Nice morning birding in Hertfordshire

Jimmy's birthday so we decide to celebrate it with a trip around Hertfordshire at various sites birding the day away.
First up we pay a visit to Startops Reservoir & are greeted with a gale force wind when we make our way up the steps to look over the water.
The Scaup is found without to much trouble & that was the main reason that we had visited here to give us a year tick. we are glad to get round to the hide for a little bit of shelter from the wind but after a scan of the both Reservoirs there is no sign of the Red-crested Pochard & the Bittern that had been seen  here on & off over the past few days, but before heading off a couple of Kingfishers fly past along the bank to get me a tick.
A visit to Wilstone res & College Lakes that are very near by get us nothing in the way of year ticks, my first visit to College Lakes & I really liked the place.
We have a  decision to make, do we head to Stockers Lake or head towards home & get a guarantee
year tick at Lemsford Spring with Green Sandpiper, Lemsford wins & as we head along the A 41 a single Red Kite glides over the the road to give us a nice tick.
With the key picked up from the wardens porch we are in the hide where we pick out 3 Green Sandpipers & a couple of Little Egrets & a bonus tick as a Grey Wagtail lands on the wall in front of us.
Now onto Amwell where we meet up with Marco always nice to see him, but no sign of the Yellow leg Gull that we had hoped to find so just a very quick visit here & as we head off towards home we have to pay a quick visit to the Bittern hide at Fishers Green.
The Water Rail shows but we will have to wait till another day if we want to see the Bittern.
A windy day with rain in the air all day but we enjoyed our self & with 5 more ticks well worth getting out there

Green Sandpiper

Grey Wagtail

Little Egret

Tawny Owl at Christchurch Park + Cattle Egret at Iken.

Not an early start this morning, meeting up at 6 am with the boys for a drive up to Suffolk.
Alton Water is the place we are heading for as a Red-necked Grebe has been reported along with Black-necked Grebe.
As it is a bit dark we divert to Christchurch Park in search of the long staying Tawny Owl.
The park had just opened on our arrival & on speaking to a groundsman he sends us in the right direction up the slope to some big Oak Trees, within minutes we had found the Owl sitting in a hole looking down at us, it never moved while we spent time looking at it apart from stretching out a large claw before tucking it back under it's feathers & giving us the eye.
Such a shame that the morning was really gloomy, that stops any good photos of a very accommodating bird.
A walk around the park gets us to a small pool that has some Mandarin  & a few Goosander  swimming around the small Island, we are told that a Kingfisher shows everyday but it never showed while we were here & we never gave it a lot of time as we needed to get to Alton Waters.
We drive down to the Eastern end of the Waters & park & scan the lake for the Target bird, we have no luck but do pick out 3 Black-necked Grebe & a single Great-northern Diver.
A quick drive to the other end of the lake gets us nothing of note.
The entire day proves to be a dull one with very little sunlight on show.
Never mind we plough on & head to Iken in search of a Cattle Egret, this is a fairly easy find once we located the farm. We spend some time watching the Egret feed among the cows & would of got some good photos if it had been a better day weather wise well when I say that I mean the boys would of got better photos.
After we had our fill of the Egret it's of to North Warren where we soon pick out 4 Spoonbills, sadly at a distance but good scope views. So 3 ticks for the day in the Tawny Owl, Cattle Egret & the Spoonbill, not the most productive birding day but a very pleasant one never the less.

The Mandarin

Just about the Black-necked Grebe

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Tawny Owl

5 Short-eared Owls at Rainham marsh.

Jimmy & I could have gone to Rainham yesterday but after seeing the weather forecast for today we decide to wait & that proves to be a great decision.
We pull up & park & head for the Serin mound in the hope of picking out a Shortie or two, we don't have to wait long before we see the first of at least 5 Short-eared Owls.
With jumpers & coats  & gloved up we are ready for the cold wind that always greets us here, how wrong can we be, it's not long before the coats & gloves come off & we have a really wonderful warm day so unusual when we come here.
Three hours just standing on the mound watching these fantastic Owls is a real pleasure, a single Marsh Harrier & 2 Kestrel along with flocks of Linnets & Goldfinches & a real bonus when we hear & then see the Siberian Chiffchff.

One of the Shorties

So just a small trip but very enjoyable indeed, only one year tick with the Short-earedOwl but I never thought we would get any thing more so no disappointment there.

No more looking for the Pallid Harrier 6 dips is enough.

Jimmy & I meet up with Brian at 6 am but we had no idea where to head too, I suggest one last try for the Pallid at Flitcham.
So with no other suggestions coming forward we set of for one last try & the way the boys were talking it was the last time without any doubt.
We arrive just before 8 am to find birders already looking for the bird, one fellow had been on site since 7 am & had not seen any sign of it,so we give it another two hours of our time but once again the Harrier fails to show & as it turns out it never showed at all today.
The Golden Pheasant at Wolferton has also been avoiding us but we have to have another try as we had been told it was showing by people arriving at the Pallid watch.
Only 6 miles away we park up at the North West end of the triangle & only have to wait just a few minutes before it shows very well & it feeds on the grass verge & then walks across the road in front of us, this gives all of us the best view we have ever had of this bird in all the years that we have been coming to look for it.
Back for the very last time to Flitcham & we spend time watching Brambling, Tree Sparrow, Grey & Red-legged Partridge, Yellowhammer, Buzzard, Merlin, a couple of Barn Owls but of course no sign of the Pallid.
On the way back home we pick out Whooper & Bewick's Swan in the fields near to Welney, this is the year tick 3 for the day to take me to 132 for the new year.
Not one of the best days birding but we made the best of it & we did get to meet some nice people while wasting our time looking for the Harrier.

Golden Pheasant at Wolferton

Flying visit to Fisher's Green get's me to 129 year ticks.

An early morning trip to Waltham Abbey See's Jimmy & I in the Bittern hide at Fisher's Green by 8.30, we meet a local birder & spend over an hour looking in the hope that a Bittern would show, no such luck today but we do get a tick when a Water Rail walks across the channel.
Walking back to the car we spot many Redwings in the bushes & feeding on the ground among the leafs.
It's in the car & we drive down Fisher's Lane to Hallmarsh scrape & meet up again with the fellow from the hide & he gets us onto a Common Snipe to give us the second tick of the morning.
Onto Friday Lake to search for Goosander, we scan the lake to no avail but 2 Redhead Smew fly into view & land to give some nice views.
So on the walk back we scan Hallmarsh again as a Jack Snipe was reported yesterday, once again no show but we do pick up a tick when we pick out a couple of Mistle Thrush on the grass over the back of the scrape.
Off now to Connaught Waters to see if we can spot the pair of Goosander that Brian tipped us off about, it doesn't take us long to find the drake but no sign of the female.
So off home with 4 ticks & we keep the year total moving, up to 129 now.

Hawfinch at Lynford. Shorelark Minster. Richard's Pipit Swale NNR

On Saturday Brian has the day off work so a bonus trip for us, the plan is to go to Lynford for a Hawfinch tick, but with it still being dark when we are near Lynford the decision is made to head once more to Abbey Rd  for another look for the Pallid Harrier, we have now dipped 4 times for this bird & today proves to be no different, we are told on arrival that it was seen at 8 am & it was 8. 20 or so. We hang about for an hour & then try again for the Golden Pheasant & dip that for the third time since the new year. Never mind we are certian to pick out the Iceland Gull at Fishers Fleet for a year tick, only trouble we forgot to tell the Gull that we were coming to see it & it never showed, so a really bad start to our day.
So back to the first plan & off we go to Lynford, Jimmy soon picks out a single Hawfinch high up on the top of a tree & as we walk down to the bridges a Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit are all seen, all three of us needed at least one of these birds for a tick.
So a good end to the day.
On Sunday it's off again, the aim is the Richards Pipit at Swale NNR, but first we pay a visit to Harty Ferry to watch the Harriers come out of the roost & maybe see an Owl or two. We see at least 7 Marsh Harriers but no Owls & no Hen Harriers, but get a tick with a few Corn Buntings.
On now to Swale, the drive down to the sea wall was what you would call bumpy but it was better than the walk would have been.
We get a quick view & call as the Pipit pops over our heads, not sure where it went so a   long walk down to near the hide gives a great reward when the Hooded Crow is seen in the field over the back with the Geese.
Knot also seen along with a cracking view of a Merlin.
Walking back gets us a much better view of the Richards Pipit when it pops up in front of us & lands just over the over side of the track & gives us a good few minutes to watch it.
On now for a look for the Shorelark at Minster which we find without to much trouble on the beach.
A good few year ticks today & to finish the day off we pay a quick visit to Elmley, once again not to much about, just a few Buzzards. Not a bad start to the new year list, moved on to 125 today.

Barn Owl on the way to Lynford

Marsh Tit

Buzzard at Elmley

                                                 

Shorelark

14 year ticks on a rainy day at Dungeness

Jimmy & I set off & drive into the rain for a day of birding around the Dungeness area to get as many ticks as we could despite the weather.
First up we park up & scan all the Coots at Petts Level E Sussex looking for the Glossy Ibis that we saw just before the new year & hope that it had stayed around to give us a new year tick as well,the rain was really pouring down so we scan from the car & soon pick it out walking about with all the Coots to give us a good start to the day.
Next up we head to Scotney Gravel Pits & pick out a Black-necked Grebe without to much trouble, Brian had marked our card for us on this Grebe & a Gooseander so we knew where to look for them, but  missed out on the Goosesander,but get a couple of  year ticks with loads of Barnacle Geese & a single Pied Wagtail.
A  short drive to Dungeness See's us looking at the Long-eared Owl over the back of the dipping pool although it was a short look at it as the heavens opened again & we have to make a run to the hide.
The first hide gets us nothing new so down to the next one & we are soon looking at a Female Smew & some Goldeneye, a fellow in the hide gets us onto a Shag that had drifted in from the sea a bit of a bonus bird to see on here.As we drive out of the reserve we see a Great white Egret & later on we return to the same place just by the farm to get a Slavonian Grebe that had just came out on the pager.
We head up to the beach by the fishing boats & get 3 more ticks with Gannet, Guillemot & we pick out the Caspian Gull with the help of a bit of bread on the way, the wind was blowing a bit of a Gale & it was getting harder to keep out of the rain, so with 3 ticks we call it a day on the beach & pop round the back of the reserve down by the military camp to look for & getting a Raven that was another tip off from Brian.
So 14 year ticks for me & 16 for Jimmy on a not very pleasant day weather wise sends us home happy.