A very wintery picture is emerging across the harbour with a nice range of species now settling back for the latter colder and darker period of the year. What seemed to be a juvenile male Hen Harrier was active in the Wareham Channel along the Keysworth shoreline, viewed from our Autumn Safari Cruise this AM, along with 5-6 Marsh Harrier seen around the Swineham area and a Merlin dashed over Arne Moors towards Swineham Point. Around c20 dark-bellied Brent Geese are back with 6 at Shipstal, 8 at Newton Bay and 6 in Brands Bay. A Red-breasted Merganser was out in central harbour with another 3 in Brands Bay/South Deep. The first set of Spoonbill have de-camped to Shipstal Point with 6 on there this morning whilst 25 remained on the Brownsea Lagoon. The lagoon was also busy with waders on the high tide and included 1 winter plumage Curlew Sandpiper, c100 Avocet, c300 Black-tailed Godwit, c200 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover, c10 Grey Plover, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit and 4 Turnstone. At Lytchett Fields there was still a Great White Egret, also 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 adult Marsh Harrier, c30 Swallow , 5 Spoonbill and a drake Pochard (only the 2nd Lytchett Bay record this year). There were a handful of finches on the move up on Ballard, but not very many due to the strong southerly wind, but a sea watch from there produced 1 Red-throated Diver, 8 Kittiwake and 6 Common Scoter off Old Harry. Finally, the first Yellow-browed Warbler for the Poole harbour recording area this autumn was in Parkstone cemetery in a roving tit flock.

Red-breasted Merganser – Central Harbour – Alison Copland

Spoonbill – Brownsea Lagoon – Alison Copland