Although the winds subsided today, the only new arrival was a Yellow-browed Warbler around the hide at Middlebere with the Stilt Sandpiper still out on the mud and Merlin, Marsh and Hen Harrier all noted too. At Lytchett Fields there was 1 Little Stint, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, 1 Med Gull and 1 Marsh Harrier. Along footpath 12 of Lytchett Bay there were still good numbers of Bearded Tit around in the reedbeds. More winter wildfowl are arriving in drips and drabs with c30 Brent Geese seen in Studland Bay and Pintail and Wigeon numbers had increased in Arne Bay. Spoonbills were on Shipstal Point Arne and a few were on Brownsea. Finch passage is currently taking place overhead across most of the harbour with some areas more concentrated than others. Currently with these SW winds its difficult to find these migration corridors where concentrated numbers of birds move en mass but Ballard Down seems to have good numbers of Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Chaffinch and Goldfinch moving overhead. The best wind direction for vis-mig in the harbour is a northerly or north-easterly wind with the South Haven, Glebelands, Studland, the Corfe Gap and Lytchett Bay viewing mound on Boarder Road all good places to watch from. Finches (and wagtails and pipits) will all move in smaller numbers at any point across the harbour so its well worth learning the flight and social calls of species like Siskin, Linnet, Grey Wagtail and even scarcer species as at this time of year you never quite know what will fly over!

Marsh Harrier – Middlebere – Simon Buckell

Merlin – Middlebere – Simon Buckell

Hen Harrier – Middlebere – Simon Buckell

Marsh Harrier and Avocet – Middlebere – Simon Buckell