With such huge flooding in numerous river valley’s across the UK, it seemed a large proportion of the south coast Black-tailed Godwits have taken to residing on the Brownsea Lagoon with another Poole Harbour record broken today as c3900 were counted by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Later in the evening an amazing 3500-4000 gulls, mostly Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls came into roost just before dark, and another few thousand Black-headed Gull’s in Holes Bay south. With so many gulls visiting the harbour now and being late Feb, this is the best time to be watching out for scarcer species such as Iceland, Glaucous and Ring-billed Gull. Plus, it was Feb 2008 when a Franklin’s Gull was found in the Wareham Channel gull roost, so you just never know! In Holes Bay south 3 Scaup remained and on the main Poole Park boating lake the Water Rail was still showing well with the lower water levels.

Black-tailed Godwits – Brownsea Lagoon – Hamish Murray