Today saw our first school bird boat of the autumn/winter season and although many birds still haven’t arrived back yet, there was still a great selection on show for the children. Highlights included a Great White Egret sat on the sea wall of the Brownsea Lagoon which it seems relocated to Middlebere about an hour later. On the lagoon there were 33 Spoonbill, 2 Ruff, 30 Avocet, 2 Spotted Redshank, several Greenshank, 2 Sanderling and 4 Ringed Plover on the shingle beach. Out in the harbour there were 6 Brent Geese back in Ower Bay. There was no sign of the Lesser Yellowlegs at Lytchett Fields today but a Curlew Sandpiper, 11 Grey Plover and 112+ Dunlin were the highlights and a Little Gull was out in the bay late evening. Night recording from our listening station in Old Town Poole over he last week has been really tough going with minimal numbers of birds going over but last night was a good night with plenty on the move. Totals included 8 Common Sandpiper, 1 Grey Plover, 1 Golden Plover, small flock of Ringed Plover at 03:30, 1 Dunlin, 1 Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit flock at 21:25, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Tree Pipit, 4 Meadow Pipit plus a decent passage at 04:20 for ten minutes, 20 Song Thrush calls and 1 Robin.

Bar-tailed Godwit & Golden Plover 20/09/16 @ 21: 25 Calls of night time migrants, Old Town Poole