Nightingale + at Lea Valley.

A nice warm day on Saturday See's Jimmy & I head off to Fisher's Green as it was almost to the day last year when we got Nightingale.
The big difference if you go this year is you now have to pay to park. The first hour is free but it is £2 50p after that for the rest of the day, but you can not drive to any other car park without paying again fine for dog walkers not so good for us birders.
Soon after we arrive we hear the beautiful sound of the Nightingale & just past the gate down to the National Grid station we get a couple of nice views of a single bird, there is just something about seeing & hearing a nice early Nightingale that puts a spring into your step.
Walking on & going across the Bailey bridge we search the bracken & soon see a few Common Whitethroat & then set about finding Lesser w.t.Not to long before Jimmy picks up one calling & then we get a great view as it sits up high on a bush.
We never found any Garden Warbler but our first Cuckoo of the year is heard
On Monday we pay a quick visit to KGV Reservoir & pick up a couple of ticks when we see our first Swift of the year & then we get a fly over Yellow Wagtail for another tick.

Nightingale

Egyptian Goose also seen at Fishers

American Visitor at Carlton Marsh

5 am start for the three of us to head off to Carlton Marsh near Lowerstoft Suffolk in the hope of meeting up with the American Bittern. We arrive around seven am & park in the main car park.
It's then about a 20 minute walk along a fairly muddy track but not to bad, some birders are already here but not as many as I expected there to be. Just past the first gate we get our first tick of the day when a Grasshopper Warbler is found.
It's going to be a long four hour wait before we get any sign  of the lifer.
Around a hundred people had arrived by now, so we had many eyes looking for any sign of the bird. It was not looking good but the locals were not to worried & that's how it turns out when we see a few people running up the track but before we could join them the cry goes up bird in flight.
We get a really great short view of the Bittern as it flies across the front of us before dropping down into the reeds.
Everybody is now focused on the spot the bird had dropped into. But it was a long time before we get another sighting. It's found a long way up the track by the group looking there, a large group go charging up to join them & get another view as it walks across a channel between the reeds.
So well worth the long wait in the end.
While here we had 2 Common Cranes fly over & then get a year tick when a Whimbrel drops onto the scrape behind us.
Barn Owls are seen Quartering at both sides of the track & we get some great views of  Marsh Harriers nest building right in front of us & that helped pass the time while waiting for the main act.
On the way out we all pick up a tick when we get a Willow Warbler.
We stop off at Cavenham Heath & see a few Stone Curlew & also pick up another tick when we see  a few Woodlark as we head  up & down the track.

Really hard to get photos but Brian got this one 

Ring Ouzel at Walthamstow Wetlands

Friday morning nothing going on when a Ring Ouzel is found again at the Walthamstow wetlands so Jimmy & I are soon on the way, it's only 15 minutes from home so we are soon walking up to the bushes 20 yards or so before the bend where we saw the Little Bunting.
We only have to wait a short time before the Ouzel flies down off the bushes from behind us & lands on the grass right in front of us.
We get to spend a good hour watching the bird just walking about not troubled by us being there, it helped with only one other fellow watching with us.
A walk around the wetlands we get to see a few Brambling plus ten or so White Wagtails but never saw a single Yellow Wag. We needed that for a year tick.
A few Egyptian Geese walk about on the paths as we walk around but no other year ticks are seen.
The wetlands have had a few good birds over the last few weeks with the long staying Little Bunting, Bluethroat plus a Hoopoe for a day & now the Ouzel, Looking forward to coming back here.
On the way home we pop into the KGV Reservoir & see our first Swallow of the year & then we find 6 or so Arctic Terns for another tick.
A single Little Gull flies towards us but it's not needed for a tick but still nice to see.

Dull start on wet day but turns out well at Oare.

We set off at 5 am on a wet morning destination Dungeness. It rains nearly all the way & when we arrive it's up to the hide on the beach where the visibility is very poor. A few Gannets some Aulks offer a poor return but I do pick up a tick when a few Sandwich Tern fly close in, a few Porpoise show well but it's not worth getting to wet for what is on offer.
A look around from the car gets us our first Wheatear of the year by the lifeboat station but that was the only one we found.
A drive down the track to the reserve gets us another year tick when we hear several Sedge Warbler & a couple show on the drive down.
Not wanting to get to wet we stay in the car & head off to Oare for another look for the Dowitcher.
We spend a fair while searching from the sea wall but it's not looking good & Brian & Jimmy started to walk back but I was talking to a nice couple from Chelmsford so I had to get a move on to catch them up & when I do they have found a Little owl so knowing that the pair I had just left wanted to see the Owl we turn to signal to them only to find that they were doing the same to us as they had found the Long -billed Dowitcher, so it's back we go & sure enough the bird was on an island on east flood with loads of Godwits a bit tucked down but no doubt that was our bird ,so thanks Tina & Doug in return they got to see the Owl on the way back.
As always we have to pop into Elmley & find a lot of water so loads of birds walking about mainly Redshank & lapwing but we see 5 Snipe a few Skylark & we get to watch the Marsh Harriers building a nest.Unfortunately no Yellow Wagtails are found.

Just a few shots of the many Redshanks

A couple of the many Hares that were running about

Well it was there so why not.

Minsmere & Landguard gets me 2 ticks.

With the weather looking grotty all around,we take a chance that Minsmere is going to be nicer than most places & as it turns out we miss all the rain & have a cold but rather pleasant day.
On arrival we head down to the North hide & start the search for the 2 Jack Snipe seen here yesterday.
It takes an hour but we find both of them not to far out from the hide but they stay in the long grass just showing from time to time, it's a good view in the scope when they do move about so a nice start with a year tick for all 3 of us.
We walk all the way around the reserve over the next few hours & see loads of Med Gull, 2 Redhead Smew a single Knot & all the usual stuff but no more ticks are seen despite spending time in the Bittern hide they never show for us today.
On the way out of the reserve we take a quick look at the Glossy Ibis that has been around for ages,not needed for a tick but we always have to stop to watch this funny bird.
We call in at Hazlewood common for another look at the Redpolls & get some good views of the Coues's plus Common & Mealy as they fly from the bushes on to the onion field,this is our third visit here & they never disappoint.
A quick stop off at Landguard on the way home gets Jimmy & myself a good year tick when we find 2 Purple Sandpipers on the rocks by the pier.

The 2 Purple Sandpipers

A distant record shot

Left it to late, Bluethroat gets away.

We had all week to go to Landguard or Dungeness to look for the Bluethroats that had landed there but with the bad weather it never happened.
Then on Friday one is reported at Walthamstow wetland centre only a few miles away but we make another big mistake when we wait to see if it was still there on Sat morning & of course it wasn't.
So one gets reported at Dungeness on Saturday when once again we couldn't go, but we meet up on Sunday with Brian & arrive at Dungeness at first light.
Only 2 other birders were looking along the channel at DengeMarsh gully for the Bluethroat but had not seen any sign.
We spend around 3 hours looking along the Gorse bushes where we see many, many Firecrest to give us a year tick & the odd Goldcrest along with some Chiffchaff  for another tick but no sign of the target bird.
When we decide to head off a small crowd of 30 or more were searching but it turns out to be in vain with no further sign of the Bluethroat, so our own fault ,hope to be quicker off the mark next time.
A drive down to the lighthouse gets us more Firecrest. So a quick look  up on the beach gets us a year tick when we find 2 Black Redstart over the power station wall. Sandwich Terns seen but not by me.
Off home but as usual on the way we pop into Elmley where we see a single Dunlin loads of Lapwing & Redshank, Marsh Harriers,a nice pair of Peregrine display,but nothing that we needed for a tick but it's always nice to spend some time here.

One of the many Firecrest

The single Dunlin

Redshank

In the Lighthouse garden

Snowy Owl ( Lifer ) at Snettisham.

Brain wanted to head to Norfolk on Saturday for the Snowy Owl, but I had family commitments so he waited for me to go on Sunday  which was greatly appreciated as the Snowy would be a lifer for me, Brian & Jimmy had seen the one in 2001 at Felixstowe.
An early start gets us to Thornham Harbour where the bird had been seen a few times at around 7am, but it was very quite with just a couple of birders & not much else,so we shoot off & after a short stop at Hunstanton Cliffs for a year tick when we see a few Fulmar's it's off to Titchwell to look for the Snowy.
Another tick arrives with a Yellowhammer, then a Med Gull adds to my list, later a Rock Pipit makes it a good 4 year ticks, but after walking up to the beach to join loads of people it's not looking good for the Snowy today.
We have a look around  the reserve in the hope news might come through of the Owl showing somewhere near. A look along the channels for Red-crested Pochard is very disappointing with a no show having just spoken to Ray who had told us that there was 8 about.
While thinking about heading  back to the car a fellow has news that the Snowy had been seen at Snettisham,, , a large fleet of cars were soon heading there, it had not come onto our pager until we were nearly there.
With the car parked in the small car park it is going to be a long long walk & at speed it was not easy.
The bird is reported as sitting on a mound behind the shore hide & that is as far as you can walk at this reserve not helped by the dread that the bird might decide to head off.
Thank God as we arrive red faced & aching legs the Snowy is in full view & only 80 or so yards away.
What a cracking 1st winter female for a lifer, the bird is very much awake turning his head from time to time & watching the now very large crowd of over 200 people. On the way back Geoff B passes us at pace on the way to get his tick, nearly didn't recognise him with a new hat.
 What a cracking day.
                                               

Brian with thumbs up on my Lifer.

Cracking bird the Snowy

The Snowy Owl

Part of the very large crowd