The conditions were wonderful for today’s Wareham Channel cruise. The calm weather offered cracking views of all of the star winter species present in the harbour at the moment. The journey along Wareham Channel produced 2 Marsh Harrier and Red-breasted Merganser in abundance.

The meander up the River Frome to Wareham provides great flooded fields covered in Lapwing, Curlew and Black-headed Gulls. As we returned to the open waters of Poole Harbour it was not long before we were spotting Great Northern Divers seemingly everywhere!  The South Deep again produced the best open water birding spectacles, offering 2 Long-tailed Duck, 1 Common Scoter, and many of the Black-necked Grebe and Goldeneye observed from the boat. 

The Brownsea Lagoon was also looking fantastic with a whole spread of waders and wildfowl including c2000 Black-tailed Godwit, c100 Grey Plover, c300 Avocet, c1500 Dunlin, c70 Bar-tailed Godwit (including the regular returning summer-plumaged individual), c50 Shoveler, 32 Ringed Plover and 1 Sanderling.

Off Middle beach there was a single Slavonian Grebe and a further 2 Slavonian Grebe were spotted from a watch off Goathorn. At Middlebere the ringtail Hen Harrier was sat on a fence post and 2 Firecrest were in Bramble next to the hide. The second ever recorded Black-necked Grebe featured in the Lytchett Bay this morning (first recorded back in 1997!). Elsewhere, 23 Spoonbill were roosting at Shipstal Point, Arne.

Long-tailed Ducks – Brands Bay – Rene Goad