A trip out today and I headed down to the Isle of Purbeck, starting off with a morning at Arne RSPB reserve. The day started out pretty well with a fleeting view of a Firecrest in the car park before I walked out to Shipstal Point.
From the small beach a Sandwich Tern was feeding in the channel and a flock of none Dark-bellied Brent Geese dropped in. Overhead small parties of Goldfinch, Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Siskin flew through.
Walking back through the heathland two Dartford Warblers could be heard calling. I also 'scoped the saltmarsh where nine Spoonbills were typically asleep on the sandy spit amongst a number of Shelduck, Curlew and Redshank.
The walk back to the car was pretty unproductive, but it was a nice start to the day.
After a picnic lunch I drove round to Studland and parked at Middle Beach. A quick walk south along the cliff top produced a single Ring-necked Parakeet which showed really well perched in a tree...unfortunately the battery in my phone was flat thus preventing me from obtaining one of those high-quality photos that I like to include from time to time!
Out on the water a flock of nine Black-necked Grebes were feeding and at least twenty Mediterranean Gulls were present. My attention was distracted from the sea however when a foraging party of birds flittered through the vegetation. Amongst the many Long-tailed Tits at least one Chiffchaff was present and frustratingly I could hear, but failed to see, a Yellow-browed Warbler!
Back to the car and I was planning on checking out Hartland Moor, but the rain struck and so I called it a day and drove on home.
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