The dark overcast sky and spits of rain at dawn, combined with the constant NE got some passage going with a viewpoint in Poole Harbour north counting 720 House Martin, 12 Jay, 32 Greenfinch, 18 Goldfinch, 20 Siskin, 43 Meadow Pipit, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 1 Buzzard, 58 Song Thrush, 5 Redwing, 2 Skylark, 1 Woodcock at dawn and 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker. At South Haven another vis-mig session logged 295 Redwing, 28 Song Thrush, 103 Meadow Pipit, 261 Siskin, 154 Goldfinch, 353 House Martin and 52 Swallow. Our night sound recording session also indicated a switch from Song Thrush to Redwing being the most encountered with 402 Redwing calls, 236 Song Thrush calls, 41 Blackbird calls, another 3 Ring Ouzel and 4 Meadow Pipit. At Baiter a male Greenland type Wheatear was on the beach and 16 Common Scoter were off the beach before flying back out to sea. In the Wareham Channel a Great White Egret flew west and a Marsh Harrier quartered the Frome Mouth. At Lytchett Bay the Lesser Yellowlegs was out in the bay, showing it wasn’t too disgruntled with all the work going on at Lytchett Fields. Also in Lytchett Bay was 1 Spoonbill, 4 Greenshank, 5 Curlew Sandpiper, 130+ Dunlin. In Poole Harbour north, incredibly a fourth Yellow-browed Warbler was ringed in just three days. Finally, a record was broken today with the UK’s largest ever flock of Spoonbill gathering on Shipstal Point, Arne with 60 in a tight flock. Although 60 were present in the harbour for a short time in October 2015, they were never all in the same flock.

Lesser Yellowlegs – Lytchett Bay – Ian Ballam

Lesser Yellowlegs – Lytchett Bay – Ian Ballam