CROYDON RSPB MEMBERS' GROUP - TRIP REPORT

Itinerary and weather:

30.9 Keyhaven Marshes, Higher Hyde Heath - Sunny, wind - light southerly

1.10 Radipole, Portland Bill, The Fleet, Lodmoor - Sunny overcast with rain by evening, wind - moderate southerly

2.10 Radipole, Durlston Country Park, Studland. Overcast sunny by noon, wind - strong northwesterly.

Early arrivers at Keyhaven Marshes were rewarded with close-up views of a flock of bearded tits even before the start of a circular walk that occupied the remainder of Saturday morning and the early part of the afternoon. During the walk, a succession of honey buzzards were seen circling inland and one flew overhead and south across the Solent, following the same course as a male marsh harrier a few minutes earlier. There were also several sightings of hobbies. Early Brent geese were out in the saltmarsh, while nearer to hand were kingfisher, whinchat, stonechat and wheatear and a good range of waders including a green sandpiper, lots of snipe and at least twenty greenshanks. Later in the afternoon, after struggling through Bournemouth, we visited Higher Hyde Heath, a peaceful and varied reserve near Wareham, but had too little time in hand to explore fully before pressing on to overnight in Weymouth.

During Sunday's pre-breakfast walk at Radipole, many Cetti's warblers were heard and a few seen, while a distant crake could have been a spotted. Gannets, guillemots and common scoters were noted off Portland Bill but the highlight was witnessing the release of a Radde's warbler trapped at the Observatory. Immediately afterwards, a wryneck showed well nearby. Masses of yellow wagtails and meadow pipits were seen in the top fields, but not much else. After lunch, Sandwich terns, commoner waders and a flock of linnets were on the shore of the Fleet. The day's birding was completed (just in time to beat the rain) with a circuit of Lodmoor. Some questioned the wisdom of RSPB's site management here, but we did manage superb views of a female marsh harrier in flight and of a peregrine perched out in the open.

There were Cetti's warblers again pre-breakfast at Radipole on the Monday and a water rail also showed well. Arriving at Durlston Country Park late morning in a half-gale, we took refuge in the woods and eventually ran into massed chiffchaffs, together with half a dozen (at least) spotted flycatchers, a female pied flycatcher and....a red-breasted flycatcher! After lunch the wind was still a handicap but we managed to locate a couple of ring ouzels among bushes in the Gully and a late swift was noticed overhead. Finally, during an hour or so on Studland Heath, near Little Sea, we added extra ducks, including pintail, to our list and found several Dartford warblers. There were many little egrets on the shores of Poole Harbour and an osprey was spotted flying off over Brownsea island, a fine bird to end the trip.