With the country trying to get back to ‘normal’ it was great to see that Brownsea Island was now open again to visitors. Their set up is now slightly different and pre-bookings must be made (which you can make HERE) to be able to enter the island, but there’s no doubt that after such a strange and troubling spring and summer, a trip to Brownsea would be good for anyones soul. Thanks too to DWT Brownsea warden Luke Johns for providing us with a high-tide count on the lagoon which produced Avocet 14, Black-Tailed Godwit 11, Dunlin 147, Redshank 122, Greenshank 10, Oystercatcher 189 (including 3 fledgling young), Common Sandpiper 1, Moorhen 7, Canada Geese 8, Greylag Geese 9, Shoveler 4, Mallard 6, Teal 5, Shelduck 15 Black-headed Gull 46, Great Black-backed Gull (25 adults 19 fledgling young), Herring Gull 1, Common Tern 181, Sandwich Tern 52, Little Tern 1 (turned up briefly on the sandbar near the wading pool), Meadow Pipit 1 and Cormorant 38. The Holme lane GP had 14 Egyptian Geese on it and a ringing session in the Lower Piddle produced 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 5 Willow Warbler and 2 Tree Pipit flew over. Off Swineham at least 1 Marsh Harrier was still present.

Marsh Harrier – Swineham