Radipole, Sunday 18th March

We went to Radipole early on sunday morning in search of the glossy ibises. Although we didn't see them, there was plenty around, with several great crested grebes in their splendid breeding plumage alongside cormorants, shelducks, lesser black backed, herring, black-headed and common gulls. Two grey herons flew over, and several buzzards circled overhead. Mallards, tufted ducks, teal, coots, moorhen, mute swans, dunnocks and greenfinches were around in huge numbers. At north hide, we waited for 45 minutes hoping to catch a glimpse of the ibises, but they didn't appear. In front of the hide there were lots of ducks, including mallards, teal, wigeon and gadwall. A magnificent iridescent blue kingfisher flew across the water and landed on a perch on the opposite side of the water, before a stunning marsh harrier made the whole flock of ducks fly. Hundreds of woodpigeons passed the hides and magpies and carrion crows fed in the marsh. Other passerines in huge numbers were great tits, blue tits, coal tits, chaffinches and blackbirds, but the highlight was a willow warbler, my first summer migrant of the year. The highlight of the trip, however, was a water vole, which we got superb views of as it swam up a narrow channel. Back at Hilfield, there were several buzzards, along with pheasants, great and coal tits, nuthatches and dunnocks and the rooks and pied wagtails continued to gather their nesting materials.

Saturday 17th March

Not much around at Hilfield, plenty of buzzards, goldfinches, blue tits, a dunnock, song thrushes and a blackbird. Rooks collecting nesting materials and pied wagtails clearly nesting as well.

Monday 12th March-Friday 16th

Not much to report, Sparrowhawk chasing pigeons on Sherborne Abbey, lots of buzzards around and yellowhammer on a roadside hedge near Holwell.

Crossbills at Wareham and Spoonbills and Dartford Warbler at Arne 11th March 2012

For my first ever post, we went off to Wareham Forest in search of crossbills. Almost as soon as we got out of the car, we spotted a huge flock of mixed finches flitting among the trees. I managed to find chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches as well as a superb pair of siskins. We continued to scan the trees for anything interesting, but all we could find was a pair of blackbirds and several squirrels. Then, a female crossbill landed in the tree in front of us. She was promptly forced to move as a male took her position. An absolutely fantastic new bird for me and a great view as well. Elsewhere in the forest we found coal, marsh, blue, great and long tailed tits, several great spotted woodpeckers, 4 buzzards, 8 jays, magpies and a few robins. We then decided to have a look on Coombe Heath at Arne. The usual tits, finches and thrushes were around in the trees, and there were several meadow pipits, skylarks and stonechats on the heath. Huge numbers of shelducks, canada geese and godwits were on the estuary, but there was no sign of the dartford warbler we had come for. After two and a half hours of walking around the heath, the only birds other than pipits and stonechats being a wren and several greenfinches, we decided to have a closer look at two slightly suspect looking egrets. We identify them as their bills were hidden inside their wings. Thankfully a flock of shelducks and little egrets took flight which made the birds look around, revealing their spoon-shaped bills. A stunning pair of spoonbills, my second sighting at Arne and third ever of the species.  Just as we were about to leave the heath, the bird we had come for appeared, a magnificent male dartford sitting on top of a gorse barely 10 yards away, to complete a superb day.

Life total: 1318