Dorset Birds: May 2026

Saturday 23rd May 2026

Barnacle Geese - 2 over Christchurch Hbr.

Dark-bellied Brent Goose - 1 Brand's Bay

Garganey - 1 Knighton Heath GP

Eider - 4 past Portland Bill

Red-throated Diver - 1 past Portland Bill

Great Northern Diver - 3 past Portland Bill

Manx Shearwater - 350 past Portland Bill

Spoonbill - 2 Lodmoor RSPB

White-tailed Eagle - 1 Christchurch Hbr.

Osprey - 1 Wareham Channel, 2 Middlebere

Whimbrel - 5 Christchurch Hbr, 4 Brownsea Lagoon

Sanderling - 27 Ferrybridge

Pomarine Skua - 3 west off Durlston, 1 Portland Bill

Cuckoo - 5 Wareham Forest

Red-footed Falcon - 1 male Holt Heath

Hobby - 3 Wareham Forest, 1 over Stanpit Marsh, 1 Middlebere

Spotted Flycatcher - 5 Portland Bill, 1 Wareham Forest, 1 Hengistbury Hd.

Redstart - 1 Wareham Forest

Red-footed Falcon - Holt Heath with Emperor Moth © Aidan Brown

Redstart Wareham Forest © Gary Hayman

Friday 22nd May 2026

Mandarin - duck with 4 duckling River Allen Wimborne.

Balearic Shearwater - 1 off Portland Bill

Cattle Egret 2 Charminster Water Meadows

Glossy Ibis - 1 Lytchett Fields

Eurasian Spoonbill - 3 Lodmoor RSPB

Woodcock - 1 West Moors, 1 Sugarhill

Red-footed Falcon - 1 male still on northside of Holt Heath. Please keep to main tracks and paths do not roam into the heathland and bogs)

Arctic Skua - 1 Mudeford Quay

Spotted Flycatcher - Bloxworth

Thursday 21st May 2026

Cuckoo - 1 Frome Woodsford, 1 Lower Bockhampton, 1 Affpuddle Woods

Turtle Dove - 3 Top fields Portland Bill

Whimbrel - 3 Christchurch Harbour

Sanderling - 8 Portland Bill, 36 Christchurch Harbour

Curlew Sandpiper - 1 Ferrybridge

Roseate Tern - 2 Abbotsbury Swannery

Arctic Skua - 1 past Portland Bill

Red-throated Diver - 1 flew over Arne RSPB

Great Northern Diver - 1 Christchurch Harbour

Sooty Shearwater - 1 lingering off Portland Bill

Balearic Shearwater - 1 off Portland Bill

Spoonbill - 2 Lodmoor

Great White Egret - 1 Silverlake

Osprey - 2 Wareham channel

Red Kite - 1 Limekiln Farm Sherborne

Red-footed Falcon - male still north end of Holt Heath

1 probable male flew north west over gully Durlston CP

Hobby - 1 Radipole, 1 Whitfield

Woodchat Shrike - 1 New Ground Portland

Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Hengistbury Head, 3 Crouch Hill Christchurch

Cirl Bunting - 1 Durlson CP

Sedge Warbler, River Frome Dorchester © Alan Membury

Hobby, River Frome Dorchester © Alan Membury

Cirl Bunting Durlston CP © Rebecca Porter

Wednesday 20th May 2026

Mandarin - female with one duckling on the River Allen, Wimborne

Black Tern - 4 east Christchurch Harbour

Arctic Skua - 4 feeding, 3 flew east Christchurch Harbour

Great Skua - 1 Christchurch Harbour

Red-throated Diver - 1 Christchurch Harbour

Great Northern Diver - 1 Christchurch Harbour

Balearic Shearwater - 1 past Chesil Beach, 1 off Portland Bill

Spoonbill - 2 Lodmoor

Osprey - 1 briefly over Lodmoor, 5H6 visited Poole Harbour nest platform

Red-footed Falcon - 1 north end of Holt Heath NR

Hobby - 1east of Lower Bockhampton

Tuesday 19th May 2026

Cuckoo - 1 Bardolf Farm

Avocet - 9 Brownsea Lagoon

Black Tern - 4 offshore at Hengistbury Head, 1 off Chesil Beach

Eastern Common Tern - possible again at Abbotsbury Swannery

Common Tern - 106 sitting Brownsea Island

Sandwich Tern - 81 sitting Brownsea Island

Pomarine Skua - 2 past Portland Bill, 2 past Mudeford Quay briefly this evening

Great Skua - 1 past Mudeford Quay

Desertas-type Petrel - 1 flew east past Portland Bill, mid distance

Sooty Shearwater - 1 past Durlston

Osprey - 1 over Lodmoor

Hobby - 1 over Litton Cheney

Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Bardolf Farm

Monday 18th May 2026

Eastern Common Tern - possible at south end of west scrape Lodmoor

Arctic Skua - 1 pale form over Mudeford Quay

Pomarine Skua - 1 offshore Hengistbury Head

Manx Shearwater - single close to Mudeford Quay 17:45

Honey Buzzard - 1 flew north across Poole Harbour

Red-footed Falcon - 1 over Holt Heath before flying north west

Yesterday: Quail singing St Aldhelm's Head

Grey Partridge, Dorchester © Simon

Quail - 1 singing East of Winterborne Clenston
Cuckoo - 3 Blackheath Wareham Forest, 3 Lower Allen Valley
Spoonbill - 2 Lodmoor, 1 flew up the Piddle Valley early morning
Red Kite - 9 Lower Allen Valley

Spoonbill, Lodmoor © Steve Carey

Saturday 16th May 2026

Quail - 1 Calling sporadically early this morning, near St Aldhelms Head
Cuckoo - 1 Longham lakes
Arctic Skua - 1 East off Chesil Beach viewed from Camp Road
White Stork - 1 River Frome East of Wool
Spoonbill - 1 Brownsea Lagoon, 1 Swineham
Whinchat - 1 Male by Bridging Camp Chickerall.

Cuckoo, Morden Bog © R. Stephenson

Friday 15th May 2026

Cuckoo - 1 Morden Bog
Bonapartes Gull - 1 1st Summer bird Abbotsbury Swannery Embankment
Cattle Egret - 2 Flew down Lorton Valley
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Morden Bog

Cuckoo, Morden Bog © Phil Cheesman

Thursday 14th May 2026

Cuckoo - 1 Morden Bog
Roseate Tern - 4 Brownsea Lagoon with 1 seen early evening fishing at the harbour entrance, South side.
Bonapartes Gull - 1 1st Summer bird Abbotsbury Swannery Embankment
White Stork - 1 Cowards Marsh
Cattle Egret - 4 Lytchett Fields
Red Kite - 1 Avon Heath Country Park
Tree Pipit - 2 Morden Bog

Goldcrest © John Bishop

Wednesday 13th May 2026

Whimbrel - 1 Lytchett Fields, 2 Mudeford/Hengistbury
Sanderling - 16 Mudeford/Hengistbury, 1 Brownsea Island
Common Sandpiper - 1 Peveril Point
Little Tern- 8 Hengistbury Head
BONAPARTE'S GULL - 2cy at Abbotsbury Swannery on embayment this evening
Great Northern Diver - 1 Hengistbury Head
Manx Shearwater - 14 past Hengistbury this morning, 118 Mudeford Quay this evening
Great White Egret - 1 Lodmoor RSPB
Firecrest - 1 Durlston CP
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Wick

Marsh Harrier, Middlebere © Alan Membury

Lapwing, Middlebere © Alan Membury

Osprey, Middlebere © Alan Membury

Tuesday 12th May 2026

Cuckoo - 1 Higher Hyde Heath DWT
Whimbrel - 2 Hengistbury
Honey-buzzard - 1 over Lytchett Bay
Osprey -1 Christchurch Harbour
WESTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER - probable 1st summer female, trapped & ringed at PBO

Swallow, Studland © Clinton Whale

Monday 11th May 2026

Cuckoo - 1 Hyde Bog, 1 Longham Lakes
Whimbrel - 6 Frome Valley, 5 Stanpit Marsh, 2 Holes Bay NW
Sanderling - 6 Knoll Beach (Studland), 3 Stanpit Marsh
White Stork - 1 over Wareham
Night-heron - 2 Lodmoor RSPB, flew NW towards Radipole this evening
Great White Egret - 1 Stoborough (Bog Lane)
Honey-buzzard - 1 east over Stanpit Marsh
Osprey 1 Stanpit Marsh
Red Kite - 9 Stanpit Marsh, 3 Slepe Heath, 1 Longham Lakes
Hobby - 1 Stanpit Marsh
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Ashtree Meadows (Christchurch Harbour)

Yesterday : a Roseate Tern past Portland Bill

Sanderling, Knoll Beach © Clinton Whale

Sunday 10th May 2026

Whimbrel - 2 Brand's Bay
Arctic Skua - 1 Hengistbury
BONAPARTE'S GULL - 2cy again at Lynch Cove (The Fleet)
Red-throated Diver - 1 Hengistbury
Balearic Shearwater - 1 past Portland Bill is the first of the year
White Stork - 1 south east over Shillingstone around midday, 1 Wareham, flew down the Piddle Valley.
Honey-buzzard - 1 north over Swineham GPs this morning.
Red Kite - 3 Christchurch Harbour, 2 Brand's Bay
Hobby - 1 over Hengistbury Head

Sandwich Tern, off Highcliffe Beach © Clinton Whale

Saturday 9th May 2026

Garganey - 2 Radipole Lake RSPB from Buddleia Viewpoint, 1 drake at Silverlake
Cuckoo - 3 Hartland Moor, 1 Higher Hyde Heath DWT
Turtle Dove - 1 trapped & ringed at PBO this afternoon
Whimbrel - 3 Lytchett Bay, 2 Lytchett Fields, 1 Mudeford Quay, 1 Ferrybridge
Common Sandpiper - 1 Lytchett Bay
Sanderling - 28 Mudeford Quay, 10 Ferrybridge
BONAPARTE'S GULL - 1 Brownsea Island this afternoon
Manx Shearwater - 3 Mudeford Quay
Cattle Egret - 1 Christchurch Harbour
Great White Egret - 1 flew east past Mudeford Quay
Honey-buzzard - 1 north over Freshwater Bay on Portland this afternoon
Hen Harrier - a male over Hartland Moor
Red Kite - 1 Poole Harbour
Black Kite - a possible seen high over Southbourne
Hobby - 3 Hartland Moor, 2 Morden Bog
Hooded Crow - 1 St Aldhelm's Head

Little Tern, Ferrybridge © Garry Hayman

Friday 8th May 2026

Common Scoter - 15 past Hengisbury Head

Cuckoo - 4 Hartland Moor, 1 Morden Bog

Little Ringed Plover - 1 The hump Lodmoor RSPB

Greenshank - 1 Stilt Pool

Red throated Diver - 2 West past Hengisbury Head

Great Northern Diver - 1 past Hengisbury Head

Osprey - 2 Lytchett Bay, 1 Middlebere, 1 Avon Valley

Bee-eater - 3 Southill Portland flew SE towards Radipole

Willow Warbler - 1 Studland

Sedge Warbler - Swineham © Garry Hayman

Thursday 7th May 2026

Garganey - 1 Over Christchurch Harbour

Red necked Grebe - 1 Portland Harbour from Sandsfoot Castle

Whimbrel - 9 Stanpit Marsh, 6 past Hengisbury Head

Bar tailed Godwit - 2 Ferrybridge

Little Gull - Coward's Marsh

Osprey - 2 Lytchett Bay, 2 Christchurch Harbour

White tailed Eagle - 4 Kimmeridge, 1 Christchurch Harbour

Short eared Owl - 1 Crown Estate field Portland Bill

Hobby - 2 Piddle Valley, 1 Norden

Iberian Chiffchaff - 1 putative lighthouse gully Durlston CP

Whinchat - 1 Ferrybridge

Dipper - Kingcombe Meadows

Wednesday 6th May 2026

Cuckoo - 1 Morden Bog

Turtle Dove - 1 Southwell Portland private garden still, 1 east of Tidmoor Stables The Fleet

Red necked Grebe - 1 North of Sandsfoot Castle

Bonapartes Gull - 1 Lynch Cove The Fleet

Great Northern Diver - 4 off Portland Bill

Osprey - 2 Lytchett Bay, 1 Chrishchurch Harbour off Blackberry Point

Hobby - 1 over Radipole Lake, 1 Came Down

Grasshopper Warbler - 1 The Warren nr Durlston CP

Lesser Whitethroat - 1 Durlston CP, 1 Fleetsbridge, 1 Tidmoor Point

Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Watton Hill Bridport

Yellow Wagtail - 1 Long Field Christchurch Harbour

Tuesday 5th May 2026

Barnacle Goose - 3 Woodsford Farm area

Turtle Dove -1 in a Private garden Southwell Portland

Golden Plover - 1 over Cordite Way viewpoint Holton Heath

Bar tailed Godwit - 7 Ferrybridge, 6 Stanpit Marsh

Bonapartes Gull - 1 Lodmoor RSPB

White Stork - 2 Over Swanage and flew north over Goathorn

Bittern - 1 Lodmoor RSPB

Cattle Egret - 5 Pallington Lakes, 4 Christchurch Harbour

Honey Buzzard - 1 Flew east from East Stoke

Red Kite - 35 over Ulwell, 15 over Wareham, 10 over Bridport, 2 over St Alhelms Head

Black Kite - 1 Probable over Seacombe seen from St Alhelms

Hoopoe - 1 heard on Middlebere Heath

Golden Oriole - 1 flew over Culverwell Portland

Marsh Tit - 2 Thorncombe Woods

IBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF - 1 Probable at Durlston CP

Lesser Whitethroat - 1 Frome water meadows off A351, 1 Stanpit Marsh

Spotted Flycatcher - 1 St Aldhelms Head

Yellow Wagtail - 1 St Aldhelms Head, 1 Stanpit Marsh

Monday 4th May 2026

Mandarin - 1 Blandford.
Cuckoo - 1 Portland, 1 Swineham, 1 Winterborne Stickland (Field Grove).
Turtle Dove - 1 Portland.
Grey Plover - 1 Christchurch Hbr.
Little Ringed Plover - 5 Arne Moors.
Common Sandpiper - 1 Holes Bay.
Greenshank - 1 Arne Moors.
Whimbrel - 2 Christchurch Hbr.
Little Tern - 1 Wareham Channel.
Great White Egret - 1 Arne Moors,1 Bestwall.
White Stork - 1 flew E from the lower Piddle valley.
Osprey - 1 arrived Christchurch Hbr.
White-tailed Eagle - 1 Arne RSPB, 1 E over Christchurch Hbr.
Hobby - 5 Swineham & Wareham Channel.
Wood Warbler - 1 Hardy's Monument.
Iberian Chiffchaff - 1 possible Durlston CP.

Sunday 3rd May 2026

Cuckoo - 1 Swineham, 1 Wareham Channel.
Turtle Dove - 1 Coward's Marsh, 1 Portland Bill.
Grey Plover - 4 Swineham & Wareham Channel.
Little Ringed Plover - 2 Swineham.
Common Sandpiper - 1 Brownsea Island.
Greenshank - 1 Arne Moors, 1 Brownsea Island.
Whimbrel - 2 Brownsea Island.
Bar-tailed Godwit - 15 Christchurch Hbr.
Bonaparte's Gull - 1 Lodmoor.
Little Tern - 3 Wareham Channel.
Pomarine Skua - 2 past Portland Bill.
Great White Egret - 2 Swineham, 1 Lodmoor.
White Stork - 1 flew N from the lower Piddle valley.
Osprey - 1 Wareham Channel.
White-tailed Eagle - 1 Wareham Channel.
Marsh Harrier - 1 Wareham Channel.
Hobby - 2 Wareham Channel.
Yellow Wagtail - 1 Hengistbury Hd.
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 St Aldhelm's Hd.
Whinchat - 1+ Portland Bill.
Firecrest - 1-2 Durlston CP.

Saturday 2nd May 2026

Cuckoo - 2 Middlebere, 1 Lytchett Bay.
Greenshank - 3 Lytchett Bay.
Whimbrel - 6 Lytchett Bay.
Bar-tailed Godwit - 41 Christchurch Hbr.
Bonaparte's Gull - 1 Lodmoor.
Little Gull - 1 Lytchett Bay.
Little Tern - 2 Hengistbury Hd.
Great Skua - 1 W past Hengistbury Hd.
Arctic Skua - 1 E past Hengistbury Hd.
Red-throated Diver - 1 Hengistbury Hd.
Great White Egret - 3 Bestwall, 1 E past Hengistbury Hd.
Night Heron - 1 Iford.
Spoonbill - 1 Brownsea Island.
White Stork - 1 Woodville.
Osprey - 2 Arne RSPB.
Hen Harrier - 1 male Town Common.
Hobby - 2 Arne, 1 Longham Lakes.
Yellow Wagtail - 6 over Stanpit.
Black Redstart - 1 Hengistbury Head.
Spotted Flycatcher - 2 Holton Heath.
Garden Warbler - 2 Stanpit, 1 Wild Woodbury.
Grasshopper Warbler - 1 Stanpit.
Firecrest - 1 Wild Woodbury.

Friday 1st May 2026

Garganey - 1 Longham Lakes.
Cuckoo - 1 Morden.
Grey Plover - 1 Mudeford Quay.
Common Sandpiper - 1 Lytchett Bay.
Greenshank - 7 Lytchett Bay, 2-3 Brownsea Island, 1 Hengistbury Hd.
Whimbrel - 18 past Portland Bill, 16 past Hengistbury Hd, 16 E past Durlston CP.
Bar-tailed Godwit - 100 Christchurch Hbr, 19 Brownsea Island.
Yellow-legged Gull - 1 Middlebere.
Bonaparte's Gull - 1 Lodmoor.
Kittiwake - 285+ past Portland Bill.
Arctic Tern - 2 Hengistbury Hd.
Arctic Skua - 4 E past Mudeford Quay, 3 past Portland Bill.
Pomarine Skua - 2 E past Durlston CP, 1 E past Mudeford Quay.
Great Northern Diver - 1 past Portland Bill.
Red-throated Diver - 3 past Portland Bill.
Manx Shearwater - 20 W past Mudeford Quay, 1 E past Durlston CP.
White Stork - 1 Charminster watermeadows.
Osprey - 1 Middlebere.
White-tailed Eagle - 2 Christchurch Hbr.
Marsh Harrier - 1 Lytchett Bay, 1 Middlebere.
Hobby - 1 Ballard Down, 1 Middlebere, 1 Morden, 1 Portland Bill.