An Ortolan Bunting was found at Billet's Farm Abberton Monday afternoon. With no possibility of being able to make the trip yesterday, it was an anxious wait hoping it had stayed overnight. We left at 5.30am and arrived at Billet's Farm car park shortly before 6.45am, having enjoyed a trouble-free journey along the A12. Three local birders were already present and thankfully they all had their scopes trained on the Ortolan Bunting. It was overcast and quite dull, so I had to make do with the handheld phone/scope photos below.
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| Ortolan Bunting |
Also present on the same barn roof was the Channel Wagtail below. It fed among the roof guttering in the company of several Yellow Wagtails before flying off North and was lost to view.
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| Channel Wagtail |
A brief stop just South of the farm produced several Greenshank in Wigborough Bay another addition to the year list.
The final stop of the day was to the Essex Wildlife Trust's Abbotts Hall Farm. It was rather quiet but still added another year list addition in the form of a calling Cuckoo. We followed the pathway to the Wetlands Hide overlooking the estuary. Birds seen along this section included Redshank, Buzzard, Common, and Lesser Whitethroats and Yellowhammer.
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| Pool by the Wetlands Hide |
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| Rapeseed field |
nice one Jim, well done mate
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