Nightingale & Grasshopper Warbler at Lea Valley

Just Jimmy & I take a quick trip over Fishers Green looking for Whitethroat & Nightingale & maybe Grasshopper Warbler.
We park up & take the path towards the sub station, as we get to the start by the gate we hear a very short burst of song of a Nightingale, it's only a couple of notes but it tells us that it's here.
A walk  round to the  scrub in search of any new arrivals gets us a reeling Grasshopper
Warbler, we hear it on & off over the next 10 minutes but never got to see any sign of it.unfortunately there is nothing else seen over the short time we are here.
With hardly anything moving about we head back to the car & when we reach the gate the Nightingale is singing away for a much longer burst of song, such a lovely song to listen to. We always look forward to hearing the first Nightingale over here, given another week there will be a lot more about so we will be back to hopefully see some & hear a lot more singing.
So another couple of ticks for the year & only 20 minutes from home.



                                                               

Nightingale ( last years photo )

Ring Ouzels East Mersea.

Once again we meet up with Brian at 5am not knowing where to go.We decide on Landguard because it's not to far & a Black Redstart has been seen most days over the last week & we seem to be finding it hard to find one having dipped a few times at Dungeness & Landguard over the last few weeks.
On arrival it is a lot colder than we anticipated, wrapped up against the wind we walk the grass & see at least 20 Wheatear walking about, a few Ringed Plover show & we manage to pick out a single Little ringed Plover for a year tick.
After walking & searching for a fair while we see no sign of the Redstart & we make the decision to go to Mersea Island where two Ring Ouzels have been reported again today.
Once on the Island we drive down East Mersea Rd till we reach the Golf house & head to the sea wall & walk along to the second Paddock.
A small group tell us that the Ouzels have been about but had flown into the trees at the back of the field, it's half an hour before they return, we then spend the next 3 hours watching them come & go into the Paddock.
Our first Yellow Wagtail & Swallow give us another two year ticks while here.
Before heading home we pay a quick visit to Abberton but apart from seeing another Little ringed Plover not to much about. Off home now with four ticks in the bag.


                                                           

Yellow Wagtail

Mersea Island Ouzel

Stone Curlew +1st Cuckoo+ Woodlark

Not to sure where to go when we set off, all we know is we don't want to go to far.

Sudbury to look for the White Stork is decided on. We find the paddock on Joe's road Sackers Green & spend an hour searching but we don't see any sign of the bird, so it's off to see if we can find any Stone Curlew at Cavenham Heath & we know we will get a year tick as we always find Woodlark there.

It takes only five minutes to spot two Stone Curlew out in the open to get great scope views of this funny bird.

As I said a few Woodlark are seen on both sides of the track a year tick for Jimmy & I.

On parking up we walk over the heath & find loads of Willow Warbler plus a few Stonechat & more Woodlark.

Then as we walk about in the sunshine we hear our first Cuckoo of the year & then get to see the bird not far away from us sitting in a tree always nice to see.

Santon Downham next up in search of Lesser- spotted Woodpecker, we hear a couple calling from both sides of the river but get no sighting of the bird but I do get a tick when a flock of Redpoll fly over. Nice to see Steve Grimwade & his party while here.

                                                             

Cuckoo

Woodlark

Grey Partridge

Cuckoo

Black-winged Stilt at Vange Marsh RSPB

Having missed last weeks Stilts at Bowers & Vange Jimmy & I are pleased to see that 4 Black-Winged Stilts are reported at Vange this morning & we head off straight away.
It's only around 30 miles from home & we get a nice clear run so we are soon looking at another year tick when we pick them out within minutes of arrival.
There are 4 birds here but we only picked out 2 of them as the other two are round the bend we are told by some other birders.
Jimmy also picks out 2 Common Snipe & a Jack Snipe not needed for a tick but always nice to see one bobbing away. So a nice start to the weekend for us a real bonus.

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Six ticks & good day at Dungeness.

On the way to Dungeness by 5am See's us set off in fine weather but as we cross the bridge & head into Kent it gets a bit foggy & it hangs around till around 8 am, so we delay going up to the beach & drive around & pick out our first Wheatear of the year & a pair of Raven give us another year tick by the moat but we get no sign of any Black Redstart.
With the sun now burning of the fog it's up to the beach where we soon pick out a few Sandwich Tern & Brian gets us on a single Common Tern a real good spot that one among the hundreds of Gulls over the patch.Many Porpoise show with the sea being so calm it was easy to spot them as they broke surface.
A drive to New Diggings gets jimmy & I a year tick when we spot a pair of Black-necked Grebe.A single Great-white Egret is spotted before we head down to the visitor centre stopping on the way to get another look at the long staying Ring-necked Duck in the pool by the farm, on the drive down we hear our first Sedge Warbler & then see one flutter up for a sighting we hear more as the day goes on.
A quick look over the dipping pool gets us another look at the Long-eared Owl before it's off to Elmley to finish off the day.      
                                             

Long-eared Owl

The Ring-necked duck

Red flanked Bluetail

Brian was owed another day off work so we get a call to meet up at 5 am on Monday morning & head off to Titchwell.
On route it's a stop off at Wolferton to tick the Golden Pheasant for this year, we never saw it but heard it call many times in the half hour that we gave ourselves to see it.
On arrival at Titchwell we walk the boardwalk at Meadow trail where a small group of birders were looking for the Bluetail.
As we walk towards them the call comes that the Bluetail was showing , so within a few minutes all three of us see the Red flanked Bluetail for a good year tick. No photos as in the woods to deep with no light & it never stayed still long enough with Robins chasing it off every time it came in to feed. A quick walk around the reserve gets Jimmy & I a year tick when a flock of Knot fly in & land in front of the hide, we also get a tick when we see 7 Red crested Pochard.
Off now to New Holkham & Blunts corner to get another look at the Pallid Harrier & Brian soon picks it out sitting in the lower field, we get some other birders onto it as they had never seen one & I know how that feels after the trouble I had finding one myself.
Five Red Kites are seen in the area before we leave.
An hours search for a Shrike proves a waste of our time, we didn't need it for a tick but they are always nice to see & photograph. A stop off at Lynford where we see 5 Crossbill down by the bridge along with Marsh Tit,Coal Tit,Nuthatch,Brambling,Reed Bunting,Treecreeper. No luck with Hawfinch for us but people that we spoke too had seen them by the feeders.

Red crested Pochard

The female

Crossbill

Bittern, Spoonbill,Pomarine Skua. Suffolk.

Brian phones to say he has a rare Saturday off, so it's off for another visit to Suffolk after Jimmy & I visited on Tuesday.
Landguard is visited first but not to much about with no sign of any Black Redstart or any early Wheatear both have been seen here this week.
Many Linnets & a few Chiffchaff are seen also six Ringed Plover greet us up by the beach.
We get a bonus tick when a large container ship comes into dock with many Gulls following it in. Brian then picks out a Pomarine Skua amongst them & gets us onto it.
Off to Iken to see if Brian can get a tick with the Cattle Egret that Jimmy & I had ticked on Tuesday.
This time we get no sight of the target bird & leave with the intention of trying again before we go home.
Must call into Minsmere being so close. Once inside Island Mere hide we see displaying Marsh Harriers putting on a great show.
At least 7 Goosander  are seen & a few Bearded Tits are seen with a lot more being heard.
On the walk up towards the Bittern hide an Adder is spotted enjoying the early morning sun.
Once in the Bittern hide it is not long before we have another year tick when we have a quick flight view of a Bittern as it drops into the reeds in front of the hide.
Another trip back to get Brian a tick with the Cattle Egret  is a waste of time with it not showing again,means he will have to make another trip to see if he can find it.

Bittern ( not yesterday's bird )

Linnet

another 

Greylag by the hide ( why not )