Geoff's Nature / Wildlife Adventures : July 2015

Thursday 9^th July Brownsea Island

Planed this trip for some time now finally got round to it today all buses and trains on time I arrived at Poole Quay for the 10-30 boat to the Island on the crossing had Herring Gull and Cormorant after landing and paying my landing fee, Started off at 11 o’clock started by having a look in the public hide could not see a lot due to a school party doing some survey work and taking up most of the hide did have Little Egret and Shell duck, So on to the Nature Reserve paid a donation and picked up a leaflet and started the walk got to where a table had been set up by the Dorset Wildlife Trust Who Lease the reserve from The National Trust along the path I had a Common Lizard, Then on to the first hide overlooking the Lagoon here Common Terns nesting with Black Headed Gulls more Shell Ducks with young and Sandwich Terns Flying around also had Redshank, Greenshank, Black Tailed Godwit some within picture range the others where scope views, From here onto the next hide here I had Sandwich Terns Breeding more Black Headed Gull and the very Smart Mediterranean Gull breeding there was a pair just to the left of the hide got some good pics of them. I then continued on with the walk to the Villa on the path had a White Admiral Butterfly but no pic also Willow Warbler, Chaffinch, had a quick stop for the toilet and on the feeders had one of the highlights of Brownsea Red Squirrel, Then on along a short board walk to the reed bed hide from here had a young Marsh harrier and Grey Heron along the board walk some Damselflies, I then continued to follow the markers to the Lake Hide on arriving had to Common Buzzards fly over on the lake there where Little Grebe, Mallard. This is where I had lunch after I again continued to follow the markers up through the woods to the view point from here more Shell Ducks, Black Tailed Godwits, Oystercatcher and a Avocet, then the rout took me back to the Villa where I returned to the hide for more pics of the Mediterranean Gulls after I returned to the reed bed hide where I found a Hobby it did not stay to long as a very noisy party arrived and put it up, Then back to the Quay for a coffee before the boat back to Poole which was very enjoyable as we had a tour of the harbour, Then the train back home so ending a very pleasant day on Brownsea Island