As January fades away, providing plenty of memories of wet, overcast, dreary days, it’s actually been a phenomenal start to the year in terms of pure numbers of species logged within the recording area since January 1st. Tundra Bean Geese, White-fronted Geese, Yellow-browed Warbler, Glossy Ibis, Snow Bunting, Red-necked Grebe, Bittern, Black Redstart and Brambling are all excellent January records, and to the best of our knowledge so far, a cracking 150 species have been logged since the start of the year. Today, species number 150 was logged, and what a great record it was too, when local surveyor Nick Hopper found a flock of 6 (but possibly up to 10) Cirl Bunting out on Old Harry in a field with an area of set aside. This is an unprecedented total, and we think possibly the largest Dorset gathering of Cirl Bunting in Dorset since their disappearance in the late 1960’s. We’ve had no confirmed breeding records since their recovery along the Dorset coast, but with plenty of good habitat around, we’d like to think that over the next few years they become a regular feature along Ballard, Nine Barrow Down and Challow Hill.

Elsewhere there were 15 Spoonbill at Shipstal Point, RSPB Arne, 22 Crossbill were on the edge of Greenlands Farm, 2 White-tailed Eagle were soaring around the Goathorn Peninsular and we’ve also received some quick news back thanks to the Scillonia Seabird Group regarding a dead 1st winter European Shag that was found on Poole Quay this week. It was ringed as a nestling on the Isles of Scilly on June 30th 2025, and was seen in Brixham, Devon a few months later on October 21st, before sadly being found dead along Poole Quay earlier this week. It coincides with the discovery of a dead Great Northern Diver, Guillemot, Cormorant and Razorbill within the last week and a half on various beaches and shores around Poole, and although it’s easy to assign the deaths to bird flue, it’s more likely they died in relation to the torrid weather in January, as each of these species are visual underwater hunters, and the murky water hinders finding food. Especially younger, inexperienced birds.

Dead European Shag ‘3PN’ on Poole Quay on Tuesday 

Life history of ‘3PN’ thanks to the Scillonia Seabird Group