Arne - 10th Oct

The weather was warm and sunny. Highlights were Sika Deer, Spoonbills, Marsh Harrier, Yellow-legged Gull, Avocet, Peregrine and Wheatear.

We walked down the road and past Arne farm pausing briefly to look at a party of Long-tailed Tit in the trees and a couple of Red Admiral. The fields at the farm have a crop with a margin of seedy plants such as Sunflowers and there were plenty of finches around feeding on them. Mostly Goldfinch and Greenfinch, but quite a few Chaffinch and a few Linnet and House Sparrow. A Sparrowhawk came up above the woods briefly being mobbed by a few Carrion Crow. A few Swallow also went over. Further along we saw the first of many Sika Deer. They were sitting under trees a little way away. Over the course of this morning we saw many on the marshes and in the woods, including one that came very close to us just outside the hide. From the hide there were 14 Spoonbill, several Little Egret and Heron, hundreds of Curlew, Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Teal, Wigeon, 8 Great-crested Grebe and 3 Brent Goose. We saw a few more Red Admiral as we walked in the sunshine around past the point and back past the farm to the car park. Good views of a Buzzard soaring as well.
After lunch in the Kings Arms in Stoborough we drove to Middlebere Farm. There were some large patches of Ivy in the hedgerows and these were buzzing with insects, lots of bees and wasps and several Red Admiral, Painted Lady and Comma, a Peacock and a Speckled Wood. There were also Jay, Bullfinch and a couple of Chiffchaff in the hedgerow and a small flock of Meadow Pipit in a field. We got into the hide and birds were everywhere. The hide overlooks a stretch of estuary and the tide was going out. About 250 Avocet were there along with Teal, Wigeon, Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank. A female Marsh Harrier appeared right in front of the hide, glided around and landed briefly on the grass before trying to catch a Teal, which dived to escape. The Marsh Harrier spent the next few minutes gliding around trying to catch the same Teal, which kept diving. A closer look at the ducks revealed a few Pintail with them and the gulls included a Yellow-legged Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull in amongst the Herring Gull and Black-headed Gull. A Peregrine was found, perched in a very distant tree and a Wheatear on a fencepost much closer. All in all a very exciting way to finish a days birding.
Simon Curson