Hengistbury Hd.
Black-throated Diver - 1 past Portland Bill
Great Northern Diver - 2 past Portland Bill
Cattle Egret - 1 Lower Frome Valley
Red Kite - 1 Minterne, 1 south east Coward's Marsh, 1 Wyke Down
Osprey - 1 west over the Wareham Channel
Hobby - 8 western Poole Hbr, 5 Coward's Marsh
Spotted Flycatcher - 2 Hengistbury Hd, 1 Minterne

Kingfisher - Christchurch © Clinton Whale

Sightings - Friday 15th May 2020

Dark-bellied Brent goose - 3 Stanpit Marsh
Little Ringed Plover - 1 Lytchett Fields RSPB
Whimbrel - 3 Stanpit Marsh
Sanderling - 11 Ferrybridge
Hobby - 8 Western Poole Hbr.
Grasshopper Warbler - 1 Lodmoorn RSPB
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Holnest

Sightings - Thursday 14th May 2020

Dark-bellied Brent Goose - 3 still remain at Stanpit Marsh
Spoonbill - 1 Abbotsbury Swannery
Red Kite - 9 Stokeford, 1 St. Ives
Little Ringed Plover - 1 Lytchett Fields RSPB
Whimbrel - 24 Stanpit Marsh, 3 Lytchett Bay, 1 Over Ferrbridge
Hobby - 3 Poole Hbr.
Nightingale - 3 N. Dorset
Spotted Flycatcher - 3 Portland Bill
Whinchat - 2 Portland Bill, 1 Ferrybridge

Sightings - Wednesday 13th May 2020

Great Northern Diver - 1 past Chesil Beach
Spoonbill - 1 briefly at Abbotsbury Swannery, 1 west over Eype
Marsh Harrier - 1 Wyke Down
Hobby - 1 Lytchett Bay View
Turtle Dove - 1 over Westbourne
Cuckoo - 1 Wyke Down, 1 Delph Woods, 1 Chrstchurch Harbour
Firecrest - 2 Delph Woods
Crossbill - 1 over Westbourne

Sightings - Tuesday 12th May 2020

Cattle Egret - 1 in Frome Valley
Red Kite - 1 Christchurch Harbour
Osprey - 1 north over Portland
Hobby - 6 Arne Moors, 1 Holes Bay
Cuckoo - 1 Canford Bridge, 1 Corfe Mullen, 1 Spetisbury
Turtle Dove - 1 Corfe Castle
Red-rumped Swallow - 1 near Bridging Camp, Wyke Regis

Sightings - Monday 11th May 2020

Black-throated Diver - 1 off shore West Bexington
Red Kite - 6 Thorncombe, 1 Winfrith Newburgh
Osprey - 1 over Upton Heath
Hobby - 2 West Bexington
Grey Plover - 1 Lodmoor RSPB
Arctic Skua - 1 over Westbourne
Little Tern - 4 Lodmoor RSPB

Sightings - Sunday 10th May 2020

Cattle Egret - 1 Frome Valley
Spoonbill - 4 east past Kimmeridge
Red Kite - exceptionally large coastal movement reported from many sites inc 112+ West Bexington, 87 Bridport, 63 Westbourne and 34 Lodmoor
Osprey - 1 Lower Bryanston, 1 Wareham Channel
Merlin - 1 Southwell
Hobby - 4 Lytchett Bay, 1 Lodmoor RSPB
Common Sandpiper - 1 on R. Stour near Canford School
Cuckoo - 2 Lytchett Bay, 1 Lodmoor RSPB, 1 Canford Magna, 1 Upton Heath, 1 Morden Bog
Firecrest - 3 Meyrick Park GC, 1 Hengistbury Head
Crossbill - 9 Sopley Common


Gannet at Abbotsbury © Janice Beck