April part 1 - Rarities - Poole Harbour & Isle of Purbeck

April has been quite a month one way and another with the return of the Forster's Tern at Arne which we managed to catchup with on the 2nd April also adding Sandwich Tern to our year list at the same time. We also had an Osprey fishing off Round Island which headed off up the Middlebere channel which gave us a good start to the month's birding.

 Forster's Tern_Shipstal Point Arne © Nick Hull

Osprey - Arne © Nick Hull

On the 11th we managed to add Willow Warbler to the year list with hearing one singing behind the Arne cafe/shop whilst stocking up with bird food. We also added Tree Pipit which put in a brief song for us.  The next day we had the grandchildren and they asked if they could visit Swanage for a walk and it turned out a very good request.  As during our walk we added Razorbill offshore and as we were passing some scrub and thorn bushes I heard a bird singing which took me by surprise as it was a Cirl Bunting.  So a careful search we managed to get into a position so we could see the bird singing top of a thorn bush and we had good views.  I managed a couple of distant shots and we left it singing away happily in the sun.

Cirl Bunting - Isle of Purbeck © Nick Hull

Later on our walk we were able to show the grandchildren two orchids. In fact the ones we found were just about looking their best.  The first we came across was the Early Spider Orchid then a while after we came across a small patch of Green-veined Orchid.

Early Spider Orchid - Isle of Purbeck © Nick Hull

Green-veined Orchid - Isle of Purbeck © Nick Hull

On the 14th Jackie and I were on Osprey watch for Birds of Poole Harbour the next day we were watching on the webcam when CJ7 laid her first egg of the season.

On the 16th we added Reed Warbler on the Lytchett Patch and we caught up with the summer plumaged Spotted Redshank from Rock Lea VP which looked very smart in its black and white spotted plumage.

Late on the 17th Adam Day found a Bonaparte's Gull on Wareham Common and it was still there next day.  Next morning Jackie and I took some time out from packing for our holiday and popped over to Wareham Common and had some good scope views of this small American gull.  I also managed an ok shot of it resting on the flood water.

Bonaparte's Gull - Wareham Common © Nick Hull

Well this was going to be our last bird of the month in UK as we were off on an early birthday treat for Jackie on a river cruise on the Saône and Rhône Rivers in the South of France.