Weymouth - Sun 5 Jan

A day out birding today, and with the usual suspects in tow for our annual January birding trip. We started off the day at Chickerell taking a walk down to the Fleet and Tidmoor Point where before long we had found six Long-tailed Duck, a Velvet Scoter and four Slavonian Grebes...not a bad start to the day.

Walking round the point at bottom of the firing range we also saw a couple of Bar-tailed Godwit and heard a Cetti's Warbler. There were loads of Dark-bellied Brent Geese and a lone Pale-bellied Brent Goose was amongst them. As we returned to the car a Firecrest put in an appearance, a nice little bonus.
Off then to Portland Harbour where a Great Northern Diver was off Portland Castle and from Sandsfoot Castle we added Razorbill and Slavonian Grebe, but to be honest the harbour was pretty quiet (though apparently we did miss a few things).
We then made our way round to Lodmoor RSPB and took a good walk around the reserve. A first-winter Scaup was a nice find and a lone Avocet was rather obliging.

Several Mediterranean Gulls were present and a Marsh Harrier was hunting over the reeds. A flock of Golden Plover circled the reserve and later we found a lone bird as well, thogh typically it took flight just as I was about to take a photo.
Out in Weymouth Bay we saw a lone Common Scoter, another Great Northern Diver and a few Gannet.
After a great morning out and about I left the lads and headed back home to check out Sutton Bingham.