Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Minsmere

Jim and I decided on having a day out at Minsmere on Thursday and arrived at the Suffolk site for first light. We walked down to north path and decided on doing a day count with a target of 80 species.

The count started well as we ticked a few in the bushes and reeds with Bearded Tit probably the best of the bunch here. We then took the new boardwalk down to East hide were the real birding started. Avocets, Blackwits, Lapwing were all present in good numbers then we picked out several Common and Green Sandpipers before Jim found 3 Little Stint in a group of Dunlin. 3 Spoonbill were feeding in the far corner.

Avocets at Minsmere 

Sponnbills

At the back of the scrape we found several Snipe and three Spotted Redshank then a Barwit amongst the Blackwits. Several Knot and a Grey Plover added to the wader count.

A Peregrine flew low across the scrape putting everything including the Spoonbills up, Buzzard, Red Kite and Kestrel added to the BOP count and a Wood Sandpiper dropped in briefly. We moved on to the public hide were we found the Buff-breasted Sandpiper ironically sitting in front of the hide we'd just left but it would have been out of sight from there. A Sparrowhawk and the Hobby were picked up in flight and a Great White Egret dropped in to add to our day count before the Buff breasted Sandpiper took flight and landed in front of the public hide to allow some record shots. A young Sparrowhawk flew along the ditch and landed on the fence making the BBS go to ground hiding in the grass before a Hobby buzzed through causing the BBS to take flight circling high around the scrape before returning to the far side nearer south hide. 

Buff breasted Sandpiper

Buff breasted Sandpiper

Buff breasted Sandpiper

Buff breasted Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Common Tern

Common Terns

Great White Egret

Great White

Spoonbill and waders

Spoonbill and south hide Minsmere

Spoonbill

We left and decided on a walk up on the heath to year tick Dartford warbler which proved a surprising challenge but after an hour we found a couple of distant birds and had a close bird calling which we didn't manage to see. 

Jim totted up our day count on the journey home and bingo it totalled out at 80 on the nail.

A very enjoyable days birding added two year ticks with the Dartfords and the Buffy-breast.

Year list now 217

Aquatic Warbler at Upper Beeding in West Sussex

I had a difficult day yesterday looking out for my father in law and was in no condition to drive the 80 miles to Upper Beeding in West Sussex when news came through of an Aquatic Warbler showing intermittently. I was in as bad a place physically as when the Landguard bird dropped and just couldn't manage the drive but I hatched a plan with the Jims that we would go on positive news this morning and so after the first couple of sightings we headed around the M25 and down the M23 this morning setting off around 8.45am we arrived in the High Street at Upper Beeding at 10.30am and set about walking the 900 yards up the east side of the river to find a crowd of around 30 birders and news that the bird hadn't been seen since about 10am. 

We stood quiet scanning the Hawthorn that we were told the Aquatic Warbler had settled in when last seen but had no sign in the first hour or so until two local women (non birders) walked along the path and passed the bush flushing the bird to give our first sighting as it flew first low to the left then back behind the bush and over the path. It later flew along the fence-line before hopping back over the path and into the grass on the river bank where it stayed hidden for an hour.

Aquatic Warbler at Upper Beeding West Sussex

I spotted movement in the grass and alerted the few birders around me and shortly after the bird flew a short hop to some Hogweed before making its way up to the top posing for a few pictures and then flying back along the river bank and dropping back out of sight in the grass. A couple of views were had in the next hour as it flew across the river a couple of times before returning to the Hawthorn and then flying back into the field where it disappeared for several hours. We left at 1.30pm and it wasn't seen again until late afternoon. We picked up a year tick with a Spotted Flycatcher in the trees along the river and had two Yellow Wagtails, a Kingfisher and Raven whilst waiting for the Warbler to show.

Aquatic warblers used to be much easier to connect with in the UK but over the last few years they have taken on a new status and are now almost a Mega find usually trapped in nets and released with no further sign so to connect with this bird and see it so well is really pleasing.

Year list now 215

Life list now 440

Kestrel in Epping Forest

 

I stopped on the way to the Osprey as this Kestrel was sitting on the sign for Epping Forest and the Fox is my regular garden visitor. His head damage is about a year old and clears up but he scratches it which opens the wound again. It doesn't seem to be causing him too much trouble now as when he first the wound was much larger and one eye was closed. 

More of the Osprey at Bowyers water Lee Valley

The Osprey at Bowyers water in the Lee Valley remains on site visiting both Friday Lake and Bowyers water to fish. It always exits to the north but nobody has reported any sign of it to the north so where it roosts is still a mystery and probably a good thing meaning it's not getting disturbed at all.

I visited on Thursday and the weather was really overcast and although I saw the bird come in I missed it dive as it went behind the island to fish. On Saturday I returned and after an hour saw it come in take a fish and exit but again the weather was against me and the camera being very overcast so I returned yesterday at noon with bright blue skies very little wind and plenty of sunshine it was very warm. I found a platform in the shade and at 1.10pm the bird came in and did a circuit before taking a fish for lunch and heading off to the north to consume and digest it. Knowing it takes a couple of hours to return I thought about heading home but decided instead to do a lap of Bowyers to see what else I could find. A common Buzzard, Chiffchaff and Common Sandpiper where the only things of note so I plotted up on a fishing platform and waited for the bird to return which it did around 4.45pm but on this occasion it left without catching anything.

I wonder if it'll stay until this nice weather breaks or weather it'll use the nice weather to move on. Two birds have been reported but there are no pictures of the second bird which I find strange and witnessed several people calling Osprey when it was a Buzzard so I remain to be convinced of the two bird news.

Osprey on the patch at Lee Valley

The Jims still wanted to see an Osprey this year so with one lingering at Bowyers Lake in the Lee Valley I asked if they wanted to give it a try today and they did so we made our way over to the Abbey arriving at noon with only the one report of it showing today at 9.10am. I found a fisherman's platform and sat down to sit it out for a couple of hours. First Kingfisher flew along the lake and then a Garden Warbler flitted around in the bushes by the flatform. An adult and juvenile Moorhen entertained on the lily pads and the Great Crested Grebes brought the humbugs in nice and close too as I sat waiting for the Osprey to show. 

At 1.05pm the Osprey arrived, did a flight the length of the lake and then on the return leg took a dip and caught a small fish before leaving at height towards Fishers Green. Knowing that it would be a couple of hours before the bird returned we left for home.

The Osprey was actually a patch tick for me which surprised me but it takes my Lee Valley list to 156 proving I need to put more effort in locally.

Garden Warbler

Great Crested Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

Moorhen

Moorhen

Moorhen

Moorhen

Osprey

Osprey

Osprey

The Osprey is ringed Blue 256 and can be ID'd to a bird born this year in Aberdeenshire.

One less House Sparrow in the garden

Yesterday a young Sparrowhawk visited the garden and was successful in taking one of my House Sparrows. It sat in the garden plucked the poor thing and then enjoyed lunch. Although it was in a dark corner I managed to open the kitchen window without disturbing it and grabbed a few images before it finished. After the snack it flew up into the maple before launching a second attack which was this time unsuccessful leaving the Sprawk sat in the rose bush for a while. Once it had accepted the battle was lost it flew to the tree where it sorted out the mess it had made of it's plumage before leaving for another challenge elsewhere. 

It's always nice to see a Sparrowhawk but I wish they would target the feral pigeons and leave the rest of the garden birds alone, guess they're just too big although the adult female had taken Collared Dove before.