The warmth (and the good times) are apparently coming to an end as colder unsettled weather beds back in again by mid-week with autumnal wetness heading our way, so many birders were out this AM making the most of the late summer sunshine. The first Ring Ouzels of the autumn were seen up on Ballard Down with 3 together. October tends to be ‘Ouzel Month’ but with the NE winds recently it’s obviously delivered a few early arrivals. Vis-mig was much quieter for Siskin with only c300 logged but 108 Lesser Redpoll was notable. A likely dark-morph juvenile Honey Buzzard was seen over Wareham Common heading south, when what was possibly the same bird was then photographed over Durlston an hour or so later. On Lytchett Fields there were 2 Curlew Sandpiper on French’s Pools with 33 Dunlin. At Swineham, the long staying Pectoral Sandpipers were still on the Stilt Pools with 2 Cattle Egret still in the same field. In Holes Bay the Wigeon flock hit a new high of 364 which for mid to late Sept is a good total, plus there were 9 Pintail, 2 Shoveler, only 198 Black-tailed Godwit and 110 Redshank.Little Sea hosted at least 3 Great White Egret when visited at high tide. 23 Little Egret and 4 Grey Heron were also present.

Crossbill – Lytchett Fields (yesterday) – Ian Ballam