We apologise for no sightings post yesterday, but our team were straight out after work last night to run yesterday evenings Sunnyside Ringing Demo, which despite the rain, drizzle and near by light show ended up being a decent session with 4 Jack Snipe, 3 Woodcock and 3 Common Snipe ringed. Today the harbour was back to being a beautiful scenic treat and not the recent grey, overcast, foggy dank we’ve had recently. The clear weather allowed for the Black-throated Diver to be found out in central harbour along with 8+ Great Northern Diver still spread around various parts. At Swineham there were 4+ Marsh Harrier and a 2nd cal year Goshawk was at Lytchett Fields this morning, where there were also 2 Spotted Redshank. The 8 Waxwing were still commuting between Upton and Canford Heath, and there was what looked to be 36 Cattle Egret out on Wareham Common this afternoon with 1 also in a field at Studland on the way out to Old Harry. In the Wareham Channel there were 9 Spoonbill, the Brownsea Lagoon had a decent count of 3680+ Dunlin but even more amazingly 211 Knot. In Brands Bay there were still 2 Slavonian Grebe. Best news of the day though was that there was a ‘pair’ of Peregrine on the Asda flats this morning. It was definitely a male and female by all accounts and there was some limited interaction, but this bodes well for a new pair to establish in the near future. Maybe this spring? The next few weeks will be really telling as a lot of their courtship and disply is done in late Feb and March.

Jack Snipe – Sunnyside