Our eldest was off to her course at University for the morning and so we had an early breakfast and headed for the ferry to Brownsea Island. The weather was overcast but it was not due to rain. A smooth crossing on the 10.00am boat and paid up for the pleasure of landing.
From the Visitors Centre we could see across a bay where hundreds of 
avocets and black-tailed godwits were sleeping and feeding; at one point the flocks were flushed an showed in quite a spectacular take-off and landing. Near the front, feeding in the shallows was spotted redshank, a life tick. On into the site and a detour around into the Dorset Wifelike Trust Reserve. Quite a few red squirrels appeared and were a joy all the way round. From one hide we had views of the visiting spoonbills, 35 in total. Groups of curlew, dunlin and oystercatchers congregated in numbers.
Wherever there were feeders they appeared to be inundated by 
coal tits; there didn't appear to be any other species! We also watched red squirrels hijacking the bounty, quite acrobatically at times.
Before embarking on the ferry to return we had lunch in the National Trust Cafe. Good food. An amazing place to visit and now one of my favourites.
Sightings (32) included: teal, avocet, spoonbill, black-tailed godwit, shelduck, shoveler, brent goose, dunlin, mallard, wigeon, little egret, turnstone, oystercatcher, cormorant, great black-backed gull, lesser black-backed gull, magpie, curlew, woodpigeon, grey heron, black-headed gull, moorhen, carrion crow, wren, gadwall, spotted redshank, redshank, coal tit, great tit, chaffinch, robin and tufted duck.
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