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