The world’s biggest gull is a

heavy black and white bird

with a massive beak and a

white head.

Great black-backed gull

The same size as the herring

gull but with a much darker

back and yellow legs. It is

mainly white, but with black

and white wingtips.

Lesser black-backedgull

This is the typical seaside gull.

Look for its pink legs and the

red spot on its yellow beak.

Herring gull

Mediterranean gull

This bird used to be a rare

sight here in the summer;

now there are over 100

breeding pairs. Look for its

white wingtips and eyelids.

Large, active and noisy,

mainly white bird with a

spiky crest and a long,

sharp black beak.

Sandwich tern Spoonbill

This small, slim gull only has

its dark brown “black head”

from spring to summer; in

winter it just has a dark ear

spot. Look for its red beak

and legs.

Black headed gull

Watch this small silvery tern

hovering over the water before

it plunges in for fish.

Common tern

Look for this large, black diving

bird swimming very low in the

water with its head and long,

hooked bill pointing up, or

standing with its wings spread

out to dry.

Cormorant

Grey heron

Watch this lanky bird wading

stealthily through the water on

fishing missions.

Its name is the clue! Like a

white heron. Watch out for it

flying with its neck outstretched

and the unmistakable long,

broad tipped beak.

Watch this duck push its huge,

spade-like bill through the

water to sieve out food.

Shoveler

When this pretty egret bred

here in 1996, it was a first for

Britain– now they are

widespread. Look for its

striking head plumes and

bright yellow feet.

Little egret

Their long necks help these

stunning ducks reach deeper

when they up-end to feed on

plants in the water.

Pintail

Look for this big, striking duck

feeding on the grass or in

shallow water.

Shelduck

Mallard

The big duck that most of us

know, look for the mallard’s

bright orange legs and small

blue patch on the wing.

Very big, streaky cream and

brown bird of prey, with

short, round head, round tail,

long, broad wings; soars with

wings slightly uptilted.

In the 1950s Poole Harbour

had around 50% of the UK’s

breeding marsh harriers;

today we mostly see them

in winter. Look for it gliding

low with its wings in a

shallow “V”.

Marsh harrier

In the mid 1990s Poole

Harbour barely hosted 500 of

these ducks; now there are

well over 5,000. Their round

heads and small beaks should

help you to recognise them.

Wigeon

This is the smallest duck to

feed on the surface. It looks

dark with a slim grey beak

but in good light look for the

male’s colourful head.

Teal

This very large, broad-

winged, short-tailed bird of

prey calls here to feed during

its migration. Look for it over

the water and diving for fish.

Osprey

Buzzard

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SUMMERSUMMER

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654. ARN-0829-11-12

ARN-0829-11-12_Arne ID (S)_Layout 1 27/02/2012 10:57 Page 1

Look for this slender bird of

prey gliding with raised

wings. The male and female

are quite different.

Hen harrier

Look for direct dashing

flight, with several flaps

between glides or soaring

higher on spread wings. The

wingtips are blunt and the

slender tail square-tipped.

Sparrowhawk

This small bird of prey hovers

as if it’s on string, or sits on a

post or wire

Kestrel

Hobby

You may see this small

falcon swooping and diving

effortlessly as it chases

dragonflies or other large

insects. It is only here in

summer.

A winter visitor to Arne, this

is the UK’s smallest bird of

prey. It tends to perch or fly

low down as it hunts.

Merlin

Poole Harbour boasts one of the

biggest winter flocks in the UK

of these unmistakably elegant

wading birds with their delicate

upcurved beaks. Look for them

in the Middlebere Channel.

Avocet

This small, dark curlew look-

alike only visits here in spring

and autumn on migration.

Whimbrel

Oystercatcher

Look for a boldly black and

white wading bird with a long,

orange beak like a carrot!

This large wading bird is here

all year. Look for its long,

straight beak and long legs,

which trail behind its tail in

flight. It’s less colourful in

winter.

Black-tailed godwit

This elegant winter visitor is

named for its long, pale grey-

green to yellow-green legs.

When it flies, look for dark

wings and a white “V” shape

on its back.

Greenshank

In winter, look for this

energetic wading bird running,

diving and even upending in

shallow water. Try to spot its

long, vivid red legs.

Spotted redshank

Lapwing

With its elegant head crest

and green tints, this pigeon-

sized bird is unmistakable in

a good light.

The brilliant blue flash of a

kingfisher is unmistakeable if

you are lucky enough to see

one, but it may be smaller

than you imagined – it’s no

bigger than a starling.

You may see it in winter,

running along the mud and

stopping suddenly when it

finds food. Look for black

“armpits” when it flies.

Grey plover

Look for a small, grey-brown

and white wading bird

plodding quite slowly as it

searches for food in the mud.

Dunlin

Beaches and estuaries

are this little wader’s

favourite places.

Ringed plover

Kingfisher

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from Shipstal Hide

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654. ARN-0829-11-12

Its long red legs and beak

are brightest in summer.

When it flies, it shows its

white rump and trailing red

legs.

RedshankLike its black-tailed cousin, this

bird also has a very long

beak, but has shorter legs and

is only here during spring and

autumn migration.

Bar-tailed godwit

Europe’s biggest wading bird.

Look for its amazing long,

down-curved beak – ideal for

probing the wet grassland

for juicy creatures to eat.

Curlew

Watch out for this extremely

fast and powerful bird of

prey. It has long, broad wings

and is blue-grey above with a

finely spotted white breast.

Peregrine falcon

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