Happy New Year everyone! What a stunning start to 2026……cold, crisp and full of birds. Many a folk now ‘year list’, whether it be logging and tallying the birds they see in their gardens over the year, in Dorset or even across the country. Over the calendar year Poole Harbour offers a great opportunity to see and count a great range of birds, and New Years day often see’s many people out searching high and low for some of the tricker/scarcer species to ensure they’re on their lists nice and early. The big question for today was whether yesterdays Smew would hang around and provide a nice early 2026 gift. The short answer is no…..they didn’t hang around….or at best, simply weren’t found. Maybe, just maybe they’ll reappear somewhere in the coming days?

Regardless of the absent Smew, there were still loads of birds logged today, starting off at dawn with 4 different Great White Egret flying down/around the Lower Piddle Valley at first light as 3 Woodcock headed back to their woodland day time roosts and a Little Grebe called, passing in the dark overhead. As the light built 35 Cattle Egret then headed towards Wareham Common to feed. The 10 Glossy Ibis appeared from the Swineham direction about 8:30am, looking as if they were going to settle in the fields just south of Wareham train station, but in fact, took a detour and headed to the Frome Valley instead where they were later found feeding just west of the bypass. The White-fronted Goose flock grew to 43 today, still feeding in teh field just east of Ridge with a lone Barnacle Goose there too. The Tundra Bean Geese hadn’t been seen for a few days, but an amazing total of 14 were found further up the Frome Valley, just west of Holmebridge in fields below Binnegar. Whilst searching for the Smew, incidental finds included 7 Black-necked Grebe, 2 Slavonian Grebe, 2 Great Northern Diver and 1 Scaup. There were also 3 White-tailed Eagle soaring over Brands Bay along plus another was in the Wareham Channel. Merlin were seen out on Arne Moors and at Middlebere, a Pochard was on Swineham GP, Spoonbills were on the Gull Islands (6), Lytchett Bay (7), Brands Bay (1) and Holes Bay (2). being early January some birds are already starting to sing with Crossbills seen and heard displaying at Greenlands Farm and Slepe Heath. There were 2 Spotted Redshank, one in Upton CP and 1 in Lytchett Bay. Marsh Harrier totals are still good with no less than 7 floating around the west of the harbour. This afternoon a Great White Egret was at Holmebridge and 53 Cattle Egret were seen flying over Wareham Common into roost. Finally, there was a late but unconfirmed report of a White Stork at Sunnyside, Ridge.

Two juvenile White-tailed Eagles over Brands Bay – Mark Wright