Hardest tick so far this year

I set off this morning nice and early and decided that Elmley would be the destination of choice.
Driving up the track to the reserve at 7.30am we had good views of Lapwing, Redshank, Snipe, Skylark and Curlew. Marsh Harriers hunted across the fields too. As we turned a corner I spotted some Hares on the track ahead of us and we stopped the car to watch them as they played. They boxed and ran around in all directions clearly having a blast.

Snipe

Redshank

Lapwing

Hares

Hare

Hares

From the car park we had Wigeon, Teal, Oyster Catcher, Canada and Greylag Geese, Green Woodpecker and more Marsh Harrier views. The walk to Well marsh Hide gave up just Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit and Brent Geese. Once in the hide we had views of Avocet, Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, and Grey Plover with better views of several Marsh Harriers again.

Reed Bunting

Skylark

Coot

The drive back down the track produced great views of a male Merlin sitting on the fence along the road side although it flew off just as the camera came out of the bag. So at this point I've driven 50 miles and walked a good 3 miles and despite some good action I still haven't had a year tick. After a short debate we decide to head home with a quick stop at Wanstead to see if the Little Ringed Plover is still there but after a walk around Jubilee Pond and the surrounding fields we leave without a tick which should have been that but I thought I'd have one last go and headed to Lea Valley where a walk to Hall Marsh Scape was made. Jimmy knows this area well and from the viewing screen he was on the LRP before I had the scope off my back.....Great! a tick at last 191 up and that's been hard to find.
April should be when it really kicks off and I'm expecting 20 odd ticks in the next three weeks but today was
just like March all over again and very difficult to find anything newly in but it has to start soon.....here's to that!

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Had a great morning with Kingfishers in Hertfordshire today.

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

A few photographs taken in Hertfordshire today

GREAT CRESTED GREBE & BLACKCAPS

I took time between snow showers (yes snow showers in April...mad I know) to visit Lea Valley intent on getting a couple of pictures of Great Crested Grebes. I quickly located a bird on arrival and soon it was joined by it's partner. I sat on the bank and was lucky then to experience the pair building a nest and I even witnessed them mating which I've never seen before. The birds collected enormous sticks and then dived for weed on the bottom of the river to stick the fabrication together.

Great Crested Grebe

Nest Building

Courtship

Making Little Grebes

On returning home I set up again to get another picture or two of the make Blackcap that's become a daily visitor to my garden.

Blackcap

Blackcap

Oh..and I found dozens of deer in Epping Forest on the way home too.....a site that's becoming much more regular.

Deers in Epping Forest

Norfolk

I drove to Titchwell today to make a change from heading south. The wind for blowing strong from the east and was again bitterly cold. My finds for the day were limited to Snow Bunting, Spotted Redshank, Red Kite, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, lots of Red Throated Diver and a few more common birds too but nothing to add to my year list. Lot's of Hares about and a few Muntjac deer were also seen on the journey up the A11.

Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank swimming

Spotted Redshank

Snow Bunting

Majestic Mandarins

Today I went to Rainham and saw that a female Ring Ouzel had been reported near the Serin mound so made my way to the area and searched with a few others (including Dave the hat beard) but found no sign of the bird. There were at least five male Wheatear on the tip slopes viewable from the mound and several Blackbirds and Redwings along with a Song Thrush in the bushes but the Ouzel had gone into hiding or moved on so I made my way over to Strawberry Pond in Loughton to take advantage of the light and try to get myself a couple of decent shots of the resident Mandarin Ducks there.

Mandarin Ducks (Male and Female behind)

Drake Mandarin

Mandarin Duck

Mandarin (Aix galericulata)

It remains bitterly cold despite the blue skies but it feels like the migrants are just starting to return and I'm looking forward to a good April. At the end of April last year I had 41 birds on my year list that aren't yet on this years list so I should reach my target of 25 in April with some comfort. (mind you last years list includes Dark Eyed Junco, Paddyfield Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Western Sandpiper, Spanish Sparrow to name but a few that I'm sure will be harder to find or even impossible by the end of April this year.)

I took a couple more shots of the Blackcap in my garden this morning feeding on my apple tree (technically a Buddleia with apples spiked on it) and noted that he's started to sing today.

Male Blackcap

Bluethroat at Samphire Hoe Kent

White Spotted Bluethroat

We made a 90 mile trip to Samphire Hoe today. This is a pretty unique nature reserve in Dover where you have to wait at traffic lights to drive through the "white cliffs" to gain access to the car park and reserve itself. On arrival at 7.30am two locals where already on site and within minutes we'd located the White Spotted Bluethroat (190) in brambles at the rear of the car park. The bird came forward to feed in a drainage trench giving me the chance to snatch a record shot and then it retreated to the brambles where it stayed for the next hour until I left for Dungeness.

At Dunge a quick, very cold walk around the moat produced nothing and I mean nothing!
The drive out delivered up to seven Black Redstarts plus Wheatear and Stonechat.

Black Redstart

Tree Sparrow

Reed Bunting