Birding and other distractions

A glorious autumn day, sunny with a southerly breeze. Nothing out of the ordinary in terms of birds, with lowish numbers of Chaffinch and Siskin, one Brambling was heard plus a couple of Redpolls. A large mixed flock of tits, also held several Goldcrest. The birds of prey were four-five each of Buzzard and Kestrel, also one Marsh Harrier, though I couldn't find the Merlin reported yesterday. On the marsh a Little Owl was scoped from the Ernie Hemsley viewpoint. The marsh from Ernie Hemsley viewpoint. Spindle with bright red fruits.

A lovely autumn day spent at Elmley. Almost too nice really, with little wind to bring in any new birds. At the Brickfields activity from Bearded Tits was noteworthy, though despite being close they all proved too elusive for the camera. Walking back along the track I twice heard the call of Yellow-browed Warbler near the farm buildings, though try as I might the bird didn't show itself. From there we walked to the screen hide from which a distant view was obtained of an Osprey in the Swale. The bird was sitting atop a tall post, seemingly eating a fish. Grey Heron Brown Hare

Hoping that the Pale-legged Leaf Warbler would still be present at Bempton I left home at 4:30, getting good news en route that it had been seen shortly after dawn. I arrived at 9:20, with the weather quite pleasant, bright and quite calm. Seeing the bird would be another matter as I'd already heard about the difficulties yesterday. It was quite a skulker, and I only managed glimpses and one brief flight view in the first hour and a half. However, for a fortunate 10 minute period the bird then settled in one fairly small spot where good views were eventually gained as it fed in the undergrowth. It wasn't possible to obtain any pictures though as I was in a scrum of birders and mostly kneeling down to get a view under the canopy of branches. After that, I had a couple of further glimpses in other spots, though heard it call very clearly, sounding quite unlike any other phyllosc I know. A Yellow-browed Warbler was also present in the area, and of course numerous Tree Sparrows.  A...

My first visit after becoming a 'Friend of Elmley'. Sunshine had broken through the clouds by the time I got there. A juvenile Red-footed Falcon had been seen the day before and was reported again early today. I saw the bird in flight alongside the line of trees leading to the school. There were loads of dragonflies as potential prey. Walking to the hides I was very lucky that the Pectoral Sandpiper was on view when I arrived at Welmarsh. It was the closest wader, not that there were many others apart from Snipe. Just prior to leaving Elmley a Merlin was seen briefly as it sped past the car park. Pectoral Sandpiper  Red-footed Falcon  Buzzard

A rainy start to the day and a gusty NE wind prompted me to try seawatching off Grain. I sat myself on a bench just below the car park and set up the 'scope. The rain stopped by 11 a.m. A Cory's Shearwater had been seen flying west at Shellness about 9:30, and one was reported off Canvey Island after this. I picked up what must have been the same bird at 11:45 though it was a long way out so was not initially sure of the id. However, a few photos taken showed enough detail to confirm Cory's. The bird was later seen to fly back east though was never close. Other seabirds included two flocks of Arctic Skuas, three then five birds, and a single Bonxie, the latter a bit closer to the shore. On the beach a collection of gulls included two adult Med in winter plumage. The bushes, checked later on, were surprisingly quiet. Cory's Shearwater  Bonxie  Two Mediterranean Gulls with Black-headed on the beach.

A sunny day with a fresh easterly wind. High tide today was around midday so we started at BB pools just before 10. This area was fairly quiet with a couple of Ruff and a Little Ringed Plover of note. There had been a report of a juv Little Gull on Radar though a check revealed a couple of Little Terns, so maybe a misidentification for the gull. Also on Radar were four Spoonbill and approx. 10 Greenshank. At high tide Flamingo held the usual assortment of gulls and waders on the far side though which included one Little Stint, and possibly a Curlew Sandpiper, the latter unfortunately asleep before something flushed all the small waders. Raptors were few though included one Sparrowhawk. Ringed Plover  Juvenile Ringed Plover  Little Tern  Cliffe creek

A warm day, with a light southerly wind. We started with a look on the sea, which proved fairly quiet, although there was some movement of Sandwich Terns to east. Walking back we watched a juvenile Peregrine circling over the power station, which led to an exodus of the local pigeons. To the observatory next where they were ringing birds. These included a Whinchat and Stonechat which were both seen in the hand after being rung. In the moat there were good numbers of warblers, mostly Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. The ARC held plenty of birds, though was generally disappointing for waders. Four-five Garganey were on one of the closest islands. On the far side of the pit a Glossy Ibis stood alongside a Great White Egret. The lack of waders on the ARC was nicely compensated by visiting a sandpit, just over the border in E. Sussex. There were no less than 18 Green Sandpiper, two Wood Sandpiper, three Curlew Sandpiper, a Greenshank and three Knot amongst commoner waders. Juvenile Whinchat...