More autumn delight are starting to creep through with a lovely male Firecrest in a garden in the center of Poole yesterday. From now and into October is by far the best time to find these little beauties as they often hang out in Holly bushes to feed, sometimes hovering as they pick off insects from the underside of the leaves. Goldcrest numbers will also start to rise this time of year so try and teach yourself the differences between their two calls which will almost certainly be the best way of tracking them down. Below are two records of both an autumn migrant Firecrest and an autumn migrant Goldcrest featured in publication The Sound Approach to Birding.

Firecrest – Two autumn migrants – The Sound Approach to Birding

Goldcrest – Autumn migrant – The Sound Approach to Birding 

Elsewhere the Great White Egret is still playing around in the Little Sea/ Brands Bay area where there was also 260 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Greenshank, 109 Redshank, 9 Dunlin, 1 Osprey, 10 Pintail and 1 Kingfisher. Also at Studland a Pied Flycatcher was at Knoll Beach with a few Chiffchaff and Blackcap and 2 Sanderling were at the House Boats. At Lytchett Bay still 2 Little Stint, 1 Ruff, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 6 Greenshank and 5 Spotted Flycatcher. At Middlebere there was 1 Osprey plus 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 14 Knot, 3 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 180 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Peregrine, 1 Shoveler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and 2 Yellow-legged gull.