The cold was certainly creeping back in today, and the number of birds still out on the mud during our Low-tide cruise this afternoon would suggest there’s still plenty of birds that still consider it winter too. Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin and dark-bellied Brent Geese all remained at c1000 and there was still decent rafts of Wigeon, Teal and 250+ Pintail along the southern shores. At the top end of the Wareham Channel c200 Lapwing were still hunkered down on the mud and 100+ Red-breasted Merganser and c50 Great Crested Grebe were spread across the open water areas. There were multiple other highlights to compliment the high number of commoner species with a mostly summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe off Jerry’s Point, singles of White-tailed Eagle, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier and Peregrine in the Wareham Channel, a decent spread of summer-plumaged Mediterranean Gull right across the harbour, and best of all…a hunting Barn Owl on Furzey Island!! We also had a Kingfisher on the quay and another on Goathorn. Elsewhere the 2 Cattle Egret were again in the cow field off the Worgret Manor roundabout, a Water Pipit was at Lytchett Fields along with 1 Spotted Redshank. This morning, there was actually 4 different White-tailed Eagle in the harbour/Wareham Channel, with views had from the Ham Common viewpoint and there’s also been a decent Starling murmuration located in Wareham Forest, consisting of several thousand birds. It apparently seems to form behind the Birchwood Touring Park, along the Sugar Hill road with birds starting to arrive around 17:15 and peaking half an hour later. Thanks @PlushieTumRs on Twitter for the heads up about this. You can’t beat a decent murm!

Cattle Egret – Worgret/Wareham – Clive Hargrave