Nightingales at Abberton Essex.

It's time to spend some time with the Abberton Nightingales, so we leave home around 5 am & arrive just after 6 am.

Brian drops us off at the entrance to the visitor center and then parks the car down on the causeway. ,

He then joins us in walking the line of trees at the side of the reserve entrance, where we soon hear the wonderful sound of several male Nightingale.

Then we get a great view of one as it shows out in the open for a long time what a nice bonus that was. Nice to get some other people onto the bird as they had never seen a Nightingale and a pleasure to see their response. 

Off round to Lodge lane viewpoint to look for a couple of Ring Ouzel that had been seen there.

It turns out to be harder than we expected as they were a long way from the screen and also in the long grass-feeding down by the edge of the reservoir, we are told that they have been seen on and off over the morning so just a case of patience we hope. It is nearly an hour before we get a flight view and then the 2 males show out in the open for a short time, a good year tick and we also get a tick with a couple of Yellow Wagtails show back on the track.

One last look down on the causeway gets us a tick with Common Tern show well.

A nice morning and only an hour from home.

The Nightingale

Two poser Terns

Common Tern

One of the Yellow Wagtails

New scrape at Tilbury gets visit from a Temminck's Stint.

News that a Temminck's Stint had been seen at East Tilbury in Essex, was all we needed to head off there for a year and an Essex tick. 

After parking in the fort car park, we take the sea wall path down to the new scrape.

The first time we have been to Tilbury since the new scrape was opened. I must say it looks as if it will attract some good birds.

It's a biggish scrape so we spread out at different points around it to search for the Temminck's.   It took an hour before Brian was the one to find it 3/4 of the way along the scrape on a shingle island.

The bird gives good scope views as it walks along the edge of the water but is not near enough for good photos. Also on the shingle, we spot at least 4 Little-ringed Plovers and just one Med Gull. Only one tick here but it's a good one. 

Nice to get a tick in our own county of Essex and only a few miles from home, and I am sure we will be back before long as this scrape is looking great.

On the way home, we pay a very quick visit to Rainham as we had to drive past the reserve.

The only year tick we get is Sedge Warbler, so not much but another year tick is good.

The Tilbury Temminck's

Lesser Scaup at Abberton reservoir.

The Lesser Scaup was reported on Sunday at Abberton reservoir but we couldn't go for it.

On Monday Brian asks if we want to go for it and we meet up with him just before eight am.

It's an easy short drive of just over an hour.

We all need the bird for an Essex tick. As we head towards Lodge lane we spot the group of 

Cattle Egrets are in the sheep field at the top of the road on the way down to the causeway. They are over the back of the field so don't stop for any photos, we find Lodge lane and park in a small lay-by and walk down to scan the water for the target bird. we think we have found it but it's hard to be sure, so we head round to the first viewing screen where we meet up with 5 other birders and we soon pick out the Lesser Scaup among dozens of Tufted and 3 Greater Scaup and 4 Pochard plus a couple of hybrids. Off now to the farm to see if anything is about like Yellow Wagtail, no luck but 2 Spoonbill fly over and head towards Layer-Breton.

We head back to see if we can find where they had landed, no luck in that, but we see 2 Great White Egret and some Goldeneye plus a single Green Sandpiper.

While here we get another year tick as 3 Swallows pass overhead, the boys also saw a Sand Martin that I missed.

Before heading home we find and spend some time with 2 Little-ringed Plover, such a cracking little bird to watch.  

The Lesser Scaup

One of the Little Ringed Plovers