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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Essex Birding (4 Viewers)

BirdPics said:
Ok, quick day summary.

Heybridge Gravel Pits: Goldeneye, Bearded Tits, Cetti's Warbler (heard)

Limbourne Creek: Pintail, Buzzard, Yellowhammer

Abberton: Dead


1 Buzzard was the only raptor of the day. Utterly amazed at having no Kestrels at all.
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Very cool photos! Am I right in thinking that Heybridge Gravel Pits are the basin beside the canal?

I got out for a short walk across the Baddow Meads in Chelmsford for the first time for ages. Was pretty cold and quiet but still saw a reasonable number of birds. Very pleased to see a little flock of Meadow Pipits on the meadow and some Goosanders on the river.

3 Goosander (2 male, 1 female),
3 Little Grebe,
2 Mallard,
1 Cormorant,
20+ Meadow Pipit,
4 Moorhen,
10+ Woodpigeon,
20+ Feral Pigeon,
5 Carrion Crow,
1 Robin,
1 Dunnock,
1 Chaffinch,
1 Song Thrush,
2 Blackbird,
2 Great Tit,
1 Herring Gull,
6 Black-headed Gull.
 
Neil, many thanks, I'll give it a try and let you know.

This morning was spent on the River Blackwater from West Mersea with the following amongst the list of birds seen:- Velvet Scoter, Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Kittiwake, Slavonian Grebe, Shag and Pintail.

best wishes
Terry
 
Quick walk out to the point from Tollesbury marina as the weather turned this afternoon. Nothing unusual but nice numbers of the usuals, including 11 mergansers and a great northern diver just off the point. Had hoped to get lucky with a snow bunting on the shingle there, but nothing doing...

From one point we counted 1500+ wigeon. With numbers like that and after the weather we've had, got to be a chance someone will turn up a yank wigeon sometime soon?
 
Fozzybear said:
Very cool photos! Am I right in thinking that Heybridge Gravel Pits are the basin beside the canal?
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Thanks, yeah you cross over by the loch and walk along the sea wall, you can see Northey Island from there and other side of the river that leads up to Limbourne.

bitter_bugger said:
Which stop is best for you?
Tom, you may have to get to coach park if poss as massive amounts of petrol have been guzzled lately
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Roger that

mafu said:
fantastic pics of the beardeds there. just love these birds
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Sharp Shin said:
Tom - Wow! These are some of the best photos of Bearded Tits I've seen of late. Look forward to seeing them on the Birdguides review. Well done!

Stewart
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Thank you very much. It was down to Steve (BB) really otherwise I wouldn't have got down there or known where to look.
 
Cheers Tom, I really must get down there soon, I remember walking around the basin before in the winter and really enjoying it.

I found a Pied Wagtail roost in Chelmsford tonight, though I don't know yet whether it's a regular roost - in some small trees outside Maplin at the Springfield Road roundabout at about 5pm there were around 100 to 150 Pieds coming in to roost, fluttering from tree to tree and making a real racket. I'll be going back to see if they're there other evenings. I really love Pied Wagtails and have wanted to see a roost for years so I was wearing a big grin while watching them! I've never seen so many before, it was superb!
 
Had Hawfinch, Nuthatch and Woodcock during a half-hour visit to Gt. Braxted this morning. Only saw 8 of the Bewick's come into Abberton this evening, one of the youngsters was missing. Hopefully it came in after I'd left.

Phil
 
Phil Carter said:
Had Hawfinch, Nuthatch and Woodcock during a half-hour visit to Gt. Braxted this morning.

Phil
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Phil

To my knowledge, this is the first report of Hawfinch from Gt Braxted this January. Well done! Was it just the one? Was it/them in the usual location: in trees behind the wall on the track up from the Golf Course Country Club (or some name like that)?

Stewart
 
Sharp Shin said:
Phil

To my knowledge, this is the first report of Hawfinch from Gt Braxted this January. Well done! Was it just the one? Was it/them in the usual location: in trees behind the wall on the track up from the Golf Course Country Club (or some name like that)?

Stewart
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It was just the one and it was in the garden of the big house, close to the track.

Phil
 
JamesA said:
Where do you park for Gt Braxted?
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The place I've always looked is on the NW side of Braxted Park - approx where the '1' marker is >here<

(Hopefully the link will work - grid ref is TL 852 164 if it doesn't!)

There is very limited parking around the junction here, so be careful not to block access. From the marked point, walk up the walled track ESE (I've never gone more than a couple of hundred yards), checking the tops of the trees on both sides of the track. Worth getting acquainted with the sharp 'zik' contact call beforehand if you've not heard it - often a good way of locating flyovers.

I've not been there for a while, so the layout may have changed slightly -but it sounds like Phil's sighting was in this usual area.
 
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dbradnum said:
The place I've always looked is on the NW side of Braxted Park - approx where the '1' marker is >here<

(Hopefully the link will work - grid ref is TL 852 164 if it doesn't!)

There is very limited parking around the junction here, so be careful not to block access. From the marked point, walk up the walled track ESE (I've never gone more than a couple of hundred yards), checking the tops of the trees on both sides of the track. Worth getting acquainted with the sharp 'zik' contact call beforehand if you've not heard it - often a good way of locating flyovers.

I've not been there for a while, so the layout may have changed slightly -but it sounds like Phil's sighting was in this usual area.
Click to expand...

Pretty much sums it up.
Bitter_bugger, ignore my PM, follow this.

Phil
 
And, when trying to locate the Hawfinchs, it's worth looking on or around the trees with clumps of mistletoe on them.

I echo David's comments about being careful where you park. I recall a new 'no parking' sign being erected, so pull well forward of that if you can.

Stewart
 
Fingringhoe Wick

A Long-tailed Duck has taken up residence on the Colne over the last couple of days. Today, I viewed it distantly (you'll need a scope): near the southernmost buoy opposite Geedon Marshes. It was a female or, perhaps better to say, female-type.

The bird can be viewed from the area above the 'ridge' at Fingringhoe Wick with the three seats. (Which, by the way, I deem to be the most scenic birding viewpoint in Essex - especially on a sunny winter's day.)

Also on and around the Colne and Geedon Marshes were: Peregrine, Red-breasted Merganser, Bar-tailed Godwit, hundreds of Avocet (swimming at high tide!), and thousands of other waders. At least two Bullfinch were in the woodland. There was no sight of the Bittern (at least up until 2pm)

Stewart
 

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