Grove Ferry again, nice Kingfisher

Not sure where to go today so we head to Kent & end up at Grove Ferry, Brian was hoping to get a nice photo of a Kingfisher.
First we have a look for the Crake from the mound, no sign so Brian & myself leave Jimmy & head for the hide to look for the Kingfisher.
We give it a good shot but all we get is a single Water Rail.
We meet up with Jimmy again & he has had a quick view of the Crake, so we have another look,
while on the mound we meet up with a couple of old faces & they tell us the Crake has just been seen at the far hide.
We have got to give it a try before we leave, so we all trail down to the hide, this is a better place to see it if it comes out .
We had all ready seen the bird last week so no panic, after a short time we get a view of it but it's not going to come out of the grass for a great view but a view is a view,
As we head back Brian gets us to pop back into the other hide, bingo the Kingfisher is sitting on a post a few yards in front of us, so cameras get clicking & the bird hangs about for a fair while so photos in the bag it's off to Margate to have a look for anything that might be about today.
As it turns out we get no more ticks for the year today but still a great day out with the boys.
We finish off we a trip to Recolver for a bag of chips from the cafe by the car park.

The nearest I have been to a sitting Kingfisher.

Red-backed Shrike at Walton on the naze

Just sitting having a cup of tea when the phone goes, it's Brian to ask do I want to go to Walton for the Shrike, well 10 minutes later we are on the way.
We take the M11 then the A 120 heading up to walton as the A 12 was a bit busy, it's only just over an hour to reach Walton, on arrival we ask a lady in the cafe if she knew where the John Weston nature reserve was, we get lucky as she turns out to be the lady who writes the Holland Haven bird blog that we read from time to time when looking for somewhere to go, it's really does the job, she tells us where the bird has been seen.
It's a fair walk to the west of the reserve, as we head past it Brian as usual spots the bird sitting on top of a bush, it's a long way off but we get a good view in the scope.
We try to get a better view by walking down by the sea wall towards it but we have taken our eyes off it & it turns out to be a big mistake as we don't see any more of it.
We do see five Whinchats & four Yellow Wagtails plus three Wheatears on the walk back.
No Jimmy today as work gets in the way for him, but I think he will get a Shrike year tick soon.
A really nice unexpected trip for another year tick for Brian & myself.

First Chiffchaff in my garden.

Chiffchaff in my garden today

Sitting in my garden today I was having a cuppa with Brian & Sue who had popped over for to see us, when we spot a Chiffchaff sitting in my eucalyptus tree it's the first one that I have ever seen in my garden.

Spotted Crake at Grove Ferry Kent

Four days on the trot birding starting off with K G Res for the Red-necked Phalarope on Friday.
Then on Saturday on to Landguard for the Wryneck, then on Sunday over to Rainham for Sabine's Gull.
So on to Monday & it's a late call to go to Grove Ferry to try for the Spotted Crake reported yesterday, just Jimmy & myself set of for the 80 mile trip, we park at the Ferry pub car park & cross the road & take the short walk to the viewing mound, people are already here & tell us the target has been seen on & off all morning.
After about half an hour we get our first quick view of the Crake right over the back of the pool, it is pretty hard to get onto as it's back into the reeds as fast as it comes out, but we then get a break as it is put up in the air by a Water Rail so we all get a good sight of the flight of the bird & then it walks about for a while in full view, but all to soon it's back under cover, so we decide to have a look for the reported Wryneck that has been seen just a short walk from us, when we get near to the spot a fellow calls us to tell us it has just dropped down onto the path in front of us,but we give it a good time but it's not to be today.
Brian had turned up with Sue, Billy,& Gemma who were out on family day out & he get's a nice quick view of the Spotted Crake Billy also gets in on the fun maybe it's the start for him to start looking out for more bird fun in the future, you never know.
Time to say goodbye & head home, not a bad four days, four year ticks & one lifer for me & four year ticks & two lifers for Jimmy,  


   

somewhere over the back is the Spotted Crake

   

Sabine's Gull for a lifer at Rainham Marshes

Jimmy tells me four Sabine's Gulls have been reported at Rainham, so off we go for a quick visit before lunch.when we arrive Brian is already here & onto the bird for us to get a view in his scope, not bad only half an hour since we left home & I have another Lifer.
Harry & Barry are here as well always nice to bump into them for a catch up.
Brian has to leave us as he has to go out with Sue for some family lunch date.
Jimmy & I walk down towards the group who look as if they have another bird in view, but not so when we get up to them, they tell us the Sabine's Gull that they had been watching had flown up river.
We do get another view before we go, but a long way off now.
We do establish that it is two birds that we have seen, also seen while here at least 7 Black Terns, plus some Dunlin & Black-tailed Godwits walking about.
A Seal was out of the water on the foreshore, always a good sight to see by the Thames.
So a good morning, short but sweet to give Jimmy & myself another lifer & 251 year ticks so far for me.

Wryneck at Landguard. 250 year ticks up.

The thought is that a Wryneck may drop in at Landguard sometime today, so we set off in the hope that will happen. When we arrive it is dull & wet, undeterred we spread out & walk both the beach & all around the trees by the observatory, while we are here we are shown a Pied Flycatcher that had been trapped in the nets, a fellow kindly came down with the bird to show us before releasing it, always nice to get a close up view of any bird that they trap.
A very friendly Golden Plover walks about on the sand to give us some close up photo shots. we see another Pied Fly, along with Whinchat & Wheatear. but the weather is not on our side so we head up the A12 not really knowing where we are heading to, with the rain still about we decide it's a safe bet to get in a hide at Minsmere.
A lot of birds here, we see Greenshank, Redshank, Ruff, Spotted Redshank,Common & Green Sandpiper, Godwits, also a family of Water Rail show well.
On the pager two Wryneck are reported back at Landguard, so it's off back to where we started the morning. On arrival people have the bird in view, it's hard to see at first but it flies up & onto the Observatory fence before just dropping down onto the small bush & then onto the ground for a short view but a good one.I get three more good views of it before we leave for home. the roads are flooding as we drive,  the rain is really coming down now, we think how lucky we are to have found our bird before this lot hits us.

Friendly Golden Plover

Red-necked Phalarope KGV Reservoirs

A phone call from Brian tells me to get over to KGV Reservoir for the Red-necked Phalarope.
When I arrive I see nobody looking over the reservoir, so I walk down past the south basin & walk half of the other basin, I see no sign of the bird or see any sign of people. I give it a good go but with no luck so far I start to head back, it's then I meet up with a couple of fellows who tell me that Roy Woodward was up on the causeway with the bird in sight, so it's back up to the middle of the two reservoirs, on the way I meet Harry who had found the bird this morning, he picks out the target for us & I get a view of it in his scope.
I walk down to the causeway & say hello to Nick Croft & then see Roy who still had the bird in sight, so a better view but still to far away for a photo for my camera.
So another year tick for me  & only 10 minutes away from home. Two Black Terns & Common Sandpiper also seen while here.

Temminck's Stint & Wood Sandpiper.

We give the bird fair at Rutland a miss this year & head to Dungeness  to find me a Wood Sandpiper.

Off we set at 5 o'clock & we are up on the beach by 6,30 there is very little wind & a bit of a mist about.

Not much about it's to still & calm but I do get a year tick when we see 7 Black Tern passing through.

A couple of hours later we head to the reserve, in the frith hide for only a minute when we see a Wood Sandpiper, soon another one joins it along with a Green Sandpiper & a couple of Ringed Plover plus Ruff.

So the wait is over for me a Wood Sandpiper at last & just like buses two come along together.

Off now to Oare Marsh we hope the Temminck's Stint has hung about for one more day for us, as we drive down the road a group of birders were already on the target bird, so we get onto it without any trouble at all another Lifer for me & a year tick for Jimmy.

Two Woods

Sympetrum striolatum  Red darter

While here we see our first Clouded Yellow Butterfly, so one lifer 3 year ticks & a lifer Butterfly not a bad day out.

Wood Sandpiper at last

European Roller & Blue -winged Teal

With the Roller still at Horsey in Norfolk the decision is easy on sat morning to go for it, we meet up with Brian at 6 o'clock & two hours later we are parked up at Nelson's head track.
Not so sure where to start looking so we scope the whole way down the track looking at fence posts & dead trees, we then see a small group of birders down by the beach scanning across the trees so this looks good to us, as we get near them the pager goes off to report the bird is here, so we quicken our pace & reach the first scope & he has it in the scope, so we grab a look, then set up our scopes to get great views for a good couple of hours, a cracking bird & a lifer for Jimmy & myself.

We meet a new face who has turned up with a very large telescope that he watches the stars with, he gets some photos with it that are to far away for our cameras, he is as good as he's word as he sends us the photos he got.The colour when the bird opened it's wings to fly was a sight to see.

Roller

                                               
                                                                                       

European Roller ( Dan Self photo )

A quick climb up to the beach gets me an Arctic Skua for a year tick, also the beach is alive with seals taking in the morning sun.

Off now to Salthouse for a cuppa off the van on the beach.Then on to Titchwell to look for a Wood Sandpiper for me to tick, the scrape is full of birds, we see Bearded Tits,Reed Warbler, Red-crested Pochard, a couple of Snipe,Common & Green Sandpipers, Little & Ringed Plovers,plus a lot of other stuff but no Wood Sand again.

We spend a good couple of hours here but it's time to go now.

Before we go we meet up with Paul Hackett always nice to have a talk to him.

As we head home the pager goes off to tell us the Blue-winged Teal has been seen at Ouse wash, so it would be rude not to go for it.

When we arrive we speak to a very nice lady who lets us take the car down to Stockdale hide as we had an old boy in the car

In the hide a few birders are looking for it already, but after over an hour we see no sign of it, then the shout comes from the far end of the hide that he may be on it.

So all scopes are on it but nobody can say for sure, it's ticking all the box's but no sign of a blue flash on the wing up till now, then it just swims out of sight for a minute, but it walks up onto the bank & Jimmy is on it as it opens it wing to reveal a blue stripe, so another lifer for two of us.

While here we see three Cranes walking about in the grass, so a great day with two lifers & three year ticks for me.

Thanks Dan

Dungeness no tick's but a nice day

We meet up with Brian at just after 5 o'clock & with nothing about within distance that we need to tick it's off to the old favourite Dungeness.
When we arrive we go up to the beach to look for the Black Tern, the place is alive with Gulls, we see a few Terns but no target bird.
We spend 3 hours here & for once it's not to cold so a nice time to be here, but the down side is no birds about. So we go to look for a Wood Sandpiper as I still need to tick one for the year, the pit is full of birds but no Wood sandpiper is found, we do get to see a few people that we know which is always nice.
So we head to Oare marsh for another try, once again it's full of birds mainly Bl-t Godwits over 500 at a guess,plenty of Avocets a few Green Sandpipers, a couple of Snipe that looked really nice with the sun on their backs.
Also two Little-r Plovers are seen, many Dunlin, one Black-necked Grebe is picked out, no sign of the target bird for me to tick today.

So no ticks today but a very pleasant few hour's birding, also to catch up with some familiar faces made it a really nice day.

Painted Lady

who you looking at

Small copper

Oare marsh some of the Godwits

Very calm Dungeness