Temminck's Stint at Blue house farm

I dropped my grandson at school this morning and popped down the A127 to Blue house farm to check out the reserve again and try something different.

Two Cuckoos called as I walked out to the hide along the expected Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler etc The area of farmland seperated by a fox proof fence was thriving with lot's of young Avocets and Lapwings on show. Redshank were present but I couldn't find any young and a pair of Little ringed Plover ran around on a distant shingle bank. Oystercatcher look settled and there are many Barnacle Geese among the Greylags and Canada Geese.

From the hide looking over round marsh I found five Greenshank, a Ruff, two more Little ringed Plover, two Blackwits and eventually two Stints. One was a Temminck's but I didn't see much of the second. I'd later see three Stints distantly and based on profile alone I thought they were all Temminck's. The Ruddy Shelduck was seen along with a smart pair of Yellow Wagtails and a probable very distant White Wagtail. A late Snipe swam across from one of the islands and disappeared into the grass. Marsh Harrier, Buzzard and Peregrine and Kestrel entertained whilst trying to get better views of the Stints which remained elusive and distant. I saw 69 species on this brief visit.

The year list ticked over to 200 with the Temminck's Stint.

Back home and three newly fledged Robin have spent the day feeding in the garden. 

 

a return to Cambridgeshire

Dad's been busy lately and missed a couple of god birds so I offered to take him into Cambridgeshire this morning and he jumped at the chance. Our first stop was Ouse Fen where he quickly year ticked Great Reed Warbler which was very vocal and gave several views from within the reed bed. A Crane flew into the reeds giving Dad another year tick and we picked out a female Red-footed Falcon hawking with seven Hobby. Two Bitterns and a Cuckoo added to the total before we headed off to Grafham Water where we again very quickly located the Spotted Sandpiper helped by a couple of toggers hiding along the shoreline as they snapped away at the bird. I joined one and had decent views although I found the light challenging in the darkest corner of the reservoir but managed a few acceptable results.

The year list nudged along to 199 with the Red Footed Falcon.

Spotted Sandpiper at Grafham Water

I dropped the kids at school again yesterday and then popped over to Rainham for an hour to check if the Blue-winged Teal was still there so I could let Dad and Jim know. It was and I did but they had other things on so couldn't make the trip.

I had a planned visit to my brother in laws in Tiptree but Suzanne wasn't feeling well enough so that was postponed last minute. With the evening now free I decided to run up the M11 to see if I could see the Spotted Sandpiper at Grafham Water. The Jims again had other commitments so this was a solo run. 

I arrived to find the bird had been showing well but had recently flown out of view into the tree cover. As I scanned a small gap in the trees I found the bird deep under cover feeding on a small mud patch and I managed to get the other birders onto it although views were only as it wondered in and out of view. For two hours it remained deep in the cover area but I had entertainment in the form of a pair of Yellow Wagtails bathing, a Whinchat and Wheatear near the sola panels, 3 Little ringed Plovers and singing Willow and Garden Warbler.

The trees the bird decided to hide in for two hours

At about 6pm the bird flew out and landed in front of me allowing me to get some images which is why I'd waited so long. It was a smart bird and the first spotted Spotted Sandpiper I've ever seen with the last being a juvenile bird. The car park now had to be paid and I managed to get in just before it clicked into it's fourth hour so at £2 an hour the bird cost me £6.

year list now 198

Blue-winged Teal at Rainham

I've walked Rainham a lot this year before or after the school runs I do for the grandchildren and I've seen some good spring passage for my effort. I've recently added two site ticks with Green winged Teal and Red-crested Pochard to a growing total which I have as yet not counted but I suppose I should at some point. On Thursday Ben who also walks Rainham a lot found a female Blue-winged Teal on the small pool west of Purfleet scrape and I was heading to Rainham already after dropping the little ones at school so by 9.30 I was waiting on the bridge for the volunteers to open the reserve. I walked down past Purfleet scrape and the hide to find the pool the bird had been reported on only to find the cows using and I was worried they may have moved the bird on but within a few minutes I'd seen a small brown drab duck at the back of the pool and with its white facial patch at the end of the black bill and white eye ring crossed by the black eye line I knew I had the target in the scope. It was drab and I'd have probably walked past it if I didn't know it was there so full credit to Ben who first saw it, stopped to look and check it out, nailed the ID and put the news out with confidence.

Blue winged Teal

female Blue winged Teal

This is a site first for everybody including me and took the year list to 196

Still there on 2nd May (the cows had moved on)

The pool (puddle) that the Blue winged Teal has chosen to stop at

Black Terns at KGV

I dropped the little ones to school in Hornchurch today then picked up the Jims and headed over to KGV as Jim had seen a report of seven Black Terns on south basin. We climbed the bank and scanned finding the seven Black Terns straight away. A Lesser Whitethroat sang behind the sailing club hut and a smart Sinensis Cormorant dried off on the Jetty. On the causeway we found three Common Sandpipers to give Dad another year tick. We'd missed a short staying Greenshank earlier and a reported Spotted Flycatcher wasn't refound. The Black Terns picked up height and drifted off north about 10.45am leaving us pleased we'd made the call to go straight away to see them.

Year list now 195

'Sinensis' Cormorant

Day at Minsmere with Dad and Jim

Dad fancied a good day out chasing year ticks so what better place than Minsmere at this time of year so we headed off in that direction yesterday arriving just before 7am. A quick scan before entering the car park and we kicked off the day with nice views of Stone Curlew. A walk along North wall and we could hear Nightingale singing. At East hide we enjoyed an adult Little Gull and year ticked Kittiwake and Sandwich Tern. Bar-tailed Godwit were on view in smaller numbers than the Black-tailed Godwits and we picked out both Ringed Plover and Little ringed Plover. A Wood Sandpiper dropped in briefly to give us another year tick and then we found a pair of Garganey. Bearded Tit called as the flew along the tops of the reeds and we had lovely views of a Bittern too. A single Hobby gave Dad another year tick and we spotted a fly over Spoonbill. On the walk back I found a Treecreeper nest and enjoyed watching one of them coming and going with plenty of food for what I guess was the sitting female. We enjoyed 94 bird species on the day by adding Dartford Warbler up on Dunwich heath which the Jims both wanted to see.

Year list 194

Great Reed Warbler Ouse Fen Cambridgeshire

I'm starting to make time for myself again, I still have caring responsibilities with Suzanne and I still do all I can for the little ones including school runs etc but with the passing of my father in law in January and the house clearing etc now all behind me I am finding I need to fill the day with something and birding is that filler whenever I get that valuable time. I'm walking Rainham and KGV when I can watching the passage of winter visitors exiting and summer visitors returning but it's still a bit same same so now and again I need those little twitch trips to keep me going. Yesterday I had a solo run up the A12 for the Dotterels and today Jim and I popped up the M11 to see the returning Great Reed Warbler at Ouse Fen. On arrival we could hear the bird about fifty yards before we got to the birders watching it. It would prove to be very vocal and could be seen in the reeds but photographing it was difficult. It popped up for a couple of seconds allowing a couple of reasonable images before we left.

Whilst there we had a Crane fly into the reedbed, a Hobby hawked over the trees and Swifts were also seen in good numbers. Five Cattle Egret flew across the fen and Bittern boomed with one bird seen in flight low across the reeds. A Cuckoo called almost constantly and was seen in flight and sitting on the top of a Hawthorn briefly. On our way back to the car park we stopped to admire a pair of Garganey on another of the pools which they call cells here for some reason.

Year list now 190

Dotterel in Essex

I was heading up to Abberton this afternoon to give the Lesser Scaup one more chance to land on my year list for 2025 but with news of nine Dotterel in St Osyth I pushed on the extra half an hour and managed to find the field the Dotterel had been reported in with a little help from Steve E. I walked out to scan the field only to find the farmer ploughing the very field the birds were last seen in. After a few minutes I located the birds and amazingly they were still in the field despite the tractor doing its worst to disturb them. As I was joined by Mike the nine birds took flight and headed off high and away but they would return shortly after for us to enjoy for half an hour or so before a couple of Buzzard spooked them and they had another fly around before returning to the original field some distance from us.  Marsh Harrier, Stock Dove, Whitethroat, Med Gulls, Skylark and Red-legged Partridge added to the overall entertainment.

On the way home I stopped at Abberton and took in the views of the heronry where Grey Heron, Little Egret, Cattle Egret and Spoonbill are nesting. Great Egret was also seen before moving on to Wigborough Bay where I finally had views of the pair of Lesser Scaup that's spent the winter on the reservoir. A Leucistic Pochard was a surprise find and a Lesser Whitethroat was singing away just by the layby for Wigborough hide. From the causeway I had nice views of Little ringed Plover, Common Tern and a Cuckoo was heard before I left for home satisfied with two year ticks and an Essex tick to boot.

Year list 187

Essex list 282