Today was the Poole Harbour WeBS count which meant almost all of the harbour was watched from somewhere at 3pm. As a result a whole suit of birds were found, starting at Brands Bay where a Great White Egret was off Goathorn and in the bay its self was 1 Eider, 5 Goosander, several Black-necked Grebe and good numbers of Red-breasted Merganser. In the Middlebere Channel a single Whooper Swan was in one of the low-tide channels late afternoon before upping and headed towards Hartland along with a ringtail Hen Harrier. At Lytchett Bay/Fields another good haul as the Goosander theme continued with 3 ‘redheads’ and 34 Brent Geese in the Bay along with the Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Ruff and 1 Jack Snipe on the fields. At Arne 24 Spoonbill were feeding on the western shoreline. Last night a Woodcock ringing session resulted in 6 new Woodcock being ringed in the Lower Frome Valley with a single Common Snipe and a Fieldfare. Off Middle Beach at Studland the first Slavonian Grebe of the winter was found with 15 Black-necked Grebe, 1 Razorbill and a single pale-bellied Brent Goose and from South Haven, Studland a Black-necked Grebe, 3 Chiffchaff and 13 Sanderling.

Shag – Brownsea north shore