Gull-billed Tern ( Lifer ) at Dungeness +

As we have been doing lately we head off to where Brian has been a day or so before, hate this not being able to go together in one car as we normally do.

We decided around 10 am to try for what would be a lifer for both of us as the Gull-billed Tern has been reported again on Arc pit, the weather report is not in our favour with a lot of rain about, but if you don't try you are not going to get anywhere, as Brian's blog says if you get out there you might just see something.

A trouble-free journey sees us arrive around noon.as we drive along Dungeness Road we see a small group are looking over Arc pit & look as if they might be on the Tern, so I drop Jimmy off so he can start scanning while I park the car further down off the road & get myself back up there to find Jimmy has the Lifer insight & I'm onto it straight away so well worth the 2-hour trip to get really great views as it flies up down the pit, we spend 20 minutes with the Gull before we get ourselves back to the car & off this dangerous road with very little grass verge to stand on & the cars are not going slow past us.

Off now for the Black-winged Stilt at the other end of the pit, the car park is open so we park in there & walk down to the screen.

The viewing screen is boarded up so so along with all the others we stand halfway up the bank & think this will be an easy year tick as it had been reported only a few minutes ago,2 hours later after getting a good soaking we manage to see the Stilt as it comes out onto the scrape along with some sunshine, so we have the two ticks we came for.

The Gull-billed Tern 

Brian texts to say he has just got a Quail not far from home in Hertfordshire so that's tomorrow booked up.

Lovely evening with the Nightjars.

We made a late decision to travel to the Brecks to get our annual Nightjar fix.
Setting off at 7pm we have arranged to meet up with Brian at Kings Forest around 9 30. Jimmy & I set off early so we could pop into Cavenham Heath as we need to tick Stone Curlew, arriving just after 8pm. Just before heading down the bumpy track, I got lucky when a Woodcock flew up from the grass verge & gave me a good year tick a bonus for me as Jimmy & Brian had seen the one at Titchwell that I missed.
So a good start to the evening, only a couple of fellows looking as we set about getting a look at any of these funny looking Stone-Curlew's.
It takes us nearly an hour before we find a group of four birds walking along in front of the grass mounds just in front of the fence posts, as we get the scope on them we see a family as two of the birds are babies with Mum & Dad, well pleased with that sighting.
Off now to meet up with Brian in the forest, keeping social distance in mind we meet up & wait for any sign of Nightjars.
It's great here as we only have to wait 20 minutes before we hear the churring of a few birds & a Nightjar flies right over our heads & lands in a big tree by the crossroads clearing, that gives us great views as it sits out in the open before flying off to be replaced by other Nightjars flying around us.
We get to hear more calling & clapping before another one comes & lands on the same tree & starts churring away.  ( lovely )
A Tawny Owl starts to call to give Jimmy & I a year tick, been really lazy here as we live only a mile or so away from Epping Forest & had been putting it off going to get the Owl ticked & then lockdown stopped everything, so a welcome tick here.
Off home now after a great evening with 4-year ticks to my list arriving home around midnight.

Brian the only one that took a camera.

Welcome trip to Minsmere.

I would have liked to join Brian at Minsmere on Tuesday but had a lot of work to get done in the garden so I made a decision to stay at home & watch the wife working on it,( only kidding).
Brian got 4-year ticks on his visit, so Jimmy & I set off at 5am to arrive at Dunwich Heath just before 7am only to find it all shut off.
Not to be put off we head down the road to Westleton Heath & start our search for our first Dartford Warbler of the year.
It's not easy to find or hear any but with some perseverance, we pick up a few calls & then get good views of a single bird a bit disappointing not to find more but it's a tick so a good start to the day.
With some directions from Brian, we head to Saunders hill that is not far past the little layby for Island Mere hide.
As soon as we get out of the car we hear the signing of the Iberian Chiffchaff as Brian said we would.
So another good year tick. On to Minsmere now, as you would expect with most of the reserve still closed, the car park only has 3 other cars parked up.
The only hide open was the public hide, so we headed along the beach stopping to scan a few times.
On reaching the hide we find only 2 other birders present so social distancing no problem.
On scanning the South scrape we find our first Little Gull along with many Sandwich Terns.
One of the fellows in the hide thinks he has the Roseate Tern but we are not too sure. So just the 4 ticks the same as Brian the day before gives us a good day's birding.
On leaving the hide we get to see at least 3 Dartford Warblers if we had known it could have saved us a trip to Westleton Heath but to be fair it's only up the road. Starting to feel like we are birding again, just waiting till we can all head off together in one car.

Red-footed Falcon at Fen Drayton Cambridgeshire.

It still feels funny not being able to go birding in one car, with Brian going on his own & Jimmy & I going to the same place in my car.
Brian went yesterday to Fen-Drayton & got to tick the Red-footed Falcon so of course, we had to get our fill of the bird.
We never left till 7 am & after a clear run we are parking up at Fen Drayton RSPB in Cambridgeshire inside an hour.
At first, we head off the wrong way but a call to Brian soon gets us on the right track.
It's a bit of a trot before we find a few birders standing up on the ridge by the busway overlooking the sheep field where we are told the bird had been seen but had flown off but had done that a few times before returning to this corner of the field that it seems to favour.
Sure enough after 10 minutes or so the Falcon returns to sit on some bare land behind a wire fence, it hangs about not moving much so a good scope view but it was at a distance. The bird takes off & we are treated to a lovely flight view as it passes near to us before heading away & very high.
A nice year tick for us & we also tick Willow Warbler & we see Hobby, Kestral, another Turtle Dove that is the third one this year we have seen or heard.

A long way off but a record shot.Red-footed Falcon.

A visit to Oare Marshes in Kent just what we needed.

After our visit to Ware in Hertfordshire yesterday we have the urge to travel a bit further today.
So Jimmy & I set off for Oare Marshes in Kent, it's not too far only 60 miles away.
It felt a bit strange to be heading out of the house at 5 am after so long of not being able to go birding.
With the roads clear it only takes an hour before we are pulling up at Oare.
Not sure what is about maybe a Garganey & we hope the Bonaparte may show. we set about scanning the flood, the water level is high so not a lot about, a few Blacktail Godwits, the odd Avocet, plus some Bearded Tits pinging away.
We head back up the road & head to the west side & scan the bushes & although we never got to see it we could hear a Turtle Dove purring away, this proves to be a bit disappointing not getting a view of the bird, we had already ticked one in Ilford before lockdown so not needed for a tick here but we did see that one. As we scan for the Dove a Barn Owl comes up right in front of us & we get a great display as it hunts the area, Brian would have loved that his camera would have been clicking non stop he loves a Barn Owl.
A walk around the flood on the eastside gets us a year tick when we find a Garganey on the bank with a few Mallard Ducks.
It's asleep but the head is visible & it gets up & moves a bit to preen before settling back down again.
So no swimming views but after so long not being to be out birding any view is a bonus.
We continue the walk around stopping to scan the mudflats in the hope that we might find the Bonaparte Gull, after 3 hours we give up looking & head off to a local cemetery for what we hope will be an easy tick.
On arrival, we park just outside the cemetery & walk down the main path & inside minutes we get to see a few Spotted Flycatchers flying down from the large trees & giving good views as they land on the gravestones all very nice.
After we had our fill of the Flycatchers we check to see if anybody had found the Bonaparte back at Oare, no news so we head back for home after a very welcome mornings birding again. Just waiting now for the time to come when the three of us can all head off birding in one car.

One of the Flycatchers

.

The Garganey

Brian's photo same place but 2 days earlier, Spotted Flycatcher

Marsh Warbler at Ware.

Brian shot off to Oare Marsh yesterday & that whets our appetite. So with the news of a Marsh Warbler in Ware, it doesn't take us long to make our minds up to head off to get a year tick & we have only seen two Marsh Warbler's before so an easy decision to make.
A quick text to tell Brian that we are going just in case he wants to meet us there & of course, he does.
It's only a 25-minute drive from home along the A10 & as we pull up to park Brian is already parking up.
A very short walk soon sees us meet up with 5 other birders also searching for the Warbler.
All keeping a safe distance we set about finding the bird.
First, we hear the Warbler singing away to give us hope of seeing it. Not long before we have our first sighting of the Marsh Warbler & in the hour we spend here we get another short view & then the bird sits out at the top of the bush to give a good prolonged view.
Just to be out birding again is a great feeling. And so nice to get the year list moving again.

The Marsh Warbler sitting out nice for us.