My soon to be in-laws are in the process of moving house, so Ellie and I were up early and headed down to Highcliffe to give them a hand moving furniture and picking carpets. After a few hours of heavy labour and a well deserved lunch we decided to pop along to Hengistbury Head for the rest of the afternoon rather than simply drive straight back home as it is one of Ellie's favourite places.
We parked at Mudeford Quay and took the ferry across to the Head, seeing a couple of Sandwich Terns and four Turnstones en route, and then cheated by taking the Land Train to the main car park and cafe. A couple of Wheatears were hopping about near the Land Train "Station" and a few Sand Martins were whizzing by.
When we reached the cafe, Ellie settled down for a cup of tea and gave me twenty minutes to find a Subalpine Warbler that had turned up the day before. So, having gotten instructions on its location from a fellow birder, I hot-footed across a field and then through some rather vicious thorns and brambles. I met up with a few other birders who had been waiting a while for the bird to show. After a couple of fleeting glimpses of a Sylvia warbler that could have been it, I finally spotted the bird, a splendid summer plumaged male. This was my third Subalpine Warbler in the UK, and all three have been seen in Dorset. I then rushed back to the cafe and arrived spot on 4pm, my deadline!
I decided to reward myself with a cup of tea and a cake before we walked back to the ferry. Along the way we noted a few Whitethroats and a Blackcap and on the small lagoon near the start of the beach huts we saw a couple of Whimbrel.
Despite the rather cold and strong wind we had an enjoyable few hours out and about, a nice end to a good weekend.
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