A great end to whats been an up and down year with a low-tide cruise to see out 2021. Plenty to see, despite the gloom. Around the Jerry’s Point area there were 2 Great Northern Diver, 3 Scaup, 4 Common Scoter and 2 Slavonian Grebe (seen from the shore, not from our boat trip). Off Brownsea there were 2 Razorbill and a Guillemot was off Poole Quay. In the Wareham Channel there were 3 Marsh Harrier, 14 Spoonbill, c200 Lapwing, c300 Dunlin and plenty of Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit. Off Shell Bay there were 6 Great Northern Diver and 3 Black-necked Grebe with 2 Razorbill off Pilots Point. There were 2 Sandwich Tern in Brands Bay and on the high tide 30 Spoonbill were in Middlebere. White-tailed Eagle G461 was seen briefly off Green Island and a Goshawk was over Hartland late afternoon. The Tundra Bean Geese were still in fields around Upton CP and a Cattle Egret was in the Frome Valley again.

Spoonbills seen from boat cruise – Wareham Channel – Alison Copland.