There was a nice mix of species in the harbour today starting at Hartland Moor where the Great Grey Shrike was close to the road along Soldiers Road then viewed out across the Moors 14 Barnacle Geese and a Marsh Harrier were counted and an unusual record of a Golden Plover flew over Hartland heading west calling. At Middlebere there was 4 Spotted Redshank and a Marsh Harrier and in Shell Bay 2 Sandwich Tern, 2 Black-necked Grebe, 15 Sanderling and a few Gannet moving east. There was a single Firecrest in the middle Beach car park. At Arne 22 Spoonbill were in Shipstal Point and from an RSPB bird boat 3 Common Scoter, 1 Slavonian Grebe, 8 Black-necked Grebe, 3 Great Northern Diver and a Merlin on Brownsea. In the Wareham Channel a ringtail Hen Harrier was seen from the train and at Lytchett Fields the Lesser Yellowlegs and Green-winged Teal were still present. The redhead Smew was also still in Holes Bay south. The Starling murmuration at Shell Beach, Studland still had the crowds wowed with what seems to be an increasing rather than decreasing sized flock. 

Starlings – Shell Beach, Studland – Paul Morton