White Fronted Geese

December 18th


With a few hours to spare in the morning and with some sunshine showing early a.m, I headed to Rainham RSPB in the hope of catching up with the White Fronted Geese.

Did I get lucky, considering how hard they have been to get near and photograph since they graced the Reserve I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time for a flyby.

Below is a section of photos taken on my usual walk round.

Colour ringed Black Tailed Godwits

On Sunday after finishing a roost survey at Fords, Dagenham I visited the Stone Barges at Rainham directly after.
As yet I have had few Godwits on the Fords Jetty so suspected that they were either roosting on the Barges or the Reserve, the Barges it was.

A count revealed 317 of them with a scattering of Redshank, Dunlin, Lapwing and a single Ruff, it seems this is becoming a regular on the roost.
The weather it has to be said was horrible with grey skies and constant rain showers but got a few shots off anyway.
I also noticed that 2 of the Godwits were colour ringed, I suspect from Greenland/Iceland and will have a look as to tracing the ringing program where they originated from.

Blue over Orange

Light green over red

As you can see one is blue over orange and the other is light green over red but this one is above the joint of the leg so I suspect this signifies something.

Kent and Essex

Hoo Peninsula


On Saturday myself and Paul more or less started our transects at dawn, let me tell you it was cold out there, I know as the camera never came out of the bag until I got to the sea wall.
I did record some good birds as usual, it is a magical place and for a raptor nut like me it never fails, I personally recorded 3 Marsh Harriers, a pair of Peregrines, 2 Common Buzzards, Kestrel and a female Merlin.
I also had 7 Bearded Tits including a group of 4 that suddenly launched themselves skywards from a reed bed and climbed for all they were worth, I have seen them do it before, nonetheless it is an unusual sight for a bird that is usually skulky.I am sure they do it for a look around to get their bearings.

2 Green Sandpipers completed the transect until I got to the sea wall, wall to wall waders greeted me, Black Tailed Godwit numbers peaked at 1400 and 2 Dunlin flock’s numbered over 4000 birds.

Over the last few years whilst we have been winter surveying the site you can’t help notice the aircraft in the vicinity, fair enough each to their own but why do they have to keep flying so low and flushing one and all?
Sometimes they have come down so low even the sheep have flushed, as you can see if you click on the photo this pilot chap actually saw me photographing him.

Coryton

I had a mid morning start on Tuesday and for the first hour visibility, due to the fog was poor, even with a delayed start but when it cleared out came the sunshine and with it the birds.

 I recorded the highest flock of Corn Bunting for the site, 39 number, it was possibly these along with the flock of Starlings that also pulled in a hunting female Sparrowhawk, as you will see a very lucky Sparrowhawk, or not as the case may be.

Corn Buntings all

Possibly the same female Sparrowhawk that was targeted

Curlew were again using the site to forage and 9 were seen in one field, still no Short Eared Owls as yet, it was a favoured area last year. Stonechat numbers seem to be recovering after the drop in numbers a few winters back and good to see 7 on site, additionally 2 Marsh Harriers were present, these come across from the Hoo Peninsula pretty regular when we watch the other side.

There's always a twig in the way

Male Marsh Harrier with Pitsea Tip in background

Anyway back to the female Sparrowhawk, towards the end of the survey I spotted a Tiercel peregrine coming in very fast from the south, initially pylon height but power flying and losing height all the time, in short he was on something. As you may know I watch peregrines a lot, the powerful flight and speed is there trademark when going for something, the vertical stoop which many talk about, in relation to London Peregrines, is a rare event. No need when there’s ferals everywhere.

As he came across I got on him with the camera, trying to stay with him was a challenge for my eye and the auto focus(it was on spot) but as is my way, I kept firing not knowing whether the shots would be any good. It was at quite a distance now and I vaguely remember him slowing slightly as he approached the ground still at speed, I remember thinking he’s close and then I lost him, or so I thought.A scan with bins immediately after revealed nothing, I carried on.
As is my habit I didn’t look at the camera until I got home, most of the shots were crap but quite a surprise to see that I had nailed him on to a female Sparrowhawk, very likely the bird seen earlier on another part of the Transect.

Hunter becoming the hunted

You see them interact occasionally with both Kestrel and Sparrowhawk and more often than not it is just mobbing by the smaller Falcon and Hawk, most takes place up in the sky, in most cases it is just interaction but for once in this case I think he targeted her as potential prey going on body language.

Rainham RSPB

December 5th


It’s fair to say that this week I have crammed in quite a bit of birding, retirement from steelfixing being one reason and the other is that peregrine stuff will not really kick in until January; I have more time on my hands in December.
I am enjoying it all, now at the ripe old age of 56 life is easier as it should be, the body is knackered from construction and I realise that I am not a young man anymore, the walk round Old Hall proved that.

It’s also fair to say that I am not technically minded, I only found out from Paul the other day that my car, a Focus TDCI has hands free, yesterday I took it to Fords and they set it up for me, I have had the car 16 months.
It is much the same with the camera and the new lens, frustration comes from knowing you’re not getting the best out of either but it is slowly sinking in and things at long last are starting to click. Hopefully the photos will improve, I will still do the long distance one’s that are a dot, I need to do these as they are a favourite of Jono’s and I don’t like to disappoint him or others.

Yesterday morning I had the chance to again visit Rainham, a strong bitter south westerly wind kept most of the small stuff tied to terra firma and even the wildfowl were seeking the verges to escape the wind.
I did my usual circuit managing to miss the 2 White Fronted Geese totally but goodies picked up included male Peregrine and Marsh Harrier, 6 Rock Pipits along the salting's and 3 Common Seals hauled out on the Kent side.
As I finished the walk I plonked myself in the hide nearest to the centre, as much to get out of the wind but I was also hoping that I could get a few Wigeon shots, slightly overcast but not too bad.

I spent a good 45 minutes in there messing about with settings, results are getting better hopefully.




 The story behind the ship.

On a brief visit to Rainham on November 29th a warship came past, a Frigate heading upriver, at the time I thought it was Italian or Spanish, not good with flags but it turned out it was a Belgian ship.

I then did a little searching on the internet after Mart told me the reason behind the visit.
The Ship was bringing the soil over from Flanders to commemorate the thousands that died in conflict during World War 1.

Very humbling and it makes you realise what a big debt we all owe to those who fell during both wars, but for them we wouldn’t be here would we?

See below.
At the end of November, the Belgian Navy will take the sacred soil to London on the frigate F931 Louise-Marie. On November 29, Tower Bridge will be opened with full honours and the Louise-Marie will dock alongside at the HMS Belfast. On November 30, the soil of Flanders Fields will be handed over to The Royal Navy and subsequently to the British Army who will transport the soil to Wellington Barracks. The soil will be incorporated in to the Flanders Fields Memorial Garden before the official inauguration in the autumn of 2014.

Old Hall Marshes RSPB

December 3rd


 As I mentioned in my recent Rolls Farm posting this is another site long overdue, I pretty much used to walk this regular 20+ years ago, in truth I didn’t start off intending to walk the walk and do the circular route but there were simply too many good birds on show not to.

I came in at the Silcott end, my idea was to time it right and get the high tide which was around 11.30am, as I walked bits of it from years ago started to effect the brain matter, a rare event these days as memory loss seems to go hand in hand as I get older.
As I walked up the channel heading towards a very distant Mersea I started to see some good birds, Waders and Wildfowl were prominent everywhere especially Dark Bellied Brent’s, Wigeon and Dunlin.

Dark Bellied Brent's

2 Goldeneye and a Green Sandpiper headed the list until I got halfway along, I then found 2 Smew mid channel, no less a Redhead and a stunning Drake, I watched these for a good while, like a lot of good birds you just don’t see them enough. Pressing on I added another couple of Goldeneye and then came a group of 12 Red Breasted Mergansers, again not a bird I see a lot off so spent a bit of time with these.

Drake and Redhead Smew

Red Breasted Mergansers

None of the Great Northern or Black Throated Divers as yet that had been seen or the Long Tailed Duck and after a brief chat with an RSPB chap doing the rounds, it turned out they were in the other channel looking towards Bradwell.

There was still enough time to catch the high tide before it dropped so I decided to carry on, I must admit by the end of the day having undertaken a 6 ½ mile walk I knew it, but on the other hand I got to see some really good birds. These days you seem to carry more gear than ever, I had binoculars, a backpack laden with grub, digiscoping stuff etc., a telephoto camera and of course my telescope slung over my shoulder. Ideally one should be left behind but what do you leave? Its getting to the point where, if I fell over, I would have so much bloody gear on I wouldn't be able to  get up again, all they would see would be 2 little legs sticking out of a Dyke.
As I carried on I picked up more goodies, at least 6 Marsh Harriers in view at the same time, a large flock of Pintail, more Merg’s and at least 6 Rock Pipits. The jammiest one was undoubtedly walking down off the sea wall for a call of nature visit and flushing a Jack Snipe, another very good bird.

Looking towards Mersea

Eventually after about 4 miles I came to the other channel overlooking Bradwell Power Station, right on cue out came a flying Great Northern Diver, I initially at the time thought this may have been the Black Throated but checking the photos showed otherwise. I watched this for a while as it headed right out and was lost to view. By now I was thinking well worth the walk but it got better as I then located another Great Northern further up the channel, this one gave stunning views through the scope. The only down side was the weather, it remained grey, dark and murky all day.
I had also forgotten how long Great Northerns stay under, I could have put the kettle on and made a cup of tea it was so long, food seemed to be Crabs.

Great Northern Divers

I got some record shots and carried on, next up were a pair of peregrines initially both sitting on a fence before both hunted and prey was taken, I watched these as they both left, the Falcon with the prey heading towards Bradwell.

Pair of Peregrines on fence

As I carried on I was constantly scanning for the B T Diver and the Long Tailed Duck but not to be I ‘m afraid, another reason to come back as I headed back towards Silcott, I did add 59 roosting avocets though and 2 Common Scoters.

Common Scoters

Roosting Avocets

To round off the day I had 2 calling Bearded Tits, the whole walk had taken just over 6 hours starting at 8.45am and getting back to the car around 3.15pm.As I write this there’s not a bit of me that’s not aching.



















               

Aussie Birds

My family is a big one, some are pretty spread out around the world, of course my daughter Julie and Shaun with the grandchildren Erin and Quinn are in New Zealand but I also have uncles and aunts in Spain along with cousins and brother in laws in Australia.
I was recently sent some photos below of some Australian birds, one the Osprey is readily identifiable wherever you go, they don’t seem to change much the world over.
They were all sent to me by my cousin Luke, he resides in Sydney but from what I can gather he travels a bit through work commitments, on his travels he see quite a lot on the road.

Even without the Osprey juvenile it is refreshing to look at blue skies, it seems over there Ospreys are pretty easy to see and quite abundant, I know my brother in law Mick watches them from his back garden in Perth.

The photo of the other bird feeding on the flower is a Blue Faced Honeyeater, from what I can gather pretty common.

The remaining bird is a Bush Thick Knee; very approachable going by the photo, without doubt it recalls a Stone Curlew, again quite a common bird it seems.