Poole harbour

6 Jan - A bright but cold day with NE wind for the boat trip from Poole Quay including Brownsea. The harbour was busy with a good selection of wintering birds - mainly Red-breasted Mergansers and Great Crested Grebes, but including 3 Great Northern Divers and 8 dapper Black-necked Grebes, Common and Velvet Scoter and Goldeneye. 20 or so Spoonbills were hunkered down in the wind near Arne, where several Sika Deer were grazing. A lone Sandwich Tern probably wished it had joined its compatriots in migrating to West Africa! Unfortunately the lagoon on Brownsea was much fuller than usual as the pump was broken, so photo opportunities very limited .......... but Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover were all roosting in numbers, as was a dense pack of Avocets, along with the 2 specialities, Greenshank and Spotted Redshank. A bonus was nice views of a Kingfisher perched along the boardwalk, and a Red Squirrel building a drey nearer the main buildings. An enjoyable but bracing trip, the finale being the usual very active flock of Sanderlings on the beach by the chain ferry at Studland. An hour in the morning, pre-trip, gave me views of a male Bearded Tit, a male Marsh Harrier and an adult Med Gull at Radipole. So a busy but successful day.