100 up at the Bay

After being on 98 for a few weeks finally managed to reach a 100 for Barking bay thanks to a tree pipit and Jay. Didn't arrive on site till about 10 but still had quite a good day ( apart from the fact that the probable trappers were there again at the choats rd end of the middle ditch, have shown what they have done to lan and given him their car reg, he is going to check it out again tomorrow and ring police again). On the mud were 5 Blackwits, 3 common sanpipers, 2 ringed plover and 67 Redshank. Still can't get any decent photo's but heres a couple anyway.

There were about 50 Meadow pipits and 1 tree pipit, 5 Skylark. The Linnet flock is over a 100 now. Also had 7 Jay fly over and 4 swallows. Also made short visits on Monday and Tuesday after work There were still plenty of Meadow pipits on Monday also thought i heard a lesser Redpoll call by the middle ditch. Only heard it once and when about 80 Linnet took off from the area  i gave up looking. On Tuesday had another Jay but also as i pulled up in the car park a bird flew into the bush right in front of me about 20 mtrs away it popped out briefly b4 flying of along the embankment, itlooked like a coal tit but i only had briefest of views.

bArking bay & Rainham

Been very quiet at the bay lately, despite many sortee's I've not been able to add to my list for the year.  5 Redshank 2 Common sandpipers 1 Ringed plover 6 swallows and 3 Whinchat being the highlights of about 7 visits. Been luckier at Rainham though with 8 year ticksfrom about 5 visits including the Bailons crake from the butts hide. Havn't managed any decent photo's in this time either

Kingfisher

Arrived at Barking bay just before 7 and walked up to the river past the centre where i saw that Paul was already there.I walked along the river path only seeing 1 Common sandpiper as the tide was already in. I saw Paul along the middle ditch and we stopped for a chat when he spotted a Kingfisher right in front of us, which scarpered before i could get my camera on it. We hung around hoping it would come back which it did about 10 or 15 minutes later.

Not only a year tick for the patch but also the first kingfisher i have seen over there (happy days),
i am slowly sneaking up on the 100. Managed to miss the Tawny pipit last week by a couple of minutes and despite spending plenty of time over there this week it wasn't seen again.

barking bay

Been quiet lately,
 but had 2 Redshank, 5 Blackwits, 6 Oystercatchers & 3 Common sandpipers in total on Saturday.
Popped over on Sunday evening for 2 ringed plover and about 500 Black headeds.
 Quick visit tonight after work but tide was in so no waders, but did have a Little egret fly over (1st for me this year). What with the Hobby the other week puts me on 97 for the year slowly, inching towards my 100 target.

Barking bay, Rainham & Minsmere

 Not much happening lately last 5 or 6 times i've been over the patch been very quiet. Last Saturday was probably best day for a while with 2 Oystercatchers 12 Redshank 5 Dunlin and a Ringed plover. Raptors were  2 Kestrel 1 Peregrine and my 1st Hobby this year. not been able to get any decent photo's with the rubbish weather we have had so far either. Today was very quiet with just 1 Oystercatcher  a Sparrowhawk and a juv Great crested grebe of note.

Had a few visits to Rainham as well managed to get quite a few year 1sts for there as i havn't been much this year. Saw the Spoonbill last week but missed out on the Wood sandpiper also had a Greenshank , Willow Warbler ,Yellow Wagtail, Yellow legged gull ( the good thing about Rainham is there is alway someone around to point out birds for you) and Common sandpiper.

Have been Working around Lowestoft area so i popped into Minsmere on the way home one afternoon. It was a case of nipping between Hides when the rain stopped, but it was an enjoyable walk nonetheless. Walked around the scrape trail missed a Glossy ibis by about Half hour, but had 3 Spotted redshank ,1 Greenshank, 5 Black tailed godwits  30+ Avocets 2 Little gulls 4 Sandwich terns 2 Barnacle geese as well as plenty of the more common birds i see at home.
 Still can't find a med gull, not surprising really as i have Gull dyslexia. If i see a group of gulls they all just morph into black headed.

All these photo's were taken at Barking Bay.

Does Bony have a brother

Went over Barking Bay today to try to practice a bit of digiscoping, as yesterday i had a Knot in summer plumage in the bay but couldn't I.D it till i got home as it was too far out to get any detail or colour in my bins. The photo's i took yesterday were actually crap as well a fuzzy knot and a blurry sand martin

When i arrived i didn't intend going too far from the Riverside centre just wanted to try some digiscoping.
As i was setting up 2 guys came past who had been down by the cemex jetty and said that the Bonapartes gull was there so i thought i might as well go and  try to find it, as it now had a mottled head and i wondered if i could  pick it  out for myself as i am rubbish with gulls (most other species too). i had an image in my mind of what it was like last Saturday and managed to find it as it didn't really look to different. . Took loads of dodgy pics and of i went. Later when looking at the photo's at home i noticed how prominant the black spot is compared to Richard Bonsers pictures from yesterday. Could be just the dodgy pics or amazingly there could be 2 birds. l could also have took photo's of the wrong bird half the time. Also had my 1st House martin of the year.

Bonapartes at the Bay

On my way to the bay this morning i got a text from Paul saying that there was a Bonapartes gull at crossness visible from Barking bay. By the time i arrived at had gone flying west l missed it by about 10 minutes. Paul went off to the outfall to try to relocate it whilst I carried on searching round the patch looking for anything new but it was quiet all over. Then about 10.40 i got a call from paul saying it was back and now in the bay. A small crowd had now arrived and were enjoying the views. Thats the great thing aboutbirding you never really know whhat your going to see.

Great expectations

After last week where i got 12 ticks i had great expectations for the week end and beyond.
Arriving at 6.15 Saturday morning with the intent of adding Turnstone,Black tern, Sedge warbler & Yellow wagtail by 2pm i  only had  Sedge warbler & Black tern. Sunday Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday wasn't any better, in fact Paul now had a male Redstart & Lesser whitethroat to add to my wish list.
  I managed to locate a lesser whitethroat but not the others. As well as seeing Paul over there l also came across Shaun, Dave & Geoff Harding during the week its good to see more birders over there. Geoff glimpsed a female Redstart on the mound near where Paul saw the male but they both became very elusive or moved on as were not seen again. Plenty of Whitethroats and Wheatears about as well as well as 3 or more Reed warblers and 2 Sedge Warblers.

Also Managed a couple of afternoon trips to Rainham adding Little ringed Plover and Avocet to the Rainham list amongst others. With the weather as crap as its been photographs were lousy at both Barking & Rainham and those here are the best of the bunch.

5 days 12 ticks

Been to the patch 5 straight days since Sunday afternoon this week, Working evenings has given me the time to go in the mornings and has proved well worth it with things getting better as the week progressed. The weather has been rubbish all week making photography difficult if not impossible at times (with my set up anyway). Visiting the Bay, Creekmouth and Silver birch wood as given me 12 year ticks and a bonus tick for the Grey lag goose i saw in February but forgot to put on my list. New for the year in no particular order are Collared dove, Barwit, Cuckoo, Corn bunting, Mistle thrush, Artic tern, Swift, Whimbrel, Whinchat, Reed warbler, Greenshank 7 last but definatly not least Short eared owl.

lets hope it carries on getting better for the week end. today was a real wader fest with Ringed plover ,little ringed plover, Dunlin, Grey plover, Lapwing, Barwit, Blackwit, Oystercatcher & Greenshank. As well as the SEO and Reed Warbler. Roll on Saturday

Barking & Rainham

I spent a most evenings last week at Barking bay after work looking for the Ring Ouzels and thanks to Paul on Wednesday i saw them, also had my 1st little ringed plover of the year during the week. I decided to go to the bay first on Saturday morning then over to Rainham managed 43 species at Barking including 2 Tufted ducks, 2 Oystercatchers (that must have had a domestic as there was 1 at each end of the mud) . 4 Common terns and 2 Whitethroats both year ticks giving me 4 for the week. Also had 4 swallows flying through at various intervals.

The good thing about only going to Rainham occasionly this year is when i do go, i get quite a few year ticks including Blackcap, Whitethroat, Swallow, Wheatear & Whimbrel. 47 species seen at Rainham.

14/04/12 barking bay

Arrived at the patch about 9.00 (nowhere near as early as i'd hoped) wasn't much near the jetty only black headed gulls and shelduck with a few cormorants on the jetty so i walked along the path and went onto the flat area next to the centre and saw 1 wheatear on a fence post next to the earth mound. Walked along the path to the end and a Swallow flew across as i reached the middle ditch. Spent the next few hours wandering about, but only came across the usual suspects I decided to cross Renwick rd and try to get a photo of a chiffchaff in the birch wood. Whilst there  i had 2 chiff chaff, 1 greater spotted woodpecker and my first Blackcap. 1 in the middle of the wood and another at the edge, this bird was with three other birds but i couldn't see whether or not these were also blackcap.