Big Poole Harbour Bird Count

Today was our Big Poole Harbour Bird Count, a survey that encourages everyone to get out and log literally everything they see right across the harbour. This enables a series of habitats to be watched and (hopefully) a decent species total to be logged throughout the day, providing info on the locations and totals of some of the harbours most watched (and under-watched) birds. The count also coincides with the Poole Harbour WeBS count, meaning all areas of the open mud and water are counted by the WeBS team, providing a full census of all waders and waterfowl to add to the days results.

Although we’re still waiting for lots of sightings and results to come in, it looks as if it could have been a decent count with so far 136 different species logged throughout the day. Below are some highlights, but we’ll try and bring the main bulk of the results together over the next few weeks.

Many areas were covered today, and out in Poole Bay (from Branksome) was 1 Velvet Scoter, 1 Common Scoter, 4 Great Northern Diver, 1 Red-throated Diver, c30 Razorbill, 2 Guillemot and 67 Cormorant. From Old Harry there were 6 Fulmar and 2 Gannet were off Middle Beach. Around the rest of Studland there was 1 Slavonian Grebe off Jerry’s Point with 4 Scaup and 1 Great Northern Diver. The Black-throated Diver was out in central harbour again and the male Black Redstart was at the Tatnum. The Lytchett Bay Glossy Ibis appeared again this evening and headed out over Lytchett Bay towards Rockley at dusk. 2 Great White Egret were seen at Brands Bay and there were also 2 at Swineham. Also at Swineham were 3 Goosander and several Bearded Tit. The Purple Sandpiper were found, originally off Jerry’s Point but then over at Sandbanks in front of the Haven. Lesser Redpoll have been rare this winter but one was on a feeder in Upton and 2 flew over Wareham Common. The only Crossbill were 7 logged at Rempstone and a Woodcock was flushed from the side of the road at Soldiers Road. Most raptor species were logged (apart from Goshawk, Sea Eagle and Red Kite) with ringtail Hen Harrier in Middlebere, 5+ Marsh Harrier in the Wareham Channel and 2 Merlin off Shipstal/Wytch Lake. In Brands Bay there was a Yellow-legged Gull and a Black Brant was off Goathorn. A Marsh Tit was in Upton CP (an excellent find) and a Woodlark was on Upton Heath, with 8 near the Dorset Water Park. In Holes Bay SW 2 Spotted Redshank were feeding, 22 Spoonbill were off the NW Arne shoreline and 17 Black-necked Grebe were off Middle Beach. Other scarcer species such as Firecrest, Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare and Water Pipit were all reported too in varying totals but the WeBS count seemed to be bustling in some areas with huge numbers of Teal, Wigeon, Dunlin, Avocet and like feeding during the low tide.

Once again, a huge thanks to everyone that took part, and we’re already looking forward to the Spring Big Bird Count (date TBC)

Fieldfare – Soldiers Road