Winter Birds of Dorset's Chesil Fleet and Portland Harbour (Day Trip)

Summary

Join Tom Brereton for a winter outing in some of southern Dorset's most bird-rich and scenic habitats.

Chesil Fleet comprises a spectacular shingle storm beach of international geomorphologic importance, together with the UK’s largest saline lagoon bordered by saltmarsh, reedbed and farmland. This beautiful area is internationally important for wetland birds, and supports the largest resident Mute Swan population in Britain, centred at the famed Abbotsbury Swannery.

• Superb coastal scenery in Dorset with a mix of habitats to explore
• Abundant waders and wildfowl with the possibility of scarcer auks, divers and seaduck
• Expert local knowledge from leader Tom Brereton

In the morning we will walk to some of the access points along the Fleet, which afford views of an impressive diversity of wildfowl, waders and gulls including Little Grebe, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Pintail, Wigeon, Shoveler, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Mediterranean Gull, Lapwing and Dunlin. Scarcer possibilities on the Fleet include Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Scaup and Long-tailed Duck.

Lunch will be taken at Ferrybridge, which attracts wintering waders, wildfowl and Little Egrets and has toilets and a café, with a small charge for parking.

In the afternoon we will visit the nearby sheltered waters of Portland Harbour, another excellent spot for winter birding, hoping to see a range of auks, gulls, divers, grebes and seaduck, including specialities such as Eider, Red-breasted Merganser, Black-necked Grebe and Great Northern Diver.

The Day Trip will involve driving to make several stops, along with coastal walking that could total several miles but is likely to be much less. The itinerary will be somewhat flexible, to maximise our chances of seeing the best birds present at the time, using the latest information. A telescope would be a distinct advantage at some stops.