Visit to Brownsea Island 25th April 2013

Visit to Brownsea Island 25th April 2013

This was our last day in Poole so it was with some scepticism when we looked out of the hotel window to find that the promenade was hardly visible never mind Brownsea island. Anyway we thought that we would take a walk along the prom to see if the weather would perk up. As we walked along we came across a small number of Turnstones scouring the water’s edge looking for morsels. we turned inward after a while and walked through a sort of park cum open space where there were plenty of birds but also plenty of dog walkers so that wasn’t entirely satisfactory. Anne decided to go off shopping so I wandered around a little more before deciding to go back to the hotel to pick up my camera in order to get some photos of the Turnstones.I got all my kit together and headed back out but I didn’t need to go back to where we saw the Turnstones because, right by the hotel where fishermen had a small quay and hut, one of the fishermen had smashed up some crab legs and spread them out for the birds and the Turnstones were doing their best to devour every last bit. That wasn’t the only food related photo opportunity for the morning as I later encountered a Great Black-backed Gull. Fed up with trying to peck enough flesh off a flatfish that was bigger than it was it decided to take he direct option and swallow the thing entire. try as it might it was just too big to swallow but I had a lot of fun watching it try before my patience ran out before the Gull got tired of trying.

By now the weather was picking up a little and we decided that we would risk the boat trip out to Brownsea Island. We were glad we did because by the time we got over there the weather was getting quite nice and before long it was a beautiful sunny day and we were a little overdressed even !

Anyway, we started off by taking the boardwalk route along the side of the Lagoon that is part of the Dorset Wildlife Trust site. There were plenty of woodland birds around as we passed along but the hides were the stars. From these we could see large numbers of Back-tailed Godwits and smaller numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits. Avocets, Shelduck, Oystercatchers, Shovelers and Gadwall were there aplenty; also Great Crested Grebes and a Little Grebe. From one of the hides we got a nice view of a Snipe and at another fabulous views of a Spotted Redshank in breeding plumage – the first time we had seen one in this plumage and for the first time it was obvious why they were called Spotted. The plumage was very dark with sparkling white spots – quite unlike the winter plumage we are used to seeing. The colonies of Sandwich and Common Terns were also very interesting to watch and we could hear lots of reedbed birds.

We came out of the reserve and walked up to the villa and through the woods and back down to the visitor centre where we had great views of a Red Squirrel eating from a feeder. We walked up the hill to the higher ground where we saw lots of the Peacocks that thrive there. We came back round and down to the cafe just in time to catch the ferry back – a journey half an hour longer that the outward journey dur to the tide having gone out.

All in all it was a great afternoon. Brownsea Island is not a place to miss. The only thing we had hoped to see that we didn’t was Spoonbills !

Bird Sightings : Brownsea Island