1 of 4 Pied Flycatchers in the warm evening sunlight at Worth Matravers this evening.
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

I couldn't resist popping back down to Swineham to see the Red spotted Bluethroat again, this time with a camera.
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A pair of Firecrest in the YHA Swanage Garden today.
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

A great day birding around Poole harbour.
Watched an Osprey catch a fish at 6.30am.
Merlin from Stoborough Heath.
5 Little Ringed Plover, Cranes & 5 Bearded Tits Swineham.
WT Eagle & Red Kite West of Wareham.
25 Cattle Egrets East Holme.
4 Wheatear Hartland Moor.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social

Shooting restricted for six British wild birds to halt population decline Woodcocks and pochard, pintail and goldeneye ducks among threatened species protected by proposals

Excellent, although article low on detail. Change to Woodcock shooting season was debated in Parliament over three years ago thanks to a @wildjustice.bsky.social petition passing 100,000 signatures wildjustice.org.uk/woodcock/mon...

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Highlight of an hour + in the Middlebere NT Avocet Hide this morning:
1 Spotted Redshank
c85 Black tailed Godwit
1 Merlin
1 Marsh Harrier
5 Snipe

Happy Birthday Rabbie.

Selkirk Grace
Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

And time to enjoy the Great chieftain o' the pudding-race! And a wee dram of single malt.

147 Hen Harriers confirmed ‘missing’ or illegally killed in UK since 2018, most of them on or close to grouse moors For anyone who still wants to pretend that the grouse shooting industry isn’t responsible for the systematic extermination of Hen Harriers on grouse moors across the UK, here’s the latest catalogue…

147 Hen Harriers confirmed 'missing' or illegally killed in UK since 2018 - most of them on or close to grouse moors.

Data extracted from reports by Natural England, RSPB, HSE, various Police forces, National Wildlife Crime Unit.

#RaptorResearch 🌍

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/21/1...

Killdeer at Ripley Farm Reservoir, Hants.
A BoC record shot of a lifer for me.
Credit to the finder on a day like this!

Satellite-tagged Hen Harrier ‘Pete’ disappears in Cumbria A satellite-tagged Hen Harrier named ‘Pete’ has ‘disappeared’ in Cumbria, according to a Natural England spreadsheet. Pete was tagged as a nestling in Cumbria in 2021. He es…

Yet another one...

#RaptorResearch

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/19/s...

Satellite-tagged Hen Harrier Edna “suspected illegally killed”. Was she killed & dumped at a windfarm in Northumberland? Further to this morning’s blog about a satellite-tagged Hen Harrier (Pete) who has ‘disappeared’ in Cumbria (see here), here’s news of another one, quietly updated in Natura…

Satellite-tagged Hen Harrier called Edna "suspected illegally killed".

Was she killed & dumped at a windfarm in Northumberland as a ploy to cover up the crime?

New blog ⬇️

#RaptorResearch #WilldifeCrime 🌍

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/19/s...

Jerry's Point, Studland:
Nice to catch up with the Red-necked Grebe, albeit being distant.
Also 2 Slavonian Grebes, Greenshank, 10 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Sandwich Terns, 4 Goldeneye and
3 Great Northern Divers.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

River Frome - Wareham, Dorset:
It's not every day that you get to see 15 White-fronted Geese and 10 Glossy Ibis together.
Certainly a first for me. @harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Isle of Purbeck:
A Woodlark back on territory and in full song.
A sign spring is only just around the corner. @harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

WeBS totals

It was a fantastic Poole Harbour BTO @webs-gsmp.bsky.social survey at the end of Dec with our highest total of birds recorded since 2011. Four harbour records were broken and there were high counts of important species. Highlights……..

@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Whilst out on my Christmas Day walk along the Neckar River, Ladenburg. Germany, it was an absolute joy to come across a flock of 7 White-headed Long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus caudatus). A sub-species I have wanted to see for a long time.
Such cure adorable looking birds.

A lovely Sanderling on the waters edge on Sandbanks Beach.
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3 Purple Sandpipers on the groynes at Sandbanks beach.
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One of eight Glossy Ibis at Curlews Pool, Swineham.
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A Spotted Redshank, Fieldfares and a Firecrest at Middlebere.
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A dash down to Devon before the high winds & rain for the Lesser Crested Tern.
Generally distant, but i did see it fly around and catch a fish.
A Yellow-browed Warbler on the northern side of the pond was a bonus.

Studland:
Jerry's Point at lunchtime - 2 Great Northern Diver, 2 Black necked Grebe and 1 Slavonian Grebe.
Middle Beach - 4 Black necked Grebe and 1 Great Northern Diver.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

A Great White Egret, 2 Marsh Harriers, 125 Avocet, A Firecrest a a Snipe and elegant Little Egret were the best of a morning watch at Middlebere.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Jerry's pt, Studland:
2 Velvet Scoter, 1 Slavonian Grebe, 8 Black neck Grebes, 12 GC Grebes, 16 Merganser and a Grey Plover.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Whilst walking across Godlingstone Heath, Studland we came across these odd egg like organisms. Thanks to @beardybirder.bsky.social for informing us they are Leocarpus slime moulds.
Whilst widespread in Britain, I've not seen it before.

Wareham Two Rivers Walk:
Lower Piddle - 316 Greylag Geese (personal record count here), 1 Red Kite.
Swineham Meadows & Pools -
12 Glossy Ibis, 460 Blackwit, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Cettis, 1 Firecrest and a male Marsh Harrier.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Middlebere this morning on a incoming tide: 1 Merlin (f past 3 times), 1 Spotted Redshank, 351 Blackwit, 157 Dunlin, 104 Redshank, 120 Avocet, 8 Grey Plover plus usual mix of wildfowl.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

A packed Lower Piddle Floods Fields, Swineham. That was until this pair decided to cause mayhem.
2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Ruff, 120 Lapwing, 600+ Geese and a mix of ducks.
@harbourbirds.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Didn't notice, but most of the time they were in quite long grass.

5 Cattle Egrets with the cows at Holmebridge this morning.
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