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

Green & Blue-winged Teal .

The boys had spent most of Monday fitting a new fence and front gates for me and just had to hang the gates on Tuesday morning to finish off the job, and I must say they look great. 

Robert had to head off but Jimmy, Brian, and I decide to do some birding and head off to Wilstone reservoir.

A drake Green-winged Teal had been reported so only being about an hour away we head off to tick it.

A climb up the steps and a walk round to the hide where we tick the Teal straight away, it's right in front of the hide but a fair way out.

We only spend a short time here because we are going after another year tick as it is only 20 miles away from here at Marlow where a Blue-winged Teal has been seen.

It takes a bit longer than we expected but we find Pound Lane car park then walk down the road to Lower Pound Lane and walk the 800 yds to view Lower ground pools.

Some people were heading back and put us on the right track to see the bird.

We find the Teal with ease as it is the only bird on the pool on this side of the path.

A strange-looking female bird but only the second  Blue-winged Teal I have seen so well worth the effort to come for it. 2-year ticks to keep the list moving.

The Blue-winged Teal at Marlow

Again

Wilstone Green-winged Teal

why not. my new fence and gates thanks to my boys.

At last the Belted Kingfisher.

 The Kingfisher has been around for a few months now at Samlesbury Lancashire. we have planned to go to see it many times but something has cropped up or the bird has gone missing for a few days and it will take us 4 hours to get there so a bit of planning has to go into it.  

On Thursday evening I got a text from Brian asking if we wanted to give it a go, I  have a  quick word with Jimmy and we arrange to meet at 2 am and go for it.

The drive was not bad despite having to detour off the M6.

It's just past 6am when we arrive, and we manage to park close to the bridleway that we have to take to get us up to the iron gate that gets us on the field to follow the well-worn track round to the spot where the bird has been seen from.

Within 5 minutes the Kingfisher's distinctive call is heard and a shadow flies across the river. then Brian spots the bird on a tree back from the river just behind the tree that hangs into the water.

The bird flies back into the river and comes back with a fish breakfast, it does this a few times and we get to hear the call again. What a beauty another lifer for all 3 of us.

Before we get back in the car we have a look over the Roach bridge and spot pairs off Dipper and Grey Wagtail that's one more year tick.

Off now to see if we can find the Snow Goose at Banks marsh. It's 18 miles away and we are not too sure if we are in the right place, we head down a track to find Old Hallow farm and park in a large yard.

 A short walk up some steps gets us looking over the marshes. A white bird is seen a long way off amongst thousands of Pink-footed Geese, so Jimmy scopes it, and blimey it turns out to be the Goose. we didn't expect to find the Goose so a right bonus and it gives all 3 of us another lifer. It is a long way off but the scope views are good.

There is only one other birder here so we head down to join him and he puts us onto a Todd.s Canada Goose. the birder turns out to be the original finder of the Snow Goose.

He tells us that there are Twite and Tree Sparrow about. So we set about finding them, back to where we came onto the marsh we find Tree Sparrow without too much trouble in the farm garden. Finding the Twite was harder, so Brian walked along the bank and he calls us to view a nice Merlin perched on a post.  Then a flock of birds lands in the field but is hard to see what they are, then the Merlin flies round and puts them all up and we see that they are a large flock of about 40 Twite for another year tick. 

So a long drive but what a fantastic days birding with us getting the 2 birds we came to see to give us lifers plus 4-year ticks. 

Belted Kingfisher

The Snow Goose

some of the Twite

        

  

Quick visit to Wanstead for Little Owl.

Brian called in to see us and I suggested we pop over Wanstead flats for the Little Owl.

We only have an hour or so, we park the car and walk to the little copse that we have seen the Owl in last year.

As we get to the edge of the trees Jimmy spots the Owl high up perched in a fork of the tree.

So well worth the trip as we spend some time watching this fabulous little bird.

Just enough time now to look for the Wheatear that has been seen and that is made easier when we meet Marco and he shows us where he had just seen the bird. A quick search of the ploughed-up area soon gets us another year tick when the male bird is seen by a long log

The Wanstead Little Owl

.

White-tailed Plover Little Stints make it a great day at Frampton RSPB.

Our first trip out for a while. we head up to Lincolnshire to a real favorite reserve of our's RSPB Frampton. 

Left home just after 5 am and after a trouble-free run arrive at 7.30 on one of those mornings when you are not too sure what to wear as it was a bit cold but clear and looked like it was going to be a nice day.

A birder tells us that the White-tailed Plover was showing well from East hide & that is a fair walk but that's where we head. Once in the hide, the bird is indeed showing very well.

Over the next hour, the Plover keeps heading closer to us for some great views of a really nice-looking Plover.

As we scan from outside the hide we find a couple of year ticks when Jimmy picks out at least 3 Little Stints and 2 Little-ringed Plover.

On leaving the hide we head up to the sea wall and walk around while scanning across the reserve that had a  high level of water on it. 

Jimmy soon gets us on a Whimbrel and then he finds a nice Spotted Redshank, then Brian finds a pair of Garganey at a distance but a year tick. So 6 good year ticks to get the list moving again. 

It is really a nice warm day now, so a real pleasure to have made the trip today. It's a pity Robert couldn't make it today as Frampton was a different place today than the first time he visited a few weeks back when the reserve was lacking birds and was really blowing a gale that day. Hope not too long before our next visit.

The White=tailed Plover