This winter (in partnership with the Stour Ringing Group) we really upped the amount of Woodcock monitoring and ringing we did around the harbour in comparison to previous years. We finished up ringing c70 new Woodcock, between Oct 16 and Mar 17 and also re-caught over-wintering birds from previous years. Today we received info back from the BTO that a Woodcock ringed by SRG back in 2015 near Middlebere was recently shot 480km north of Moscow in Semenkovo, Russia on 31 March 2017. This is our second Russian shot Woodcock recovery from Poole Harbour, the last one being ringed at Lytchett Bay and shot 500 miles east of Moscow back in 2009. Why they have to shoot them instead of just catching them like us is any ones guess. Seems very sad to fly 2500kn to then only get shot! Map and full details below.

Sightings-wise there was a Lesser Whitethroat along the track at Middlebere, a Grasshopper Warbler at Lytchett Fields, with all 3 Ruff again, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, 2 Whimbrel and 40+ Black-tailed Godwit. Cuckoos were at Middlebere, Hartland and Arne. Swift numbers were building slightly with 15 over Swineham GP. At Upton CP 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and 2 Whimbrel were out on the mud and a Firecrest was singing in the CP grounds.