MERRY CHRISTMAS from the entire BoPH crew. We hope you’ve had an amazing day and that 2023 brings you all the birding joys you deserve!

We’re going to keep it short and sweet this evening as there’s Christmas dinner left over’s to be had, so the main highlights were 3 Slavonian Grebe around the Studland Peninsular with 1 off Jerry’s Point, 1 in Shell Bay and off Middle Beach. Also off Middle Beach was 1 Great Northern Diver and 2 Black-necked Grebe. At Middlebere there were 23 Spoonbill. In the Wareham Channel this morning 2 White-tailed Eagle were present as were 6 Marsh Harrier. 

Before the daty draws to an end, we’d like to give Christmas 2022 message…….As 2022 draws to a close, it’s given us time to reflect on what’s been an incredible year for our charity in terms of what’s been achieved and the excitement that’s built across Poole Harbour over the last 12 months. There’s no doubt that the period between 2020 & 2021 saw huge challenges, not just for small charities like ours but entire communities and individuals alike. However, 2022 saw resilience and determination begin to re-build which has been reflected in the support and interest in all our work across the board.

There’s no doubt that our biggest achievement this year was finally seeing Osprey’s successfully raise young on the south coast, which was a direct result of the reintroduction we began in 2017. Our female CJ7 and male 022 raised two youngsters, and many thousands of people enjoyed watching the drama unfold on the live webcam. In August, we hosted 30 Osprey cruises and sold 1600 tickets which was a massive increase compared to the 3 Osprey trips we hosted back in 2017. In fact, support for all our events across the year grew as did the audience we engaged and communicated with, which was brilliant.

Other projects we saw develop and completed this year was the installation of the new Ham Common view point in partnership with BCP Council and Rockley Holiday Park, the new wader protection zone at Studland in partnership with the National Trust, the continuation of our School Bird Boat projected which is funded by LUSH, the completion of a full breeding raptors of Poole Harbour study which will be published in the New Year, as well as other multiple projects, events, talks and media appearances which has helped build the charity.

Our team are primed and ready to make 2023 an even bigger success and can’t wait to see many (hopefully all) of year over the coming year. The support and kindness we’ve received from everyone over the years has made Birds of Poole Harbour the charity it is today, and we couldn’t do any of it without you.

So, from all of us here at ‘BoPH’, we’d like to say a MASSIVE thank you for your support and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year.

Here’s to an action packed 2023 x

Christmas Day Birding – Middlebere – Barbara Bisset

Lytchett Bay saw a fair deal of today’s action, clocking up a very respectable range of raptors with appearances from White-tailed Eagle, ringtail Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel – all seen from the excellent new Rock Lea Viewpoint. While the Bay also enjoyed views of a Firecrest near Lytchett Pools. Turning to the other embayment to the north of the harbour, Holes Bay featured 978 Black-tailed Godwit and 239 Avocet roosting on high tide in the north sectors while a further 2 Avocet were feeding in the SE corner. Studland received good coverage with singles of Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe and Common Scoter all logged from Jerry’s Point, accompanied by 2 Black-necked and 16 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Goldeneye, 31 Red-breasted Merganser and 2 overwintering Sandwich Tern. A high tide visit to Brand’s Bay offered nice mix of ducks among the 90 Lapwing, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit and 15 Dunlin. Shell Bay, Studland Bay and South Haven added an additional 2 Slavonian Grebe, 6 Black-necked Grebe and 3 Great Crested Grebe. Off Old Harry this evening 2 Great Northern Diver were feeding, in Middlebere 23 Spoonbill were roosting and a Razorbill was off Baiter Beach.

White-tailed Eagle G812 – Lytchett Bay – Paul Sutton

Sanderling (right) and Dunlin (left) – Shell Bay – @PlushieTumRs

A huge high tide in the harbour this morning meant that numbers of waders and wildfowl on the Brownsea Lagoon were higher than usual, including large mixed flocks of Dunlin, Avocet and Black-tailed Godwit, including lower numbers of Sanderling, Knot, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Greenshank, Teal and Oystercatcher. From Coombe Viewpoint, c.100 Avocet were flushed by a persistent Marsh Harrier this morning. At Lytchett Fields, the 2 Spotted Redshank were visible on the Pools Field again today. 1 Razorbill was seen off Baiter after a couple of weeks absence this afternoon. 20 Brent Geese were logged in Holes Bay, as well as a Peregrine on Pergins Island.

With Christmas a couple of days away, a quick reminder that we are offering online Gift Vouchers this year for booking onto any of our events throughout 2023. You can find more information here.

Brownsea Lagoon – Nicki Tutton

Lytchett Fields was delivering the goods today, with an adult female Goshawk flying over Sherford Pools and landing in a tree on the Holton Lee shore this morning. Also present were two Spotted Redshank on the Pools Field and another round at the Rock Lea Viewpoint, where the other highlights were a colour-ringed Greenshank and a flyover Great White Egret. Elsewhere, a Ringtail Hen Harrier – presumably the same one as yesterday – was seen in the Middlebere Channel again this afternoon. And further down the creek visitors to the Arne Lookout were treated to views of two Spoonbill feeding in the water in front of the hide.

Avocet, Dunlin & Black-tailed Godwit – Brownsea Lagoon – BoPH Brodie Camera

This afternoon saw our last boat trip of the year. With that in mind, we’d like to say a HUGE thank you to anyone and everyone thats been on one (or many) of our trips/events this year. It’s made all the difference to have such great support from the public and we promise that 2023 will be no different. Todays boat trip was a great final sign off for the year and quite fitting that the final bird we saw before heading back to the quay was a stunning White-tailed Eagle sat in a tree only 200 yards off the side of the boat, lit up by the fading evening sunlight as it got mobbed by a crow. As Mark Wrights incredible photo below shows, it was 2 year old G812, the male that seems to have taken a liking to the harbour, along with female G866 who we also saw during the trip, but sat distantly in a tree. Other highlights included 6 Eider, with 5 off the NW Brownsea shore and an adult male off the Brownsea south shore. In the Wareham Channel a Spotted Redshank was feeding with 6 Knot and c900 Dunlin. In South Deep a flock of 29 Goldeneye alighted and settled near Goathorn and a single Black-necked Grebe was located. Frustratingly divers kept their distance but there were 2 Great Northern Diver off Hamworthy beach, 2 off Shipstal and another 2 off Jerry’s Point. What we lacked in close divers we made up for in close feeding Avocet, dark-bellied Brent Geese, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Oystercatcher and Redshank along the south harbour shore and in the Wareham Channel. Marsh Harrier numbers seem well down with only 2-3 seen at Swineham. Out on the open harbour decent numbers of Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested Grebe now seem present and Swineham GP had decent numbers of duck on it including Shoveler, Teal, Gadwall, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Mallard. Spoonbill were logged in the Wareham Channel and in Middlebere. There were 2 Cattle Egret on Wareham Common again with a single Spotted Redshank seen at Lytchett Fields. Elsewhere a ringtail Hen Harrier was on a post viewed out from the Middlebere Lookout at Arne, a Purple Sandpiper was on the ledge in front of the Haven Hotel, in the PCW Drain a Cetti’s Warbler was seen and there were 5+ Common Chiffchaff and a Firecrest. 

Male White-tailed Eagle G812 – Wareham Channel – Mark Wright

Total warmth today, so much so that several Red Admiral Butterfly were seen on the wing. Bonkers! Calm waters allowed for decent viewing too with 5 Eider off the south Brownsea shore, and off Jerry’s Point were 4 Great Northern Diver, 24 Great Crested Grebe, 9 Black-necked Grebe, 1 Slavonian Grebe, 22 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Common Scoter, 10 Goldeneye and a fly over Merlin. Off Middle Beach Studland there were 6 Common Scoter and 4 Black-necked Grebe. In Shell Bay there was a Red-throated Diver and a Great Northern Diver was off Pilots Point. On Wareham Common 2 Cattle Egret were still with cattle and in the Wareham Channel 2 White-tailed Eagle were seen again with a ringtail Hen Harrier seen in the Middlebere Channel.

A full high tide count was conducted on the Brownsea Lagoon by warden Hamish Murray who logged…..8 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret, 475 Cormorant, 490 Avocet, 135 Oystercatcher, 2020 Dunlin, 9 Sanderling, 14 Knot, 14 Curlew, 15 Turnstone, 170 Black-tailed Godwit, 52 Bar-tailed Godwit, 98 Redshank, 12 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 12 Ringed Plover, 145 Grey Plover, 1 Lapwing, 4 Snipe, 44 Teal, 6 Shoveler, 48 Wigeon, 22 Gadwall, 32 Brent Goose, 2 Mute Swan, 4 Canada Goose, 6 Greylag, 38 Shelduck and 1 Water Rail. 

Goldeneye – Poole Park – Ian Ballam

Not quite what we were hoping Christmas week would start like with howling winds and driving rain, but at least it’s warmer! Not many birders out today, but 7 Goldeneye on Poole Park boating lake was noteworthy which consisted of 6 males and 1 female. In Middlebere there were 12 Spoonbill at the top end of the channel and out on Baiter 1 Dunlin, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Greenshank, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Common Snipe, 12 Turnstone and 150+ dark-bellied Brent Geese were hunkering down. A Great Northern Diver was also off Baiter Beach and in the Wareham Channel a White-tailed Eagle was seen briefly heading across the Wareham Channel.

Goldeneye – Poole Park Lake – Ian Ballam

What a difference a day makes! Where yesterday coverings of ice still lay, today flowed streams of water as they ran off of every surface, melting the frozen ground as they went and in doing so freeing up a food resource which has been inaccessible to birds for almost a whole week. On Baiter Park an unorthodox flock of Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit and Teal, with singles of Dunlin, Grey Plover, Greenshank and possibly a Jack Snipe in the mix all took advantage of newly exposed wet ground. Nearby 22 Tufted Duck were sheltering in Holes Bay, the Peregrine also spotted nearby. Further inland at Hatch Pond 3 Teal were joined by a lone Greenshank – an unusual species for this site. And off Hamworthy Beach was a single Great Northern Diver.

Grey Plover – Baiter Park – Mark Wright

The ground felt solid this morning, but all will change tomorrow when the big low pressure system comes in from the south west. Thankfully the cold will go but wind and rain will set back in and who knows what that may blow into the harbour. It seemed much was seeking sanctuary today with at least 5 Cattle Egret still searching out small mammals and any surviving insects this morning. There was also a Short-eared Owl near Hartland today and 2 Hen Harrier were in Middlebere. 12 Spoonbill were also in Middlebere and off Studland Beach 2 Slavonian Grebe were still in Studland Bay with 9 Black-necked Grebe. the lone Purple Sandpiper was again in front of the Haven Hotel on the sea ledge at low tide but disappeared later in the day. A Pochard was off Baiter, possibly the same that was in Poole Park the day before.

Shoveler – Holes Bay – Martin Adams

There was finally a decent count of Black-necked Grebe in Studland Bay today with 14 counted along with 2 Slavonian Grebe. Another new arrival was a single Pochard on Poole Park Lake, along with a male Goldeneye. There were 5 Cattle Egret on Wareham Common again and off Jerry’s Point 8 Goldeneye were in a tight raft. A ringtail Hen Harrier flew along the Middlebere Channel where there were also 13 Spoonbill and there were also 9 Marsh Harrier near Swineham.

Pochard – Poole Park – Rene Goad