Hudsonian Godwit in Essex

I've seen Hudsonian Godwit twice in the UK with one in Hampshire (Titchfield Haven 2025) and my first a bit further away in Cheshire (Burton Mere 2024) but when one turned up at Minsmere in Suffolk I was thinking maybe if that hangs around I'll put in the two hour drive to see my third but the bird sadly didn't hang around. It arrived on 1st July but wasn't seen again until it was picked up with the Black tailed Godwit roost at Stutton Mill in Suffolk on the evening of 12th July. The interesting thing about this is that the river Stour it was roosting on defines the border between Essex and Suffolk and an Essex tick of this rarity seemed possible.

Roll on to yesterday morning (13th) and I was walking the reservoir as is often the case these days when news came out that the bird had indeed crossed the river and could now be seen from the Essex side so after a quick call to arrange things with Jim I headed back to the car picked my partner in crime up and headed up the A12 parking outside the CO-OP supermarket and walking up onto the river bank. A group of Godwits were feeding about 100yards along the bank and a returning birder said our target was in that flock but on arrival my Essex birding pal Mike was to tell me the bird had flown down river so we headed along the path crossed the main road and continued down river where we found the bird feeding on the far bank with a Redshank and a couple of Avocet for company. By now it was about a mile from the 120 strong flock of Godwits which seemed odd behaviour. A flock of 8 Redshank arrived and it flew off with them so we set off to look for it further down river but only found 13 Greenshank for our trouble. On the walk back to the car the bird had been relocated and we enjoyed another few minutes in it's company. Two Common Sandpipers, a total of 19 Greenshanks, a Curlew, a Whimbrel and lot's of Oystercatchers made up the best of the rest.

Lesser black backed Gull

Little Egret 

Hudsonian Godwit

Hudsonian Godwit

Hudsonian Godwit

Hudsonian Godwit

Hudwit

Hudwit

Hudwit 

The Essex tick was bagged and moved my county list to 287

We diverted to Abberton on the way home as Jim wanted to see the Ring necked Duck that had been reported but sadly we couldn't find it but we did see Spoonbill, Gt Egret, Cattle Egret and Common Sandpiper before setting off for home with another short diversion to year tick Osprey as one was sat in a dead tree over looking Hide bay. 

Ruddy Shelduck

Ruddy Shelduck

The UK year list now sits at 226

A quick update on the George since my last post on 10th.....

11th: 61 Species with the highlight being not one but two Med Gulls on the causeway, 4 Oystercatchers, 7 Common Sandpipers, a Redshank, 4 Red Kite including what appear to be 3 fresh juvenile birds and an early Meadow Pipit which was my first since the end of April.

Red Kites 

200 Coots

Little Egret

Little Egret

Oystercatcher

Med Gull

Common Sandpiper

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Egyptian Goose

12th: 57 species with the highlight being 4 Oystercatcher, a Redshank and a Common Sandpiper but I only did half a circuit as a guy was fishing on West bank. 

13th: 55 species in a very quick visit due to the twitch for the Hudsonian but I did see 4 Redshank, 7 Common Sandpipers, 2 Oystercatchers and my first Hobby of July, oh and the five Mistle Thrush were feeding together in the field again too. Also of note is the amount of Lesser Whitethroat I'm seeing on this months visits and I have the feeling I could find lot's more if I had the time to walk even slower than I do which is about 3 hours to cover the four mile circuit with all the stops to look and listen as I go.

Record shot of the FOUR Redshank (for the doubters and there's always one or two 🤣)

Tufted Duck numbers seem to have stuck at around 600 over the last few days.

Had a day off today but I'll back over there tomorrow or Thursday for sure as another birder has reported Common Gulls and Teal today which would both be new for July as I chase a silly target I gave myself of 80 species this month (need two at the moment to achieve that and I still have no LRP or House Martin which I assumed to be bankers) Both LRP, Ringed Plover and a Great black backed Gull have been reported by others too this month so that's a total of five species I've missed so far.

Onwards and upwards!