The stiff westerlies built throughout the day with seemingly few birders venturing out. A lunch break birding jaunt around Baiter Park included a Pale-bellied Brent Goose in with 121 ‘Dark-bellies’. This less-frequently encountered race of Brent Goose breeds in e. North American Arctic and n. Greenland, predominantly wintering in e. USA and Ireland. ‘SY’ the satellite-tagged Dark-bellied Brent Goose continues to kick around the harbour, feeding along the shoreline. The Baiter car park Black-headed Gull flock also featured a BTO metal ringed individual originally ringed as an adult in Dec 2011, awaiting details to find out where in the UK it has come from…

Elsewhere, a flying visit to Whitley Lake logged 24 Bar-tailed Godwit, 33 Sanderling and a couple of Mediterranean Gull. Middlebere enjoyed a raptor-fest, clocking up Goshawk, Sparrowhawk and a male Merlin by 11AM. Four Black-necked Grebe still present off Jerry’s Point, with a further three out in Studland Bay along with a Slavonian Grebe off Knoll Beach. Our team also led a Winter Birding ID Course across Studland this afternoon, starting at Shell Bay with two Great Northern Diver, followed by a further ‘GND’, three Black-necked Grebe, c.200 Dunlin and two Greenshank at Jerry’s Point. The course concluded at Brand’s Bay which boasted two White-tailed Eagle!

Pale-bellied Brent Goose (centre) in with Dark-bellied flock © Joe Parker