Arne

I woke early and decided to go for a walk on the Arne RSPB reserve, which was just down the road. I headed south onto Coombe Heath, which gave some beautiful views over Poole Harbour. The sandy tracks were still washed smooth by yesterday's torrential rain, and mine were the only footsteps. It was quite magical to be completely alone on the heath, surrounded by meadow pipits with the occasional stonechat and wheatear. I spent a short while in a hide overlooking the estuary, where shelduck, black-tailed godwit and little egret were all busy feeding.

After a sustaining cooked breakfast we all headed back to the quarry to finish our work. I'd originally been hoping to get the job done in a day, but it proved somewhat more arduous than I'd hoped, so an extra half-day was needed. The weather was much kinder than yesterday, though the north wind was quite chilly, and we finally finished about 2.30pm.

After a bit of a rest, Pete, Chris and I headed back to Arne, and walked east to Shipstal Point. There was an interesting mix of habitats including woodland, heath, marsh and a sandy beach, but it was a bit too early in the year for much to be about. We climbed up to the viewpoint which overlooked Brownsea Island and Poole Harbour, but didn't stay to long as the skies were looking rather threatening and we didn't fancy yet another soaking!