Top of Surfbirds!

Well for a few minutes!

LOL!!

6 New Year Ticks today with a visit to Dorset with Bob.

Portland Bill for 2 Puffins and a Rock Pipit for moi, Shag and Puffin for Bob. Breakfast at the Cafe for both - lovely!
Also 7 Purple sands which are always great but I fear for them as 2 GBB Gulls appeared to be eyeing them up!
To Radipole for the Hooded Merg in his fancy clothes- Bob not seen him at all, he played fast and loose with us for a while but he is a very frustrated boy duck, chasing everything - shame he cant be leant a girlfriend from a collection and their babies can be half plastic! We also saw our first Sand Martin of the year.
Radipole has so many Cettis- exploding all over!!
On in the rain to Lodmoor where Bob found the Spoonbill (with help from the friendly RSPB girl at Radipole) and I saw the Greensands- unfortunately Bob had gone off to find some low water areas and missed them flying in with Snipe - oh Snipe at least 20 , but then I think again and there may have been 30! Then I told Bob on his return what I had seen and then a while later he was elsewhere and I saw thm flying away from Lodmoor towards a Crane!




Bob is off soon to Espana where he will see lots of Greensands and Wood sands so he is not bothered!Plus other loverlies - which I am bothered about!
To Wareham for Bob and a possible Cattle Egret - nope in the field where the desstructions said it was - was a Little Egret!Either mis id or its a popular field!

On to Arne where the sun came out but so did the wind and the Dartfords were no shows (seen yesterday) - do we blame them not a bit!

But we did find one Spoonbill feeding on an island and then 5 in a channel opposite the hide.
Also Ringtail and 2 Little Egrets.
Oh I did see one small bird a Dunnock feeding on the floor in the sunshine = he didnt appear to mind for ages at being watched!- I would rather he had been a DW!

Bob spotted a Roe Deer and I found a host of Sika deer on our way back as I crossed the car park overflow field I came eye ball to eyeball with Mum...and last years young one...so I retreated behind the gate and they fled back to where others were = eventually they decided they would cross the field but all the time keeping an eye or two on us. Eventually they got to where they wanted and we crossed the field after them!

pics later...need food!