Despite pretty much every route around Poole Harbour being under water today and the tide being a foot higher than predicted, there was still plenty of birding to be had. The real feature of today was Little Gulls, with a great late winter total spread across. There were 4 off Branksome beach this morning (3 ad and 1 1st winter), plus another 2 adults off Evening Hill seen from our Winter Safari this AM, then this afternoon an adult and 1st winter were in Holes Bay NE together and 2 adults were near the harbour mouth, giving a grand total of 10 recorded today. Other goodies included 2 Brambling in a finch flock along Thrashers Lane, along the Studland Road, the redhead Goosander was still in Holes Bay NE, the 10 Glossy Ibis were seen over Wareham Common this afternoon and 1 Siberian Chiffchaff was in the PCW Drain. From our Winter Safari this morning, we logged a season high of 14 Great Northern Diver, plus had 4 different White-tailed Eagles including the resident adult pair sat on the Brownsea Lagoon sea wall and then a juv and adult in the Wareham Channel. There were 2 Ruff with the Lapwing flock in the Lower Piddle Valley and 2 Peregrine were over Poole Quay before we left. On Gold Point, Arne 3 Spoonbill were roosting, on the high ground around Worgret Farm 16 Cattle Egret were feeding, the 40+ Russian White-fronted Geese were on RSPB Arne Moors, 2 (likely) Black-throated Diver passed Branksome Chine and a Slavonian Grebe was off South Beach, Studland.

Adult Little Gull – Holes Bay NE – Ed Betteridge