Today Durlston CP saw a massive movement of birds, mainly finches, which was unprecedented to say the least, and not something we would have expected here in Poole Harbour with a strong SW wind. So, we don’t know if any of the birds that Durlston saw passed by/over our Poole Harbour counting areas, but judging on Christchurch Harbours daily report it looks like we could well have seen a good vis-mig count from up at Glebelands. That said, South Haven, Studland was covered but the counts certainly didn’t reflect what was going on elsewhere in the county with only 148 Goldfinch, 461 Linnet, 12 Siskin, 28 Meadow Pipit, 12 Chaffinch and 1 Brambling (Durlston had 468)! Also at South Haven were 2 Black-necked Grebe, 4 Common Scoter, 1 Peregrine, 13 Grey Plover, 5 Sanderling, 1 Rock Pipit and 1 Cetti’s Warbler. In Brands Bay there was 1 Merlin, 213 Black-tailed Godwit, 9 Greenshank, 13 Grey Plover and 5 Dunlin.  At RSPB Lytchett Fields there were 2 Marsh Harrier, 2 Greenshank, 50+ Fieldfare and 3 Goldcrest. At Middlebere the Great White Egret dropped in in front of the hide for a while, also noted were 572 Avocet, 552 Black-tailed Godwit, 120 Redshank, 60 Lapwing, 20 Dunlin, 2 Yellow-legged Gull and a Merlin. A night recording session from a listening station in Stoborough produced a really late Tree Pipit, 688 Redwing calls, 48 Song Thrush, 15 Blackbird, several passing Brambling, Bullfinch and Skylark.

Chris Thaine, the DWT Warden on Brownsea has had some infor back regarding one of the colour-ringed Spoonbill that’s been present on the lagoon since mid October.

Colour-ringed Spoonbill B[AE]a/W[AE]– Brownsea Island

It is quite a wanderer and first ringed as a pullus (chick) in the Netherlands in 2006.

It was subsequently seen in France and Netherlands in 2006 and 2007 and first seen on Brownsea in Nov. 2007.

It was in Poole Harbour in March 2008 and France and the Netherlands again later that year.

In Jan and Feb 2009 it was in Devon then Cornwall then again in Devon (Yealm estuary) in January 2010. Briefly in Cornwall (Tamar) the same month then back to France.

October 2010 it was  on the lagoon. December on the Tamar and back in Poole Harbour in Jan 2011.

Since January 2011 all the sightings (in total 18 of them) are from Shiermonnikoog (where it was originally ringed) and Poole Harbour only. It appears to spend April-July at least in the Netherlands and was on Brownsea in Aug 2011, Poole Harbour in February 2012, Sept, Oct, Dec 2012, Jan and March 2013.

April and July 2014 it was back in Netherlands and seen on Brownsea in Oct 2014 and not seen again until turning up on Brownsea again this year.

Great White Egret, Grey Heron and Little Egret in Middlebere – Peter Moore

Below is a recording made earlier this month of a flock of Redwing and Fieldfare flying in over Ballard Down before sunrise. Most thrush species move at night apart from Mistle Thrush it seems, with no records of Mistle Thrush calling at night during recording sessions. The calls of Fieldfare and Redwing as they pass overhead in the darkness has to be one of the best and most magical sounds of the birding year.

 Redwing & Fieldfare passing over Ballard Down before sunrise