What a difference a few days make. On Saturday I was in a t-shirt watching Dartford Warblers singing in the blissful sunshine. By Monday I was back to thermals and not able to feel my fingers… and oh yeah, it snowed!

Lets start with Saturday.  There were still 3 Brambling at Church Lane in Wareham (along with Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly) also in and around Swineham 6 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Little Grebe, 4 Cetti’s Warbler and 2 Reed Bunting, 150 lapwing a Peregrine Falcon, 400 Blackwits, 30 Grey Plover, 10 Redshank, 30 Curlew and 4 Red-breasted Merganser.  The Studland area saw 5 Slavonian Grebe, 34 Black-necked Grebe 5 Great Crested Grebe and a Sandwich Tern from Knoll Beach.

The weather started to change on Sunday but the first summer migrant appeared in the shape of a Sand Martin over Poole Park lake. The Hoopoe was re-found in Upton on Blandford Road. Still 3 Hen Harrier and a Merlin around Middlebere/Arne Moors area. There were 2 but possibly 4 Firecrest in Slepe Copse with 2 Spoonbill and a Yellow-legged Gull at Middlebere.

Mondays weather was bitter, hence not many sightings however there were 2 Spotted Redshank in Holes Bay along with good numbers of Redshank, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit. Also a Stonechat in Upton CP was a notable sighting.

Still a biting wind today keeping the birds low, but up to 15 Mediterranean Gulls were at Baiter with 1 Goldeneye and 7 Ringed Plover. At Lytchett Bay a Stonechat and Snipe were the best finds.