Thankfully yesterdays rain and fog had cleared this morning, 9 August, which was great as we headed over to Poole early morning. We had booked on a Birds of Poole Harbour boat cruise and had hoped for good weather. We easily found a car park near the quay and walked a few hundred yards to the boat. We were early for the 8am departure but a good few folks were earlier. As we waited to board the boat we watched Black-tailed Godwits fly over, a Raven strutting along the dock, and pair of very noisy Great black back Gulls.
As we were moved towards the boat we were greeted by one of the Poole Harbour Birds team and we were delighted to see it was Mya Bambrick a friend of ours and fellow Leica Ambassador! Small world. Once we had boarded and the safety briefing had concluded we set off into Poole Harbour. At first we were cruising in open water and saw Sandwich Terns close to the boat, Cormorants including one swallowing a large eel, and distant views of Little Egrets. It wasn’t long before Mya called “Osprey” and we saw saw the first of many Osprey sightings! This wonderful bird of prey was fishing over the shallow waters of the harbour. After a few false dives, the Osprey hit the water hard and fast, a moment later, it rose into the air carrying a fish! What a fantastic start to our wildlife cruise. We moved further west and into even shallower water and waders became the focus of attention with big flocks of Black-tailed Godwits feeding on the mudflats close to the boat. We picked out a Knot, at least eight Greenshank, a single Spotted Redshank, a Common Sandpiper and three Whimbrel along with Curlew, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, and Ringed Plover. A juvenile Spoonbill flew in and landed at the edge of the channel, allowing us wonderful views of it feeding with that wonderful beak. It was not only birds we saw a common seal hauled out on the mud, two Atlantic grey seals, and sika deer in the reedbeds. More Osprey sighting came thick and fast with perhaps six birds seen, certainly a minimum of three. We also watched a juvenile Peregrine Falcon hunting over one of the islands, a distant Marsh Harrier, and three Common Buzzards. An adult Yellow-legged Gull and fourteen Mediterranean Gulls added to the impressive bird list!
On the way back we swung past Brownsea Island in the harbour and had views over the lagoon, a flock of 32 Spoonbills were roosting here, a wonderful sight and a single Avocet added to our wader list. All too soon our three hour cruise came to an end. Huge thanks to the Birds of Pool Harbour team for doing such a great job! And of course the crew of the boat for navigating the very shallow waters of the harbour, getting us close to the wildlife. Back on the dock we treated ourselves to a big brunch, boat trips always give us a big appetite!
We then explored the beautiful heathland on to the east of Poole Harbour, looking stunning in the sunshine with the purple carpets of heather in full bloom. Highlight here was watching two super Dartford Warblers!
Looking forward to more Dorset adventure tomorrow. If you would like to join us on a tour in Dorset or on any of our other exciting tours please email here…
We look forward to sharing amazing birds and wildlife with you soon!