Essex Birding (1 Viewer)

[wildlifelove]

Got to get out and do some birding!!! Hopefully this week.

 

[Steve Arlow]

The near adult Slaty-backed Gull was again at Pitsea Tip today (no access) but was seen in the late afternoon on Vange Wick from Wat Tyler Country Park by 15 or so fortunate birders......having a first for Britain on your local patch is great

 

[Fozzybear]

Walking to work early yesterday morning I saw a line of six Cormorants flying north overhead, near the Army and Navy roundabout - most I've seen in the air together here although I've seen fair sized groups at the river quite a few times especially in the very cold weather. Seeing them going over in a goose skein-like line was a first for me.

Snipe is cool.
Where was it fozzy? I might try and photo it tomorrow and I haven't seen one for 5 months. Also I am going to try and see kingfisher tomorro.,

I saw it at the river dog-leg near the road bridge (where I've previously found a lot of otter signs) but it's not a bird I see with any regularity and could be anywhere along the river, the brook at the south edge of the meadow or nowhere to be found! And if you get a pic you're a better man than I as I only ever see them when they take off, I've never caught one on the ground!

 

[jimibird]

5 Smew at Abberton yesterday in very close to the Layer Breton Cayseway. 2 drakes and 3 redheads.

A nice end to to a miserable, cold and wet afternoon birding. I had to clean the mud off of my trousers (above welly level!) before I could meet my wife and her friends at the Clarice House spa place up the road where they were having a much better time than me in the warm!

 

[foxydave]

waxwings still hanging around at pitsea

 

[Fozzybear]

Well, quite an interesting afternoon! Decided to walk out over the Baddow Meads to Tesco and noted rather a lot of Crows around - at least 65 Carrion Crows, 20 Jackdaws and a number of Magpies plus the usual Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Woodpigeons and Collared Doves. As I walked along the river towards the road bridge and town all the crows went up in a great whirling flock and as I watched them through my binoculars they seemed to be whiffling, turning sharply and inverting like geese do, something I'd not noted before. Through my bins above them I could see what appeared at first to be the local Sparrowhawk, but it seemed awfully high... and then it turned over on its back, folded in its wings and stooped down towards the flats at Springfield lock! A Peregrine Falcon!! It gained speed as it fell, going at a tremendous rate but just before it reached the flats it went behind some trees! I saw the big resident flock of feral pigeons fly up from the flats in a great panic, swirling around and flying off at speed towards Chelmer Village. Only the second time I've seen a Peregrine, a superb patch 'tick' (number 85 for my patch!) and the first time I've seen one stoop so really pleased I chose to go for a walk! :t:

 

[birdermoose]

Well, quite an interesting afternoon! Decided to walk out over the Baddow Meads to Tesco and noted rather a lot of Crows around - at least 65 Carrion Crows, 20 Jackdaws and a number of Magpies plus the usual Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Woodpigeons and Collared Doves. As I walked along the river towards the road bridge and town all the crows went up in a great whirling flock and as I watched them through my binoculars they seemed to be whiffling, turning sharply and inverting like geese do, something I'd not noted before. Through my bins above them I could see what appeared at first to be the local Sparrowhawk, but it seemed awfully high... and then it turned over on its back, folded in its wings and stooped down towards the flats at Springfield lock! A Peregrine Falcon!! It gained speed as it fell, going at a tremendous rate but just before it reached the flats it went behind some trees! I saw the big resident flock of feral pigeons fly up from the flats in a great panic, swirling around and flying off at speed towards Chelmer Village. Only the second time I've seen a Peregrine, a superb patch 'tick' (number 85 for my patch!) and the first time I've seen one stoop so really pleased I chose to go for a walk! :t:

Great sighting fozzy, near where I live in old moulsham I once saw a peregrine catch a starling so they are around!

 

[Fozzybear]

Indeed - I heard last summer about one seen not far from the bus station in town! Given that I initially assumed it to be a Sparrowhawk (never have been that hot on identifying birds of prey, especially at a distance in poor light) I wonder if any of the distant Sparrowhawk sightings I've had there in the past could have been Peregrines. Most of the sightings were clearly Sparrowhawks but who knows... I'll be keeping an eye out from now on, that's for sure!

 

[birdermoose]

How approachable do you all find gold crests?
The ones I saw today let me get with in a metre and they kept on doing their own business! (See shots on flickr)
I would have thought that they would be scared due to their size but these obviously weren't!

 

[Essex Tern]

How approachable do you all find gold crests?
The ones I saw today let me get with in a metre and they kept on doing their own business! (See shots on flickr)
I would have thought that they would be scared due to their size but these obviously weren't!

They are quite a tame bird a lot of the time I find, as are Firecrest - trouble is neither species sits still for long. My very first Firecrest sat within a metre of me too which kinda blew me away.

As an additional proof of Goldcrest tameness - I know someone who was sat on a Norfolk beach and a Goldcrest flew in off the sea, and landed on his boot for a rest - unfortunately I wasn't there to see it as that must have been quite cool.

Even though both birds are friendly I do always feel they would fly in a moment if they felt they needed to.

 

[Phil Carter]

Excellent views of male Hen Harrier from Layer Marney this morning, along with Buzzard and Sprawk. I've now had 7 species of raptor from one small lay-by this month.

Phil

 

[Fozzybear]

Three sightings of the Sparrowhawk in my garden this weekend. Earlier today it flew through when I was outside and zipped past only about three or four feet from me - superb!

Walked over the Baddow Meads this morning and there were an amazing number of gulls about, they all lifted up from the meadow and formed a huge swirling mass that was really very impressive! Also were a great number of Skylarks on the barbed wire and in the grass making songflights and having aerial scuffles, Meadow Pipits (flying up from the meadow as I passed to perch on the overhead wires), Carrion Crows, Magpies, a Little Egret, Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, Feral Pigeons, Coots, Moorhens, a Green Woodpecker, Robins, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Mistle Thrushes and Greenfinches.

 

[wildlifelove]

Three sightings of the Sparrowhawk in my garden this weekend. Earlier today it flew through when I was outside and zipped past only about three or four feet from me - superb!

Walked over the Baddow Meads this morning and there were an amazing number of gulls about, they all lifted up from the meadow and formed a huge swirling mass that was really very impressive! Also were a great number of Skylarks on the barbed wire and in the grass making songflights and having aerial scuffles, Meadow Pipits (flying up from the meadow as I passed to perch on the overhead wires), Carrion Crows, Magpies, a Little Egret, Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, Feral Pigeons, Coots, Moorhens, a Green Woodpecker, Robins, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Mistle Thrushes and Greenfinches.

Sounds great! And well done with the Hawk. I'm yet to view some Skylark's

 

[Fozzybear]

The Baddow Meads and the nearby farmland are certainly good places to see Skylarks, there are often quite good numbers here and at this time of year there's a lot of singing (fantastic!) and fighting going on.

Have sorted out the few pics I took this morning so here's one of the gulls (surprisingly difficult to photograph a flock like this on a compact in the cold wind on a bright sunny day!)...

 

[wildlifelove]

The Baddow Meads and the nearby farmland are certainly good places to see Skylarks, there are often quite good numbers here and at this time of year there's a lot of singing (fantastic!) and fighting going on.

Have sorted out the few pics I took this morning so here's one of the gulls (surprisingly difficult to photograph a flock like this on a compact in the cold wind on a bright sunny day!)...

Think i might of seen Skylark's before and mistaken them for flock's of starling's. Il have a better look next time i see alot of birds flying around.

 

[birdermoose]

Little gull, Caspian gull and merlin at Wat Tyler and vange marsh today.

 

[jimibird]

Anyone see the Fingringhoe Long Tailed Duck on Friday - it was on the pager on Friday night. I went on Saturday morning but could not find it. Looked from the B/Sea side today and no sign of it either. LTD is a big blocker on my Essex list.

 

[Fozzybear]

Little gull, Caspian gull and merlin at Wat Tyler and vange marsh today.

Nice! :t: Haven't seen any of those and Merlin and Little Gull are two I'm particularly looking forward to seeing at some point.

Think i might of seen Skylark's before and mistaken them for flock's of starling's. Il have a better look next time i see alot of birds flying around.

Possible - I usually get them mixed up with Meadow Pipits. Got to see the two together today though so could see the slight difference in size. The Pipits seem to like sitting on overhead wires when not feeding in the grass but the Skylarks appear much happier on the ground or very low wire fences/posts.

Look out for the triangular wing shape of the Starlings and Skylarks have a tendency to splay their tails. I've spent a lot of time watching Starlings here so that really helps but certainly in bad light it's easy to mix up small birds in flight and I still struggle with a lot of species when seen in flight or in bad light.

 

[birdermoose]

Nice day at hanningfield today with highlights being, 2 bullfinch, coal tit, loads of Goldcrest, stock dove and goldeneye.
No sign of snipe reported mid weak and yesterday a Yellow wagtail was reported but I thought this was a bit early?

 

[vangerover]

Went to Wallasea Island this morning, the highlight was a Merlin trying to capture a Skylark in flight for lunch. Also seen were Peregrine, Marsh Harrier, Ringed Plover, Brent Geese, Dunlin, Knot and Shelduck.