Solitary Sandpiper in Kent.

I was not feeling too good this morning, but Jimmy and I accepted Brian's offer to leave around 5 a.m. to drive us to Kent to try for the Solitary Sandpiper that Brian had already seen a couple of days ago.

We arrived at around 7 a.m. at Stodmarsh to find around 20 birders already looking for the bird.

We only had a very small area to look through the bushes at a small patch of mud where the bird had been seen yesterday and that was where Brian had also seen it.

We spent 3 hours with no luck, Brian had gone to look around at Reedhide just in case it turned up there, and we had a call to say a Water Pipit was showing well and we needed it for a year tick so we stretched our legs as they had gone to sleep with the standing so long and found the Pipit without much trouble and was glad to sit in the hide for a while.

Then we got the call that the target bird had shown back where we had come from, so we headed back at pace to be told that the Sandpiper was showing on and off on the small patch of mud walking from right to left and back again to give Jimmy and me another lifer.

The Water Pipit

The Sandpiper

Water rail that we saw

Jimmy & I with a few of the other birders

American Cliff Swallow. ( lifer in Kent )

Jimmy got an early call from Brian asking if we wanted to head off to Kent for the Cliff Swallow that was seen there yesterday, we didn't fancy going that early so decided to wait for any news that the bird had been seen today.

That news came at 8 o'clock, so we met up with Brian and headed off to find the bird.

Arriving around 10 o'clock we park in Joss Bay car park North Foreland Kent.

Around 30 birders are already here but none of them seem to be looking for the Swallow.

On asking we are told it had been seen around half an hour ago but had flown along the beach toward the pub and it would probably head back to fly over the cabbage field where we were all waiting.

Sure enough, after waiting 10 minutes, Brian picks it up as it flies along the cliff and heads over the cabbage field, we get good views as it heads towards the lighthouse, it does the same thing over and over again while we are here.

Not a lot of other birds about but the American Cliff Swallow is a lifer for both Jimmy and myself so well worth the visit.

American cliff Swallow

The cabbage field where we saw the bird

Aquatic Warbler Upper Beeding West Sussex.

We have struggled to get any time to go out on birding trips of late, but when the Aquatic Warbler turned up in Upper Beeding we had to give it a go as all three of us needed the bird for a life tick. We left home late in the morning as we waited for the bird to be seen, It was nearly 9 o; clock when we left, but we got a trouble-free run and arrived around 10:40. We were able to park outside the local paper shop at the town centre that means we only have about half a mile to walk along the east side of the river Adur. 

We soon join up with a few familiar faces, around 30 birders are watching a small Hawthorn bush. We get nothing for over an hour then the Warbler gets disturbed by a couple walking their dog and flies off the bush onto the floor and then flies over our heads and lands over the fence onto the grass for a few seconds then heads over the river then back towards the Hawthorn, we had not moved and got rewarded when it landed on dead hogweed and moved up to the top for great views of another lifer for all three of us. 

The Aquatic Warbler

Lovely views of Goshawk at Cockley Cley

We have found it hard to get out birding over the last few days, but the opportunity came up on Wednesday the 15th and we headed up the A10 to Lakenheath to search for the Tundra Bean Geese that had been seen here for a few days.

From the river bank, we find 3 Great White Egrets and four Whooper Swans, but after walking the length of the bank down to the viewpoint there's no sign of the Bean Geese, only loads of Canada and Greylags.

A walk along the bottom track gets us a couple of year ticks in Bearded Tits and Water Rail.

Heading back we pop back onto the river bank and get lucky when a dredger was going along the river and put the Geese up. The 3 Tundra Geese fly right over our heads and land on the washland behind the river to give us great views of them.

It's off now to the main reason for coming to this area today, a visit to Cockley Cley in the hope of seeing Goshawks, and boy did we see them.

A couple of cars are here when we arrive, but the signs are not good as they had not really had anything and told us that they were heading off and that if the normal happens we will get to see them.

Sure enough within minutes, we see the first Goshawk coming over the trees with 4 Buzzards flying around it, soon we see two of them putting on a display for us.

Five times we see goshawks flying over and then one lands on top of a distant tree and we get great scope views of this truly fantastic bird to watch.

A young fellow named Toby and his mum arrive and we get them onto the bird in the tree and is great to see his excitement at seeing it and for him to be so into it at such a young age of 11. Also seen while here a year tick Woodlark. 

On the way home we visited Lynford Arboretum for another try for Hawfinch, but after two hours we give up. Jimmy did pick up the long-awaited Brambling for a tick, this has been annoying him a bit as he missed it when Brian and I got one earlier in the year and he was looking the wrong way and it never hung about.

The 3 Tundra Bean Geese at Lakenheath.

Also the Whooper Swans

A long off-view of one of the Goshawks

 

On Thursday 16th we popped over to St Andrew's Church in Bramfield for a quick visit and saw a Hawfinch within seconds of arrival.

Lesser Scaup at Staines Reservoir + Jack Snipe Lemsford Springs.

With only a few hours to spare on Sunday morning, the three of us head up the M25 to visit Staines Reservoir in the hope of meeting up with the Lesser Scaup. We arrive around 8 am and park not far from the entrance.

The Scaup is visible as soon as we arrive, a birder put us onto it but it's not a great view, so we head up the ramp and join a group of eight others.

It's not much of a better view, the bird is asleep most of the time we were there. It swims with a large group of Pochards but is easy to pick out of the group. It's a grey old morning so no real photos of the Scaup at that distance.

We didn't hang about too long as we wanted to pop up to Lemsford springs for the Jack Snipe. When we arrive we find the gate has been left open as a lot more people want to visit and they only have 4 keys it makes sense to just leave it open. We go to the second hide and find one of the three Jack Snipe immediately. It's on a small mound with a Common Snipe, allowing great views of the two species alongside each other.

The Lesser Scaup over the left side.

Lemsford Jacksnipe

We eventually found all 3 Jack snipe in front of the hide. 

The warden is in the hide and gives us the story of one of the 14 Green Sandpipers that keep returning here, one is 12 years old and is the oldest one in the world and they tracked it flying to Norway in 24 hours and finding an old nest to roost in. He also told us one of the Little Egrets is the most recorded in the world with 600 reports. He has been the warden here for years and is very interesting to listen to.

Eldernell Owls and Holkham plus Pallid Harrier.

On Sunday the three of us set off for a long day of birding. First up we head to Cambridgeshire to look for the Owls at Eldernell in Peterborough.

With the car parked, we start to walk along the grass bank, 5 Cranes fly across, and later a few more go the same way. Jimmy then picks out 4 more feeding over by the trees.

After a short walk, we meet a couple of birders who tell us the Long-eared Owl is in the brambles in front of us, we watch from the top of the bank so as not to disturb the bird but get really great views of the Owl.

We are on a mission so it's off down to the small copse on the right-hand side where we soon find the Tawney Owl perched in a tree that was just set back a bit.

You had to look hard to find the Owl as it was in a hole about 8 feet up from the ground, but once on it what a great view of these wonderful birds. Jimmy and I pick up a few ticks when a group of Fieldfare land in a tree and a Green Woodpecker flies over.

A Merlin and a Peregrine are seen while we are here, and then a real bonus arrives when a male Hen Harrier shows, what a great sight when you get lucky enough to see one these days.

On the way back to the car we all get a year tick when we see a Kingfisher sitting on the river bank. I love this place and will be back soon.

It's an hour's drive now as we head to Holkham to make up for not being able to get near the place on new year's day, Lady Ann's drive was shut and packed out so we gave it a miss then.

On arrival. we start to look for any Grey Partridge and stop to ask a group if they had them in sight, they say no but have a Long-billed Dowitcher right in front of them. This is the nearest we have been to one of these birds, so a great start and it gets better when we find a few Grey Partridge just before the tea room.

Off now for the long walk down to the roped-off area along the beach where we find the Shorelarks and about 30 Snow Bunting. A walk up to the sea is a waste of time so it's back to the car for a drive to Wareham Greens for another search for the Pallid Harrier that we were not sure of seeing on the first day of the year.

This time we drive up the lane and park on the concrete pad, it's not too bad a walk to reach the place to view the bird. After an hour we get a sighting of the Harrier as it flies low along the back trees. we would like a better view so we hang about till after 4 o'clock when the bird flies over our heads and comes in to roost, still, no perched views but good enough for another year tick. A really nice but long day out bird watching with a good number of year ticks.

The Long-eared Owl

The Tawny Owl

Long-billed Dowitcher at Holkham

Holkham Shorelarks and Snow Buntings

Some of the Grey Partridge at Holkham

Long-billed Dowitcher again.

Dungeness & Waxwings ( Ipswich )

 The boys and I head off to Dungeness in Kent for our first visit of the new year.

Up on the beach, we have to shield ourselves at the side of the hide to protect ourselves from the very strong wind and it is very cold, we are the only people there and we soon find out why. We are only after year ticks but apart from a few Gannets, Kittiwake, and the odd Razorbill and Guillemot all needed for year ticks, we hang around for a short while but nothing else was seen.

We shoot around to the farm by the entrance to the reserve and pick out a Glossy Ibis for another tick. A large flock of Bewick's plus  3 Whooper Swans were also seen around the back roads but no sign of any Cattle Egret.

On the way home, we pop into Lynford and tick Marsh and Coal Tit, but never saw any Hawfinch so a big disappointment also we found out that the feeding station by the big gate is no longer there a big letdown and something we looked forward to when visiting here.

Off home on a very cold and a bit of a rubbish birding day, but a few ticks so not all bad.

Waxwings in Ipswich )

We hear about a flock of Waxwings in Ipswich and we meet up with Brian and arrive at Blanche st just as it was getting light, only a short street so no problem finding the small Rowan tree that they were feeding on.

It's about an hour before we find the 7 birds on a large tree behind the houses down a short alleyway. They fly onto the Rowan tree on and off but not stopping on the tree for any length of time but a good year tick and well worth the trip.

We now try for the Palla's Warbler at Swalecliffe, we park the car and it is only a short walk to the bushes where the Palla's has been seen. After a couple of hours, all we get is a couple of short calls but never had any sighting of the bird so no tick there.

A walk up to the foreshore gets us a single tick where we see 20 or so Ringplover, but no sign of the reported Purple Sandpiper.

One of the Waxwings

5 of the 7 birds