Another day with lots more decent mid-Autumn birds. The day started off well with 10 Cattle Egret on the Swineham floodplain with the cattle and 2 White-tailed Eagle (females G801 and G318) in the Wareham Channel. Lytchett Fields saw a site record breaking 13 Curlew Sandpiper plus a whole suit of other waders including 1 Little Stint, 1 Ruff, 1 Grey Plover, 2 Spotted Redshank, 351 Dunlin, 89 Redshank, 79 Black-tailed Godwit, 45 Lapwing, 15 Greenshank, 2 Green Sandpiper and 4 Common Snipe. This morning 11 Marsh Harrier came out of the west harbour roost and a Goshawk was seen over Slepe Heath. There were lots and lots of Chiffchaff and Blackcap passing through again this morning and last night, some Common Crane were heard calling over Poole. The Piddle floods had 4 Ruff, 1 Wood Sandpiper and 2 Marsh Harrier over with the Pectoral Sandpiper only being seen earlier in the day.

Dunlin (above) and Little Stint (below) – Lytchett Fields – Ian Ballam