A perfect early winters day, with a random (what is typically an early autumn) surprise, when local birder Garry Hayman found a Pectoral Sandpiper on the Swineham Scrapes this afternoon. With so many rare/scarce American waders across the country this autumn, it’s good that Dorset finally logged one albeit a bit late! Also on the scrapes were 3 Spotted Redshank and a few Cattle Egret were spread around. Open water species were well represented again with 3 Eider now, 2 off Baiter and 1 off Jerry’s Point, 3 Goldeneye were in Brands Bay, 8 Common Scoter were in South Deep and 29 were off Middle Beach, Studland. There were 2 Great Northern Diver off the southern shore of Brownsea and 1 Red-throated Diver was out in central harbour. White-tailed Eagle pair G466 and G463 gave phenomenal views from this afternoons low-tide cruise as they flew past the boat only for G466 to then catch a fish in amongst the panicked Spoonbill and Avocet. There were 8 Spoonbill along the southern shores and another 5 in the Wareham Channel. This morning 3 Great White Egret flew over the Bakers Arms, a Brambling flew over North Haven and another flew over Baiter. A Red-throated Diver flew west past Sandbanks this AM and 10 Sandwich Tern flew east. In Middlebere this AM a female Goshawk flew through and there were 3 Spotted Redshank, 2 Great White Egret and 410 Avocet.

Pectoral Sandpiper – Swineham Scrapes – Garry Hayman

Cattle Egret – Swineham Scrapes – Garry Hayman