Poole Harbour WeBS days are always good for a few ‘turn ups’ with so many birders out around the harbour surveying. And sure enough a couple decent findings were made. Firstly a Poole Harbour record flock of 11 Cattle Egret were found in the Frome Valley, just north of East Holme. Its quite possible there are more about and as the winter progresses it would be great if we could get up to the same dizzy heights as Abbotsbury and see 50+ by January! There was also a Black Brant found out in the Wareham Channel which although will be tricky to see as the whole area is surrounded by private land, it will almost certainly join one of the more accessible flocks of Brent Geese in and around Middlebere or Arne so well worth scanning through those Brent flocks. In Bramble Bush Bay the Eider was still present and out in Studland Bay 6 Black-necked Grebe and 8 Common Scoter and another 2 Black-necked Grebe in Shell Bay.  Goldeneye numbers are rising with 14 off Long Island and another 3 drakes in Poole Park where the Mandarin was again present on the small lake. In the morning there were c500 Avocet on the Brownsea Lagoon, which later moved to the mouth of Wytch lake on the low tide. On Swineham GP a single Pochard was kind of noteworthy and 3 Spotted Redshank were in the mouth of the Piddle with 7 Bearded Tit there too. There were 2 Marsh Harrier commuting between Swineham and Lytchett Bay. A flock of 31 Spoonbill were feeding off the northern Arne shoreline and a flock of 12 Crossbill went over the Arne approach road. Across the whole harbour on the low tide waders were giving good views in still calm conditions…well, from 1pm anyway and a colour-flagged Bar-tailed Godwit was photographed which seems to be from a Norwegian ringing scheme.  

Black Brant – Wareham Channel – Nick Hopper

Bar-tailed Godwit – Goathorn – Paul Morton

Mandarin Duck – Poole Park – Ian Ballam

Goldeneye – Poole Park – Ian Ballam