Essex Birding (1 Viewer)

[Steve_Halstead]

I know that santa is bringing me a new scope, so I hope to be clear and get a first scoter of any kind this xmas.

Sounds like just looking from anywhere off of the naze seems to bring results.

I always have good results at mersea and the assingdon collective of red kites seem to be venturing in to bocking/Braintree more often these days too. Three sightings of them in 2 weeks by the Braintree/bocking bypass leading from Marks farm Tesco to high garrett.

 

[Original PaulE]

I know that santa is bringing me a new scope, so I hope to be clear and get a first scoter of any kind this xmas.

Sounds like just looking from anywhere off of the naze seems to bring results.

I always have good results at mersea and the assingdon collective of red kites seem to be venturing in to bocking/Braintree more often these days too. Three sightings of them in 2 weeks by the Braintree/bocking bypass leading from Marks farm Tesco to high garrett.

take ya bins to wrabness you can see all 3 scoter! and on a sunny day you might be able to tell em apart

 

[Steve_Halstead]

take ya bins to wrabness you can see all 3 scoter! and on a sunny day you might be able to tell em apart

Lets not push it :-D

 

[foxydave]

Dartford warbler thameside nature reserve was showing well in the week

 

[Frinton BO]

I know that santa is bringing me a new scope, so I hope to be clear and get a first scoter of any kind this xmas.

Sounds like just looking from anywhere off of the naze seems to bring results.


Scoter passage tends to be later than many other species - peaking in November usually but sometimes good numbers are passing through December and into January. So looking offshore the NE coast may well get you some scoter passing but seeing them sitting offshore is much more unusual in my opinion - for decent prolonged views the Blackwater or Stour would be my recommendation (sometimes there is a reasonable late autumn build up around Goldhanger). The (potential) advantage of the NE coast come xmas time is that Red-throated Divers should be back offshore in numbers, perhaps with kittiwakes etc too.

Paul

 

[Linfordbirder]

Thanks for the replys re velvet scoter guys. Just trying to manage time for a trip up to the North East again. Perhaps next week.

Weekend looks good from along the coast Bitter, if the wind is out of the east as predicted. Best I can do is Friday morning down here on the Thames. Perhaps that will be the day for my elusive 2014 patch gannet!

There were 2 dartford warbler at TNP on Saturday morning viewed from the road, before the 2nd cattle grid from the VC car park. No sign of the mandarin on the lake though, and it remains treacherously muddy around the path.

Steve

 

[Steve_Halstead]

Thanks for the replys re velvet scoter guys. Just trying to manage time for a trip up to the North East again. Perhaps next week.

Weekend looks good from along the coast Bitter, if the wind is out of the east as predicted. Best I can do is Friday morning down here on the Thames. Perhaps that will be the day for my elusive 2014 patch gannet!

There were 2 dartford warbler at TNP on Saturday morning viewed from the road, before the 2nd cattle grid from the VC car park. No sign of the mandarin on the lake though, and it remains treacherously muddy around the path.

Steve

Cheers buddy, will be trying to give it a go

 

[neil78]

There were 2 dartford warbler at TNP on Saturday morning viewed from the road, before the 2nd cattle grid from the VC car park.

There was one Dartford there yesterday just west of the car park and south of the track, and seemed to be loosely associating with a small mixed flock of a couple of Dunnocks and Wrens, and a Great Tit. It was fairly mobile, but also quite vocal which helped to keep tabs on it.

Also had an hour at Goldhanger mid afternoon on the rising tide. Highlights were a Slav Grebe, Guillemot, 5 Common Scoters (alas no Velvets!) and a Kingfisher which was fishing from the seawall.

 

[TOF Trev]

Had a first in my garden today, all at the same time.
5 ringed neck parakeets, 2 robins, a mixture of blue and great tits, a jay, numerous magpies, pigeons and seagulls.
I had not put any food down.
never had the parakeets in the garden before

 

[BirdPics]

Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl, Stonechats and Great White Egret at Abberton on Saturday


Lifer!! Rough-legged Buzzard at Wallasea Island today, along with ringtail Hen Harriers, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and a brief Short-eared Owl.

 

[Sharp Shin]

At Wallasea Island yesterday, Richard Howard and I were on the sea wall and we saw someone with tripod and camera cross the fence and walk into the reserve, straight through the birdseed cover area. A hen harrier, amongst other birds, was flushed. There could be an innocent reason for this, but it appeared irresponsible.

This happened at the other end of the reserve to where the Rough-legged Buzzard was have a lazy day, sat on the ground or an earth mound.

Stewart

 

[Steve_Halstead]

Picture?

 

[Sharp Shin]

Picture?

Neither trespasser nor bird.

 

[Linfordbirder]

At Wallasea Island yesterday, Richard Howard and I were on the sea wall and we saw someone with tripod and camera cross the fence and walk into the reserve, straight through the birdseed cover area. A hen harrier, amongst other birds, was flushed. There could be an innocent reason for this, but it appeared irresponsible.

Similar irresponsibility at Thurrock Thameside Nature Park Mucking on Saturday with 2 snappers chasing the Black restart down the path parallel to the car park. Having had sharp words with them, they appeared to get a grip but did not appear to have a clue of how to respect and read the signs of a bird wanting some space to feed nor noticed it relocate on 3 occasions. Seemed the cover approaching the bushes where the Dartford warblers have been using was pretty trampled off the permitted paths too. Certainly makes me think twice about putting out sightings of this type of species.

 

[Steve Arlow]

Any species may get chased down by those who have no understanding of bird behaviour. Just waiting and watching a bird to see where it favours and then staking it out for it to come back often has better rewards. Many people with cameras these days don't understand field craft.

 

[Steve Arlow]

Some great gulling recently with numerous Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls but with an early Iceland Gull on Saturday being top bananas. Series of pics on my website here http://www.birdersplayground.co.uk/Recent Images.html

 

[Linfordbirder]

Some great gulling recently with numerous Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls but with an early Iceland Gull on Saturday being top bananas. Series of pics on my website here http://www.birdersplayground.co.uk/Recent Images.html

Great shots Steve and I appreciate the detailed descriptions.

 

[Sharp Shin]

I totally agree: great images and very instructive annotations. Thanks Steve. What you've done here stands in sharp distinction to the 'dash, trample, click' approach to bird photography that was mentioned in the prior emails! You have made the challenges of gull identification a little easier, but I fear that it will yet remain one of the most challenging areas of birding for most of us!

On a festive note, can I be the first to wish all contributors to the Essex Birding thread a very happy Christmas and the best of birding for the new year.

Stewart

 

[Steve_Halstead]

Merry Christmas stewart and a good new year,

The same to all of you too!

 

[Steve Arlow]

I'm making the most of the tip's gulls whilst the goings good, within a few years Landfills will be history and the gulls that associate with them will history with them. Changes maybe happening in the next year so this may be my last season being up close and personel with them |=(|.

Will need to work on updating the other gull ID pages in my website, UK species at least.

As for the Black Redstart some people will let enthusiasm take over in trying to get closer to the bird, generally by those who've not yet experienced the need to employee field craft.

Watching a bird's behaviour and then working with that will pay rewards rather than run at it and try and get the best you can get before it flies off 50yards.

Anyway I'll be looking for the local Mandarin's again over next couple of days, maybe the Rough-legged Buzzard as I've not yet seen it, and maybe track down a local Water Pipit.