Today was a perfect winter day. Cold, still, overcast then bright, biting, icy and with loads of good birds. Our school bird boat began with a bit of drama when an ‘unexploded ordinate’ was found near Poole Quay which almost prevent us boarding our school bird boat, but we boarded quickly and were off. Only to find out the bomb was in fact a piece of scrap metal. Anyway, the trip produced the goods with 1 Eider, 5 Common Scoter, 2 Great Northern Diver, c50 Goldeneye, c100 Red-breasted Merganser, c100 Great Crested Grebe, 23 Spoonbill, 1 Kingfisher, c75 Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 Sandwich Tern. There was a Great White Egret in Bramble Bush Bay and the same or another at Arne and 3 Great Northern Diver off Pilots Point. The Lesser Yellowlegs was again on Lytchett Fields. There was also some late news of a Great Grey Shrike on Coombe heath, Arne on Nov 30^th. Finally a night survey at Holton Lee resulted in 5 Woodcock, 4 Snipe, c50 Lapwing and a Barn Owl.