Birding has been very limited of late save a quick trip to Fairlop in the the week to catch the local Hoopoe so today we decided on a trip to Dunge for a spot of early morning sea watching. Arriving at 6.30am we were rewarded for a two hour stint with several Arctic Skua, three […]
Author: Brian Anderson
Essex Birder using the blog as a diary of my trips around the country chasing birds. Enjoying the places it takes me and the people I meet along the way. Great to spend time with my Dad and brother as we chase our year lists and grow our life list in the process.
Titchwell all to ourselves
We left home at 4am Saturday and arrived in the car park at Titchwell two hours later. The place was empty and we enjoyed a good hour or so before anybody else arrived. A quick scan into the rising sun failed to find the Lesser Yellowlegs so I continued to the beach which was again […]
Oare
Yesterday saw a quick trip down to Oare Marsh in Kent. Arriving early we enjoyed a quartering Barn Owl and a Little Owl with a pair of Marsh Harrier along with the usual waders, Egrets and ducks. We heard a Turtle Dove calling in the distance and eventually picked it up sitting in the trees […]
Baby Coots at Dungeness
After a two hour search of Rye Harbour for the Terek Sandpiper we gave up and headed over to Dunge. Our reward for this 10 mile diversion was to connect with a smart little Kentish Plover from Dennis’s hide as it walked about on the shingle scrape in the company of Sanderling and Dunlin. I […]
Lakenheath Haven for the Reed Bunting
At Lakenheath today we had three flight views of the Bitterns along with several views of the constantly calling Cuckoo. No Cranes today but we did find a smart drake Garganey on the scrape. A single Hobby was seen flying in and then sitting in a tree to give good scope views and the reserve […]
More of Colin the Cuckoo
5000 miles from the UK to Central Africa and he’s done it for the last three years at least that’s 30,000 miles on his migration route. They reckon he makes the 3000km crossing of the mediterranean / Sahara in one flight. Now that makes my 75 mile drive to see him seem well worth it. […]
Another unexpected garden tick
Sitting in the garden taking in a few rays enjoying a little bottle of red and totally out of the blue a pair of Mandarin ducks flew over the garden giving me another garden tick. That’s four this year and takes the total to a modest 65. Just goes to show you never can tell […]
Colin returns to Thursley Common
I heard that Colin the Cuckoo had made the epic return journey to Thursley Common so I thought well if he can make it so can I so I jumped in the car drove the 70 miles round the orbital and arrived at the Moat Pond car park for 6.30am this morning. (tiny effort compared […]