Sea legs and birds

Back in December 2016 on booked on to a Public Bird Tour round Poole Harbour through Birds of Poole Harbour for the 28th January 2017 and been looking forward to the trip since then.
But as the time got nearer and near fog rolled in and locked down three days of the week leading up to the trip, and I began to wonder if the fog would ever go away! Luckily the fog did lift and Saturday dawn as a bright new day.
So I made my way to Poole Quay to catch the boat at 10.00am, foolishly I took the old Stert road and think I got caught out by the speed camera  was not going that fast 35 mph at the most when I realised I was in a camera trap so will just have to wait and see.
Any I made the Quay in plenty of time and booked in with Paul the guide for the two and half hour trip.

 

Baden Powel founder of the scout movement

While waiting on the Quay I took a couple of photos in the now bright sunny conditions and feeling a lot warm than I thought it was going to be but that did soon change when out in the harbour.
We all went a board and settled down ready to set sail as we waited I watched the cormorants fishing with one pair squabbling over a large fish and a group of herring also flying past at eye level and squabbling over a piece of bread which was fun to watch.

An old barge moored along side the Quay

As we left the quay I scanned the old wall of the fisherman's dock for ring plover and turnstones but could only see feral pigeons and cormorants and gulls.
The boat sailed past the small island of Long and Round island near to Shipstal point were we saw Spoonbills in the distance up past the shore of Remston were we hard a Marsh Harrier briefly  and while sailing round these points many Red breasted Merganser and Goldeneye were seen along with a couple of fly bys of Pintail, and some Shags in the harbour luckily one was sat on a buoy as we sailed close by showing off its nice tufted crest.

Shag

The boat made for Brownsea Lagoon sailing up Blood Alley, I found this part of the trip interesting because as the boat slow made its way up the channel.  Paul was explaining why it was called Blood Alley, because of Old 15 century pirate called Harry Paye ( that's were we get the name for Old Harry Rocks)

Old Harry

Legend as that one night in the 15th century the pirate Old Harry was sailing in to the harbour smuggling some contraband in but unknown to him custom men and there ships were waiting for him by hiding in the quite bays round the islands . They meet in the channel and a battle ensured that lasted two/three days and through Harry was not killed in this battle lots of is men and brother were and it is said the the channel run blood red when the battle finished and as since been called Blood Alley. I liked this story as it had history to the place and Poole Harbour is full of history and intrigue.

Cargo ship coming in to the harbour through the harbour mouth.

Any after the trip I had nine new birds for the year list these being
Red breasted Merganser,Goldeneye, Black-necked Grebe, Spoonbill,Marsh Harrier, Barnical Geese, Shag, Great Northern Diver and a Common Scoter.
And of course best of all I found my sea legs as last time I was on a boat I became sea sick so that did worried me a little bit before the trip but this time I was fine and did not feel ill at all. So a very good trip was had even though at time the wind was chilly at certent points round the harbour.