Constant monitoring provides such a great insight in to how valuable and important areas are, and with thanks to a committed group of watchers, Holes Bay is proving to be a vitally important site for a whole range of species. Gratitude and kudos to the likes of Martin Adams, Steve Smith and Nick Woods who have been counting the waders and wildfowl in Holes Bay, pretty much daily this winter and today logged 286 Pintail and 226 Shoveler NW which signal nationally significant numbers, not to mention the internationally important total of 4786 Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit. This is a phenomenal total and represents roughly 11-12% of the current UK over-wintering population, and 9-10% of the current global population……all in Holes Bay!!!! Not bad for a site that was almost too toxic to walk past a few decades ago.

Out in Studland Bay there were 3 Common Scoter and 3 Black-necked Grebe, Wareham Common held 31 Cattle Egret and 6 Cirl Bunting were feeding out toward Old Harry. This morning, one of the PCW drain Siberian Chiffchaff was calling and singing quite a bit when the sun came out, the Ruff was in Holes Bay NW again, with the Little Gull still in the NE sector and at Poole Park the Pochard was still on the main boating lake and the drake Mandarin was still on the smaller lake.

Carpets of Black-tailed Godwit – Holes Bay – Martin Adams