Brownsea Island WeBS Count

A small group of us went to Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset to do a WeBS count as part of our 3rd year taxa survey portfolio.

The lagoon was much quieter today than I have experienced before in the winter, probably to do with the amount of ice laying across the exposed mudflat reducing the interest for waders.

shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) x 43

gadwell (Anas strepera) x 28

Northern shovelor (Anas clypeata) x 34

wigeon (Anas penelope) x 15

teal (Anas crecca) x 169

cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) x 3

grey heron (Ardea cinerea) x 17

little egret (Egretta garzetta) x 1

Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) x 2

avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) x 16

common redshank (Tringa totanus) x 7 (probably 9)

spotted redshank (Tringa erythropus) x 1

greenshank (Tringa stagnatilis) x 7

black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) x 9

GBB gull (Larus marinus) x 6

common gull (Larus canus) x 1

herring gull (Larus argentatus) sev

black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) x 16

moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) x 6

The only other bird of note a very pale phase buzzard (Buteo buteo) which spooked the mixed duck raft early afternoon.

We also enjoyed some cracking views of red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) along the boardwalk tree-line.

For information regarding Brownsea Island go to: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-brownsea_island/

Thanks to Chris Tate - Brownsea Island Warden, for allowing us to participate and providing additional recording materials and Karl Clennell for organising the trip.