Yellowhammers two v Ring Ouzels NIL

Still no Ring Ouzel but I did find a couple of Yellowhammers today.

Yellowhammer

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Another day at Dungeness

We arrived at first light to find the point covered in thick fog and the fog horn blasting out it's warning to the ships that couldn't see the lighthouse. By 7:30am the fog had lifted and we quickly found a couple of Wheatear on the shingle by the fishing boats. An hours sea watch enabled us to find our first Common Tern of the year as one fished over the boil and then I managed to jam on a Black-throated Diver as it flew down the point. Lot's of harbour porpoise showed in the calm waters and a few groups of Scoters flew down before we left.

Grey Heron on the track at Elmley

Grey Heron Elmley NNR

A walk round the moat delivered little save a pair of Ravens chasing off a small BOP but a stop at the reserve proved much more fruitful. First a Slav and three Black necked Grebes on New Diggings along with a single Great white Egret. At the farm we located the Ring-necked Duck and heard our first Sedge Warblers of the year. Further along the track a couple more Wheatear before arriving at the visitor centre and taking time to enjoy good views of the Long-eared Owl roosting behind the dipping pool.

Long eared Owl at Dungeness

Marsh Harrier

Ring-necked Duck

Ring necked Duck breaking up a pair of Tufties

On the journey home we stopped at Elmley where the road in holds good numbers of Lapwing and Redshank, Mipits and Skylarks are in full song whilst Harriers and Buzzards continue to hunt the marshes.

Meadow Pipit

The lack of new migrants surprised us but it was still another good days birding on the Kent coast.

Year list now 185

Black winged Stilt at Vange Marsh RSPB in Essex

After an extended half day at work I popped down the A13 to Vange in search of the returning Black winged Stilt that had been reported yesterday. I parked in Chestnut Avenue and walked under the A13 passing the fly tip zone over the railway line and onto the marsh to commence the long walk to the far end of the reserve where a couple of locals already had the bird in view. As I joined them on the viewing mound I quickly located the target just over the bank and enjoyed an hour or so watching it feed along the edges.

Black-winged Stilt at Vange Marsh RSPB

Preening

Another Essex Bird

Black winged Stilt

Shaking down after a little siesta

Stilt

Showing off those smart Black Wings

Stilt at Vange

Sadly the partner to this guy has gone missing but maybe she'll turn up at some point.


A pair of Marsh Harriers hunted the reeds and several Buzzards drifted over. Black-tailed Godwits came in and the usual ducks, Grebes and Egrets kept the Stilt company.

Year list now 181

Red flanked Bluetail at Titchwell

A planned trip to Norfolk today had added spice with news of Titchwell's first ever Red-flanked Bluetail staying put for a second and hopefully third day.

We stopped at first light in the hope of seeing the Golden Pheasant at Wolferton but had to settle for it on call alone before we moved on to Titchwell. A walk around the meadow trail failed to find the target but we then had news on the mobile of a sighting at the western end. We made the short walk from the Eastern end and waited with the small crowd for a few minutes before the bird was seen feeding on the ground. The local Robins chased it off and this routine continued with a brief view before the Robins saw it and went after it again.

On the walk to the beach we ticked Red-crested Pochard with seven birds on the salt marsh. Nine Long-tailed Ducks drifted along on the sea and as always with Titchwell the wader count was impressive. Our next stop was Blunt's Corner where I found the Pallid Harrier sitting in the field and we also had five Red Kite and five Common Buzzard to entertain us.

On the way home we popped into Lynford where we found five Crossbill and enjoyed the woodland birds coming to the feeders on the bridge. Hawfinch were being reported but we missed them on this occasion.

Crossbill

Blue Tit

Hare 

Long Tailed Tit

Nuthatch

Reed Bunting

Year list now 180

Marching on

March is always a tough month for listing with most of the "gettable" winter ticks in the bag you find yourself waiting for spring migration to kick things off again but with the cold winds coming from the north things have gone a little slow.

Ringed Plover at Landguard

A trip to Dunge on Friday delivered a few fresh ticks with a single Firecrest between the lighthouse and the Observtory, six fresh Wheatears on the shingle between the new lighthouse and the fishing boats, two Iceland Gulls on the patch and a couple of Sandwich Terns fishing just beyond the boil early morning. On New Diggins I picked up Black-necked Grebe with a Slav from Dennis's hide too.
Elmley on the way home gave good views of Marsh Harriers, Curlews and Lapwing but little else of note.

Curlew

Marsh Harrier at Elmley

This morning I headed up the A12 with the Jims stopping first at Landguard where it was quiet on the migrant front with a few Chiffchaffs and lot's of Linnets the exception. Six Ringed Plover entertained me before  we made it to the point. Lot's of Gulls and Gannets followed the massive cargo ships into the port but we had a surprise encounter when I picked out a Pomarine Skua steaming north.

Kestrel

Linnet 

We dipped out on the Iken Cattle Egret on our way up to Minsmere but managed to find a Bittern for the Jims from the Bittern Hide and had some terrific views of displaying Marsh Harriers from both Bittern and Island Mere. An Adder sat out for a while but eventually moved out of the wind and into cover.

Marsh Harrier from Island Mere at Minsmere

Ringed Plover

Year list now 177

Another one for a south easterly?

A few more migrants return

Today saw me on a solo run up to Minsmere with a quick stop at Dunwich Heath on the way in  and Abberton on the way home.

I ticked Dartford and Cetti's Warbler on the heath before making my way to North Hide at Minsmere where I quickly found a drake Garganey and smart pair of Smew. A single House Martin flew over the scrape with a Sand Martin giving another early year tick. I searched hard for Jack Snipe but found only eight Common Snipe. A walk to Bittern hide provided the opportunity to find a drake Pintail on the way and gave two more ticks with Bearded Tit and Bittern from the hide before I left taking a small detour to finally tick Scaup this year at Abberton. 

A grey windy day in Suffolk moved the year list to 171. 

Dartford Warbler 

Pintail

Goldeneye at Abberton

Little Bunting at Great Barford

A quick trip up the A1 to Great Barford was the order of the day. It rained most of the 40 mile drive and was still raining as we walked the wrong way up the river. A single Sand Martin gave us an unexpected year tick with my earliest previous Sand Martin being on 2nd April.

Little Bunting

A quick u turn at the first bridge followed by a half mile march along the public footpath running along the riverside and we found the seeded area set up by Beds birders. We waited getting wetter all the time and after half an hour the first Reed Bunting joined the finches to feed followed shortly after by a couple of female Reed Bunting before we spotted the Little Bunting sitting high up in the trees above the seed. The bird dropped to feed with the other Buntings and returned every half an hour or so for the next couple of hours. Grey Partridge was the only other bird of note whilst here but we left satisfied with the morning.


Year list now at 163

Little Bunting at Great Barford

Little Bunting in the rain

Little Bunting

Little and Reed together.

Reed Bunting