Travelling along the bumpy track, the misty morning airlifts and unravels a symphony of bird song. I’m in Dorset, at Carey’s Secret Garden. As events assistant at Birds of Poole Harbour I’m privileged to be leading osprey tours at this wonderful site. This is a stunning pair of birds, and these tours offer the only opportunity for the public to see them.
As we walk towards the viewing platform, high-pitched notes come from the treetops of this coniferous woodland – a spotted flycatcher, characteristically perched on the end of a branch. Despite only weighing about 17 grams, it has not long flown back from Africa. Some will travel nearly 7,000km from their wintering grounds, which can be as far south as Namibia.
