A stunning start to our Winter Safari Cruises this morning: briefly switching off the engines, we silently cruised into the mouth of River Frome, listening and watching as a flock of Bearded Tit erupted one-by-one from the reedbed and climbed into the sky, their iconic ‘ping’ calls carrying effortlessly to the ears of our delighted group of onlookers. At least 3 Marsh Harrier gave us a real run around as they dashed back and forth over the reeds, clearly struggling in the blustery winds. This was made up for by some beautifully close views of Fieldfare as they passed from tree to tree along the river bank at Swineham. The undeniable highlight however was tantalising flyby from 2 Golden Plover just as we departed the Wareham Channel, where a Red-throated Diver was also present close to the Arne shoreline. Also of note were 2 Great Northern Diver, one still retaining much of its summer plumage, adding to an earlier bird in Lytchett Bay where there was also a Great White Egret.

Over at Studland it was great to see the Snow Bunting still making good use of our bird protection zone at Shell Bay. A single Red-throated Diver was present in the bay, where 2 male Eider were also seen this morning as they departed the harbour and 6 Long-tailed Duck were seen crossing in the direction of Old Harry. On the Brownsea Lagoon, highlights included the 43 strong Spoonbill flock and a single Curlew Sandpiper, whilst in Holes Bay there was 1 Spotted Redshank, 6 Common Snipe and 100 Avocet. The Wood Duck also continued to put on a show at Creekmoor Ponds.

Red-throated Diver – Rob Johnson – Shell Bay, Studland