Sardinian Warbler another lifer 400 up.

 Well, that was a pleasant surprise, I set off to South Foreland in Kent with the boys hoping to get my 390th life tick, the target being a Sardinian Warbler. We had visited the area on Friday for a lifer in the Eleonora's Falcon and didn't think I would be back here so quickly.

So the bird has been reported and is only around 90 minutes away so a must-go. it's a clear run and we arrive in the area without any trouble but then have some difficulty finding the site.

A bit of luck when Brian pops into a cafe on Beach road and finds Jamie p having a coffee & he soon puts us in the right spot, it's only a short walk but up a bit of a hill, before we reach a kissing gate & from there we could see a small group of people & we join up with them to search for the Warbler.

Over the next couple of hours all we get are a few short notes & some movement but no real sight of the bird. The group has grown a lot by now, so a lot more eyes looking.

In all, we spend 5 hours here & eventually get a longer burst of calling & song and then a flight view to confirm it is the target bird along with a few shorter in bush flights that was it. A few Buzzards a couple of Peregrines a single Hobby and some Fulmar's keep us entertained along with a grand show from a Spitfire. A couple of Essex boys had turned up so that's always nice to see them.

I didn't know at the time this was to be my 4ooth British bird. The boys keep the lists and had been telling me I was only on 390 so  I went along with that, so a big surprise when they give me high fives and own up to the fact they had held 10 birds back so as to keep me on my toes.

So I join the 4 hundred club quicker than expected 😉

So a big thank you to the boys who got me into this fantastic hobby and for most of the driving and the great times we have together.

Eleonora's Falcon( Lifer )

 The first report I saw of the Eleonora's was when Brian sent a text around 11am and that went on for a few hours each time an update came on bird guides.

Shall we go for it or not, will it stay, probably not. this went on until it got too much and we decide to give it a try, so just before 3 o'clock the three of us meet up & head off to Worth marsh in Kent.

The traffic heading over the Dartford crossing was very busy and the road's all the way were slow, but we got there around 5.20 pm with news that the Falcon was still around.

We drive down Jubilee road & see some of the Dungeness boys & they send us down an uneven dirt track to find a volunteer lady from the Sandwich RSPB group and a very pleasant

lady. she was doing a fantastic job of steering everyone into a large field to park. 

Off now to find the bird. we follow the flow down a narrow track until we meet a group of birders all with cameras ready, but we are told to head a bit further down the track to be able to see the Eleonora's.

Down the track, we soon meet up with a group of about 60 birders and we are onto the bird to give us all another lifer. It is sitting on the outside of a tree to give us good scope views.

After a good time spent watching the Falcon & seeing it do a few short flights, we head off to Worth in the hope of getting a better view of the falcon.

It turns out to be a great decision when we find a small group of birders in a farmer's field.

On joining them we find the bird a lot closer sitting on a fence post and we get a bonus when we see 2 Hobbys sitting on the next two posts and on the telephone wires behind us a female Red-footed Falcon to give us a year tick to round off a good trip. 

The Eleonora's Falcon 

The Eleonora's Falcon

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