Brownsea Islland - 27th January

I took a group of 20 people over to Brownsea on a specially organised trip.
A sunny and mild day. Highlights were Avocets, Bar-tailed Godwits, Greenshank, Shag and Red Squirrels.

The ferry picked us up at Sandbanks and after 10 minutes we were on Brownsea Island where we met the Dorset Wildlife Trust warden, Chris Thain. On the boat we saw a Shag in the water near the island. Chris greeted us and explained a bit about the island and then we were off. There are several hides on Brownsea and they overlook a large shallow lagoon. This was packed with thousands of birds.
From the first hide we saw groups of Avocets, Dunlins, Black-tailed Godwit and Oystercatcher. There were also Shelduck, Brent Geese and Cormorants. In amongst the Dunlins were some Grey Plover and at the far side of the lagoon was a group of Curlew. Some waders came very close, walking right past the outside of the hide. A couple of Avocet and then Redshank and Greenshank walked past together allowing us to compare these two species. A couple of the Redshank also had a fight outside the hide. We left this first hide and walked up to the second hide. Many waders were much closer. A few Turnstone with some Dunlin and a Grey Plover were very close. Further off we could see some ducks on the water – Gadwall, Wigeon and Shoveler and at the edges of the reeds were several Teal. There was also a couple of Heron and a Little Egret.
We left the hide and walked to the Villa, an old building that houses the Dorset Wildlife Trust on the island. Here we stopped for lunch and coffee. They have a feeding platform set up outside the house, where Red Squirrels often come to eat peanuts etc. We were not disappointed and had quite good views of them here. There were also Dunnock around the house and a Coal Tit. After lunch we walked back past the Villa, stopping briefly to look at a Red Squirrel near the feeding platform and walked on to the woodland lakes. There was a Coot, several Tufted Duck, a Gadwall and some Mallard on the lake. On the second lake there were more Mallard and Tufted Duck and some Canada Geese. A couple of Heron were spotted up in the tree tops. They nest here and January is when they start nest building. We also saw a Red Admiral butterfly enjoying the warm sunshine on a fallen tree. We then walked around the woodlands. It was quiet and all we saw was a few Coal Tit and more Red Squirrels. At one point we passed an open grassy area and saw a few Mistle Thrush feeding and a Green Woodpecker take off and disappear into the woods.
Time was getting on so we headed back to the quay. We stopped in the public hide for a last look at the lagoon. Still full of birds. A surprise was a large group of Bar-tailed Godwit roosting next to Oystercatcher and Avocet. A great end to a lovely day.
Simon Curson