The building breeze made watching open areas of the harbour tricky today, but it was good to see a Great Northern Diver in Shell Bay seeing as numbers had dropped off in recent weeks. There were also 3 Black-necked Grebe in Shell Bay with another 5+ in Studland Bay along with 1 female Common Scoter. Brands Bay was full of Pintail again, and 2 Peregrine were actively hunting the c300 Black-tailed Godwit, c100 Dunlin and 20 Grey Plover that were also in the bay. There were 2 White-tailed Eagle seen around the Arne peninsular, 2 Marsh Harrier were at Swineham and a ringtail Hen Harrier was at Middlebere. There was also an odd report of a female Ring Ouzel in Poole Town near Tower Park. They can/do very rarely over-winter, so it’s not impossible, but it’s a tad too early for it to be an early spring migrant.

Reed Bunting and Greenfinch – Lytchett ‘Rock Lea’ view Feeders

It was a bit more ‘February’ today with murk and gloom over much of the harbour, brightened up slightly by a stunning adult male Marsh Harrier that currently frequenting the Middlebere, Swineham area. We rarely see full adult male plumage but this lad is the real deal, and would be a welcome resident to the harbour should he decide to stay into March and April. The 2 White-tailed Eagle that have been spending a lot of time togther, G466 and G463 were both out in the Wareham Channel mid-morning but soon drifted off into the murk, not to be seen again. At Shipstal Beach, RSPB Arne, 6 Spoonbill were roosting.

Blackbird brightening up a dull day

Sorry for the late post, we’ve literally only just got back in from hosting our final Sunnyside ringing demo of the season. It was a great final session with 1 Jack Snipe, 2 Common Snipe, 1 Woodcock and 2 Lapwing ringed. In total 4 Jack Snipe were seen along with c15 Woodcock and c10 Lapwing. It was another belter of a day too in terms of warm weather which saw White-tailed Eagles G463 and G466 active high above the Wareham Channel, with a Marsh Harrier displaying there too. It was good to hear of some semi-decent ‘Barwit’ and Sanderling totals from Whitley Lake yesterday which included 104 Bar-tailed Godwit and 35 Sanderling on the inner-Sandbanks shoreline. A pale-bellied Brent Goose was in Brands Bay. In Holes Bay SW 2 Spotted Redshank were hunkered up and off Middle Beach, Studland 5 Black-necked Grebe were just off shore. In Brands Bay this morning a clonking 444 Pintail were counted, which is a great February total. The mass-Black-tailed Godwit group now seems to be dispersing around the harbour with all c3500 having been tucked away in Holes Bay in recent months. Now flocks of c500-c600 are being counted back at sites like Lytchett Bay, Brands Bay and the Brownsea Lagoon. A Red Kite was over Upton.

Woodcock – Sunnyside Ringing Demo – Brittany Maxted

Lapwing – Sunnyside Ringing Demo – Brittany Maxted

This weather can stay please! By mid-afternoon, the temperature had reached 14 degrees in some areas and it truly felt like a spring day. There was lots going on today and this morning our Winter Safari Cruise was treated to a decent range of species. Male White-tailed Eagle G463 briefly had a minor dispute with a Raven out over the sores of the Wareham Channel before heading off up the Frome Valley. There were 2-3 Marsh Harrier touring the Swineham/Keysworth area and 3 Spotted Redshank in the mouth of the Frome along with c200 Lapwing and c300 Avocet. Central Harbour had c80 Red-breasted Merganser but there were only 4 Goldeneye in the Wareham Channel. Shipstal Point at Arne only had 6 Spoonbill. This evening 3 Cattle Egret flew past Rock Lea viewpoint at Lytchett Bay and 2 Spotted Redshank were on Lytchett Fields with at least 1 Water Pipit. There was a good count of 306 Pintail in Brands Bay along with 9 Knot (which have been scarce this winter).

White-tailed Eagle and Raven – Winter Safari Cruise this AM – Fiona Liddiard

River Frome – Winter Safari Cruise this AM – Fiona Liddiard

Another brilliant boat trip this morning, starting with cracking views of Great Northern Diver in North Channel, followed by 2 Black-necked Grebe in Bramble Bush Bay, and a stunning encounter with a first winter male Eider in the Central Harbour. In total eight raptor species were recorded, the highlights being fourth calendar year male White-tailed Eagle G463 on Shag Loe, Hen Harrier and Marsh Harrier hunting simultaneously on Arne Moors, a close flyby from a Sparrowhawk, and a Red Kite over Keysworth! Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested Grebe remain present in decent numbers throughout the harbour, particularly South Deep, the central harbour and the Wareham Channel, the latter of which also held 5 Goldeneye. Highlights from elsewhere in the harbour included 50 Redwing in the sheep fields in Upton Country Park, and the first Lytchett Bay Green Woodpecker record of the year along with 2 Marsh Harrier and 30 Mediterranean Gull.

Eider – Winter Safari Cruise – Alison Copland

It’s warming up and there were more signs of spring today. Woodlark were singing at a couple of traditional sites and the first singing Blackcap of the spring was heard in Oakdale. Buzzard were in full display mode and at Arne Dartford Warbler were sub-singing. In Holes Bay there were 3036 Black-tailed Godwit which is a great February total, 180 Avocet, 1220 Wigeon and 807 Teal. In Middlebere 2 Spotted Redshank were feeding on the low tide, 4 Black-necked Grebe were in Shell Bay. Firecrest seem to be everywhere at the moment, with individuals turning up at multiple sites including in private gardens at urban sites such as Oakdale, but totals of 2 or more were logged at the PCW drain, Upton CP, Norden sewage works, Swineham and Knoll Beach, Studland. There are still decent numbers of Marsh Harrier around with 2 in Lytchett Bay, 2 in Middlebere and 4 at Swineham. White-tailed Eagles were lurking too with 2 in and around the Wareham Channel area.

Spotted Redshank – Middlebere 

A tad quieter today but 3 Spotted Redshank, c200 Avocet and a ringtail Hen Harrier were seen in Middlebere. This morning 2 White-tailed Eagle were in the Wareham Channel but not seen throughout the rest of the day. Off Middle Beach 5 Black-necked Grebe and 2 Common Scoter were in Studland Bay and at Norden Sewage Work there were still 10+ Common Chiffchaff and 2 Firecrest.

Ringtail Hen Harrier – Middlebere – Garry Hayman

Much milder today and another flat calm harbour. A Bittern was seen to drop down into the main reed bed off Swineham Point this afternoon along with 1 Merlin, 1 Spotted Redshank, c100 Avocet and c300 Dunlin. Plus, there were 4 different Marsh Harrier including a stunning adult male off Swineham Point. A White-tailed Eagle was over Hartland Moor and was seen tracking towards the Wareham Channel this afternoon and 2 were seen circling over Wareham around 1pm. There were still 2000+ Black-tailed Godwit in Holes Bay north, a Black Redstart was in a private garden near Northmoor, Wareham. A single Spoonbill was feeding on the Swineham scrapes this evening.

Black-tailed Godwits, Pintail, Wigeon and Teal – Holes Bay – Martin Adams