Gunners park Essex for Serins

The day started well for Jimmy & myself when 4 Redpoll come into our garden & land on our feeders to give us a year tick, this goes along with the male Blackcap that came to see us in the garden a couple of days ago.
We get to 10 o'clock & the pager tells us that a Serin was still showing at the northeast end of the main car park at Gunners park near Southend in Essex, it's only a short trip for us, so we give a quick call to see if Brian can get home from work to come with us & he tells us to meet him at 10.45 inside an hour we pull into the park main car park.
The signs are not good when we are told that the bird has not been seem for a long time despite there being a fair number of people looking for it.
We head up to the beach just to have a look around & hope that the Serin had moved down that way, not much doing so we head back up to the main group of birders & get lucky when we see the bird on a bush & it is joined by a second bird to give really great views to us all.
After the birds flew off to another part or the park we head off to Westcliff & see at least 10 Med Gulls for a year tick, we also see hundreds of Dunlin, a few Turnstone, Redshank &,Sandling also seen.
Before we go home it's off to Wallasea where we see the best view of a Rough-legged Buzzard that we have ever had. A Short-eared Owl puts in a brief appearance.
A very large flock of Linnets pass over head, Corn bunting also about.

Med Gulls

It starts to snow & it's not very nice so it's off home with 3 ticks for the day in the bag.

Just a bad record shot

Surf scoter( Wrabness )

With it only being an hour from home it's about time that we made the effort to head to Bradfield for the Surf scoter.

We park up at the side of the road & take the track down Shore lane, Lot's of mud & water as we walk down to the estuary.

A scan of the estuary gets us some Grebes & Avocet,Grey plover,Ringed-plover,many Dunlin & Lapwing a few Oyster catcher plus some Mergansers but the Scoter is not showing, so after giving it some time the cold weather gets to us & we decide to head to Wrabness for another look further round the estuary,after parking in the reserve car park we head down  the  path to the hide.

A couple of fellows that we see from time to time are here but  did not have the Scoter.

Within minutes Brian gets us all onto it for a nice year tick for us & a lifer for one of the other fellows, no sign of Little stint that had been reported as here.

On the way back to the car we get a tick when we see at least 4 Bullfinches.
Off now to Abberton & from Layer Breton causeway Jimmy gets us onto a Bittern & it drops down into the edge of the reeds to give a nice long view of it. Also 3 Smew 2 of them Drakes show at a distance, a few Goldeneye are spotted, on one of the Islands many Snipe are tucked into the bank.
Greylag Geese are everywhere but we don't pick out the 5 White-fronted that had been seen while we had been over at the other Causeway. The boys picked out a Sparrowhawk for a tick but I had to wait till the journey home to get one for my tick.
Only a short trip on a freezing morning gets 3 more ticks & back home nice & early.

The only time the camera came out today.

Goldeneye

Nice morning at Lynford Arboretum nets 5 ticks.

Hawfinch is the target bird today, so it's off too Lynford for a stroll around the Arboretum.

It's a cold but bright morning as we head down towards the Paddock, Jimmy gets us onto a single Hawfinch for some really good scope views once we all managed to get on to it.

It turns out to be the only one that we see today, so we got lucky.

It's off further  down to the first bridge where we find it full of Coal tit & Marsh tit also about 1/2 dozen Nuthatch & the odd Treecreeper & while looking along the river a Kingfisher flies up & then back down to give Jimmy & myself a good show.

Going back up to the car we see a large flock of Siskin to go along with the Hawfinch & Marsh tit to give us all 3 year ticks, that turns into 4 when we pick out a Grey Wagtail up by the big gates, we are told by some locals that Crossbills had not been seen this year yet, so with Brian having already picked himself out a Brambling he offers to drive us to Santon Downham as a fellow birder had told us that we would more than likely pick them up just off the car park.

Within minutes we had got another year tick, & it turns out to be a really nice place to visit. (Bonus).

Just to finish the day off we pick out the Great-grey Shrike just a bit further along the same road, not needed for a tick but always nice to see these very accommodating birds.

Brambling

Treecreeper

The Shrike sitting out

Marsh tit

Quick visit to Wallasea gets 4 year ticks

With only a few hours to spare this morning we head to Wallasea knowing that we would get a few year ticks.
The first bird seen was an Owl heading over the A12 from Bedfords park towards a woods on the over side of the road it's called as a Long-eared but as we are not certain its not given a tick,the location makes us pretty sure but it's only just a quick view in the half light.
At Wallasea it is very cold  with the wind cutting right through us, Brian & myself still climb the bank to scan the area for Greenshank, Brian gets to hear one call but I never heard it & we didn't see any so it's a very short stay up on the bank & we are glad to get back to the car to get warm.
Rough-legged Buzzard shows over the back to give us at least 4 already seen this year.
A large flock of Corn Bunting gives us the first year tick of the day, Linnet flocks also seen.
A nice Merlin is picked out sitting on an open patch of grass & then a Hen Harrier gives us another 2 ticks.
A few Stonechat are seen for tick number 4 of the day.
Off home now as this was a very quick visit & I must say I was not to upset as it was really a very cold place today. 123 ticks up till now.

Quick visit for the Slavonian Grebe at Wanstead

Slavonian Grebe

With the Slav Grebe reported to be still about on a pool in Wanstead Park Jimmy & I set off to find it for another year tick, it's only 6 miles from home so no long driving to do.
On arrival we are onto the Slav within seconds, a nice looking bird that comes over from the back of the pool to give us a nice close look at it & although a dull sort of day we get the camera out for some nice photos of a great little bird.
A text to Brian see's him tick the bird as well.
We meet up with Keith a friend of Harry & Barry & he tells us Harry has not been to good of late, we wondered why we had not bumped into them lately, so if you read this blog Harry glad to hear you are on the mend & hope to bump into you sometime soon.

Slavonian Grebe

Lovely Norfolk trip.

An early start on a cold misty morning as we head to Wolferton for another look for the Golden Pheasant, many trips around the triangle with a few stops to just wait for it to show proof to be in vain, so after an hour we give up an set off to Titchwell, on the way we pay a quick visit to Thornham as a flock of Twite  were about.
They are seen within minutes a group of maybe 60 or more, while watching them a Rock Pipit lands on a post in front of us.
A scan of the area gets us some Grey & Golden Plover, also many Knot & Sanderling & a Red-breasted Merganser shows.
Brent Geese & Skylark also seen, been here once before a cracking little place that we will visit again soon, a nice start to the day after dipping on the Pheasaant.
Twitchwell now & Water Rail ticked just after we leave the cafe area.
It is now a very nice day, with no wind at all, crisp but bright as we walk up to the beach.
Not to much out on the sea with it being so calm, on the pools Bar & Blacktail Godwit, Snipe, Avocet,& from the hide a Water Pipit gives us a nice early year tick. A few Bearded Tits seen on the walk back. A really nice day spent here with a few year ticks picked up.
Off now to Choseley where Fieldfare & Mistle Thrush are ticked.
At Holme a flock of 20 Snow Bunting are seen with a big flock of Linnets 60 or more seen, but the reported Lapland Bunting not seen.
The last place we visit on this trip is Burnham Overy & park just by the side of the road, lucky to get parked as there are a lot of people here.
We get well rewarded when we see 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Short-eared Owls & then 2 Rough-legged Buzzard all within a short distance of each other.
Also seen on the trip Pinkfooted Goose, Red-legged Partridge & we bumped into Nevill who we had not seen for some time so that was nice.

A few of the Twite

Epping Forest adds 16 ticks.

Jimmy & I spend a couple of hours at Connaught Waters in Epping Forest, we know that we will be able to tick Manarin Duck that was the the main reason for the visit & we spot a pair in by the bank of the  Island on arrival, as it turned out they were the only ones we saw,
A walk in the forest we see a flock of Long-tailed Tits & a couple of Coal Tits, then we spot a Goldcrest, a Jay shows along with Great spotted Woodpecker, we hang around this spot & we see at least 3 Tree creepers & A few Nuthatch show well.
As we walk back onto the path an Egyptian Goose swims bye for another tick for us.
Just a quick visit but a very  pleasant couple of hours spent on a warm sunny morning.
A stop on the way home over our local fields to see if the Little Owl was sitting out in the sunshine, but it did not show but we pick up a Redwing & a Song Thrush plus Ring-neck Parakeet & sitting on the field a Green Woodpecker.
As we walk home we get Dunnock & Greenfinch & a look out of my Garden gives  me the final tick of the day with a Collared Dove on the feeder.
So another 16 ticks & all within 15 minutes of home to take me to 90 & maybe a Norfolk visit on Sunday to look forward too,( lovely)

Off we go again 2015, not a bad start in Kent.

A change of plan today as we set off to Kent instead of Norfolk knowing that we would probably be down a few birds but the thinking was to get some ticks with birds that may not hang about to long.
First up it's the  beach at Dungeness, the wind was really blowing & it felt really cold so a welcome sight to find the hide open with only one fellow inside it.
It was still pretty dark but we hung about & soon we had a few Gannets, Razorbill, Guillemot, 3 Fulmar, some Red-throated Divers, a single Common Scoter plus a lot of Gulls.
On Arc Pit 2 Great-white Egret's, as we head to Walland Marsh & pick out many Bewick Swan's but miss out on the single Whooper reported to be with them.
4 Bean Geese are seen with them, as we only saw them a week ago a nice early tick this year.same with the 2 Cattle Egret's also only seen a short time ago another nice tick for the new year.
On to the Reserve to pick up 5 Redhead Smew but miss out on the single Male seen with them.
While here we see 3 Kingfishers putting on a good show for us, 2 Bittern show up over the back with one giving a good flight display for us, Goosander  also spotted here along with a nice male Pintail.
Next stop is Scotney Pit where we see Black-necked Grebe & Scaup.
We set off to Chilham & see the Great- grey Shrike sitting on the wires as we turn into the road so a nice quick tick without getting out of the car.
There is just about enough light left in the day for a very quick drive to Elmley to get the only Redshank we saw all day, plenty of Lapwing & a couple of Kestral along with a few Ruff to add to the day list.
A little down on last years first day with 74 birds seen, so the gamble to go to Kent I think was worth taking with some nice birds seen to start the year off with. so a very happy new year to all the birding
community & I hope you all enjoy this great hobby in 2015 & don't get to many dips

One of the Cattle Egrets