Dorset Birds: Tuesday, 23rd March 2021.

Shoveler - 2 past Portland Bill; 17 at Stanpit was a notable total.

Common Scoter - 102 past Portland Bill.
Green Sandpiper - 1 Lodmoor.
Little Ringed Plover - 1 Christchurch Harbour (Crouch Hill).
Common Gull - 34 past Portland Bill.
Little Gull - 1 off the Hengistbury beach huts, 11 past Portland Bill.
Sandwich Tern - 1 Arne RSPB, 2 Christchurch Harbour, 4 past Portland Bill.
Puffin - 1 past Portland Bill.
Red-throated Diver - 32 past Portland Bill.
Manx Shearwater - 1 past Portland Bill.
Glossy Ibis - 1 still Stanpit.
Red Kite - 1 west of Cheselbourne.
White-Tailed Eagle - 2 Hengistbury Head (birds from the IOW reintroduction programme).

Merlin - 1 Portland (Reap Lane).
Unidentified falcon - a falconer's escape (with jesses) believed to be a Lanner hybrid was at

Portland Bill.
Black Redstart - 8 around Portland, 1 South Perrott, 1 West Knighton, 1 Winspit, 1 Winterborne Came.
Wheatear - 2 Hengistbury Head, 1 Lodmoor, 6 Portland Bill.
Sand Martin - 7 Hengistbury Head.
Swallow - 1 Portland Bill.
Firecrest - 1 Cranborne Common, 4 Portland (Culverwell), 1 Portland Bill, 1 Stanpit Scrubs.
Crossbill - 80+ Cranborne Common.

Late news: White-tailed Eagle over Wareham Channel and Upton CP yesterday (22nd March).

Woodlark, Silverlake © Alan Membury

Sparrowhawk © Stephen Hobbs

RARE BREEDING BIRDS

Dorset Bird Club and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel advocate special caution when reporting rare breeding birds as they are vulnerable to persecution and disturbance.

Please consider the birds welfare and do not share details of any rare breeding species on X/Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp groups, personal websites, blogs, or local birdwatching message boards.

We urge all finders of rare birds to consider whether they may be breeding before sharing the news.

Sightings should always be submitted, in confidence, to the county recorder to contribute to long-term national monitoring.