It looks like the Hawfinch arrival is building traction with 10 reported over at Durlston this morning. No doubt if various harbour locations were observed this week during dawn we could see/hear more records for this autumn period. The last irruption in 2017/18 followed a similar pattern, although it was the huge numbers in the Netherlands during the latter part of October 2017 which gave an indication it was going to be an exceptional year for these normally scarce birds. We haven’t heard that there are larger than normal numbers in the near continent, but to have double figure counts in Dorset shows ‘something’ is going on, so more could be on the way….from somewhere? Despite the cloud and rain that set in this morning, around 2000 Wood Pigeon passed passed over the Piddle Valley and c500 flew over Lytchett Bay. This morning 13 Cattle Egret flew over Hatch Pond in Poole and 31 Spoonbill were on the Brownsea Lagoon. The White-tailed Eagle pair were in Brands Bay this afternoon and 2 Merlin were on Hartland Moor.