Couple of local twitches

Well we laid my father in law to rest on Valentines day just over a month after my mother in law but fitting that after almost sixty years together they might find themselves again on this day. Its been challenging organising two funerals in such a short window but we managed to give them both a fitting send of.

Either side of the funeral I've made two short local twitches, firstly the Green-winged Teal on the goosefields at Fishers Green which was a patch tick for me and then this morning I popped over to Lockwood reservoir where we easily found the Red-necked Grebe reported yesterday.

The pointless year list is now 143

The Lee Valley patch list is now 164 (I count the area from KGV reservoir to Holyfield lake)

Onwards and upwards!

Dunge

I committed to a morning of free time today and spent it at Dungeness with Dad and Jim. We arrived early and scanned new diggings adding two year ticks in the shape of a Long-tailed Duck and a Red-throated Diver. Down at the beach we saw another thirty Red-throated Divers and added our third year tick of the day with some distant Gannets. The sea was pretty quiet and after adding Peregrine to the days count we headed off to Scotney where we found a flock of fifty or more Tree Sparrows and Jim picked out a ring-tail Hen Harrier to add another couple of year ticks. Four Cattle Egret in the sheep pen at Cockles bridge gave up another nice year tick too and as we left we found a 48 strong herd of Bewick's Swan and a Yellow Hammer on the way out at Brenzett allowed the pointless year list to move to 141. The day count was a respectable 68 

Grieving and a Tundra Bean Goose at Wanstead

I haven't been out for a while, my father in law passed away on 17th January, I was his son in law, his carer and his friend and it's hit me pretty hard watching him decline following the passing of my mother in law back on 5th November last year and obviously my wife has needed my support through this most difficult of times. We now have the unenviable task of clearing the family home where he's lived since 1965 and preparing the second funeral in two months. The caring for him took much of my time as I'm also taking care of Suzanne with her spinal pain issues so I suppose going forward I'll find a bit more spare time but for now I'm missing the old fella and his stories of which there were many and with his increasing dementia things got a little more repetitive but I miss them all the same.

So it's been a sad ten days and I've not found the time or enthusiasm to get out birding until Tony B found a Tundra Bean Goose at Wanstead on Sunday 26th. I was in bed shaking off a bit of a chest infection on the Sunday but feeling a little better on Monday morning I drove over to Wanstead hoping the experience would give me a little lift and it did. The bird was found straight away sleeping amongst the mixed flock of Greylag and Egyptian Geese but soon woke to feed before a dog running off lead put the whole flock up before they settled on Alexandra lake. The Tundra eventually came out of the water and walked by as I hid behind a tree giving great views just a few feet away.

The experience lifted my spirits and following a little more work at the in laws house I picked up my grandson from school in Hornchurch where a Peregrine flew over the playground to brighten my day further before a couple of hours with the little ones did the trick to make it a happy day which was much needed.

Back into Hertfordshire

Dad had a morning pass as did I so we headed out early to arrive in St Albans just after 8am. We had all sorts of problems paying for parking but eventually sorted it out and walked out to the area we'd been told was favoured by the overwintering Yellow-browed Warbler. The warbler took some finding but eventually Rupert E. the original finder called to say he had it and we all managed decent views in what was difficult light. I think this is a Hertfordshire tick for me as well as a year tick for 2025.

Yellow-browed Warbler in difficult light conditions

Having watched the bird for a while and thanked Rupert for the find we moved on to the Cathedral where we first spotted a Peregrine on the roof and then a Black Redstart feeding in the vented area of the top windows. We were told the bird had found a cluster of hibernating Ladybirds and was feasting on them getting into the abbey through a small break in the stained glass window.

As we were close to Lemsford Springs we dropped in there, paid the warden a small donation and walked down to the hides were we found five Snipe Four Green Sandpipers a Grey Wagtail, Little Egret and after a lot of searching a single Jack Snipe brought into the reserve by the freezing weather locally.

Snipe

Snipe

So a couple of hours and three year ticks which takes the tally for 2025 to 130 (including the plastic Black-winged Stilt at Titchwell)

Year listing again in 2025

Well I suppose I should keep the blog/diary going even with the tough times I currently face at home.

My father in law spent time in hospital before Christmas following a couple of falls and although we managed a decent enough Christmas with family he took another tumble and we decided respite care was the best for him. After a week in care he went backwards and today needed hospital time again. I've spent the day with him and he remains quite poorly and will remain in hospital for a while now. 

Aside of the time being consumed caring for both my wife and the father in law and desperately trying to balance life by seeing as much of the grandchildren as possible I have also decided to keep a year list again in 2025 in another desperate attempt to get me out birding as much as time allows to fuel my own well being if I possibly can and to that end I'll break down the first week of 2025 and try to update as I can going forward.

January 1st was really wet and very windy so new years birding was from the kitchen window for a change. I bagged  just eighteen ticks with nothing out of the ordinary apart from Little Egret whilst dropping food at the father in laws.

January 2nd saw me head up to Abberton with the Jims. We had a good day despite the really cold wind blowing across the reservoir. We found the Canvasback amongst the Pochard flock and added Scaup from Lodge Lane, Bewick's Swan, Black-necked and Slav Grebe from LDLH causeway along with a wintering Green Sandpiper. We also visited Copt Hall for the first time. It's just up the road from Abberton and I added Short-eared Owl and Merlin amongst others to the year list which now totalled 85.

January 3rd saw me take an enthusiastic walk over the KGV reservoir before my usual routine for the day. I added Black-throated and Great Northern Diver along with a couple more expected ticks on the way taking the total for the year to 90.

January 4th and my renewed enthusiasm continued with an hour at Bramfield to add the annual Hawfinch tick and along with Greenfinch, Song Thrush, Water Rail, Redpoll, Siskin and Bullfinch at Watercress LNR.

I didn't find any time on 5th but a quick visit to Rainham on 6th in pouring rain saw just Water Pipit added in the fifteen minutes I gave it after dropping George off at school

On 7th January I gave Rainham another hour of my valuable time and added Dartford Warbler, Avocet, and Cetti's Warbler.

The 8th saw my first real full day out for the year as I headed into Norfolk with Dad and Jim. We started the day at Old Hunstanton, parking in the road leading to the golf course we walked out onto the beach and along to the shingle ridge were we found Turnstone, Glaucous Gull, Shore Larks, Oystercatcher, Knot, Sanderling, Fulmar, Red-breasted Merganser, Pink footed Goose, Bar-tailed Godwit and Peregrine.

Glaucous Gull

Peregrine

The seal carcase that the Glaucous gull is feeding on

At Stiffkey we year ticked Glossy Ibis before dropping in to Lady Annes drive at Holkham to add Long-billed Dowitcher, Snipe and White-fronted Goose before finishing the day at Titchwell adding Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Common  Scoter, Velvet Scoter and Tawny Owl amongst others to bring the year list to 126 or 127 if I include the ringed escapee Black-winged Stilt.

Long-billed Dowitcher

Move forward to today and I've spent the whole day at my father in laws bedside in the majors unit but that's life I guess.

Anyway the pointless year list is now 126 and I've had a taste of the good life and will do my best to enjoy more of that this year if I can with all my family commitments still needing time.

A Pintail showing why we call them Pintail

American Yellow Warbler in New Hythe Kent

On the 24th December news came through of an American Yellow Warbler in New Hythe Kent just an hours drive from home. Unfortunately I was on my way to a doctors appointment with Suzanne so couldn't go on 24th. I toyed with the idea of going Christmas day and Boxing day but decided it would be a bad idea with so much family stuff to do over the two days. So my first chance was 27th and I picked up the Jims at 7am arriving at New Hythe at 8am. We walked down the track for about half a mile to find a couple of hundred birders already set up at the Alders waiting for the bird. I walked up and down the river searching instead of standing with the crowd and found time to catch up with a few people too which is always nice at these things.

I added a year tick with Firecrest of which I saw a few.

Four hours in and Dad was ready to go, I asked if he could wait an extra half an hour then we'd leave and with five minutes remaining the shout went up and the crowd which was now several hundred strong started to move. Somebody had heard the bird and within minutes it popped up out of the brambles and flew to the Alders. The crowd all moved back to the Alders and I managed to get really good views as it moved through the trees before flying off again. We left for home after the usual handshakes and fist bumps etc. The bird wasn't seen again for a couple of hours but what a treat and a great festive tick taking my list for the year to 450 (again having lost the Redpolls) 

News had come through of a Scops Owl roosting at the cricket club in Broadstairs but we didn't have the stamina for that one after the five or so hours on the Warbler.

Year list now 251

Life list now 450

The ticks of 2024

 The year saw me add six new birds to my BOU life list.

Northern Waterthrush at Heybridge Essex 4th January 2024

Northern Waterthrush

Black Scoter at Holkham Norfolk 16th February 2024 (no pictures)

Hudsonian Godwit at Burton Mere Wetlands Lancashire 19th August

Hudsonian Godwit 

Pale-legged Leaf Warbler at Bempton Cliffs RSPB 2nd October 2024 (no pictures)

Asian Desert Warbler at Winterton Dunes, Norfolk 6th October 2024

Asian Desert Warbler

I added American Yellow Warbler on 27th December down in New Hythe Kent just an hour from home.

Another good year for new birds that leaves me on 450 as a total having lost two previous ticks with the lumping of Redpolls this year. I earlier lost the other Arctic Redpoll and Steppe Grey Shrike due to lumping so would be happily sitting on 454 without the continual review system. Maybe one day one of these reviews will work in my favour but I'm not holding my breath and I do like to maintain the list along with BOU acceptance so for now it's 450.

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As far as home county of Essex I added a few including the Nightjar below to take that list to 282 

Nightjar at Wanstead

I added Wood Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Franklin's Gull, Long-billed Dowitcher and Lapland Bunting to my London list bringing that list to 241.

Lapland Bunting at Staines

Woodchat Shrike at Rainham

Franklins Gull at Crossness

I added Asian Desert Warbler and Black Scoter to my Norfolk list which now stands at 302 and I added Surf Scoter and Purple Heron to my Suffolk list which now stands at 280 oh and the Yellow Warbler was my 272nd bird species seen in Kent. (I know but I do love a list)

There may still be time to add that Kent Scops Owl if I can get myself interested in a four hour round trip at night to see it.