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It seems that Spring has been delayed for a few weeks and it has been a strange time on the reserve. It seems that a lot of migration has gone a bit haywire and infact there are still lots of reports of redwings and fieldfares still about. I would have thought that a lot of these would have headed back...

There has been a lot of undercover work going on at the visitor hut this last week. And I don’t mean the staff – I mean moles! Every morning when we arrived to open up we would notice a little more disturbance to the soil around the hut.. We had our suspicions! These were confirmed when...

So Christmas is a month away and we always like to celebrate in style at Arne and again the year we are holding the now world famous 'Pull a Pine for Christmas' This event has mushroomed in recent years from rather humble beginnings to the massive success of last year. To keep the heathland...

Well I came, I saw, and (in the absence of Pete and Pudweena) I ate Pete's cake! Yum, yum. Thank you Pudweena! P.S. We couldn't gobble it all between us so there is a sizeable portion left for latecomers.

This time last week the staff at Radipole Lakes our sister reserve at Weymouth were faced with serious flooding. It was particularly devastating because the brand new Discovery Centre only re-opened in May. Here is the story of how the reserve plans to get back on their feet as soon as possible and...

Arne is completely buzzing at the moment! With the welcomed change in weather over the weekend (such that it actually felt like June!) there were a few new sightings of unusual bugs and butterflies! On Sunday we had the first reporting of the Silver Studded Blue Butterfly, which is found specifically...

Finally got round to gettting over to Arne again for my second vist this time took my son with me to show him the deer he was not dissapointed we also saw our first Red Shanks feeding (3) at the Shipstal hide. A very nice morings/afteroon walk, really like Arne nice big place that dose not seem to look...

We visited Arne on the 27th April. The weather wasn't great but it's always a fascinating visit. We had a brief rain shower in the afternoon and once it stopped we saw these 2 beetle wandering along the path at Coombe Heath. Carabus Arvensis http://bit.ly/IGTbgm Minotaur Beetle (Typhaeus...

1020 breakfast time! Looked like a vole, both chicks got a good feed, and I'm sure I saw one of the 3 remaining eggs move, hopefully it will hatch today! I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Amber, and I am very fortunate to have been appointed as the new "Make Nature Count" Visitor Services Trainee for the South-West regions. Whilst I shall be based predominantly within the RSPB's Dorset reserves, there are possible plans afoot for me to...

Please help can you tell me if this its a Woodlark or a skylark? Taken at Arne 06/04/12

This is why you should alway have you lunch on the picnic tables at the Visitor centre.

Most birds are generally pretty secretive when building their nests (except for when they're big, like herons' nests, or just plain obvious, like house martins'). This weekend, be a bit of a bird detective and see if you can see a bumbarrel . Yes, you read correctly. 'Bumbarrel'...

Another of the Woodlark..

hello, I'm new to all this... and would like to see avocets for the first time in the flesh. I live on the Isle of Wight so would need to make a special trip / overnight stay to see the avocets at Arne. Does anyone have any tips on the best times of day, state of the tide, viewing spots or anything...

Owls are undoubtedly one of the more charismatic bird groups, (what with their night vision and ability to hear a pin drop at 40 silent wing beats) and I was lucky enough to see two species yesterday at either end of the county. In the morning we witnessed a magnificent short-eared owl on Arne...

Arne claypit restoration project. October 2011. Waters levels steadily rising as recent high tides in the harbour continue to flood the former claypit.

Tuseday I was lucky to see 3 possible 4 juvenile Dartford Warblers

Former ball clay pit now being flooded to create a lagoon habitat for wildlife. RSPB Arne, Dorset, UK. 14/07/11. It's expected to take 2 years for the water to reach its final depth. This area is currently off-limits to the public for safety reasons.

Former ball clay pit now being flooded to create a lagoon habitat for wildlife. RSPB Arne, Dorset, UK. 14/07/11. This area is currently off-limits to the public for safety reasons.

Barn owl at RSPB Arne, Dorset, UK. 27/06/11.

Wareham channel from the Arne peninsula, around dusk. Dorset, UK. Taken on the weekly Nightjar Walk. 01/06/11.

Arriving at Arne on a misty morning at daybreak photo opportunities were limited however these two posed rather nicely as I peered through the gloom.

Osprey with freshly caught bass at Arne on the afternoon of 13/09/10.

The weather forcast for the raptor weekend looks a bit dodgy but that won't affect the osprey going about their business in the slightest, and there was a lot of activity yesterday from them in the sun as well. Paul and his group on the guided walk were very lucky to get three osprey at once in their...

On heathlands, nature conservation and archaeology go hand in hand. The heaths we know today were probably created c.3,000 yrs ago in the Bronze Age when people cleared areas of trees for building materials and fuel and then subsequently grazed domestic livestock to maintain the newly opened landscape...