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

Essex Birding (2 Viewers)

JamesA said:
Stilts are apparently still at Old Hall, c500 yards east of the north east corner of the "short walk". So here ish, I guess.

Was kinda surprised they were still there yesterday - very surprised they're there today.
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I think that we can now be "surprised" if the birds move on. Loads of birders report seeing them copulating (way hey!), so might hopefully see them stay to breed.

This morning, the Stilts were in the location that James indicated, but became mobile in the afternoon - giving a few folk the run-around.

Love is certainly in the air at Old Hall Marshes, with a pair of Garganey there, both looking quite inseparable.

At high tide, a dozen or so Whimbrel were together in a field south of the Bale Field. And, quite a few (ten or more?) Spotted Redshank could be seen around the reserve. Lesser Whitethroat were vocal in bushes near to the car park.

Quite the place to be today!

Stewart
 
Sharp Shin said:
I think that we can now be "surprised" if the birds move on. Loads of birders report seeing them copulating, so might hopefully see them stay to breed.

Stewart
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No sign, so far this morning. So, before anyone else says it - yes, I know that I shouldn't speak too soon and tempt fate!

Stewart
 
Sharp Shin said:
No sign, so far this morning. So, before anyone else says it - yes, I know that I shouldn't speak too soon and tempt fate!

Stewart
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No sign of them there today, however, we did get some views of the Long Tailed duck on the salcott channel (birdpics or tom, and I)

F'hoe - Nightingale, hen harrier, marsh harriers - a real good day to be honest. The thing I do not understand is that people have put down that it is there, but there was no buzz, no stampeding folk, the car park was bloody mentally busy today however.
 

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Sharp Shin said:
No sign, so far this morning. So, before anyone else says it - yes, I know that I shouldn't speak too soon and tempt fate!

Stewart
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I went this morning my first visit, lovely place no sign of the stilts though,Did see the long-tailed duck, gargenay some lovely Avocets Black-tailed Godwits,a Greenshank a brent goose and my first sedge warbler and Common Whitethroat of the year. I also saw a flock of what i thought were Curlew seemed to big and Bulky for Whimbrel and i couldn't see any head pattern on em, on way back to suffolk i stopped off at the Layer Breton causeway at Abberton where i found 3 Little Ringed Plover and a yellow Wagtail.Earlier had been to the visitor center where i saw the Arctic tern and several Common Terns also a Greenshank and 2 Ruff were nice

Cheers
 
Original PaulE said:
I went this morning my first visit, lovely place no sign of the stilts though,Did see the long-tailed duck, gargenay some lovely Avocets Black-tailed Godwits,a Greenshank a brent goose and my first sedge warbler and Common Whitethroat of the year. I also saw a flock of what i thought were Curlew seemed to big and Bulky for Whimbrel and i couldn't see any head pattern on em, on way back to suffolk i stopped off at the Layer Breton causeway at Abberton where i found 3 Little Ringed Plover and a yellow Wagtail.Earlier had been to the visitor center where i saw the Arctic tern and several Common Terns also a Greenshank and 2 Ruff were nice

Cheers
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Was the LRP just running by the causeway?

Sounds like a great day!
 
touch work today with a few migrants but nothing significant with best being Nightingale at Wakering. Long walk around Wakering Stairs, Oxenham Farm circuit, about 5+miles. Weather started fine then turned cold and windy. Hoping for better to come.

With the Stonechats presumable the Hadleigh Seawall you mean the seawall between Leigh Golf Driving Range and Benfleet Station that runs along Benfleet Creek.
 
Plenty of Nightingales singing at Fingringhoe yesterday afternoon. Found a couple Easter Bunnies too!

Andy
 

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Best I could manage this weekend was a slightly mixed singing chiffchaff (presumably) at the north end of LB causeway. It sang the standard chiff song, though each note was slightly "sparrow"-like, before tacking on the first half of a willow warbler type song every now and then. Never saw it, and it didn't sound as good as the mixed-singer at Rainham a while back, but interesting anyway. Kind of.
 
BirdPics said:
Not a bad time at Abberton today, 5 Black Terns, Whimbrel, Nightingale, Garden Warbler, Wheatear, Green Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail, SWIFT!!!, Swallow, Kestrel and Buzzard

Some video of the Black Terns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_2mGW9GdnE
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Tom: not a lot of woodland around at Abberton for Garden Warbler. Am I right in thinking it (they?) was in the woodland edging the old road, north of the entrance gate?

Stewart

PS - I did I flying visit to Abberton myself today and caught up with the Black Terns, but the main surprise was 9 Whimbrel in the grass close to the left-hand side of the new Island Hide. Did you get a photo of them - they looked very obliging?
 
Sharp Shin said:
Tom: not a lot of woodland around at Abberton for Garden Warbler. Am I right in thinking it (they?) was in the woodland edging the old road, north of the entrance gate?

Stewart

PS - I did I flying visit to Abberton myself today and caught up with the Black Terns, but the main surprise was 9 Whimbrel in the grass close to the left-hand side of the new Island Hide. Did you get a photo of them - they looked very obliging?
Click to expand...

Yeah the Garden Warbler was reported by someone else and I took a walk with Viv & Tim along the reserve side of the woodland rather than the old road, the Garden Warbler was singing and we saw it dart from one tree to another. The Whimbrel I saw weren't that close unfortunately, there was one flock that went over and 1 individual on the bank but too distant for pictures.
 
Seawatching

Hi - a few seawatching questions. My previous Essex seawatching experience is limited almost entirely to the Havering/Thurrock stretches of the Thames, where NE on a rising tide was best. But what weather conditions are best when watching from the Frinton/Walton area? I'm assuming winds with an easterly element still, but beyond that I'm clueless. How tide dependant is it? And is late summer onwards the best time, or can it be productive at this time of year too? Apart from Frinton/Walton are there any other spots in the county away from the Thames that are worth watching from?

Thanks all.
 
Hi James. I'll give a fuller answer on the sea watching when on a computer back at home but after almost eight years of pretty much daily watches I've drawn a few conclusions and still have many questions!
Weather is far more important than tide. There is a school of thought that says the offshore sand banks discourage birds from moving inshore but I'm still very open minded on this and don't think it really has much influence relative to weather.
I'll come back to weather....;0)
Location wise I am biased as I have a sea view from home but Frinton does seem
To offer some advantages over local sites. Walton pier tends to deflect birds out to sea, from where they cut across to Suffolk (northbound birds are often not seen at land guard and are distant at the naze as a consequence). The shape of the coast to the south often means birds are further offshore at holland haven than Frinton - it is surprising that we have failed to track some fairly obvious birds between sites (going both ways) in the past. Watching from the sluice or greensward shelter by the car park are the best locations at the haven. The latter gives a bit more height over the sea which helps in stormy weather.
There is the same dilemma at Frinton. Watching from the greensward gives height and a further horizon and better views in stormy weather, but will miss waders and terns passing close in. Add to that a clear overland route through hamford water (terns, waders and even skuas) which rejoin the coast anywhere between Walton pier and holland on sea and it can be difficult to know where to watch from! Autumn arrivals seem to focus on the tower blocks in Frinton but this may just be perception as it is where I am!
Nowhere else is heavily watched - bradwell gets good coverage and then it is the outer Thames sites which get the benefit of birds tracking the north kent coast
Autumn is certainly best but there as the possibility of good movement throughout the year. I'll post again later in that too

Paul
 
Turtle Dove seen briefly at Heybridge gravel pit this evening.

Also is the second one a sedge Warbler? Thanks in advance.

Andy
 

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Frinton BO said:
Hi James. I'll give a fuller answer on the sea watching when on a computer back at home but after almost eight years of pretty much daily watches I've drawn a few conclusions and still have many questions!
Weather is far more important than tide. There is a school of thought that says the offshore sand banks discourage birds from moving inshore but I'm still very open minded on this and don't think it really has much influence relative to weather.
I'll come back to weather....;0)
Location wise I am biased as I have a sea view from home but Frinton does seem
To offer some advantages over local sites. Walton pier tends to deflect birds out to sea, from where they cut across to Suffolk (northbound birds are often not seen at land guard and are distant at the naze as a consequence). The shape of the coast to the south often means birds are further offshore at holland haven than Frinton - it is surprising that we have failed to track some fairly obvious birds between sites (going both ways) in the past. Watching from the sluice or greensward shelter by the car park are the best locations at the haven. The latter gives a bit more height over the sea which helps in stormy weather.
There is the same dilemma at Frinton. Watching from the greensward gives height and a further horizon and better views in stormy weather, but will miss waders and terns passing close in. Add to that a clear overland route through hamford water (terns, waders and even skuas) which rejoin the coast anywhere between Walton pier and holland on sea and it can be difficult to know where to watch from! Autumn arrivals seem to focus on the tower blocks in Frinton but this may just be perception as it is where I am!
Nowhere else is heavily watched - bradwell gets good coverage and then it is the outer Thames sites which get the benefit of birds tracking the north kent coast
Autumn is certainly best but there as the possibility of good movement throughout the year. I'll post again later in that too

Paul
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Thank you for this detailed insight into sea-watching.

best wishes
Terry
 

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