Wednesday
3rd February fresh to strong W sunny intervals, 9C
The
cycle ride from Weymouth to Arne is a delight with a strong wind at
my back and empty roads with high quality tarmac. It is going to be a
great day; I can feel it in my bones.
I
feel excited as I approach Arne along a lane from Stoborough. This is
one of my top five favourite RSPB reserves with beautiful heathland
and woodland habitats beside estuarine arms of Poole Harbour, the
World's second largest natural harbour.
After
having cycled through some thick smoke coming from an area being
cleared of old conifers, more restoring of the original heathland
habitat, I reach the reserve and go to the small visitor's reception
block. There I meet Luke and Chris, RSPB staff and soon, after
stowing the bike away safely, I am off speedily walking to an area
where I am hoping to see my first target bird of the day, Dartford
warbler.
Reaching
the area of thick gorse, the exact place where I saw dartford warbler
last year, I search and listen for this superb small bird. The wind
is still very strong and after an hour or so I still haven't seen or
heard one.
I
stand near to some gorse that looks particularly suitable and take
out a chocolate bar for lunch. Then I hear something; a small,
scratchy sub song. It sounds as if it is coming from quite a way
away. I am therefore very surprised when a male dartford warbler pops
up out of the gorse about ten feet away. It moves unconcerned by my
presence amongst the gorse for a few minutes.
Then a female pops her
head up too. I get such fantastic views and so close as I stand stock
still and watch them exploring the gorse.
New
bird for the year and the important one from the three target birds
for the day, as there would have been only be a few opportunities of
seeing one, being restricted to the heathlands of mostly Southern
England. No matter, it is on the list. Brilliant.
I
walk down to the small cliffs from where one can look over to Long
Island and beyond to the ferry crossing at Studland. The tide is
receding and four spoonbills are quite distant out on the mud that
starts the Middlebeare channel. There are also a fair number of
avocets and curlew here. In the distance to the south I can see the
famous ruins of Corfe Castle. This was blown up by Oliver Cromwell in
the English Civil War after he captured it from the Royalist army. I
take a photograph as a flock of Brent Geese are flying in front of
it.
Through
the large woodland and along the side of some large fields, a sign of
how benign this Winter is is that there are no Winter thrushes on the
grass and no finches either. Usually in a normal, cold Winter there
would be hundreds of both.
Also
missing are the large herds of Sika, a specie of large deer. They
have obviously been culled to protect the habitats.
Back
to the Visitor's Centre, which is soon to be replaced by a much
larger one, hopefully by Easter, I meet Rob. Now Rob is another RSPB
staff member and last year we had a fabulous day birding Arne
together.
I
head off for Middlebeare where the National Trust has a hide that
overlooks the other end of the Middlebeare Channel from where I was
earlier in the day. This sued to be one of my favourite birding
places when I used to live in nearby Swanage and holds great memories
for me. I haven't been here for around ten years and I am surprised
at how high the trees have grown around the hide. The view across the
muddy channel looks the same though with the curling dyke down the
centre viewable because of it being low tide. I am hoping a hen
harrier will go past and that the resident barn owl will put in a
showing.
By
dark neither have been seen but there have been a number of spotted
redshanks and spoonbills. Little egrets and brent geese so life is
good.
Year
list still at 148, nineteen ahead of this time last year.
27.87
miles 1187 feet elevation up 1210 feet elevation down
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