Scanning back through old Twitter (X) records, we were shocked to find that a harbour record had been missed last week, in the shape of 14 Purple Sandpiper that had been seen spread across multiple groynes along the Sandbanks Beach back on December 17th. The previous harbour record was of 11 on four occasions between 2008 and 2011. Considering only 1-2 have been seen again since, perhaps this was just a visiting group from the Highcliff/Hengistbury region, but it shows larger groups can and will visit this end of Poole Bay, and that the recent hiatus/disappearance may only be short lived? There seems to have been a mini arrival/movement of winter thrush, with both Redwing and Fieldfare overhead at dawn this morning at a few sites, as the wind swung round from the NE last night. Off Middle Beach there were 2 Black-necked Grebe and 1 Great Northern Diver, and off Jerry’s Point another 3 Great Northern Diver.