Today we hosted our first private bespoke bird boat tour which was a great success and is something we’d like to role out to a wider audience. If you have a group of between 30-40 people and would like your own personal boat cruise around the harbour then get in contact with us on 01202 641003 for more details. Todays trip saw 3 Great Northern Diver (1 off Hamworthy Beach, 1 in central harbour and 1 in Bramble Bush Bay), also 2 Eider in Bramble Bush Bay, 2 Black-necked Grebe in central harbour and a Slavonian Grebe in South Deep. On Shipstal there were c25 Spoonbill, in the mouth of the Frome there were 2 Marsh Harrier and a Kingfisher was off Hamworthy. In Lytchett Bay the sites first record of Black Brant was found along with 145 Avocet, 1 Green Sandpiper and 1 Water Pipit. Along Holme Lane 15 Cattle Egret were still in the field near the Springfield Hotel and the Mandarin was still in Poole Park. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 710 Avocet, 2850 Dunlin, 3 Spotted Redshank, 3 Knot, 70 Bar-tailed Godwit 14 Greenshank, 2 Sanderling, 184 Grey Plover, 1 Jack Snipe, 1 Kingfisher and 1 Water Rail. A Great White Egret roosted on Little Sea, Studland and the White-fronted Goose was still commuting between Swineham GP and Arne Moors.

More windy, troublesome weather making birding a bit tricky. Not much reported to us today other than 2 Marsh Harrier at Swineham and 1 Great Northern Diver in Bramble Bush Bay.

This morning we hosted our second public bird boat of the winter, which saw us venture up towards Wareham on the River Frome and then around the rest of the harbour. It was a tad windy but we still managed a good haul of species including the White-fronted Goose up at Swineham, 7 Little Grebe, c30 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Black-necked Grebe near the harbour mouth along with 6 Eider, 100+ Red-breasted Merganser, 10 Goldeneye, 2 Egyptian Geese, c300 Brent Geese, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Peregrine, 1 Kestrel, 35 Spoonbill, c1500 Dunlin, c200 Avocet, c40 Bar-tailed Godwit and c20 Curlew plus all the usual harbour cohort of Redshank, Shelduck, Shag, Pintail, Wigeon, Raven etc. An adult male Black Redstart was seen in the Skinner Street area which is the first to be reported this winter period. The Mandarin Duck was showing off outside in front of the café at Poole Park for most of the day and there were 8 Red-breasted Merganser, 5 Goldeneye, 61 Coot and 24 Mute Swan on the main lake too. The 18 Cattle Egret were in the Holme Lane fields again and a ringed Black-headed Gull that was photographed in Poole Park this week is known (thanks to the details sent by BTO) to be at least 22 years old! In Middlebere several hundred Avocet were still out in front of the hide and a Peregrine buzzed on through.

Shag – Brownsea shoreline – Rene Goad

White-fronted Goose – Swineham – Rene Goad

22-year old Black-headed Gull – Poole Park – Dorothy Widnall

Not sure we quite fancy a goose for Christmas, but we certainly appreciate a goose at Christmas. Scarce geese is something we’ve struggled with in the harbour in recent years but today a White-fronted Goose was found in amongst a Greylag flock on a flooded pool next to Swineham. Other than six that flew straight through the harbour 2-weeks ago, it was the fist settled record of this species in Poole harbour since 2013. From a public bird boat there were 2 Great Northern Diver, 5 Black-necked Grebe and 1 Common Scoter spotted off the south shore of Brownsea and on Shipstal. The full flock of Cattle Egret hadn’t been reported for a while so it was nice to see 18 back at Holme Lane again. Raptors in the harbour consisted of a ringtail Hen Harrier at Middlebere, an adult male briefly from Swineham Point, both male and female Merlin at Slepe Heath and only 3 Marsh Harrier out of the west harbour roost.

One of the best vantage points to scour the open, central areas of Poole Harbour in on the cliff top at Shipstal Beach, Arne. We say cliff top, its only around 20m high but gives a great view out across to Long Island and beyond, as well as a decent perspective of Arne Bay. During December, January and February these areas can be really productive and there’s a chance any open water species could drop in ranging from Long-tailed Duck, Velvet Scoter or Red-necked Grebe. Today, it was a Slavonian Grebe that was giving great views just off Shipstal Beach and in calm water made viewing all the more enjoyable. Also logged from there this AM was 1 Great Northern Diver, 12 Goldeneye, 25 Red-breasted Merganser, 17 Great Crested Grebe, 27 Spoonbill and 1 Peregrine. Along Holme Lane there was a minimum of 8 Cattle Egret. At the PC World Drain there were 7 collybita Chiffchaff with again one singing. In Lytchett Bay there were 11 Spoonbill feeding on the low tide plus 130+ Avocet and 19 Red-breasted Merganser.

Slavonian Grebe – Shipstal Beach, Arne – Paul Morton 

Slavonian Grebe – Shipstal Beach, Arne – Paul Morton

We had a rescheduled school bird boat today which was luckily squeezed in-between another front coming through! There was another good mix of birds that would have been visible from the shoreline including 6 Eider, 1 Great Northern Diver and 1 Common Scoter off Bramble Bush Bay, another Great Northern Diver off Shipstal, 27 Spoonbill actually on Shipstal Spit, 50+ Red-breasted Merganser across the harbour along with 10 Goldeneye, 20+ Great Crested Grebe and 1 Guillemot off Poole Quay. On the Brownsea Lagoon there were 300+ Avocet, 1500+ Dunlin and 40+ Bar-tailed Godwit. A Peregrine flew across the harbour mouth with another over Shipstal. At Lytchett Bay the ringtail Hen Harrier was seen and a male was seen briefly near Swineham. Also at Lytchett Bay was 1 Water Pipit and 1 Green Sandpiper. Our ‘Birds of Urban Poole’ guided walk this morning started off with a cracking Kingfisher on the quay along with 5 Goldeneye and 7 Red-breasted Merganser in Poole Park. Also all the usual Brent Geese, Turnstone, Ringed Plover etc along Baiter. An evening count at Brands Bay produced 7 Black-necked Grebe, 73 Red-breasted Merganser, 156 Pintail, 7 Grey Plover, 27 Avocet and 1 Greenshank.

Ergh! The weather closed in again today making birding conditions almost impossible. Being sat in a hide was a winning tactic and in Brands Bay a flock of 100 Brent Geese and 12+ Pintail. In Bramble Bush Bay 20+ Sanderling and in Shell Bay a single Eider Duck. Middlebere was saw c300 each of Avocet, Lapwing, and Black-tailed Godwit. Up on Old Harry the Black Redstart was seen again and there was a sad discovery of a dead Great Northern Diver on the southern Brownsea Shore which when inspected looked to have died of starvation. It showed almost no muscle or fat on the breastbone and an inspection of its stomach (dissected professionally), to check for plastic found nothing other than the tips of a few crab claws so it was obviously hungry. Poor thing! A night ringing session at Lytchett Bay saw 2 new Woodcock ringed and a Fieldfare.

Great Northern Diver washed up on Brownsea Beach – Rob Farrington

Woodcock and Fieldfare ringed at Lytchett Bay – Paul Morton

Well, that was the break in the weather we needed. Flat calm waters and bright sunshine allowed for some excellent birding around the harbour today with plenty seen. Several highlights included a Red-necked Grebe which entered the harbour at dawn along with 3 Eider, 16 Red-breasted Merganser and 76 Shag with 255 Brent Geese counted leaving the harbour. From our school bird boat which toured the whole harbour pretty much we had 2 Great Northern Diver (1 Brands Bay and 1 over Hamworthy Beach), 6 Black-necked Grebe (central harbour and South Deep), 1 Slavonian Grebe (South Deep), c150 Great Crested Grebe, c150 Red-breasted Merganser, c50 Goldeneye, 34 Spoonbill (Shipstal), 3 Sandwich Tern, c400 Avocet, c60 Bar-tailed Godwit and c1500 Dunlin on the Brownsea Lagoon. Later in the day 6 Eider were counted off the Houseboats at Bramble Bush Bay with 2 Great Northern Diver, 1 Red-throated Diver, 6 Black-necked Grebe, 25 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Goldeneye and 2 Common Scoter. Off Middle Beach, Studland there were 23 Black-necked Grebe, 1 Great Northern Diver and 2 Common Scoter and on Shell Beach there were 32 Sanderling with 3 Black-necked Grebe in the bay. At Lytchett Bay/Heath a really late Reed Warbler was seen which is without doubt the latest Poole Harbour record and in the reeds at the end of Lytchett Heath were c15 Bearded Tit. There was a Short-eared Owl out on Hartland at dusk and a ringtail Hen Harrier was seen on Slepe Heath. At the PC World drain there were a minimum of 8 collybita Chiffchaff, again one in full song. In Brands Bay there was a Great White Egret with the same or potentially another at Little Sea, Studland and 2 more Great Northern Diver. And finally in Poole Park there were 5 Goldeneye, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Kingfisher and 7 Little Grebe meaning we had a full suit of winter grebes in the harbour today. Finally a piece of passerine news, there was a Black Redstart up at Old Harry this morning. A great winter birding day!

Sanderling – Shell Beach – Ian Ballam

Red-breasted Merganser – Poole Park – Ian Ballam

Sighting of the day has to go to a Great White Egret on the main Poole Park boating lake this morning. Admittedly they’ve become a regular species across the county in the last couple of years, but for them now to just be ‘turning up’ in the centre of Poole is quite incredible. It didn’t stay too long and soon flew up and off towards Holes Bay. At Holton Lee there was a Marsh Harrier and on Holton Pools 1 Green Sandpiper and 4 Black-tailed Godwit. Off Poole Quay a Common Guillemot was bobbing around on the water and in Bramble Bush Bay there was 5 Eider, 2 Goldeneye, 2 Black-necked Grebe, 28 Red-breasted Merganser, 10 Ringed Plover and a Peregrine. There was a report of a Long-eared Owl flying around at twilight on top of Hartland which if confirmed would be the first for the harbour since April 2013! In Lytchett Bay there were 100+ Avocet along with good numbers of Teal and Wigeon with a Green Sandpiper and 40+ Lapwing on Lytchett Fields.

Common Guillemot – Poole Quay – P Brown

Great White Egret – Poole Park – Ian Ballam

Another grey blustery day, but the discovery of a Yellow-browed Warbler in Broadstone in Twin Oakes Close was a surprise. They weren’t as conspicuous this autumn as they have been in recent years, but it’s still no surprise that the odd one or two still choose to over winter here on the south coast. In Bramble Bush Bay 5 Eider were just off the beach and there were 11 Black-necked Grebe off Middle Beach, Studland. There were 10 Cattle Egret down towards Holmebridge which we think is the furthest west they’ve been noted and there were another 5 in the field with cattle at the top end of Holme Lane. At Lytchett Fields there were c100 Lapwing and a Marsh Harrier, in Poole Park 7 Goldeneye, 6 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Sandwich Tern and 7 Redwing and along Baiter 4 Ringed Plover, 5 Turnstone, 1 Kingfisher, 68 Brent Geese, 14 Dunlin and 2 Great Crested Grebe. Holes Bay north was still rammed with mainly Wigeon and Black-tailed Godwit.

Common Buzzard – Holes Bay – John Pick