Out and about in Poole
I had a change of scenery today, I was still in Dorset, but further east in Poole. I have fished from here many times with the RAF and going back a few years now, I caught one of my biggest Conger Eels just off Old Harry's Rock. At 36lb it was just over 2 metres in length. A baby everyone told me at the time.
I may have fished from here, but I have never been bird watching here. Well today I had a 5 hour window just to do that and I chose to visit the following locations:
1: Ham Common, Blue Pool and Wareham Channel
2: Upton Country Park and Holes Bay
3: Holes Bay from Symes Road
4: Poole Park Boating Lake, which I failed to walk all the way round as I ran out of time. Another trip!!
Start Point Here
My route around Ham Common
Birds Recorded:
1 Little Grebe
Cormorant
Brent Geese
1 Red-breasted Merganser
Coot
Oystercatcher
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Meadow Pipit
Robin
Blackbird
2 Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Bullfinch
There was a lone Great Crested Grebe on the pool and...........
........it wasn't too keen on seeing me and Ted on the beach.
Black-headed Gulls on the pier.
A very smart looking Meadow Pipit along one of the tracks
Fungi Recorded:
Birch Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus)
Lots of Birch Polypore on this Silver Birch
And a close-up of one. It is also called Razor Strop Fungus. More on this Here.
General Shots:
Ham Common
The reedbeds in the Blue Pool
The Blue Pool
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Upton Country Park and Holes Bay
4 Grey Squirrel
Grey Squirrel
Birds Recorded:
Cormorant
Little Egret
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Shelduck
Mallard
Gadwall
Wigeon
Teal
Pintail
Shoveler
Tufted Duck
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Avocet
Lapwing
Dunlin
Bar-tailed Godwit
Redshank
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Nuthatch
Wren
Magpie
Rook
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Reed Bunting
In this photo are Canada Geese, Pintail and Wigeon.
On the far bank of the bay these Wigeon were coming into land.
The same photo as above but slightly enlarged to view the Wigeon in a bit more detail.
Just a few of the Avocets in Holes Bay
Here is a short video of the Avocets, Bar-tailed Godwits and other waders, ducks and gulls
Here's an Avocet much closer in and having a nap. Behind it are two Bar-tailed Godwits feeding.
These waders are just coming into land. A majority of them are Bar-tailed Godwits and the smaller ones to the left are most likely Dunlin.
Another mix of birds with 2 Shelduck, Wigeon, Bar-tailed Godwit and 2 Avocets.
I was surprised to see very few Lapwing here in the bay. There were probably only a dozen if that.
A Bar-tailed Godwit has found a snack.
An octet of Bar-tailed Godwits
A Coal Tit
Nuthatch
A male Reed Bunting
One of the many views across the reedbeds into Holes Bay
And another view of the Bay from the Country Park
In the park there is this board walk through the reedbeds.
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Holes Bay from Symes Road
Start Point Here
My short walk to view Holes Bay from Symes Road
Birds Recorded:
Cormorant
Cormorant
Shelduck
Wigeon
Teal
Tufted Duck
Coot
Avocet
Bar-tailed Godwit
Redshank
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Robin
Wren
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Reed Bunting
In this photo we have 3 Shelduck at the back, with Wigeon, Teal and Redshank in the foreground
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Poole Park Boating Lake
Start Point Here
And my even shorter walk at the Boating Lake
Not quite sure how that happened, but I forgot to take a photograph of the boating lake. So here is a still from my Dashcam
Mammals Recorded:
6 Grey Squirrel
Birds Recorded:
4 Little Grebe
4 Little Grebe
Mute Swan
Mallard
Tufted Duck
1 Goldeneye
Coot
1 Redshank
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Magpie
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
A drake Goldeneye
And on one of the "islands" a Redshank.
At this time of year Black-headed Gulls are in their winter plumage, so I'm not quite sure.......
..........why this individual, plus a couple of others were still sporting their Summer "black" heads.
Ted:
I don't think he's ever had so much fun. He walked some miles today