American Golden plover, Old hall Marshes

It's been a very rewarding past week, with limited time for birding, mainly due to Brian's ongoing family commitments, we have managed to spend an afternoon in Suffolk, adding my second lifer of the year with the Tawny Pipit at Landguard. A thirty-minute drive and a very brief visit to Hunsdon in Hertfordshire to see the Hoopoe. A couple of hours at Rainham to relocate the Ring Ouzel, ending with another short trip to bag a county tick, when the Ross's Gull was reported in Thurrock.

On the same day the Ross's Gull was reported, an American Golden Plover was also reported, and again it's in my home county of Essex.

There was no time available yesterday, and Brian only had the morning free today. The AGP was at Old Hall Marshes, but the reserve gates aren't open until 9am, unless you want to walk in from Salcott village. We decided to start the morning at Abberton, where we enjoyed views of Spoonbills, Grey Herons, Great Egrets, Little Egrets, and Cattle Egrets, which were a year tick. 

Cattle Egret

We left Abberton and headed to Old Hall Marshes, only five miles away. We arrived at 8.45am to find the gates unlocked. It's about a mile walk to where the AGP had been seen, but the hedgerows along the way were full of Whitethroats, Sedge and Reed Warblers. We climbed the wooden steps onto the seawall. where we were told by the only other birder present that he had seen the AGP earlier, but not for a while. I scoped the area known as the breach and found the target bird almost immediately. It was distant, but really stood out among the Lapwings. Other birds of note were Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Oystercatchers, and Avocets in the channel, along with a single Spotted Redshank, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Ruff, Snipe, and twenty-plus Common Terns.

Old Hall Marshes were bought by the RSPB in 1984 from the estate of Brigadier R Colvin for £780,000, the RSPB's most expensive purchase at the time. You can read a brief history of the site Here

 

Salcott Channel

American Golden Plover

A cropped hand-held phone to scope image.

It's my 4th record of American Golden Plover, but my first since 2019.

Ross's Gull: Golden Gates Lake, Thurrock

I checked the news services shortly after 9am this morning, and the only birds reported locally were two Black-winged Stilts at Rainham, which I had seen on a previous visit. So I decided it was a day to relax at home, that was until the phone rang. It's Brian. 

"Have you checked the news?

"Yeah, just the two Black-winged Stilts locally." 

"Ross's Gull at Thurrock!"

Brian had a pre-arranged visit to see his granddaughter, and decided to try for the gull before the visit. That left Dad and I to decide whether to go or not. It would be a lifer for dad. However, I had seen the  Dorset bird at Radipole Lake in 2018. But it would still be a year and a county tick for me.

Dad wasn't sure he wanted to drive, so we were still debating it when Brian phoned to say he had seen the bird. and offered to take us tomorrow if the bird was still present. When the news services reported the bird was still present, we decided to make the trip. The thirty-mile journey took forty-five minutes before we parked alongside the Thameside Nature Discovery car park. It was almost a mile walk from the car park to Golden Gates Lake. Upon arrival, we were told the bird was still present but had swam along the near bank and was currently out of view. We didn't have to wait long before it reappeared, and we managed to get some nice views. For the next 15-20 minutes, it hugged the bank, and we followed it along the footpath, catching brief glimpses of it through the trees. It then decided to take flight, but it only flew back a short distance, which allowed me to get excellent scope views.

We made our way back towards the car park, picking out a singing Nightingale for a bonus year tick on the way.

We were safely back home when the Ross's Gull was reported to have "flown off north-east and lost to view."  That was the last time it was seen today. 

Thankfully, we had made the right choice, not to wait until the following day.

Signage just outside the car park

View of Golden Gates Lake

Ross's Gull

Waders at KGV Reservoir

Brian and I made another early visit to KGV Reservoir this morning, arriving at 6am. I was hoping to add Arctic Tern to my year list, and after a couple of scans of the south basin, we did just that. Three flew past us at close range, but carried on heading north. Another Scan of the south basin revealed seven Common Terns resting on the buoys. Scanning the eastern bank as we walked towards the causeway added a new site tick for me when we found two Whimbrel. A single Oystercatcher flew across the basin heading south, and a single Common Sandpiper was also seen.

As we approached the north-east corner of the north basin, we could see some waders resting on the bank. Looking through the scope, we could see several Common Sandpipers and two Greenshanks. We counted sixteen Common Sandpipers before a Thames Water vehicle came along the top path and flushed them all. Other birds seen during the four-mile walk were Peregrine, Cuckoo, Yellow, and Grey Wagtails, Redshank, and Wheatear.

Greenshank & Common Sandpiper

Whimbrel

Grey Wagtail

The same afternoon, while sitting at home, a Hoopoe was reported at Hunsdon in Hertfordshire. Only 14 miles from home, I phoned Brian to ask if he fancied going. As soon as he agreed, we met up and headed towards Hunsdon. We found the parking area without any trouble, but finding the footpath proved more challenging. Luckily, a birder returning to his car gave us directions, and we were soon looking across a large lawn running alongside a stream. The Hoopoe was seen immediately, but remained distant throughout our visit. It spent the entire time we were there feeding along the bottom of the tall hedge in the middle of the photo. The homeowner was happy for us to stand at the bottom of the garden, but didn't want people walking across his lawn, so we stayed an hour or so before heading home.

The garden

Tawny Pipit, Landguard NR

I awoke this morning with no intention of going birding, but that all changed when I checked the news services and saw a Tawny Pipit reported at Landguard in Suffolk. The first report was vague to say the least. It just said "Tawny Pipit, Languard, one". Not knowing if this was just a flyover, I decided to wait for a second report. Once a second report came through, it was time to phone Brian. I  knew he had been on the school run with his grandchildren, and when I rang him, he was at Rainham Marshes. "Tawny Pipit at Landguard, are we going?"  Of course, the answer was yes. 

We arranged to meet Brian in Brentwood, and Brian drove the remaining seventy-five miles to Languard. After parking the car, we headed out onto the common towards the roped-off area. There was a small group of birders already present. We were told the bird hadn't been seen for 10-15 minutes, but was probably below the bank. Thirty minutes passed, and suddenly the bird appeared. We enjoyed watching it for several minutes, until a Ringed Plover flushed it. 

The bird was found again on the common, where it stayed for a few minutes before heading back into the roped-off area. The bird became more elusive and wasn't seen again before the car park ticket ran out.

Brian had dipped this species twice before, and I was with him when we made the trip to Cogden in Dorset the day it decided to leave, having been present for five days previously!

Tawnt Pipit

Can you see it?

Rainham Marshes & Red-rumped Swallow at KGV

Recently, it's been all local birding, Roding Valley, KGV Reservoir, or Rainham Marshes. This morning, Brian and I spent the morning at Rainham. Yesterday, he'd seen a Spotted Redshank on Wennington Marsh, and I was hoping it had stayed overnight. Walking to Serin Mound, we found the Spotted Redshank still feeding in what was now a very small patch of water. From here, we crossed the road and headed up the slope, and quickly added another year tick when we spotted a Corn Bunting perched on a scaffold pole. A Wheatear was also seen as we descended the slope back towards the reserve.

We walked the sea wall, noting Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew, and Ringed Plover out in the bay. The bushes and scrub areas were alive with Cetti's Warblers, Blackcaps, Wrens, Sedge Warblers, and Common Whitethroats. We stopped by the turnstile and added Garden and Willow Warbler to the year list. Then I heard the reeling of a Grasshopper Warbler, which I believe is the first record for Rainham this year. A couple of Common Terns were flying around the sailing club, and a Great Egret flew overhead. The threatening dark grey skies had now turned to rain, so we headed for the car. 

News came through of a Red-rumped Swallow at KGV, so we decided to head that way and hope for a second report. That report duly came, so off we went. The bird had been reported at the north-east end of the north basin, as far from the entrance gate as possible. As we reached the causeway, we stopped to chat with the finder Ian L, who told us the bird was still present. We'd scanned through every hirundine we saw on the way up in case it had flown our way. We reached the north-east corner, expecting to find several birders, but there wasn't a single birder present. There were large numbers of hirundines flying along the channel and along the reservoir bank, but we couldn't find the red-rumped among them. Then, suddenly, the swallows gained height and headed east!

We were joined by three other birders, and another three were scanning from within Stewardstone Marsh. We spent another hour looking through all the hirundines still present without any luck. Then we got a call to say the Red-rumped had been seen at the causeway. But as we reached the causeway, we were told the bird had flown off south! We were about to give up when it was spotted heading straight towards us. It flew around our heads, giving fantastic views before heading back north. 

Abberton Reservoir and KGV Reservoir

 4th March

Brain and I visited KGV Reservoir, where we walked the eastern side of both basins. The south basin was very quiet, but scanning both sides of the causeway produced two new additions to the site list. On the south side, we found a Redshank, and on the north side, Brian found a Golden Plover resting on the bank. The weather conditions were poor, with a thick mist covering much of the reservoir. I tried to get a shot through the scope, but could only manage the one below.

Golden Plover

The walk along the eastern side of the north basin was more productive. The male Scaup was soon found among a raft of Tufted Ducks, then a drake Smew was seen close to the eastern bank, and finally a Slavonian Grebe was found nearby.

Smew

Slavonian Grebe

Scaup

9th March

On the 9th, Brian drove Dad and I to Abberton Reservoir, hoping to see the returning Canvasback. We parked at Billets Farm car park and walked to the viewing screen. The reservoir was covered in a thick blanket of fog, making anything at range impossible to see. We waited, hoping the fog would clear, and at times it did, allowing us brief windows to scope the Pochard raft that was now visible. Eventually, the perseverance paid off, and the Canvasback was spotted. Once found, it was surprisingly easy to relocate each time it dived and reappeared.

A Ring-necked Duck had been reported the previous day, but we failed to locate it, even after lengthy scans from Billets, Wigborough Bay, Abberton Church, and both causeways.

17th March

Another visit to the KGV Reservoir this morning, trying to connect with the two Common Sandpipers reported the previous day. We walked a complete circuit of both basins without finding the sandpipers, but Brian did find our first Wheatear of the year along the path at the northern end. The male Smew was found in the River Lea channel behind the paddock, and two Ravens were seen. The Slavonian Grebe and Scaup, however, were not found on this visit.

Hume's Warbler: Lowestoft, Suffolk

Since the start of the year, I have only managed two full days of birding and one twitch for the Killdeer in Hampshire. The rest of my birding so far this year has been short local trips. The weather has also played a part, with seemingly day after day of rain.

The weather forecast for today was the best it's been for many days, so Brian made arrangements for a day of birding in Suffolk and Norfolk.

We drew up a list of targets we wanted to try to see; this would depend on whether certain birds showed or how long we wanted to spend searching for them if they didn't.

We arrived at our first site in Lowestoft and joined a small group of birders searching for the Hume's Warbler that had been in the area since early February. With no sign of the bird, we split up and searched the areas south and west of the tennis courts. It was thirty minutes later that the warbler was heard calling and then seen in the treetops. It disappeared, but soon reappeared shortly afterwards, this time lower down in the bushes on the west side. It was elusive, but with patience, it would give good views. We also enjoyed good views of a Firecrest, which was flitting about in the same bushes. Another addition to my year list came when a single Barnacle Goose flew overhead calling.

Hume's Warbler

Firecrest

Ness Point was only a few minutes away, so we decided to look for Purple Sandpipers. Unfortunately, it was high tide, and we failed to find any, so we moved along the coast to Kessingland to look for Shore Larks. We knew that four birds had been wintering in the area, but that they could be difficult to track down among the shingle and marram grass. We took the clifftop steps down to the beach and walked north. Eventually, we found the four birds, but not before carefully navigating the flooded areas that were between the Shore larks and us.

Shore Lark

After climbing the steep and uneven steps back up to the clifftops, we headed back to Ness Point and another search for the Purple Sandpipers. This time, we walked further north and searched the area in front of the caravan park. Brian had walked on ahead and spotted a single bird on a concrete wall feeding with two Turnstones. 

Ness Point

Purple Sandpiper

Turnstone

Dad and I hadn't managed to see any winter swans so far this year, and we also wanted to try to see the Iceland Gull at Sea Palling. We had a short discussion and decided to look for the Iceland Gull first. We arrived at the car park and walked up the ramp onto the beach. We scanned the rocks in front of the Lifeboat Station without any luck, so we headed along the beach to scan the mass of gulls gathered on the foreshore. As I was setting the scope up, Brian picked out the juvenile Iceland Gull among the masses of Herring and Black-headed Gulls. There were also a couple of Caspian Gulls found.

Iceland Gull

The last trip was a ten-mile detour to Ludham Bridge, where we found a mixed herd of 50+ Whooper and Bewick's Swans. At the end of the day, I managed to add eight-year ticks to my year list, while Brian added four to his, and Dad added seven to his as the walk to the Shore Larks was too much for him. 

Tundra Bean Goose, Lee Valley

Brain had been trying to track down the Bean Goose at Lee Valley for a few days and eventually found it after several visits. I hadn't given it much thought until Brian asked if I had seen a Bean Goose over the Valley.  After a quick check through my valley records, I discovered I hadn't! 

So this morning, Brian and I made another visit, hoping to relocate the goose. As we approached the turn-off, we spotted a large flock of geese in the nearby field.  We took the footpath along Fisher's Green Lane and headed around the edge of the field so we could scan the flock with the sun behind us. I was halfway through scanning the distant geese, finding several White-fronted among the numerous Greylags, when Brian found the Bean Goose. 

With the target seen, we decided to take a casual stroll around the site. We were headed towards the weir when two Ravens flew overhead calling. A welcome addition to the year list.

Elsewhere, Several tit flocks were seen, but no Firecrests could be found among them. The best we could manage was several Goldcrests.

Tundra Bean Goose

White-fronted Goose

Red-breasted Goose: Paglesham Eastend, Essex

The weather forecast for today was heavy rain, followed by more heavy rain. Despite this, Brian wanted to try to see the Red-breasted Goose at Wallasea. Knowing we were going to get a soaking, we still agreed to join him. The Red-breasted Goose has been present in the area since early November but has been very mobile and seen at Wallasea, Burnham-on-Crouch, Dengie Marshes, Fleet Head, and recently at Paglesham EastEnd. In recent days, reports have suggested it's more reliably seen at Paglesham. So before heading to Wallasea, we drove to Eastend searching for the c2,000 Brent Goose flock it has been seen among. We soon spotted the flock in a distant field. It was raining heavily as we left the car, but Brian found the target soon after setting up the scope.  

Red-breasted Goose with Brent Geese

We retreated back to the car and drove around to Wallasea Island. A Kestrel was perched on a road sign as we entered. We walked out to Caroline's Hide, scanning the various pools as we went, only adding Ringed Plover to the year list.

Safe to say, it wasn't the most pleasant of walks I have enjoyed at Wallasea, but we were out birding, and that was all that really mattered.

First birding trip to Norfolk in 2026

At present, birding opportunities have to be taken when they become available. So when Saturday became free, we decided on a trip to Norfolk. 

We began the day with a quick stop at Hunstanton. It was still semi-dark, but light enough to pick out several Fulmars and a single Red-breasted Merganser on the sea. Then onto Titchwell, where we found the Tawny Owl roosting in its favourite tree. Water levels on the Freshwater Marsh were much higher than expected, and as a result, the wader count was well down. The waders that were present were on the small pools on the other side of the path at Thornham Marsh. Making our way to the beach, we picked out a female Scaup on the Tidal Marsh. An hour's seawatch was rewarded with three Long-tailed Ducks, two Eiders and a single Red-throated Diver. Hundreds of Oystercatchers were present at Thornham Point, and Sanderlings were also present in good numbers.

Tawny Owl

Curlew

Brent Geese

View on the walk back from Thornham Point

Sanderling

After leaving Titchwell, we stopped at Brancaster Staithe, where we enjoyed watching Turnstones, Grey Plovers, and Bar-tailed Godwits.

Turnstone

Bar-tailed Godwit

Three Glossy Ibis had been reported at Stiffkey Floods; however, as we approached the viewing area, we heard gunshots. A quick scan of the flooded fields produced no Ibis! We were told by birders walking back that they had flown when the shooting started. News came through that two Ibis were now being seen at Morston Quay. We scanned the saltmarsh from the quay and quickly found the two Glossy Ibis; they were distant, but good views were had through the scope. Also present feeding in the creek was a single Greenshank. 

A flock of Twite had been reported at Salthouse earlier in the day, and as we were close by, we went in search of them. There was no sign of the Twite, but we did enjoy a flock of thirteen Snow Buntings. There were obviously shoots happening on the adjacent farmlands today, and when we scanned the top field, dozens of Red-legged Partridges were seen along the hedgeline.

Our last stop of the day was Sheringham. We were hoping to see the Eastern Black Redstart. Brian, having seen it at the end of last year, knew exactly where to find it. 

1st winter male Eastern Black Redstart

Although currently only regarded as a subspecies of Black Redstart, this is a stunning-looking bird and well worth the visit.