Trip Report: Arne RSPB Dorset (15 May 2022)
Thirty-one of our members, plus six from SDBWS and four who belong to both groups had an enjoyable trip to the beautiful Arne RSPB reserve. The weather could have been better, both for us and for the birds, but despite drizzle, cloud and a strong breeze, between us we notched up 71 species.
The journey took three hours with a stop at Winchester services. As we got closer the weather deteriorated and the volunteer who met our coach at Arne was handing out maps in the rain. She valiantly attempted a brief introduction but most people were making for the visitors’ centre or the sightings board. Many of us started on Coombe Heath, heading for the impressive new Middlebere Lookout then on to the screen and viewpoint on top of the hill which gave views of Middlebere Channel as the tide went out. Highlights here were 4 spoonbills which woke up and were energetically preening and touching bills, a wheatear right next to us at the viewpoint, a marsh harrier, meadow pipits doing their song flights and some of the many siskins that we saw throughout the day. On the mud there were a few shelduck, curlew and oystercatcher. Redshank could be seen occasionally flying up from salt marsh. This pattern was repeated on all the tidal areas around the reserve although one group reported dunlin as well. A few people went up onto the recently acquired Hyde’s Heath area and added stonechat. During the day Dartford warblers were heard or glimpsed by a lucky few but for the majority of us they stayed well hidden in the gorse and heather, away from the poor weather. Returning to the central point of the car park and visitors’ centre we stopped at the bird feeders and had excellent views of siskins, including some juveniles. A few people dropped away here for lunch in the warm and dry café!
On the other side of the reserve are the Shipstal trails which cover a huge range of habitats: scrub, farmland, lowland heath, ancient oak woodland, pine and birch forest, sandy beach, acidic pools and the open tidal waters of Poole Harbour dotted with islands, including Brownsea Island. My group set off around the red route and were cheered up by swallows swooping over a meadow with a house martin and swifts above. Mutiny was threatening in the ranks, as it was getting very late for lunch, so we split up to find places to eat either in the shelter of the two-storey hide, at various wet benches overlooking the harbour or on the beach. During lunch a very distant common sandpiper was found on one of the islands. The 4 spoonbills were also seen flying away further out into the harbour. Our group reformed at the two-storey hide and the red route back took us further inland and was more sheltered. At last, more birds appeared and we added a pair of mistle thrush, more siskin, goldcrest, nuthatch, a calling cuckoo, a pair of cronking ravens and the high-pitched call of treecreeper. Finally, the weather was also improving and spirits lifted as we reached the café with plenty of time for refreshments. After drying off the seats, a few of us sat outside and watched the bird feeders adding coal tit to our day’s list. The sun was coming out as we left and it would have been great to go back onto the heath to look for the elusive Dartford Warblers, Woodlarks and Tree Pipits which were no doubt popping up as we drove away!
Species 71: Blackbird, Blackcap, Black-headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Cuckoo, Curlew, Dartford Warbler, Dunlin, Dunnock, Feral Pigeon, Firecrest (h), Gadwall, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Redshank, Robin, Rook, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spoonbill, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Treecreeper, Wheatear, Woodpigeon, Wren.
by Rebecca Dunne