Brownsea Island
On Monday 12th May, a group of 20 MCV members made they way to Poole for a day trip on Brownsea Island
After a short ferry crossing from Poole Quay to the island, we enjoyed an interesting 4 hours walking round the island, including visits to several bird hides
Most impressive is The Lookout, a new state of the art wildlife observatory which affords panoramic views over the Lagoon together with educational panels providing information about the island
We watched, with fascination for some time, the activities on several of the small islands in the Lagoon – Black headed Gulls, Common terns and Sandwich Terns – mating and nesting – and making a real racket!
In other hides we saw some of the more familiar ducks and waders that we see locally – shanks, avocets, gadwalls, shelducks, shovelers to name a few, and quite possibly a Curlew Sandpiper in the distance!
We enjoyed great views across Poole Harbour as we walked round the island, also visiting the old pottery. With an eye out to spot a red squirrel, we finally came across one, just the one, but he put on quite a show for us as we tried to photograph him!
There weren’t an abundance of birds, but a few chiffchaffs gave us a sound performance!
It was a great trip, so good to meet new members of MCV. We all agreed a repeat trip should be planned.
Gill Watson