It’s suddenly got colder as a strong easterly wind picked up during the course of the day, and with it delivered another new bird for the calendar year in the shape of a Short-eared Owl. However it may have actually been 4 Short-eared Owls, with a group of four ‘owls’ seen chasing each other across the Arne Road this evening, one of which definitely was a ‘Shortie’, so it stands to reason all four could have been. The Cirl Bunting flock was still at Old Harry, with 9 counted today, the 10 Glossy Ibis were on Wareham Common, as was a female Merlin and 53 Cattle Egret. At Sandbanks 3 Purple Sandpiper were on the angled groyne by North Haven with 35 Sanderling. At Lytchett Fields a Little Gull was still milling about, a Slavonian Grebe and 4 Great Northern Diver were off Jerry’s Point with another Slavonian Grebe in Studland Bay. The Siberian Chiffchaff was still at the PCW drain, 3 (Lesser) Redpoll were at Hatch Pond and Holes Bay held an amazing 4600+ Black-tailed Godwit.

Also we’d like to thank the RSPB Arne team for allowing us to install a new camera on a favoured perching branch we know many migrant Ospreys like to use, which will allow us to read ring numbers of local and passage birds during the Spring, Summer and Autumn of 2026. Today this Raven came and tested the camera out for us.

Raven on ‘Osprey perch’ 

Glossy Ibis flock – Wareham Common – Trevor Warwick

Our Winter Safari Cruises are a real pleasure to run, and this morning’s outing was no different. Mirror calm conditions across the harbour enjoyed a Great Northern Diver-fest, clocking 5 in the North Channel, 3 across South Deep, 2 at Whitley Lake and a further 2 off Hamworthy. The trip also featured 7 Black-necked and a single Slavonian Grebe around the back of the islands before two adult White-tailed Eagle stole the show, gracing the Wareham Channel before taking flight and settling on Shag Looe Head. Other trip highlights included appearances from the two over-wintering Sandwich Tern, roosting Spoonbill at Shipstal, a colour-ringed Great Black-backed Gull from Portland and a satellite-tagged Dark-bellied Brent Goose (presumably local celebrity “SY”).

Elsewhere around the harbour, the Old Harry Cirl Bunting flock is now confirmed to hold 10 individuals, remaining faithful to the scrub and set-aside crop field just west of the iconic chalk stack. A vigil from Jerry’s Point offered Red-necked Grebe still, while scoping out across Poole Bay boasted 14 Red-throated Diver south, plus a light scattering of auks on the water. A commendable Black-tailed Godwit count in Holes Bay NW during the intermittent downpours logged 3,453 individuals(!) and neighbouring Lytchett Fields recorded a Merlin. A male Black Redstart was located in Ridge and an adult winter Kittiwake made a brief in-land appearance on Wareham Common.

Good to log sat-tagged Dark-bellied Brent Goose “SY” again on today’s safari © Alison Copland

Cirl Bunting (male) – Stubble field near Old Harry Rocks © Martin Wood

Thats it, January is now done and dusted, as we now move into the era of very early Spring. Depending on how February pans out, there’s potential the first spring migrants could arrive with House Martin, Sand Martin, Garganey, Little Ringed Plover and Wheatear all on the ‘February list’ from past years. All it takes is several strong weather systems to hit from southern Europe and we could see the first signs of summer arrive. Equally, February can also deliver ice and snow, so we’ll just have to be patient and see how this turbulent month evolves.

Todays sightings allowed for confirmation of a decent sized Cirl Bunting flock at Old Harry with a minimum of 9 confirmed. This is just incredible and highlights the nature recovery theme here in the Poole Harbour and Purbeck region. We really hope that by April and May the slopes and cliff tops of Ballard and Old Harry are serenaded by the song of multiple Cirl Bunting setting up new territories. There was also good sea watching to be had off Old Harry with an incredible Red-throated Diver passage underway during the morning with 31 counted between sunrise and 09:30, including a flock of 14 heading south past Old Harry, and 6 settling in Studland Bay, plus other smaller groups. There was also a flock of 4 Great Northern Diver and 1 Black-throated Diver that left Studland Bay and also headed south just after sunrise, along with 5 Common Scoter, 300+ Guillemot and Razorbill, 4 Fulmar, 15+ Kittiwake and 20+ Gannet. The/a Siberian Chiffchaff was still in the PCW drain showing well this morning, there were 3 Black-necked Grebe in Studland Bay and an incredible 6 White-tailed Eagle were soaring and interacting just over the ridge at Kimmeridge this morning. The river valleys are still so flooded that not much are using them but 41 Cattle Egret were making the most of Wareham Common by the afternoon.

Cattle Egret – Wareham Common

As January fades away, providing plenty of memories of wet, overcast, dreary days, it’s actually been a phenomenal start to the year in terms of pure numbers of species logged within the recording area since January 1st. Tundra Bean Geese, White-fronted Geese, Yellow-browed Warbler, Glossy Ibis, Snow Bunting, Red-necked Grebe, Bittern, Black Redstart and Brambling are all excellent January records, and to the best of our knowledge so far, a cracking 150 species have been logged since the start of the year. Today, species number 150 was logged, and what a great record it was too, when local surveyor Nick Hopper found a flock of 6 (but possibly up to 10) Cirl Bunting out on Old Harry in a field within an area of set aside. This is an unprecedented total, and we think possibly the largest gathering of Cirl Bunting in Dorset since their disappearance in the late 1960’s. We’ve had no confirmed breeding records within Poole Harbour since their recovery along the Dorset coast, but with plenty of good habitat around, we’d like to think that over the next few years they’ll become a regular feature along Ballard, Nine Barrow Down and Challow Hill.

Elsewhere there were 15 Spoonbill at Shipstal Point, RSPB Arne, 22 Crossbill were on the edge of Greenlands Farm, 2 White-tailed Eagle were soaring around the Goathorn Peninsular and we’ve also received some quick news back thanks to the Scillonia Seabird Group regarding a dead 1st winter European Shag that was found on Poole Quay this week. It was ringed as a nestling on the Isles of Scilly on June 30th 2025, and was seen in Brixham, Devon a few months later on October 21st, before sadly being found dead along Poole Quay earlier this week. It coincides with the discovery of a dead Great Northern Diver, Guillemot, Cormorant and Razorbill within the last week and a half on various beaches and shores around Poole, and although it’s easy to assign the deaths to bird flue, it’s more likely they died in relation to the torrid weather in January, as each of these species are visual underwater hunters, and the murky water hinders finding food. Especially younger, inexperienced birds.

Dead European Shag ‘3PN’ on Poole Quay on Tuesday 

Life history of ‘3PN’ thanks to the Scillonia Seabird Group 

1 first-winter Little Gull was in the harbour entrance off North Haven this morning. 1 Siberian Chiffchaff was still in the PC World Drain. There was lots of Peregrine activity from our Winter Safari Cruise this afternoon with 3 separate sightings, 1 in Brands Bay, 1 in the Wareham Channel and 1 sat on the shingle in Shipstal Bay. 6 Spoonbill were feeding on the low tide in the Wareham Channel along with c200 Grey Plover, c200 Avocet, c1000 Dunlin and 2 Marsh Harrier were also active here. There were also 9 Spoonbill were in the Middlebere Channel. Off Jerry’s Point there were 4 Great Northern Diver and 1 Slavonian Grebe. A further 3 Great Northern Diver were off the north shore of Brownsea and 1 was in Shell Bay along with 1 Black-necked Grebe. 3 more Black-necked Grebe were in central harbour close to Round Island.

Avocet – the Wareham Channel from our Winter Safari Cruise – Harry McBride

Finally, the day we’ve all been waiting for. A break in this torrid, ongoing deluge. And not only did it stop raining, with the wind dropping and sun coming out it really felt for the first time that spring was just around the corner. There were signs of this too with a few Blackbirds starting to tune up at sunrise, plus a party of 35 migrant Mediterranean Gulls arrived in high from the west, which signals the start of the mass Mediterranean Gull gatherings here in the harbour during Feb and March, with some staying into April to breed, but most departing off to other breeding sites across Europe. The harbour was mirror flat all morning, allowing for plenty of open water viewing. There were 3 Slavonian Grebe and 11 Black-necked Grebe off Jerry’s Point, along with 4 more Black-necked Grebe in central harbour. A total of 13 Great Northern Diver were logged between the north shores of Baiter, Lilliput and Sandbanks all the way round to Jerry’s Point and central harbour. Just 3 Goldeneye were counted but the Red-necked Grebe was re-found this afternoon off Bramble Bush Bay. A Black Redstart was found on a house roof along Lake Drive, Hamworthy, just behind the SBS (Special Boat Service) compound…although be careful wandering around there with binoculars or telescopes! At Swineham there were 2 Bearded Tit in the mouth of the Frome along with 2 Marsh Harrier, plus a White-tailed Eagle was in the Wareham Channel. In Ower Bay there were 5 Spoonbill with another 9 on Shipstal Point, Arne. An adult Little Gull was settled on the water in the Wareham Channel pretending to be a Grey Phalarope, and another 2 were just off Poole Quay around lunchtime (an adult and 1st winter). Holes Bay NE still held the redhead Goosander and a Spotted Redshank was there too. In Wareham, despite the town almost virtually being cut off from all civilisation, the roaming Glossy Ibis flock of 10 managed to find a feeding area on Wareham Common, plus a flock of 33 Cattle Egret flew by. A Great White Egret was seen heading into roost at Swineham this evening, another 1st winter Little Gull was seen on the main Poole Park boating lake this afternoon and 2 adults were in Holes Bay this morning. A Siberian Chiffchaff was still in the PCW Drain and another Spotted Redshank was in Lytchett Bay this morning.

White-tailed Eagle assessing the Wareham Channel this morning

Brilliant comparison, in beautiful light of Spotted Redshank (left) and Common Redshank (right) – Holes Bay – Mark Wright

Wareham to Stoborough causeway totally under water

Sunrise over RSPB Arne and the Wareham Channel this morning

Despite pretty much every route around Poole Harbour being under water today and the tide being a foot higher than predicted, there was still plenty of birding to be had. The real feature of today was Little Gulls, with a great late winter total spread across. There were 4 off Branksome beach this morning (3 ad and 1 1st winter), plus another 2 adults off Evening Hill seen from our Winter Safari this AM, then this afternoon an adult and 1st winter were in Holes Bay NE together and 2 adults were near the harbour mouth, giving a grand total of 10 recorded today. Other goodies included 2 Brambling in a finch flock along Thrashers Lane, along the Studland Road, the redhead Goosander was still in Holes Bay NE, the 10 Glossy Ibis were seen over Wareham Common this afternoon and 1 Siberian Chiffchaff was in the PCW Drain. From our Winter Safari this morning, we logged a season high of 14 Great Northern Diver, plus had 4 different White-tailed Eagles including the resident adult pair sat on the Brownsea Lagoon sea wall and then a juv and adult in the Wareham Channel. There were 2 Ruff with the Lapwing flock in the Lower Piddle Valley and 2 Peregrine were over Poole Quay before we left. On Gold Point, Arne 3 Spoonbill were roosting, on the high ground around Worgret Farm 16 Cattle Egret were feeding, the 40+ Russian White-fronted Geese were on RSPB Arne Moors, 2 (likely) Black-throated Diver passed Branksome Chine and a Slavonian Grebe was off South Beach, Studland.

Adult Little Gull – Holes Bay NE – Ed Betteridge

There’s a huge amount of water around at the moment, especially around the harbour fringes and the connecting river valleys. So much so the flock of 10 Glossy Ibis were seen today on a few occasions moving around the outskirts of Wareham looking for somewhere safe and suitable to feed. After a few days of little coverage, Redhorn Quay was visited this morning and resulted in 3 Slavonian Grebe, 8 Black-necked Grebe, 1 drake Goldeneye and 1 Great Northern Diver. Poole Park boating lake still kept hold of the lone male Pochard, plus there was 1 Red-breasted Merganser and the male Mandarin Duck was on the smaller lake. There was at least 1 Siberian Chiffchaff behind KFC at the PCW Drain, there was 1 Spotted Redshank at Lytchett Fields and 40+ Russian White-fronted Goose were still in the fields at Ridge, near Arne.

Dunlin and Ringed Plover – Poole Quay breakwater

Still very blowy today, with the only advantage being it blew off some of the Poole Peregrines prey items from the ledge at the Asda flats. Over the years we’ve received multiple panicked phone calls and emails from distraught members of the public who have found multiple corpses outside Asda or along the pavement, concerned that someone has been out killing multiple birds. It’s always reassuring to be able to inform people that whenever there’s a strong southerly (or south-easterly) breeze it’s just the remains of the Poole Peregrines raining down, rather than a human inflicted slaughter! Today local birder David Foster found a few Dunlin and Redwing heads! But over the years there have been Woodcock, Knot, Lapwing, Fieldfare, Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank all found…even a Common Tern head in an Asda trolley! Many of these are caught at night, with the peregrines using the lights of Poole to hunt night migrating birds such as waders and winter thrush’s.

Elsewhere today sightings were rather limited with 1 adult Little Gull at Lytchett Fields, 40+ Russian White-fronted Geese at Ridge and 15 Crossbill were on Slepe Heath.

Dunlin retrieved from below the Asda flats, Holes Bay – David Foster

Redwing heads retrieved from below the Asda flats – David Foster