Lesser Scaup at Staines Reservoir + Jack Snipe Lemsford Springs.

With only a few hours to spare on Sunday morning, the three of us head up the M25 to visit Staines Reservoir in the hope of meeting up with the Lesser Scaup. We arrive around 8 am and park not far from the entrance.

The Scaup is visible as soon as we arrive, a birder put us onto it but it's not a great view, so we head up the ramp and join a group of eight others.

It's not much of a better view, the bird is asleep most of the time we were there. It swims with a large group of Pochards but is easy to pick out of the group. It's a grey old morning so no real photos of the Scaup at that distance.

We didn't hang about too long as we wanted to pop up to Lemsford springs for the Jack Snipe. When we arrive we find the gate has been left open as a lot more people want to visit and they only have 4 keys it makes sense to just leave it open. We go to the second hide and find one of the three Jack Snipe immediately. It's on a small mound with a Common Snipe, allowing great views of the two species alongside each other.

The Lesser Scaup over the left side.

Lemsford Jacksnipe

We eventually found all 3 Jack snipe in front of the hide. 

The warden is in the hide and gives us the story of one of the 14 Green Sandpipers that keep returning here, one is 12 years old and is the oldest one in the world and they tracked it flying to Norway in 24 hours and finding an old nest to roost in. He also told us one of the Little Egrets is the most recorded in the world with 600 reports. He has been the warden here for years and is very interesting to listen to.

Eldernell Owls and Holkham plus Pallid Harrier.

On Sunday the three of us set off for a long day of birding. First up we head to Cambridgeshire to look for the Owls at Eldernell in Peterborough.

With the car parked, we start to walk along the grass bank, 5 Cranes fly across, and later a few more go the same way. Jimmy then picks out 4 more feeding over by the trees.

After a short walk, we meet a couple of birders who tell us the Long-eared Owl is in the brambles in front of us, we watch from the top of the bank so as not to disturb the bird but get really great views of the Owl.

We are on a mission so it's off down to the small copse on the right-hand side where we soon find the Tawney Owl perched in a tree that was just set back a bit.

You had to look hard to find the Owl as it was in a hole about 8 feet up from the ground, but once on it what a great view of these wonderful birds. Jimmy and I pick up a few ticks when a group of Fieldfare land in a tree and a Green Woodpecker flies over.

A Merlin and a Peregrine are seen while we are here, and then a real bonus arrives when a male Hen Harrier shows, what a great sight when you get lucky enough to see one these days.

On the way back to the car we all get a year tick when we see a Kingfisher sitting on the river bank. I love this place and will be back soon.

It's an hour's drive now as we head to Holkham to make up for not being able to get near the place on new year's day, Lady Ann's drive was shut and packed out so we gave it a miss then.

On arrival. we start to look for any Grey Partridge and stop to ask a group if they had them in sight, they say no but have a Long-billed Dowitcher right in front of them. This is the nearest we have been to one of these birds, so a great start and it gets better when we find a few Grey Partridge just before the tea room.

Off now for the long walk down to the roped-off area along the beach where we find the Shorelarks and about 30 Snow Bunting. A walk up to the sea is a waste of time so it's back to the car for a drive to Wareham Greens for another search for the Pallid Harrier that we were not sure of seeing on the first day of the year.

This time we drive up the lane and park on the concrete pad, it's not too bad a walk to reach the place to view the bird. After an hour we get a sighting of the Harrier as it flies low along the back trees. we would like a better view so we hang about till after 4 o'clock when the bird flies over our heads and comes in to roost, still, no perched views but good enough for another year tick. A really nice but long day out bird watching with a good number of year ticks.

The Long-eared Owl

The Tawny Owl

Long-billed Dowitcher at Holkham

Holkham Shorelarks and Snow Buntings

Some of the Grey Partridge at Holkham

Long-billed Dowitcher again.

Dungeness & Waxwings ( Ipswich )

 The boys and I head off to Dungeness in Kent for our first visit of the new year.

Up on the beach, we have to shield ourselves at the side of the hide to protect ourselves from the very strong wind and it is very cold, we are the only people there and we soon find out why. We are only after year ticks but apart from a few Gannets, Kittiwake, and the odd Razorbill and Guillemot all needed for year ticks, we hang around for a short while but nothing else was seen.

We shoot around to the farm by the entrance to the reserve and pick out a Glossy Ibis for another tick. A large flock of Bewick's plus  3 Whooper Swans were also seen around the back roads but no sign of any Cattle Egret.

On the way home, we pop into Lynford and tick Marsh and Coal Tit, but never saw any Hawfinch so a big disappointment also we found out that the feeding station by the big gate is no longer there a big letdown and something we looked forward to when visiting here.

Off home on a very cold and a bit of a rubbish birding day, but a few ticks so not all bad.

Waxwings in Ipswich )

We hear about a flock of Waxwings in Ipswich and we meet up with Brian and arrive at Blanche st just as it was getting light, only a short street so no problem finding the small Rowan tree that they were feeding on.

It's about an hour before we find the 7 birds on a large tree behind the houses down a short alleyway. They fly onto the Rowan tree on and off but not stopping on the tree for any length of time but a good year tick and well worth the trip.

We now try for the Palla's Warbler at Swalecliffe, we park the car and it is only a short walk to the bushes where the Palla's has been seen. After a couple of hours, all we get is a couple of short calls but never had any sighting of the bird so no tick there.

A walk up to the foreshore gets us a single tick where we see 20 or so Ringplover, but no sign of the reported Purple Sandpiper.

One of the Waxwings

5 of the 7 birds

A few local trips.

I join the boys for a couple of trips to the KGV reservoir in Chingford, it's only 20 minutes away from home and a good place for us to pick up some ticks over the year.

First up we spot a Red-necked Grebe to add to the year list. Work is going on up by the north basin so it means we have to walk around the long way to head up to the north basin where we are told a Great-Northern Diver and a Slav Grebe have been seen.

As we head up a Greenfinch shows well for a good tick, we head on to the north basin and that is a long walk and we don't find the diver or the Grebe, it starts to rain and gets heavy so of home. Jimmy and I return 2 days later and face the same long walk but this time we find the Great-northern Diver and the Slav Grebe plus 6 Goosanders,3 nice ticks. we also saw a Black Redstart.

In between the two KGV visits Jimmy and I drove to Strawberry pond in Epping Forest which is only a couple of miles from my house, we now have to pay to park on a muddy bit of land that only has space for 4 cars but that's where we know we will get to see Mandarin duck, we see some as soon as we arrive so we head into the forest and tick Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Goldcrest and also Great-spotted Woodpecker, 5 good year ticks makes it a good morning visit. 

Now we drive a few miles to Lee valley to look for the Bittern that has made its home there,

The Bittern is seen as soon as we arrive in the lovely new hide, we spend a good hour with the bird and it was visible the whole time we spent there.

On the 7th Jan Brian calls to say he is off to Lemsford springs where we always get Green Sandpiper and we find 7 of them along with 6 Little Egrets we had already ticked them but nice to see them just in front of the hide. A Jay was ticked while here. It's off to a new reserve for me not far away called Watercress n  reserve, what a cracking little place.

It's only a small reserve but we see Bullfinch, Redpoll, and Siskin plus a couple more ticks.

The year tick list has gone up to 101 now.

Lee Valley Bittern

Nice catch

Epping Forest Mandarin 

The KGV Red-necked Grebe

First day of the new year we head to Norfolk

We meet up at 5 am to start our new year list and to tick as many birds as we can, it's off to Norfolk and that takes around two hours. 

As we near Hunstanton we get the first tick of the new year when we spot a Barn Owl sitting on a post and then a few minutes later we find another one to get off to a good start to the day.

On arrival at Hunstanton, it is still fairly dark as we pull into the car park, 3 Oystercatchers are seen on the grass and it's only a short time before we spot Fulmar and some Gulls allowing us to move on to Titchwell.

It is dull and very cold and not many people are about,  we walk up to the beach ticking anything as we go. On the beach, all the normal stuff is ticked but the sea is very quiet the only thing really seen to tick was Red-breasted Merganser.

On the feeders, I pick out a Bramling that was nice.

Now we head to Brancaster where after an hour we hear and then get a few good views of a 

Hume's leaf Warbler. and we also meet up with some birders that we know and that is always nice. 

Now it's off to Holkham and we stop to scan from the gate overlooking the fresh marsh, the IOW White-tailed Eagle is seen sitting on a dead tree to give great views and also seen the very pale Common Buzzard that people have been calling a Rough-legged Buzzard but has been identified as a really light Common Buzzard so no tick there. White-fronted Goose and Pink foot seen and 3 Bewick Swan drop in while here.

We head along the road to Lady anns drive but it is packed and the car park is shut, so we head off to Stiffkey and walk the really muddy path it seems a lot longer walk, and it is cold, a female Hen Harrier is seen but not the reported Male.

Marsh Harrier ticked but a very distant view of what we think is the Pallid Harrier is just not close enough to be sure so no tick. I end up with 77 ticks for the day not the best total but a rubbish sort of a day with the weather so not too bad.