Couple of local trips

Monday saw me take the Jims down to Oare to connect with the returning Bonaparte's Gull which has now returned to Oare for twelve years and with it being a 2cy bird when first seen it must be 13 years old now or vey close to it by my maths anyway. I first connected with this bird in 2013 and have seen it every year since apart from last year when I just couldn't find it on my visits. We added a year tick whilst at are with three Turtle Doves scoped distantly by the wind turbine in fact two were seen sitting on the turbine. We heard several Cuckoo almost constantly during our visit and saw a group of two and a group of three fly out over the river to Sheppey and another sat on a post out on the marsh. A Barn Owl hunted over on the west marsh and we enjoyed a walk around where it was nice to see families of Linnet, Sedge Warblers, Stonechat and Bearded Tits.

Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marsh in Kent

Year list now 219

Yesterday saw a Caspian Tern reported at Abberton and this is a rare bird in Essex so I called the Jims and we headed up the A12 arriving to find Steve and Tim on the causeway to report negative news in the last couple of hours. We scanned ourselves but failed to add the target to our Essex lists. It was still a nice visit with  good views of at least eighteen Spoonbill and it appears they're nesting on site again. Four Cattle Egret were seen in flight but we couldn't find any on nests although they probably are tucked into the trees amongst the Little Egret nests. Grey Herons are nesting and three Great White Egrets were present too. Two Yellow Wagtails and a calling Cuckoo added to the visit along with a Sprawk and three each of Buzzard and Red Kite.

Abberton

We popped into Fingrinhoe Wick on the way home and I managed to pick out a very distant Osprey out on the marsh but it had moved from it's post before I got the Jims on it and despite giving it a go we failed to find it again.

Year list now 220