As a charity we aim to boost the profile of bird monitoring and conservation out in the harbour, and there’s no better way to do that than by talking to people. Over the Christmas and new year period, and even this morning I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and chatting to like minded people, fascinated families, intrigued individuals and curious members of the public. When watching wildlife, it’s so easy to get drawn in to what your doing that you can actually forget that just yards away might be someone who is equally interested or even better just waiting to catch the birding bug. Whenever I’m out surveying or generally out in the harbour, I’ll always invite people to come and ask questions or have a look through our scopes just so they feel they’ve connected with the harbour in a way they weren’t necessarily expecting to. So if your out around the harbour and you see someone watching birds, then speak to them, ask them questions, you’ll be amazed at how much ‘wisdom’ people are willing to part with! The less we keep our eyes down and stuck to our scopes the more we’ll all interact and the more we’ll all learn.

Back to the birds now. At Lytchett Bay the Smew remains on the flooded fields, also there 1 Merlin, 1 Stonechat, 2 Green Sandpiper, 7 Gadwall, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Marsh Harrier and 1 Chiffchaff. Out on the water the Surf Scoter is still present off Jerry’s Point, 5-8 Great Northern Diver mainly around Brands Bay area, 8 Black-necked Grebe and 36 Great Crested Grebe. On Baiter (until yesterday) the Little Gull remained also there a Sandwich Tern. Off Whitecliff a Black-throated Diver was close to the cycle path and a 1^st year Scaup is on the small Poole Park Lake. A sea watch from Branksome produced 1 Great Skua, 3 Red-throated Diver, 1 Black-throated Diver, 1 Common Scoter, several Kittiwake and 2 Gannet. There are still 4 Purple Sandpiper at the Sandbanks Ferry slipway. Out in Shell Bay an Eider and 3 Great Northern Diver were present with 40+ Sanderling (including a colour ringed bird) and 6 Rock Pipit. A Marsh Harrier flew over the Wareham bypass. A night survey at Lytchett Bay produced 3 Woodcock, 7 Common Snipe and 5 Jack Snipe.