Sightings - Sunday 18th December 2011

Black Brant - 1 on the Fleet at Wyke Regis
Barnacle Goose - 13 at Middlebere Creek, later seen flying into Wareham Channel
Eider - 1 Portland Bill
Red-throated Diver - 22 Portland Bill
Black-throated Diver - 2 Portland Bill
Great Northern Diver - 2 Shell Bay
Red-necked Grebe - 1 still in Shell Bay
Black-necked Grebe - 2 in Portland Harbour from Castle Cove, 3 Shell Bay
Bittern - 1 Lodmoor
Spoonbill - 15 Brownsea, 6 yesterday in Holes Bay
Marsh Harrier - 5 at roost Lytchett Bay, 3 at Swineham, 2 -3 Middlebere, 1 Arne, 1 Little Sea Studland, 1 Brand's Bay, 1 Radipole
Merlin - 1 Arne
Great Bustard - 1 with radio transmitter at Buckland Ripers
Purple Sandpiper - 3 Portland Bill
Jack Snipe - 2 Christchurch Harbour (1 in the North Scrubs, 1 on Grimmery Point), 1 Lytchett Bay
Ring-billed Gull - 1 adult Radipole car park
Short-eared Owl - 1 at Arne
Richard's Pipit - 1 still in fields west of the Bridging Camp, Wyke Regis
Firecrest - 10+ in Abbotsbury Gardens, 1 Castle Cove

Late news from yesterday; a ringtail Hen Harrier was over the A35 near Askerswell, and a male Hen Harrier was at Middlebere.

Barnacle Geese at Middlebere © Paul Morton

Grey Heron at Radipole © Will Bown