The highlight from today was when a Tawny Pipit flew low across the Brownsea Quay having arrived in from the south by the looks of things, heading into the northerly wind. It carried on north traveling along the Brownsea sea wall, heading towards Baiter.  This coincided with a small flurry of Meadow Pipit and 2 Wheatear following the same flight line north. The lagoon its self still had the Baird’s Sandpiper, 7 Spoonbill and Garganey on it and a Peregrine sat watching and waiting for almost the entire day. At dawn 3 Merlin zipped around Poole Harbour west with one in transit heading up the Frome Valley and 2 around the Slepe Heath area. At Lytchett Fields there was a single Curlew Sandpiper amongst the 100+ Dunlin, 1 Spoonbill, 1 Whinchat but no sign of the Wood Sand. The cold WNW wind kept much at bay but out on Whitley Lake 38 Sandwich Tern and a single Arctic Tern hunkered down on the low tide whilst up on Ballard just singles of Redstart, Wheatear, Whinchat and Common Whitethroat were noted. At Sunnyside Farm passerine numbers were low with just a Whinchat and several Chiffchaff seen. At Middlebere there were 675 Black-tailed Godwit, 100+ Dunlin, 30 Avocet, 4 Greenshank and 1 Knot. An Osprey was out in the Wareham Channel at dawn too.

We mentioned yesterday that Brownsea hosted a large total of 360 Great Black-backed Gulls coming in to roost which is a larger than normal amount. Knowing and learning where these birds are coming from poses an interesting question which we’d like to learn more about. Back in 2008 Nick Hopper carried a ‘Gulls of Poole Harbour’ study which gives an excellent account and insight as to where all our gulls are roosting and how far they’ve travelled to get here. You can read the full report here – Gulls of Poole Harbour

 Baird’s Sandpiper and Redshank – Brownsea Lagoon – Olly Slessor