Ian

Great Northern Diver (5) and distant Black Necked Grebe (4) from Jerry's Point this afternoon.

A busy Brands Bay with several thousand birds on a falling tide

5 Goldeneye viewed over Redhorn.
3 Knot
3 Greenshank
1070 Dunlin
292 Blackwit
57 Curlew
45 Redshank
55 Lapwing
454 Wigeon
240 Teal
5 Brent
10 Avocet

app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

I had swaro 8.5x42 for about 20 years and liked them. A couple of years ago I traded them in for swaro 8x32 nl. Optically fine but they have several annoying features in use (unacceptable at this price point) and I would look at other manufacturers in future.

I started watching Brands Bay a year ago, I like the movement of birds at this site - over an hour as the tide goes out and mud uncovers and over the seasons as the species and numbers change.

BB on a falling tide
Med Gull 40
Curlew 87
Blackwit 14
Redshank 17
Whimbrel 1

app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

A few more pictures of this very obliging bird which remained in view for about 2 hours.

Purple Heron from Rees Cox hide, seen on my third visit. Thanks to everyone who got the word out and kept the news updated

Brands Bay on a morning falling tide.
Whimbrel 1
Redshank 31
Blackwit 7
Dunlin 1
Curlew 59
Lapwing 2
Med gull 17
Bhg 98
GC grebe 4
Sandwich tern 1

app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

Another Purbeck Heath nightjar survey last night. I arrived early so had the benefit of the sunset.

It was a warm still evening so the nightjars were very active.

The combination of darkness and loud churring of several nightjar close by can make these heaths feel like very wild places.

Out early for a High Nature Stewardship Bird Survey...

...and back home 10 minutes later to pick up my glasses

Nice to see reasonable numbers of swallow, house martin and swift

Good things are often seen after the last transect - today it was a cuckoo accompanied by an entourage of unhappy mipits

The Purbeck heathland after sunset is an amazing place. A nightjar survey for just over 2 hours after sunset yielded 10 territories, lots of churring, calling and wing clapping and a good number of sightings. Plus the added bonus of seeing glow-worms.

Just a roof, with gaps in it.

In 2 hours yesterday evening there were 26 swift flights in/out of 8 different gaps.

There was a 20 minute period where swifts were landing on the roof anywhere there was a gap,staying for a short while. At one point there were 4 swifts on the roof at the same time.

An hours sea watch from 12:30 at Durlston.

3 gannet.
27 manx shearwater west.
There were probably more manx. After a slow start for the first 4, I got my eye in and found the right distance, and they were more frequent.

I have seen the wall lizards at Durlston a few times, always in the same place (though they may well be elsewhere) - on the south side, towards the lower end and a few metres up and only when the sun was on the wall.

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A dawn chorus walk to Swineham. Plenty of blackcap and reed warbler and cettis.

Up early for the challenge of learning a new @bbs-birds.bsky.social square with a wide mix of habitats. The best birds were cuckoo and tree pipit, both found after I had finished the last transect and was walking back to the car.

Completed another heathland bird survey this morning. No dartford warbler were found but there was a peregrine on the castle, along with whitethroat, stonechat and linnet on West Hill, plus the usual Purbeck views.

Full list
app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

A morning walk over Corfe Common provided the first swallow and whitethroat of the year for this patch. Plenty of chiffs, 13 linnet and a few blackcap were the best of the rest.

Full list
app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

A mornings birding near Norden making a second visit for a BTO Heathland Bird Survey for woodlark.

No woodlark were present but there were 21 chiffchaff and a few linnet & stonechat territories.

Full list on birdtrack.
app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

Brands Bay on a falling tide. As expected the number of birds is well down from the winter peak of 2000+ but there were 104 black tailed godwit and 22 dunlin in summer plumage.

Full list app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

A busy morning with a NT BBS survey followed by a BTO heathland survey but the early start had its good points.

Didn't manage to find the hoopoe at Worth but Durlston provided several black redstart behind the lighthouse and my first house martin of the year.

Brands Bay on a rising tide. A large group of wigeon were flushed by a WTE as I approached the hide but there were still over 600 birds in the bay.

WTE 1
Wigeon 240
Teal 130
Curlew 13
Redshank 16
Blackwit 30
Dunlin 128
Grey Plover 3

And loads of Chiffchaff everywhere.

app.bto.org/birdtrack/pu...

A morning walk in the Corfe River Valley. At least 8 chiffchaff at Norden STW, kingfisher flying along the river and 2 marsh tit in woodland near Purbeck Park. There were plenty of scarlet cap too.

Brands Bay on a rising tide. The birds seemed unsettled, regularly moving and flying, the peregrine was only around briefly.
GND 1
Peregrine 1
Spoonbill 1
Wigeon 424
Brent 195
Shellduck 167
Teal 275
Pintail 38
RB Merganser 7
Avocet 9
Redshank 17
Curlew 33
Grey Plover 16
Dunlin 114
Turnstone 28

St Aldhelms this morning was a bit quiet and wetter/windier/murkier than expected.
Good views of 2 WTE.
Others included 5 gannet, 4 chaffinch and 20+ goldfinch.

A late afternoon watch from Slepe Heath looking north to Gigger's Island.
2 fieldfare
1 buzzard
1 kestrel
1 SEO
2 hen harrier (male & ringtail)
2 WTE
5 marsh harrier

A morning walk around DWT Wild Woodbury. The weather brought out a hint of spring with singing birds, drumming woodpecker etc. The highlight was 3 green sandpiper on the watercress beds.

3 Slavs at Jerry's Point earlier this morning

Brands Bay on an early rising tide.
Wigeon 460
Teal 290
Pintail 127
Shellduck 87
Brent 85
Redshank 26
Blackwit 52
Greenshank 1
Curlew 29
Dunlin 490
Grey plover 4
Lapwing 60
Avocet 3
Kingfisher 1
Avocet 3