Dungeness and a dipped Penduline Tit

Sunday and as is the norm, when we can't decide where to go we normally head for Dungeness.

With news Saturday afternoon of the presence of a couple of Penduline Tits around Arc Pit seen from Hanson Hide this is our first point of call.

After two hours of scanning and listening there is no sight nor sound of any Penduline's being present. The session did produce Several redhead Smew, male and female Goldeneye female Marsh Harrier two Chiffchaffs and a flyby appearance from a Glossy Ibis.

From here we headed towards the beach and scanned the gulls that were roosting by the fishing boats. No luck locating the Glaucous Gull this week and no Caspian or Yellow-legged among them either.

It was good to bump into mick and Richard  along the beach front and enjoyed hearing about their recent trip to Morocco.

Heading back towards the reserve we stopped at the entrance to check out the Tree Sparrows in the hope of a couple of photos. but they stayed out of range hidden among the bushes along the back edge.

Deciding to head towards home we made a detour to Cliffe Pools when news of a Spoonbill on Flamingo Pool came through.

We quickly found the bird roosting among a flock of Shelduck and while watching the Spoonbill sleeping and occasionally preening there was news that the Penduline Tits had been re-located, this time seen from Hookers pit.

It was too late to return so we carried on enjoying the Spoonbill. With  large flocks of Lapwings and Golden Plovers entertaining us overhead.

Finally a Bittern at Fisher's Green!

Saturday morning was spent at home, mainly due to the weather forecast predicting very strong winds mixed with even more rain showers. Having got completely drenched in a rain storm last Saturday while scanning the gulls at Rainham Marshes I wasn't overly keen on a second soaking.

Saturday afternoon and a break in the clouds, Brian rings and says he's going to Fisher's for a couple of hours.

Twenty minutes later and we are parked up in the farm car park and heading for Longlands Hide. 

The feeders having been stocked with food produced the usual species, Great and Blue Tits, Dunnocks and Chaffinches. A brief photo opportunity before we move on towards the farms.

With the winds growing ever more powerful it wasn't surprising that most birds were tucked well in among the denser cover.

The surrounding fields held big flocks of Canada and Greylag Geese but only a couple of Egyptian Geese were seen among them.

We made the return trip and headed for the Bittern Hide.

Having already made several trips since the new year without a Bittern sighting from here I wasn't overly confident of spotting one.

On a clam day you can sometimes hear the Bittern moving within the reeds, but this was not going to happen today. After several scans Brian says he has the back of a Bittern in his bins.

I join him and after several attempts to locate the bird, it decides to move and I get a sighting.

Shortly afterwards it emerges into the central channel and slowly moves across into the left hand reeds.

Bittern (Photo B.Anderson)

Another bonus was a Water Rail out in the open feeding among the shorter reeds.

Glaucous Gull at Dungeness

We opted to take another trip to Dungeness this morning.

The weather forecast was predicting early morning showers then clearing to leave a bright late morning early afternoon.

Before reaching Dungeness we get the first rain shower. Although quite heavy it's thankfully brief and has cleared up by the time we park up by the moat.

A Smart male Kestrel is spotted close to the car, but a complete circuit of the moat area produces very few birds and we quickly move on.

The Hume's is still being reported from the trapping area, but having already bagged it a couple of weeks ago we give it a miss and head towards the beach.

At the point there's Gannets, Cormorants, Great Crested Grebes, Common Scoters, Kittiwakes, and the usual gull species found along with a single Red-throated Diver.

As we drive towards the fishing boats, the Glaucous Gull is found close in resting among a small group of gulls. On the walk back from the beach it's found again roosting closer to the fishing boats.

While watching the Glaucous Gull it was Good to bump into Lee again and meet Alan for the first time.

Glaucous Gull

From here we head towards the reserve, stopping on route to pick up a couple of Great White Egrets on ARC Pit and a Black-throated Diver on New Diggings.

On the drive up to the reserve another two Great White's are found, along with good numbers of Tree Sparrows at the entrance gate.

Another year tick is added when a Black-necked Grebe is found along the back edge of Burrowes Pit along with a redhead Smew. There's also Female Goosander and Goldeneye to complete the treble of winter ducks.

Great White Egret

On the way home a quick stop off at Elmley produces a Little Owl in the centre tree behind the toilet block and a distant Peregrine for a couple more year ticks.

Most of the birds were again distant from the entrance track, with large flocks of Lapwings, Golden Plover and Curlews seen. The only birds that approached close enough for any photos were a small group of Rooks.

As we approach Dartford news comes through of an Iceland Gull present near Bob Dunn Way. There's plenty of gulls present on the flooded fields either side of Bob Dunn Way, but most are Black-headed with a few larger species mixed in. But there's no sign of the Iceland.

Brian spots some gulls flying around in the distance and after a bit of a drive around we manage to find the Viridor waste site. As we arrive James Hunter is already present and has the Iceland gull in his scope.

Luckily it's resting on top of the Viridor building roof.

We manage some good scope views before activity on site puts the birds up into the air, and the bird is lost to view.

Another good trip to Dunge, with the added bonus of a few more year ticks on the way home.

Waxwings and the search for Snow Buntings

The weather forecast for Sunday was looking pretty grim, so Saturday night with not a great deal on offer locally we had decided to give it a miss.

That was until a text this morning from Brian at 5am saying he was going to try for Waxwings, and that he was leaving at 6.

With Waxwings being much scarcer this winter it would be good to catch up with them before they depart.

So at 6 we head off on the 80 mile drive towards Martlesham Heath in Suffolk. 

The previous days reports had been of seven birds feeding close to the Douglas Bader pub. Shortly after leaving the A12 the pub is found.

In front of the pub is a small square with shops all around the outside and in the middle is a paved area with berry filled trees.

It's freezing cold, but thankfully dry and in the semi-darkness a Redwing is seen feeding in one of the trees. Shortly afterwards a small group of Fieldfares fly in, but there's no sign of any Waxwings.

Fieldfare

As we are joined by another couple of birders, a group of five likely looking candidates fly over with two more trailing them a short distance behind. After circling round they settle in a tree behind the pub and are our target birds.

They leave the tree and approach the trees in the square near us. The light is very poor but I took a record shot anyway.

Waxwing

From here we head for Landguard in search of Snow Buntings. 

We spread out in search but after three unsuccessful circuits and with the predicted rain now very much in the air, we head for the cafe and a much needed coffee. Before reaching the cafe we scan the gulls that have been attracted in by some people throwing bread down.

The reward is a couple of smart looking Med Gulls and another year tick.

Refreshed and now warmed up, we head back out and start to make another sweep of the area. Walking the shingle I come across a Guillemot that had perished, and as I head off again dad spots a group of Snow Bunting close by.

These birds can be unbelievably difficult to spot if they are not moving among the shingle. Even when close to them if you take your eyes of them for a second they disappear from view. Once they settle down and start to feed, there's a group of ten birds found.

By now the rain is quite heavy, but it doesn't stop Brian from lying on the shingle to try to grab a photo. 

Snow Bunting

On the walk back to the car dad takes a tumble, after picking him up and checking he's alright. We accuse him of diving.  

Glossy Ibis, Oare Marshes. Kent

Starting the day with an early morning visit to Elmley Marshes where the drive along the entrance track today was unusually quiet.

The grasslands either side of the track were flooded in many places, as would be expected with all the recent rainfall. But most of these pools were completely devoid of birds.

Nearing the car park a Barn Owl is spotted on the grass, it soon takes flight and lands on a fence post nearby. The light is very poor but the camera comes out for a record shot anyway.

After parking the car, we took a walk along a nearby track looking to add Little Owl. But there's no sign of any this morning.

A scan from the toilet block viewing area does produce Buzzard and Marsh harrier and a possible Merlin. On the drive back down the track a Marsh harrier is seen hunting across the surrounding fields and over 200 Curlews have flown in to feed. 

Capel Fleet is the next destination, and the drive along Harty Ferry Road produces plenty of Red-legged Partridges perched on the earth mounds of the dug out ditches.

At the view point the first birds seen are Common Buzzards, and plenty of them. They seem to be perched up in every direction scanned.

Three Marsh Harriers are seen together close by and Brian picks out a Ringtail flying along a  distant tree line.

Another scan of the fence posts bags a female Merlin along with several more Buzzards. A Sparrowhawk is watched in flight and then perched on the ground.

Having heard that two Glossy Ibis were still at Oare Marshes, we decide to head in that direction. Only to hear from another birder that the two birds had flown to Shellness some 40 minutes ago!

We decide to head back up the road and scan the West and East Floods. Good numbers of Dunlin and Lapwing are present along with single figures of Ruff, Golden Plovers and Knot.

I add another year tick when a Stonechat perches up on a nearby bush. A smart male Pintail is found asleep on a small strip of mud, it wakes briefly for a record shot.

Pintail

Then as luck would have it, Brian picks up the two Glossy Ibis approaching overhead. They fly directly over us before heading away towards the Swale.

A little later they reappear overhead and head in the direction of Faversham.

Glossy Ibis

Raptor Delights at Wallasea Island

Deciding to stay relatively local today, we headed for Wallasea Island.

Wallasea Island is currently being transformed from farmland into wetland, using earth excavated from the Crossrail project the land will be transformed into marshes, lagoons and mudflats. The project is due for completion by 2020 and is estimated to cost 50m.

Sunrise over Wallasea Island

Arriving just before sunrise, the marshes were still in semi darkness. Shortly after parking the car in the first lay-by Brian spots a Short-eared Owl flying low just above the ground. With some directions I'm on the bird, it flies a short distance across the marshes and drops down among the taller grass and out of sight.

As the sun rises a harrier is spotted drifting across in front of the far bank, as it circles round it's clearly a ringtail Hen Harrier.

Although the sun is bright and there is very little wind it's still bitterly cold. But the regular sightings of raptors warms us up. 

The Hen Harrier is briefly seen perched on a post and then in flight again being pursued by a Marsh Harrier that didn't look to thrilled to have it hunting in the same area.

Kestrels are a regular sight hunting across the marshes, but a male Merlin found perched on another post was a nice bonus. After watching it for several minutes it flew from the post low and fast.

Corn Buntings were frequently seen and heard overhead, and also perched in a tree close to the car park.

Corn Bunting

From here we headed for the Essex Wildlife Trust site at Abberton.

First stop is the Layer Breton causeway. Two male Smew are quickly located and as luck would have it they drift closer along the edge of the reeds and although still distant the camera comes out for a record shot. A scan of the islands picks out three Snipe, but no amount of scanning could turn any of them into Jack Snipe. 

Smew

Crossing the road two male Red-Crested Pochards are found among the numerous Commons, and as we are watching them one of the male Smew flies overhead.

It's my first visit to Abberton since the work here was completed. The second causeway has now been widened and several car parking spaces are now provided. As we leave the car we bump into Nick C, well away from his normal habitat at Wanstead.

Three Pintail, several  Goldeneye and two flyover Goosander were highlights from here. 

A brief stop at the visitor centre for a much needed coffee and it was back in the car and another drive round to Layer Breton Causeway.

The Greylags had by now started to feed on the short grass and Nick had already located the two White-Fronts among the flock. He also put us onto a pair of Scaup on the opposite side of the causeway before we left for home. 

Hume's Leaf warbler, Dungeness Kent

It doesn't take much to get us to visit Dungeness, so when the Hume's Leaf Warbler is reported as present for it's third day  on Saturday, plans are made to make the trip early Sunday morning.

Shortly after 7.30am we are driving along Dungeness road, As we pass Arc Pit A Great White Egret is seen close in to the water's edge. Before parking the car a Kestrel sitting on telegraph wires is the second year tick of the day. Parking up we head towards the beach for a brief seawatch.
Good numbers of Common Scoter are seen moving through, with smaller numbers of Guillemots and two Razorbills. Several Kittiwakes are noted close in and also roosting on the beach.
The odd Red-throated Diver is also noted with larger numbers of Cormorants and Great Crested Grebes resting on the water.
While scanning through the gulls at the patch, news comes through that the Hume's Leaf Warbler is showing at the trapping area.
So it's back to the car, a quick drive round to the observatory and on with the wellies.
Reaching the trapping area we are pleased to have been warned beforehand that wellies were essential. The water levels varied from a few inches to nearly covering the top of the wellies in places.
As we approached the few assembled birders already present, I hear the bird call for the first time. It calls several times and then flits from tree to tree giving brief glimpses. Then it goes quiet for several minutes and then would call again in a completely different place.
Eventually we managed to get good views as it dropped to ground level in a channel giving me my first lifer of 2014.

Another brief session by the fishing boats fails to turn up any Yellow-Legged or caspian Gulls, so we return to Dungeness road for another scan of Arc Pit and New Diggings.
The Great White Egret is again showing well on Arc, and a scan of New Diggings produces a Black-throated Diver along the back edge. A second Black-throated Diver and Great White Egret are located at the reserve end of New Diggings as we approach the gate.
Stopping briefly at the reserve gates we watch several Tree Sparrows coming to the feeders.
At the reserve a scan from Dennis's Hide turns up a female Goosander, and on the return to the reserve centre a redhead Smew is found along the back edge of Burrowes Pit for another year tick.
Before heading for Scotney GP's, a short detour bags a good group of Bewick Swans feeding in a field as we drive along Caldecot Lane.
At the East Sussex end of Scotney a Great Northern Diver is found. We watch it as it feeds along the far edge and eventually approaches within camera range.

Great Northern Diver

At the Kent end of Scotney GP's another year tick is added in the form of a Long-tailed Duck, unfortunately it stayed well out of range of the camera.

On the drive home my first Common Buzzard of 2014 is seen.