Essex Birding (2 Viewers)

[Frinton BO]

Hi James - the best area recently seems to have been the farms around St Osyth (wigboro wick in particular), or around Copt Hall as you note. It certainly seems like some feeders in these areas give the best chance of stating out this species in the county.

The movement today was by far my highest - only 65 seem 2006-2012 with 27 in 2011 the best puts today into context. As to where they go - it would be good to know! Given the 1000s seen heading south at Spurn in autumn there must be plenty somewhere in SE England!

Paul

 

[Debbie1905]

Hi all, I noticed squadrons of Herring Gull coming up the Thames off the sea yesterday, over the esplanade and over the water. I saw that someone upriver counted 4,000, and I've seen a lot this morning too. Is this a migration thing? Or are they coming in off of a storm? If it is migration, where are they coming from and do they do this every year?
Many thanks,
Debbie

 

[Fozzybear]

Hi all, I noticed squadrons of Herring Gull coming up the Thames off the sea yesterday, over the esplanade and over the water. I saw that someone upriver counted 4,000, and I've seen a lot this morning too. Is this a migration thing? Or are they coming in off of a storm? If it is migration, where are they coming from and do they do this every year?
Many thanks,
Debbie

As I understand it from Tinbergen's book they don't really migrate but make short distance movements when access to food or weather conditions demand it and these can give the impression of migrations - anyone know better?

 

[Debbie1905]

Thanks for answering Fozzybear. Will look for the book too.

 

[BirdPics]

Short-eared Owl at Abberton via BirdGuides today

and Gyr Falcon report from Stanford-le-Hope also via BirdGuides. Dont know any more than that

 

[Fozzybear]

Thanks for answering Fozzybear. Will look for the book too.

You're welcome. Not a cheap book (though I've seen several copies on abebooks for £15-20) and not in print any more but it's proving an interesting read, particularly as I find behaviour really interesting. It's the New Naturalist monograph 'The Herring Gull's World' if you want the title:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15813539-the-herring-gull-s-world

 

[auchinbowie]

The Abberton Great White Egret(s) were very confiding this afternoon. One bird was adjacent to the NW corner of the L. Breton Causeway. Photographs were being taken using cell phones. Bird (probably not the same one) also present on bank of the main resv..

 

[Linfordbirder]

Small but significant thrush movement over Coalhouse/East Tilbury this morning with 100+ fieldfare over. Also 4 fieldfare, 10+ song thrush, 10+ blackbird among berry bushes and hedgerows. Distant woodpigeon stream, and small pockets of finch over appeared to be reduced today. Dunlin numbers appear to be increasin but all in all a quiet day and week really.

 

[BirdPics]

Missed most of the things at Abberton yesterday, too busy volunteering, but one the GWEs flew over the centre at the right time.

 

[Sharp Shin]

Missed most of the things at Abberton yesterday, too busy volunteering, but one the GWEs flew over the centre at the right time.

Another great photo Tom. According to both Steve Grimwade and Daryl Rymes, there are now 4 Great White Egrets at Abberton!

Stewart

 

[Sharp Shin]

An interesting sight at Wrabness this morning: a large gathering of Red-breasted Merganser was on the Stour estuary. I counted 61 birds at the eastern end of Jacques Bay (ie clearly in Essex waters), but others could be seen over on the Suffolk side. I wouldn't be surprised if over 80 birds were on that central stretch of the Stour estuary. This is the largest gathering of Red-breasted Merganser that I've witnessed.

Stewart

 

[Strandman]

An interesting sight at Wrabness this morning: a large gathering of Red-breasted Merganser was on the Stour estuary. I counted 61 birds at the eastern end of Jacques Bay (ie clearly in Essex waters), but others could be seen over on the Suffolk side. I wouldn't be surprised if over 80 birds were on that central stretch of the Stour estuary. This is the largest gathering of Red-breasted Merganser that I've witnessed.

Stewart

Hi Stewart

That bay is their favourite- we've had over 100 in early winter made up just as you say with a flock or two there and then more parties downriver to Holbrook Bay. There's a Great Northern currently on same stretch, but it tends to favour to opposite shore and a few scoter.

 

[Sharp Shin]

Hi Stewart

That bay is their favourite- we've had over 100 in early winter made up just as you say with a flock or two there and then more parties downriver to Holbrook Bay. There's a Great Northern currently on same stretch, but it tends to favour to opposite shore and a few scoter.

Thanks for the context, Ed.

I did see the Great Northern Diver yesterday. It was a very distant view, over towards Stutton Mill, but the river was so calm and the light so good, that I managed to get fairly good views.

When I saw it, I started to think: ‘in Essex or Suffolk?’ (it was in Suffolk, I reckon). Then, I started to think, ‘Why care, really?’ What with the Essex Birdwatching Society website, the Essex thread on this forum, the Essex list on BUBO, etc., my birding is getting far more ‘county-focused’ than it ever was. I understand the need to draw some stable boundaries for official recording, but I’m beginning to think that too much of a ‘county focus’ distracts from the delights of birding. Certainly the boundaries have no meaning for the birds.

Perhaps I’m not the one to go on about this, as I started to keep an Essex year list for 2014. Part of my thinking was that it would keep me closer to home and cut down on the cost of driving. However, when I find myself driving all the way down to Wat Tyler country park or Wallasea Island, I’m thinking that this logic doesn’t apply! For those of us up in the far NE of Essex, there is perhaps more affinity with birding in south-Suffolk, than with birding down by the Thames!

Stewart

 

[Strandman]

Thanks for the context, Ed.


Perhaps I’m not the one to go on about this, as I started to keep an Essex year list for 2014. Part of my thinking was that it would keep me closer to home and cut down on the cost of driving. However, when I find myself driving all the way down to Wat Tyler country park or Wallasea Island, I’m thinking that this logic doesn’t apply! For those of us up in the far NE of Essex, there is perhaps more affinity with birding in south-Suffolk, than with birding down by the Thames!

Stewart

I know what you mean. My patch straddles Essex and Suffolk and that's the only list I keep.

I'm also not sure what happens if you are in your chosen county, but see a bird which is outside it! I mention it because one of the Stour scoters turns out to be a Surfer and is visible (and identifiable at a pinch) from Wrabness/Bradfield in Essex but is physically present in Suffolk... Pics from this morning (from Suffolk!) attached.

 

[Sharp Shin]

I know what you mean. My patch straddles Essex and Suffolk and that's the only list I keep.

I'm also not sure what happens if you are in your chosen county, but see a bird which is outside it! I mention it because one of the Stour scoters turns out to be a Surfer and is visible (and identifiable at a pinch) from Wrabness/Bradfield in Essex but is physically present in Suffolk... Pics from this morning (from Suffolk!) attached.

Well, as soon as heard the news of the Surf Scoter this afternoon, I dashed back to Wrabness (hadn't enough time to get round to Stutton Ness). I'm afraid that conditions couldn't have been different from yesterday - windy, dark and rainy. I did manage to make out a Velvet Scoter off Stutton Ness, but was only sure of ID once it spread its wings. Identification of the Surf Scoter eluded me. When the news first came out, its sex/age wasn't given - so I thought: 'whatever the conditions, I'll be able to make out the big white nape of an adult male'. Later, I found out that it was an immature bird, so distant ID in those conditions would have been difficult.

I hope that it will stay around tomorrow and I'll get around to Stutton Ness. It'll be just my luck that the bird will have then decided to move across the river into Essex waters!

Stewart

 

[Strandman]

I don't know how much pattern there is to its movements, but this morning it was not too far east of Stutton Ness and so quite a lot closer from the north shore. But on the slack tide mid-afternoon it was feeding in shallow water on the south shore, not far east of the Wrabness marker with the red flag. There's at least 1 Velvet and a few Common too, but the Surf has a conspicuous pale rear cheek (not just a double white spot like the Velvet) and it jumps + flicks its wings out when it dives. So it can be do-able from pretty long range.

 

[Steve Arlow]

A Little Auk has been seen going upriver past Canvey this morning, seems a lot of Little Auks in northern North Sea with some as south as North Norfolk, We tend to get stragglers.

 

[Sharp Shin]

The juvenile Surf Scoter was still on the Stour and, viewed from Wrabness, showed extremely well in the early part of afternoon. At around 1.45, it was very close to the Essex shore, on the Essex side of Buoy No 4. The river was calm and the sun was behind me - so I couldn't have wished for better views.

Stewart

 

[Frinton BO]

A single little auk north past Frinton this morning. Be interesting to see if the strong winds forecast put an exhausted birds close inshore. Given the high tide today I won't be checking the lower prom tomorrow first thing!

 

[Sharp Shin]

Does anyone have information on any previous records of Surf Scoter in Essex? There were none before 1984 and this century there seems only to have been a 'report' of one off Harwich in 2000. That leaves a 16 year gap in my knowledge.

Stewart

PS: OK - got more information. There was a 1997 record of an immature male off Bradwell on 21st September. So, does this make today's Stour bird the 2nd record?