Hengistbury Head - 15th December

A cloudy morning with drizzly sleet at first! Highlights were a Winter Moth, Ringed Plover and Goldcrest.

We set off in windy, sleety, cold conditions and found Wick Hams and the harbour to be pretty quiet. There were no birds feeding in the fields, a few Mallard and Teal in the ditch and a few Wigeon keeping out of the wind by hiding beside the reedy shore line of Barn Blight. Out in the harbour we found two Little Grebe. There was nothing on the sea from the cliffs and just 2 Stonechat in the heather next to Barn Field. We walked down towards the tip, seeing a flock of Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit and Great Tit in the wood on the way. In Holloways Dock Lagoon there were 6 Black-headed Gulls and 1 Herring Gull and a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls flew over. We found a small flock of Wigeon by the harbour edge, several Little Egret around and 1 Curlew nearby. We walked past the cafe near the end of the spit and found 1 Winter Moth on the door by an outside light – interesting to see one so far from the nearest trees! On the beach on the seaward side of the spit there were 45 Ringed Plover and 22 Dunlin on the beach. Looking at the sea from the beach huts there was a few Cormorants on the posts at the end of each groyne. Searching the rocky groynes we failed to find any Purple Sandpipers or anything else of interest. On the way back we had great close views of a Goldcrest and a few Brent Geese flew over.
Simon Curson