We can’t believe it’s already the end of the last weekend of January and by Thursday we’ll be head first into February. It really felt mild again out of the southerly breeze and there were more Brimstone Butterflies seen across the harbour today with 1 in the Piddle Valley and another near Hartland. It became evident today that the two Waxwing flocks that have been seen in Upton and at Canford Heath are almost the same 5 commuting between the two sites during the course of the day. For most of the morning and early afternoon they were at the Canford Heath Asda site, but by late afternoon they’d redeployed over to Upton. This evening a team of us were carrying out a Poole Harbour winter gull roost survey which is a national survey monitoring important UK gull roost sites. We’re yet to collate the data but whilst out surveying there was a roost of 6 Great Northern Diver and 1 Black-throated Diver out in central harbour, with another roost of 6 in Parkstone Bay. There were 2 Slavonian Grebe off Jerry’s Point and 6 Black-necked Grebe between Brands Bay and central harbour. An adult male Hen Harrier was in Middlebere and a ringtail was in Lytchett Bay. An un-ringed Water Pipit was on Lytchett Fields, 2 White-tailed Eagle were over Godlingston Heath, a Merlin was at Greenlands Farm and a Goshawk was seen in Middlebere again. Spoonbill were spread between Shipstal at RSPB Arne and Middlebere. Lytchett Fields also had 2 Green Sandpiper.

Green Sandpiper – Lytchett Fields