A bird hide near Arne in Dorset has had a remarkable year of sightings, setting a new record for the highest number of different species spotted in one year.
Enthusiastic birder Garry Hayman has been keeping records since 2021 of sightings by visitors to the Avocet hide on Middlebere Heath, part of the Purbeck Heaths national nature reserve near Arne.
Middlebere hide is gaining a reputation as one of the best places to birdwatch in the south of England
“Best place to watch raptors”
Avocet hide, which is on National Trust land and open to the public year round, has been praised as the best place to watch raptors in the south of England and its tranquil setting is drawing more and more visitors to enjoy the birdlife of Middlebere.
In 2025 there were the greatest number of different bird species recorded in the diary – 135, compared to 122 in 2024, 127 in 2023, 121 in 2022 and 105 in 2021.
This is set against an ‘alarming’ decline in the numbers of many birds across the UK, according to Defra and the RSPB.
House sparrows, starlings, thrushes and skylarks are some of the worst affected birds, but the overall picture for birds is just as concerning – since 1980, one out of every six birds has been lost, or 600 million breeding birds over 40 years.
Most of the declining species are farmland birds, but declines have also started in woodland, with lesser spotted woodpeckers and willow tits now red listed because of their severe declines.
One of Britain’s more elusive birds, the kingfisher, is a year round resident at Middlebere
Exotic visitors from Europe
But Garry’s latest diary, for 2025, reveals that, quite aside from a dozen different bird of prey species – including ospreys, white tailed eagles, red kites, and honey buzzards – there were also more than 120 other species spotted from the hide.
While there are hides in northern England which have recorded up to 200 different bird species in a year – and while Poole Harbour as a whole has 333 species officially verified – Middlebere’s rising tally hit a new high in 2025.
Exotic visitors from Europe which now regularly visit Purbeck include spoonbills, glossy ibis, and three species of egrets, sharing the marshy feeding grounds with ducks, geese, swans, gulls warblers, finches and all kinds of wading birds including the avocet for which the hide is named.
Although Middlebere peninsula spent many years in the shadow of Arne and was only visited by locals, being name checked on the BBC’s Springwatch TV show has hugely increased its popularity and daily diary entries now show what a remarkable birding site it is.
The hide includes a diary to record any sightings, and lots of information and pictures from previous years
“It’s nice to share the information”
Garry Hayman said:
“At the turn of each year, I have a look through all of the entries in the diary which have been recorded by visitors to the hide and collate the more significant information – it’s almost an historical document.
“In 2021 I sent an email with the information to birders who are part of Dorset Bird Club, as a snapshot of what was in the diary – and it expanded from there.
“The diary is a small part of what we call citizen science – the general public give us information on what they see, I collate it at the end of the year and send it to Dorset Bird Club who then share it with a wider audience.
“As the hide has grown in popularity and more people know about it, we are getting more information each year on what can be seen at Middlebere.
“Now people pop in who are not even bird watchers, they just enjoy nature, along with novice bird watchers, and it is nice to share the information with them.”
A marsh harrier over the reeds at Middlebere, one of the raptors spotted by Chris Packham on his visit
“Good for mental health”
Garry added:
“Middlebere is a really lovely hide and it is great to see how often it is used – in 2021 there were 62 days when nothing at all was recorded, when people either weren’t there or didn’t notify us of anything.
“By 2025, there were only 22 blank days, which tells us that for 343 days last year there was someone in the hide, bird watching and sharing what they saw, which is fantastic.
“It really demonstrates how well and often the hide is being used, and as we know engaging with nature and especially bird watching is scientifically proven to be good for mental health and wellbeing.
“It’s amazing how much impact this one little building can have on people’s lives.
“On Sunday, 19th January 2025, Chris Packham left an entry to say that he had seen a marsh harrier, a buzzard and a kestrel among other birds when he was down here to record Winterwatch. It was great to watch that particular episode, where he talked about the hide!”
A flock of avocets, the bird for which the hide at Middlebere is named
Osprey success
Following the reintroduction of ospreys to Poole Harbour in 2017, with the first successful breeding at Careys Secret Garden near Wareham in 2022, the majestic birds of prey have been the standout story of the last four years.
In 2025, the first osprey of the season was spotted at Middlebere hide on Saturday 22nd March, a week earlier than in 2024 and 10 days earlier than in 2023 and 2022, when the first sighting was not until 1st April.
However, the last sighting at Middlebere, on Tuesday 16th September 2025, was a lot earlier than in previous years when one of the birds was spotted on Monday 11th November in 2024, on Monday 16th October in 2023 and on Monday 26th September in 2022.
The total number of days that an osprey was seen at Middlebere in 2025 was 69, which is down on the 90 days recorded in 2024 thanks to no sightings at all in October or November – but still up on the 61 days of sightings in 2023, and 45 days in 2022.
The successful reintroduction of ospreys to Poole Harbour mean they are now frequently spotted at Middlebere
Number of days species spotted at Middlebere in 2025
- White-tailed eagle: 59 days of sightings in 2025, compared to 14 days in 2024, 27 days in 2023, and 10 days in 2022
- Merlin: 27 days of sightings in 2025, compared to 15 days in 2024, 19 days in 2023, and 24 days in 2022.
- Goshawk: 23 days of sightings in 2025, compared to 43 days in 2024, 32 days in 2023, and 14 days in 2022.
- Hen Harrier: 50 days of sightings in 2025, compared to 53 days in 2024, 54 days in 2023 and 59 days in 2022.
- Marsh Harrier: 106 days of sightings in 2025, compared to 80 days in 2024, 111 days in 2023 and 84 days in 2022.
- Red Kite: 15 days of sightings in 2025, compared to 6 days in 2024, 9 days in 2023, and 3 days in 2022.
- Peregrine: 26 days of sightings in 2025, compared to 30 days in 2024, 30 days in 2023 and 0 in 2022.
- Hobby: 16 days of sightings in 2025, compared to 8 days in 2024, 0 days in 2023 and 0 days in 2022.
A spoonbill at Middlebere would once have been a rarity, but they are now spotted frequently
“Birding changes with the seasons”
Garry Hayman said:
“There used to be a hide on the other side of the peninsula, but it was always looking into the sun. The Middlebere hide always has the sun behind you and lights up the channel in front of you.
“The birding there changes with the seasons, in the winter you get all the wading birds, then later in the year you have the ospreys and white tailed eagles, there’s always something of interest there.
“There’s also a lot of other wildlife there, it’s a lovely walk from the car park to the hide through the heathland, there are usually deer around.
“Some people go out for a walk, get to the hide, go in and stay for 10 minutes before leaving again, which is still engaging with nature, but others could sit there for five or six hours. As the tide is changing the behaviour of the birds change too, and there is always something different to see.”
A little egret watching and waiting for its dinner at the water’s edge
Influx of glossy ibis from Spain
Garry added:
“There are lots of different bird species that can be seen there every year, but then there are another dozen or so species which are what you might call rarities.
“So on Christmas Eve 2025 there were some tundra bean geese, which would have been partly to do with the cold weather – they are usually found in Siberia.
“There was also a huge influx of glossy ibis in September from Spain – because of the unusually hot summer all their usual feeding grounds had dried up, so they came further north.
“Some of the best things I have seen at Middlebere are curlew sandpipers, glossy ibis, the osprey and white tailed eagles, of course, and a Forster’s tern, which are very rare down here.”
Reflecting on life at Middlebere hide, a spotted redshank is captured on camera
“Mega species like the sea eagles”
Mark Singleton, Countryside Manager for the National Trust, said:
“It’s incredible that so many birds can be seen from Middlebere Hide, including mega species like the sea eagles and ospreys.
“This is something I would never even have dreamt of a few years ago, you had to go to Scotland to see them. You can also see hen harriers there, one of the most endangered birds of prey in the country.
“The hide is also a great vantage point for the thousands of wildfowl and waders that flock here in the winter to escape Arctic climates, showing how important Poole Harbour is for overwintering birds.
“We are really grateful to all the people who fill in the records of their sightings, and to Garry for his meticulous work in collating all the records. Not only is it useful data, but it also shares the excitement with all the people who visit the hide.”
The estuary outside Middlebere hide, with a visiting ibis dropping by
More photos from Middlebere
A curlew sandpiper hunts for insects in the estuary mud
Dark bellied Brent geese make an appearance at Middlebere
A green sandpiper is one of the autumn migrants to Purbeck
A kestrel is one of a dozen different birds of prey which can be spotted at Middlebere
Many species of duck make their home at Middlebere, including this teal
Further information
- More information about Middlebere Peninsula
