Wildlife on Brownsea Island, Dorset - 10th October 2025

I visited Ham Common at Rockley Park on my way to the bus stop and saw a Stonechat on a fir tree

This ragged Red Admiral butterfly was resting on a post near the entrance to Brownsea Island

Lots of Spoonbills were standing towards the back of the lagoon

The two Peacocks that live on Brownsea were perching on a bench in the churchyard

One told me off for taking photographs!!

A Chiffchaff flew down from a tree and was perching on a fallen branch in the waterlily pond

View of Round Island from the edge of Brownsea

Avocet with leg bracelets wading across the lagoon in front of the aptly-named Avocet hide

I was lucky enough to see the female Kingfisher again - posing on two different wooden poles in front of the Avocet hide

I was unlucky with the Red Squirrels during this second visit to Brownsea Island and just managed to photograph this one hiding behind a clump of grass before I had to catch the last ferry back to Poole

I stopped to photograph a Sika deer in the churchyard while on my way back to get the homeward ferry

 

Photos from a boat trip round Poole Harbour and an afternoon wander to Ham Common Viewpoint - 8th October 2025

On the morning of Wednesday, 8th October, I went on a Birds of Poole Harbour boat trip

Two juvenile Sandwich Terns were standing on a pink buoy

We passed Rockley Holiday Park, where I was spending a few days in a mobile home

Then we came across an adult Sandwich Tern standing on a green marker

A Sika deer stared at us as we cruised past

There was a group of six Sika deer in the distance

Tranquil scene on the river Piddle

I did not manage to photograph any birds here, but got more photos of the Sika deer when we turned round to go back to Poole Harbour

Three Mute Swans were sailing along the water along the edge of a reedbed

Behind them was a post on which a distant Marsh Harrier was perching

Also, on the other side of the water, an equally distant White-tailed Eagle was perching on an upright branch at the edge of the Arne peninsular

We passed another Sandwich Tern perching on a white buoy

There were lots of Oystercatchers standing on a small island in Brownsea lagoon

There were Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew and Spoonbills with the Oystercatchers in the lagoon

It was a misty view back to Poole as it had just begun to drizzle!

View across the lagoon to the church almost hidden in the woodland on Brownsea Island

Avocets standing on one of the little islands in the lagoon

A row of Black-tailed Godwits in the lagoon with one of the old bird hides in the distance

View of the new Lookout, which is fairly near the landing area on Brownsea Island

The Lookout, with Brownsea castle in the distance

After the boat trip, in the afternoon, I went for a wander round Ham Common

There are allegedly Dartford Warblers on Ham Common, but they were hiding and I only found this rather large version

Looking across the harbour from the Ham Common viewpoint

I then found another Dartford Warbler!

The Little Egret was still searching for fish at Rockley Park beach

I discovered an owl in a tree next to my neighbour's mobile home

The owl was in the tree on the left-hand side of the brown home and there was another one on the roof!

I was staying in the mobile home on the right-hand side

Birds, nature and wildlife at Rockley Park and Brownsea Island, near Poole, Dorset - 5th and 6th October 2025

I spent 4 nights at Rockley Holiday Park in early October and, while walking to my accommodation, I discovered a beautiful Peacock butterfly feeding on Mock Orange flowers

After I had unpacked, I walked to Rockley beach where a Little Egret was searching for food

There were lots of orange Pyracantha berries in the hedgerows

I then wandered up to the Ham Common Viewpoint where I could see many moored yachts and a distant Brownsea Island

Oystercatcher on the beach below the Ham Common Viewpoint

Another view of the moored yachts and distant Brownsea Island

The closest I am ever going to get to a White-tailed Eagle

The next morning I got the ferry from Poole Harbour over to Brownsea Island

A Peacock was displaying his very short tail feathers while standing in front of the church

A few of over seventy Spoonbills in Brownsea lagoon

Close view of an Avocet standing in front of the aptly named Avocet bird hide

Greenshank - also in front of the Avocet hide

I was lucky enough to be in the hide when a female Kingfisher flew over and perched on a pole

I then went into the woodland where a Red Squirrel was posing nicely on top of a tree trunk

Female Common Darter dragonfly resting in a patch of sunlight

Grey Wagtail on a fallen branch in the waterlily pond

Wren perching on a twig on the dark side of the woodland path

Greenfinch on a feeder on the light side of the woodland path

Female Pheasant blending in with the fallen autumn leaves

Back at the lagoon, a Black-tailed Godwit was standing in front of a small island

Female Shoveler duck on the left, Greenshank in the centre and Redshank on the right

Redshank with reflection

A went for a last look in the woodland before leaving the island and came across a Red Squirrel sitting on the ground

 I loved my day on Brownsea Island and was planning to return there for a second time later in the week