Not great conditions to start the day but 3 Sandwich Tern off Baiter were a welcome surprise at 08:30am along with 2 Goldeneye and 9 Turnstone. An RSPB School bird boat left Poole Quay at 10am with highlights being a Great Northern Diver, 20+ Goldeneye, 50+ Re-breasted Merganser, 200+ Avocet, 600-700 Dunlin also Grey Plover, Greenshank, 200+ Oystercatcher and several Turnstone. At Shore Road this evening 33 Sanderling fed very close to the cycle path and there were 123 Bar-tailed Godwit also there.

A perfect winters day with some good coverage, including sightings from out on the water. Starting of with Middlebere there were 2 Ring-tail Hen Harrier and 1 adult male along with a single marsh Harrier and large Avocet flock on the high tide. Holes Bay counted 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Pintail, 17 Oystercatcher, 66 Avocet, 3 Lapwing and 2 Spotted Redshank. At the PC World drainage ditch 1 Kingfisher, 1 Grey Wagtail, 6+ Chiffchaff, and 2 Siberian types. The Wytch Channel held 750 Avocet and a Peregrine. At Holmebridge the Pink-footed Goose remained. An evening watch from Soldiers Road turned up 5 different Marsh Harrier and a Short-eared Owl over Swineham. There was an RSPB bird boat out in the harbour today packed full of lucky spectators who got to see 5 Great Northern Diver, 1 Black-throated Diver, 1 Long-tailed duck, 200 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Green Shank, 15 Turnstone, 15+ Black-necked Grebe, 250+ Grey Plover, 1 Peregrine, 1 Merlin and 15 Spoonbill. There was also a Merlin at Sunnyside Farm. The Wytch Causeway saw at least 1 Water Pipit, a Ringtail Hen Harrier, 1 Green Sandpiper and a Merlin. Still at least 20 Waxwing in Lytchett Matravers.

With a south easterly wind flowing there was the possibility of some good birding however rain made viewing difficult, but still a few areas covered. A morning sea watch at Branksome produced 6 Red-throated Diver, 1 Great Northern Diver, 9 Common Scoter, 25 Shelduck, 35 Brent Geese, 35 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Gannet, 20 Razorbill and a Guillemot. Lytchett Bay Pools hosted 2 Spotted Redshank. Middle Beach, Studand counted 1 Great Northern Diver, 2 Red-throated Diver, 20 Black-necked Grebe, 6 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Red-necked Grebe, 1 Gannet, 1 Common Scoter, 4 Razorbill, 1 Kittiwake. At Holmebridge 2 Egyptian Geese and a Merlin at Soldiers Road. Still 27 Waxwing in Lytchett Matravers.

Lots of areas covered today, starting with Holes Bay. 92 Avocet, 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Pintail, a single Brent Goose and interestingly just as many Bar-tailed Godwit as there were Black-tailed Godwit, the first being quite scarce in this area. The drainage ditch that runs into Holes Bay had 1 Kingfisher, 1 Grey Wagtail, 10+ Chiffchaff (2 in full song) and 1 possibly 2 Siberian Chiffchaff. There were at least 4 Yellow-legged gulls on Kerry Foods roof. Out towards the harbour mouth, South Haven had 3 Great Northern Diver, 8 Black-necked Grebe and 1 Razorbill. From Sandbanks 2 Great Northern Diver a Black-throated Diver were inside the harbour towards Evening Hill, 15 Ringed Plover, 29 Sanderling and 3 Dunlin on the groynes. Middle Beach had 18 Black-necked Grebe and a Razorbill. Holmebridge still has the Pink-footed Goose and 2 Goosander were at West Holme. In the Swineham area there were at least 5 different Marsh Harrier and 2 juvenile Hen Harrier. There are also 2 male Hen Harrier that have been seen in the same area recently. A Short-eared Owl was seen flying off towards Arne from Holton Heath. A Sandwich Tern passed Baiter this morning and 2 Blackcap were at Longfleet School. Just outside the boundary still at least 27 Waxwing in Lytchett Matravers.

Coverage today included Holes Bay SW which saw 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper and an Avocet along with a Siberian Chiffchaff (Tristis) and at least 7 Common Chiffchaff (collybita) along the banks of the drainage ditch behind PC World at Wessex Gate retail park. Brownsea Island had 2 Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 200+ Avocet, 500+ Dunlin, Grey Plover, Knot a Peregrine. A Purple Sandpiper was again on the North Haven sea wall. Off Baiter this morning 3 Goldeneye, 8 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Great crested Grebe and a Great Northern Diver. 14 Spoonbill were feeding off Swineham Point and a male Hen Harrier flew along the far shoreline at Arne. There are still currently 20 Waxwing just outside the harbour boundary in Lytchett Matravers.

Not many areas covered today. Baiter Park had 1 Great Northern Diver, 4 Goldeneye, 6 Red-breasted Merganser, 3 Great Crested Grebe and 27 Brent Geese on the patch of water in-between the beach and Parkstone Yacht Club. The female Long-tailed Duck is still off Shipstal Point Arne. An interesting record has come to light of 49 Sanderling on January 6th 2013 at Shore Road Sandbanks. This may not seem significant but considering the record count for Sanderling in Poole Harbour during the winter is 57 which occurred in the 1939-40 winter, this makes this recent count of 49 the second highest ever winter record. The spring record is 112 in May 1953 (Shell Bay). There also seems to be a vast increase of Snipe in Dorset with many wetland areas counting larger than normal totals. For example Lytchett Bay alone counted 132 on Monday 7th Jan in just a few hours.

A good selection of areas covered today with South Haven 
hosting 1 Great Northern Diver at the houseboats, 10 Black-necked Grebe, 2 shell Bay, 8 houseboats
, 1 Razorbill in Shell Bay and 9 
Bullfinch. Arne saw 5 
Black-necked Grebe, 1 Long-tailed Duck, 1 
Firecrest, 2 
Crossbill and 1
 Common Seal. Holmebridge still has 1 
Pink-footed Goose, also there 1 
Yellow Legged Gull. Holes Bay/PC world ditch
 saw 90 Avocet, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1
 Grey Wagtail, 3 Chiffchaff. Soldiers Road had a ringtail
 Hen Harrier. The Brownsea Island lagoon counted 5 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 150+ Avocet, Shoveler, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Turnstone and a Peregrine. After the camera launch on Brownsea 4 Divers were spotted in a tight loafing group out towards the Royal Motor Yacht Club, they were confirmed as 3 Great Northern Diver and a Black-throated Diver. A Purple Sandpiper was on seaweed covered concrete shelf at North Haven.

A quick stop off at one of my favourite vantage points this morning, Shipstal Point, Arne produced some nice birds. A female Long-tailed Duck was feeding with Goldeneye in Arne Bay. 3 Great Northern Diver were out on the open water along with 5 Black-necked Grebe, 20+ Great Crested grebe, 30+ Red-breasted Merganser, 15+ Goldeneye, 11 Pintail and 2 Seal. Down towards Middlebere a rising tide pushed up 200+ Avocet, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, 100+ Brent Geese, Shelduck, Oystercatcher a few Grey Plover, Curlew and Dunlin. 15 Spoonbill were roosting up out in front of the Shipstal hide and a Peregrine dashed over the farm.

A great first day of the year with many species of bird found around the harbour. A bird boat left Poole Quay this morning and produced 5 Great Northern Diver, 1 Black-throated Diver, 1 Red-necked Grebe, 9 Black-Necked Grebe, 2 Slavonian Grebe, 20+ Goldeneye, 70+ Red-breasted Merganser, 16 Spoonbill, 400+ Avocet, 50+ Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Razorbill, Guillemot, Peregrine Falcon, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard plus the commoner species. Swineham GP this morning hosted Shoveler, Pochard, Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Coot, Cetti’s Warbler, Water Rail, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Kestrel, Siskin and Great-spotted Woodpecker. There were 2 Bittern at Hatch Pond this morning too.