The last Monday before Christmas and the weather is looking mighty fine this week. Perfect for harbour watching. If when out and about around the harbour fringes look out for some of the open water species that feed close to the shoreline such as Red-breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe and Great Northern Diver, the latter now seeming here in good numbers, certainly around the Studland Peninsular. Look a bit harder and Black-necked Grebe, Common Scoter and even possible Velvet Scoter and Slavonian Grebe can be found within the inner bays of Studland such as Bramble Bush Bay and off Redhorn. Holes Bay NE and Upton CP have been really busy these last few days with commoner wader and wildfowl species, but regardless of how common they are these areas offer excellent viewing opportunities along the cycle paths boarding each of the sites. Avocet, Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Teal, Wigeon, Pintail and Shoveler should be looked for with Spoonbill and Peregrine frequent this week too. At Pilots point this AM, 41 Sanderling and 17 Ringed Plover were on the beach and 7 Sandwich Tern flew by with just a single Black-necked Grebe feeding off shore in Shell Bay. At Arne and along Soldiers Road Dartford Warbler were active in the warm yet crisp afternoon soon and on Poole Park boating lake the Goldeneye are showing exceptionally well. 

Sunrise from Poole Quay and Baiter – Paul Morton