New Forest, Poole Harbour and RSPB Arne

 After our visit to Salisbury, Jayne and I spent the next four days in The New Forest and Poole Harbour/Swanage area. Whilst there we added 9 more species to the Year List.

Our first new bird was House Martin (139), which was seen around our accommodation in Fordingbridge. Firecrest (140) was added during a walk in Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary in The New Forest, as was Willow Warbler (141).

Firecrest

On 9th, we had a 3 hour cruise with Birds of Poole Harbour, where we managed to see 3 Spoonbills (142), 2 distant Ospreys (143), and, best of all, amazing views of a female White-tailed Eagle (144).

WT Eagle G466

The White-tailed Eagle that we saw was a female, G466, that was translocated from The Isle of Skye into the Isle of Wight in 2020 by the Roy Dennis Foundation. She has been settled in this area, with a male bird, G463. See details here. Whilst on the trip, we also saw Black-headed, Great Black-backed, Herring and Mediterranean Gulls, Black-tailed Godwits, a Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Great-crested Grebes, Curlew, Lapwing, Canada, Greylag and an Egyptian Goose, 3 Little Ringed Plovers (145) and Sandwich Terns (146). 

Our last addition to the Year List was Dartford Warbler (147) that was seen on Hyde's Heath at RSPB Arne. Unfortunately, no photos, as the two birds we saw, decided to keep low down in the gorse, to avoid the attention of a pair of Stonechats!