Bittern at Lee Valley

The reedbed infront of the Bittern hide at Fishers Green always seems to attract a wintering Bittern but when the new watchpoint was built I feared they may not find the small reedbed so attractive. I need not have worried as this year a bird returned in the autumn and remains on site still. The reeds are quite flat which I suppose is a result of all the snow we had a couple of weeks back and this makes it easier to see the Bittern in certain areas of the reeds.

I've visited a couple of times this year and today the bird showed quite well for a short period remaining well hidden for most of the time though. I added Green Woodpecker and Water Rail to my pointless year list whilst waiting for the Bittern to show.

Year list now 118

A bit more local birding

With my time so in demand of late I'm selecting my trips so that I can get back nice and early to keep everybody happy. That said since new years day I've managed to get out for an hour or two most days although the weather since new year has been awful. Thursday I managed a walk for an hour along the sea wall at Rainham and found a Water Pipit, Fieldfare and Redwing before finding a group of thirty or so Avocet on the marsh viewing from Serin mound. A pair of Stonechat showed well on the road into the top car park for a welcome year tick. 

Stonechat at Rainham

Yesterday I took the Jims to the Watercress LNR in St Albans where we ticked Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll and Siskin. A walk around in the rain failed to deliver the expected Water Rail but this really is a little gem of a reserve which I'll try to take Suzanne to at some point when the weathers better. From here we stopped at Lemford Springs which is another little gem. We counted seven Green Sandpipers and enjoyed views of Little Egrets, Goldcrest, Wren and Redwing but again sadly no Water Rail.

Green Sandpiper

Wren

Today we had a free morning so headed up the A12 to Abberton finally ticking Rook before arriving at Leyer Breton causeway. A Red head Smew gave us all a year tick and we scanned the Tufties but couldn't find anything of note amongst them. Goosander and Great White Egret were the other highlights from here.

At LDLH causeway we found several Scaup and a Black-necked Grebe. Another GWE was seen and the waders seen were Ruff, Lapwing Blackwit and Dunlin. More Goosanders were spotted before we headed up to Wigborough bay. The rain was now quite heavy but we found a couple of Bewick's Swans, lots of Pochard, Teal and Wigeon with the odd Pintail. Again the wader count was made up of mostly Lapwing with eight Blackwits and three Ruff. Buzzard, Red Kite and Marsh Harrier were all seen too.

On the reserve we visited Island Hide where Jim found the Long-tailed Duck in the distance and I eventually found a Caspian Gull amongst the large Gull roost. 

Year list now 116

Red-necked Grebe at KGV

I met the Jims at KGV reservoir this morning and with work still being carried out on the east bank we had to walk the long way around south basin towards the north. Jim had already found the Red-necked Grebe when I arrived and I had a fly over Grey Wagtail before we'd started off on our walk.

Red necked Grebe on KGV

Greenfinch gave me another year tick and the Jims added Pochard, Jackdaw, Canada Goose and Grey Heron to their lists. Jim then scoped a drake Scaup amongst the Tufties and I pointed out Little Grebes which they still needed this year. As we got to north basin the heavens opened and gave us a good soaking but we did see a drake Goosander before turning back to walk into the rain and home. We failed to score Black Redstart, Slav Grebe or Gt Northern Diver which were all seen yesterday but I got Jimmy onto a loafing Common Gull for another 2023 tick. The day was pretty much a wash out so any further ticks will have to wait.

A Black-necked Grebe has been reported on the Girling but it's not easy to scan that reservoir especially in todays grim conditions.

year list now 97

A return visit on 4th gave me another fur year ticks....Black Redstart on the fence along the west bank, Peregrine through, Slav Grebe and Great Northern Diver on the north Basin. The Red -necked Grebe showed again on south Basin.

Red necked Grebe

Red necked Grebe

Red necked Grebe

Red necked Grebe

Year list now 101

Year listing again

Every year I think this will be the year I don't make a year list and every year I'm proved wrong as the new year comes and my appetite to get out and start again is still there and this year is no different. I'd love a local patch that had a good variety of waders and some sea watching to keep me interested all year but being on the edge of London I always feel the need to get to the coast for the more favourable birding it offers.

My 2023 year listing started yesterday as I picked up the Jims and we headed north into Norfolk. Our first bird of the year was Barn Owl followed by Oystercatcher and Fulmar before we headed into Titchwell to rack up a few easy ticks and a couple a little more testing ones too. A stop at Brancaster eventually delivered a sighting of the Humes Leaf Warbler after having heard it for around an hour. We stopped at Holkham and scanned from the gate to find the Sea Eagle (IOW released bird G452) then the bird which is thought to be  being reported as Rough-legged Buzzard (A very very pale Common Buzzard) Then Great White Egret, Bewick's Swans and Russian White-fronted Geese were found before we moved on.

Our last stop was Stiffkey were we walked back towards Wareham finding both Marsh and Hen Harriers but our view of the Pallid Harrier was just too distant to be certain and with Dad having had enough walking for one day it remained too distant to tick. 

I ended the day on 82 species, a low count for day one but we'd given quite a lot of time to the Humes and trying to find the Pallid Harrier.

Today 2nd January I headed out locally alone over to the valley after first adding three year ticks in the garden with a fly over Lesser-black backed Gull, a Song Thrush and Ring-necked Parakeet. At the valley I added Jay before I reached the hide and I was lucky that the Bittern was showing as I entered the hide and gave good views until I left. A Sprawk and Little Grebe were seen before I left the hide and a Yellow-legged Gull sat on a post from the view point added another tick. There's been some talk of this gull locally but I think it's generally believed to be a YLG now. There's an adult Lesser-blacked gull with pink legs there too which is a bit odd and maybe has some Herring Gull blood too. 

Bittern at Lee Valley park

I walked around the lake and added Pochard and Greater Spotted Woodpecker to the year list. I was surprised not to add Water Rail and Kingfisher today but look forward to my first encounter with both at some point this year.

The 2023 total after two days is standing at 92

I got home to see news of the Little Swift in Eastbourne and as I made plans to travel for it I was  grateful for news that it had moved on so I didn't need to travel and this I suppose sums up this crazy hobby that I find so gripping.

Review of the year 2022

As readers of my blog will know I've been a little tied up this year. My wifes health issues continue, my father in law needs more of my time and of course I now have three grandchildren following the birth of Amelia and Emily earlier this year. Little George is now four and has started school and I very much enjoy my moments in his company. I've seen my good lady hit a milestone birthday and we enjoyed a quiet 40th wedding anniversary too so outside of birding quite a busy year and all of this presents just some of the reasons for my slow birding year in 2022.

My total species seen this year is only 246 but I suppose I should be glad I managed to see more than last years 240. Days out have been very limited and I've tried to save the free time more for new birds. This has proved a decent plan and has delivered ten new birds this year so the review will focus largely on these ten having previously posted about the ones I've missed.

American Robin

The first of the new birds was the American Robin in Eastbourne on 9th February. It was so good I went back for seconds . There have been many previous records and many more unproven reports but this was the first twitchable bird for me since I started listing.

Belted Kingfisher

Snow Goose

Next up was a delayed visit to Lancashire where we were successful in connecting with the long staying Belted Kingfisher, having seen them in America we were in no rush to make the long journey but in the end the twitch got the better of us. Whilst in the area we also visited Banks Marsh were we ticked Snow Goose having seen many this was perhaps the best "wild" candidate and makes my list as such.

Eleonora's Falcon

The next was a real surprise as news was circulated of an Eleonora's Falcon seen at Worth Marsh in Kent and we didn't hang around getting there. The bird was stunning and performed really well, so well that I visited it twice and like the Robin I got an even better show on the second visit. The day after this second visit I was back in Kent getting what is my worst tick of the year and by that I mean I had the worst views of it than any other bird this year. I was on site for six hours and saw the bird three times for a total of no more than a minute or so despite it calling often. It's s a tick but I'd very much like better views of one at some point of Sardinian Warbler.

Turkestan Shrike

My next new bird didn't come until July when a trip to Bempton Cliff in East Yorkshire gave me the chance of seeing my first ever Turkestan Shrike and I do love a Shrike so I was never going to pass up this opportunity. 

Kelp Gull

Whilst digging in my sons garden in early August news broke of a first for Britain just up the road from his house so I made my excuses and successfully twitched the mega on it's first day. I returned again the following day with the camera and the Jims.

Greater Sand Plover

I had to wait until almost the end of August for the next opportunity and it was quite a drive away in Cleveland but a great bird and well worth the effort put in to see it. I'd spent time at this site previously enjoying a very obliging Pom Skua.

Common Nighthawk

My next new bird came as a complete surprise but I was lucky as again this one was quite local and I made it on day one. The bird sat on an urban garden fence all day for all admirers lucky enough to get there.

Alpine Accentor

My last new bird of the year and again luckily local on the Suffolk coast, a site I'd ticked Hournemann's Redpoll before. The Alpine Accentor was on my dipped list so it was great to see this one as there's no better tick than one you've previously dipped. 

So that was my year and if you're reading this then may I wish you and yours a great Christmas and a bird filled new year

BOU UK life ticks missed in 2022

Although 2022 has been kind in giving me ten new birds it's also presented me with some big misses.

Don't get me wrong I've not dipped a single bird this year but there's been some pretty good birds that were either out of reach for the time, distance and money factors that always play a part in my decision making process or just didn't hang around long enough to be twitchable.

I'll start with the big ones despite them both being out of my twitch zone on Shetland and Scilly

Least Bittern: Shetland 7th October found at a beach car park and taken into care but sadly didn't make it through the night. Around a hundred or so birders on Shetland connected with the bird in various fashion. Some saw it alive at the site some saw it alive in the hand and it's rumoured that some travelled to connect with it whilst in care. Maybe some even saw it after it had expired and some of those may even still tick it, I'm not here to judge or police anybody else's list though. The bird was a first for Britain that I wouldn't have twitched if it had stayed a month being Shetland and outside my budget of money and time. I have seen one in Florida but would obviously like to add it to my British list at some point. 

Blackburnian Warbler: A long staying bird on Scilly first seen on 13th October saw many on the island connect and with it staying until 29th October most that wanted to travel for it could. Again it was outside my mainland boundary but I must admit I very nearly made my first ever Scilly trip for it. The bird has only ever been seen three times before in Britain and all were short staying island birds. Skomer 1961 5/10 - Fair Isle 1988 7/10 - St Kilda 2009 12/9 - 14/9

And a few mainland misses.....

Yellow browed Bunting: One was trapped and ringed at Sandwich Bay obs in Kent on 10th October but sadly not seen after release. I was on standby awaiting news for this one. Only five previous records and all island birds apart from the 1975 one day Norfolk bird.

Black faced Bunting: One trapped and ringed at Nanjizal in Cornwall on 19th November and again wasn't seen after release. Only seven previous records three of which were mainland birds.

American Purple Gallinule: One was seen by a builder and photographed on 16th November at Dunster in Somerset. News circulated after the image appeared on facebook but sadly the bird couldn't be refound and may have expired. Just three previous records, two found dead and one that died in care.

Lesser Sand Plover: This one hurt as it was found locally at Cliffe Pools in Kent on 1st September and I was in the car on the way there within minutes only for the bird to depart soon after being found and reported. Only six previous records with the last one being 2013.

White-crowned Sparrow: This one is on my dipped list for a few years back so when news broke of one photographed in a garden in Devon I was on standby but sadly the bird wasn't seen again and I don't think hoax was totally ruled out. Thirteen previous records.

Terek Sandpiper: Another from my dipped list but this this year has seen just two "possible" reports. One at Spurn on 18th May and one in Aberdeen on 31st July.  

Tawny Pipit: This remains my real bogey bird and top of my target list but this year it didn't give itself up for me. Just four reports all year with one on Scilly for three days in May. One at West Runton in Norfolk for a couple of hours on 11th May, a fly over at Weybourne and another at Gramborough Hill on 6th May 

Black Scoter: This one is pulling the twitch strings a bit but it's around six hours from home and views are sure to be distant so I'm waiting for two options....a) one to turn up closer to home or b) to be closer to the area at some point to attempt the twitch. The bird returns each winter and it was seen all year until 19th April and then returned on 23rd September so it gives me plenty of time to connect. Another was seen in Aberdeen on 31st July until 28th August so I suppose they could be the same bird, not sure if this is the considered opinion.

Cackling Goose: Another that is gettable most years but I just can't put in the miles for it. I connected with one in Norfolk once but it wasn't accepted. Birds have been seen in Lancs, Argyll and North Uist this year.

Wilson's Storm Petrel: I could do the Scilly pelagic and tick this bird but I also have the chance of seeing one on a sea watch in Cornwall so hope to be in the right place at the right time one day.

This year the Scilly pelagics connected many times between 6th June and 29th August and there were over twenty sightings from the Cornish coast too.

Blackpoll Warbler: One at Nanjizal Valley Cornwall 2/10. There are many records but as far as I can see the last twitchable mainland bird was back in 1994.

Aquatic Warbler: Dorset Lytchett Fields 7/8, 12/8 and 13/8 and at Abbotsbury 14/8 one in Devon on 14/8 and another on 22/8 one at Nanjizal 25/8 and one in Gwent 13/8 (All trapped and ringed apart from the Abbotsbury one which was seen in the field) 

Birds seen only on the islands and therefore out of my twitch range were 

Thrush Nightingale : Fair Isle 20/5 Bardsey Island 2/6 Lundy 3/6

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper: Isle of Man 29/8

Collared Flycatcher: Fair Isle 20/5

Baltimore Oriole: Lundy 8/10

Swainson's Thrush: Scilly 6/10 - 12/10  Barra 28/9 Yell 29/9 - 1/10

Wilson's Snipe: Scilly 14/10 - 21/11

Pechora Pipit: Shetland 3/10 - 5/10 Lewis 16/10 Scilly 19/10 (possible on 20th too)

White's Thrush: Orkney 27/9 and 23/10 Shetland 9/10-10/10

Lanceolated Warbler: Fair Isle 9/9 North Ron 1/10-2/10 Shetland 4/10

Tennessee Warbler: Skokholm 12/10

Siberian Rubythroat: Shetland 20/10

Siberian Thrush: One found dead on Papa Westray 27/9 Yell 1/10

Eastern Subalpine Warbler: Lundy 26/4 Skokholm 17/5-18/5 Foula 5/6-6/6 

 

Possibles and Probables

Long-legged Buzzard: Reported in Cornwall on four occasions by single observers between 30/5 & 1/6

Trindade Petrel: Porthgwarra 24/8

Eastern Bonelli's Warbler : a heard only possible on 21/10 at Winterton

Sooty Tern: Papa Westray 4/5

Gyr Falcon: Lewis 27/9 &28/9 Conwy 26/10 (one of unkown origin Dumfries 6/6)

Little Swift: single observer in Feltham London 26/5, Seahouses 1/6 Wangford Suffolk 21/6 and one reported in Bristol 30/10

So after having this little look back on the misses I have just two that I realistically would go for, The Black Scoter and the Cackling Goose. Maybe I could have tried a sea watch to jam on the Wilson's petrel too but the others are either out of my range or moved on and weren't twitchable.

Late news of a Stejneger's Scoter found in Lothian on 10th December. A first for Britain no less, six hours from home but like the Black Scoter I can't bring myself to do the 12 hour return journey for a very distant underwhelming duck  I suppose there's every chance this bird will spend the winter in the area so if I'm up that way I may take a chance and have a look for it in a similar fashion to the Black Scoter but a long distant twitch isn't going to happen. Whilst I like to see new birds, I'm still able to perform these little sense checks before shooting off for anything and everything unlike some more competitive souls but as I always say, "each to their own".

Rarest birds

A short indulgent blog post to highlight the rarest of the 436 species I've seen to date.

The first bird I ever twitched was the 1990 Naumann's Thrush in Woodford. At the time this was a first for Britain but there has been a second which was strangely enough seen in 1997 in South Woodford.  Little did I know I wouldn't twitch my next bird until 2011 after giving up the hobby to raise my family. I worked long hours to give my boys everything I could and spent all my spare time running them to various football training and matches. I became a qualified referee and took the FA coaching course before a decade of coaching which took up all my spare time.

The Pond Heron in Hythe Kent 2014 was another first for Britain which I saw the day before it expired. Since the first there have been another subsequent accepted record of a bird that was seen in Norfolk and Hampshire. Despite the second bird this remains the bird that most other listers on Bubo have as a target species. I think like me many didn't think the Hythe bird would be accepted and I only twitched it as an insurance tick as I was driving by.

The Brown Booby I connected with in Cornwall of 2019 was a first for Britain until later a record from Kent was submitted and predated the Cornwall record by a week although they were probably the same bird. There has been another record since with a bird seen at sea in 2020 off the Isle of Wight.

I connected with Siberian Accentor back in 2016. At the time this was a first record for Britain and another was seen in 2017. 

Western Swamphen was a first for Britain back in 2016. It remains the only British record and I was lucky enough to see it during it's time in Linconshire having missed it's brief stay at Minsmere.

Short-toed Snake Eagle was only the third for Britain when I connected in Ashdown Forest back in 2014. There have only been two records since.

The Grey Catbird was only Britains second record when I made the long journey down tot Cornwall to see it in 2018 and we haven't had the third record yet.

Sandhill Crane was only the fourth for Britain when I saw my first back in 2011 and we've not seen another since. 

Masked Shrike have only made the British list five times and I was lucky to connect with the third and fifth. First in Yorkshire in 2014 and then in Kent in 2020

Spanish Sparrow was the eighth record for Britain when I twitched one in Hampshire back in 2011 and there have only been two since.

The Green Heron in 2018 was only the eighth for Britain, there's not been one since.

Common Yellowthroat was the tenth record for Britain when I connected in Gwent during 2012 and we haven't had another since.

American Barn Swallow was only the tenth record for Britain when I connected at Minsmere back in 2016 and there have only been a couple of records since.

I connected with the White winged Scoter that's been wintering in Scotland since 2016. This bird would appear to be the second record for Britain as another bird in the same area was seen in 2011.