Middlebere is one of the harbour’s premier birding sites, offering a stunning variety of birds, particularly in the autumn and winter. The Middlebere Channel borders the southeastern side of the Arne Peninsular and is viewable from the RSPB Arne Coombe Heath trail or from the National Trust “Avocet” hide on the eastern edge of the channel.

Best visited on a rising tide from July through to late February, the site is renowned for holding good numbers of waders during the winter and is a good place to try and see hunting birds of prey during the colder months. The top end of Middlebere can be a birder’s dream as the tide rises, pushing large numbers of wader and waterfowl onto the last remaining mudflats in the harbour. In the autumn, Middlebere is also one of the best places to see Osprey as they hunt and feed on favoured perching posts around the channel.

Cycling and walking down to Middlebere is by far the best way to see the area with a long flat track leading you straight to the Middlebere Hide. Please stick to cycle paths and refrain from cycling across the heathland as this is hugely damaging to both the habitat and heathland breeding species.

Birds of Poole Harbour

Is a charity completely dedicated educating people on the stunning variety of bird life in one of the country’s most picturesque locations, helping you make the most of this truly breathtaking natural harbour. They see their role as the link to raising the profile of bird conservation, observation and education in and around the Poole Harbour area through harbour-wide partnership working, high standards of people engagement work and continuous monitoring of the harbour and its bird populations. See the Birds of Poole Harbour website for more details.