ESSEXBIRDING

www.ebws.org.ukRegistered Charity Number 1142734

• Swifts

• Cornwall

• Jordan

• BTO Nest Record Scheme

• Collins App review

• RSPB Pulborough Brooks

& Rainham Marshes

ISSUE NO. 125 | WINTER 2014/SPRING 2015 | £5.00

2

EDITORIALLESLEY COLLINS

And so another year over and, for us at least, plenty ofnew birds have been seen this year. Steve and I had afew days sea watching in Cornwall in September. Itwas fantastic to see such huge quantities of birds flyingpast in the glorious sunshine one day, although sittingon a cliff in the pouring rain the next day did somewhatdamped my enthusiasm to repeat the experience. Ihave decided I must be a fair weather birder! Pleaselet me know of your experiences birding, the good andthe not so good, days.We have been extremely lucky in having Paul Griggs,

from the Southend Ornithological Group, to help us toget thewebsite up and running again. It was good to seePaul attend our indoor meeting in October and I wouldlike to thank him again from us all. I am glad to say thatwe can now update the news and forthcoming trips andindoor meetings. There are more sightings and photosbeing posted which is great news all round, and I haveplenty to chose from for the ‘photo of the month’! Soplease do visit the website, put on your Essex sightings,check out what is happening and what has been seenwww.ebws.org.ukAnd so to this issue. We are planning to tie in some

of the articles with future trips and talks, so with thatin mind I hope that you enjoy reading about the BTOnest recording scheme and that you will then join uswhen Carl himself comes to talk more about thissubject at the indoor meeting on Friday 6th February.We also have an interesting write up of the RSPBPulborough Brooks reserve which we will be visitingon 15th March, if you would like to join us then pleaselet Gerry know to reserve your place on the coach.John Smart haswritten a great article and poemabout

Swifts and Richard Allen, just one of our wonderfulartists, has again produced a superb piece of artwork forthis front cover. If youwould be interested in submittingsome art work, or photographs, for future issues thenplease contact me at lesleydc21@gmail.comEBwS’s first field trip of the season was a lovely visit

to Two-Tree Island reserve in September and for anon-coach trip it was well attended. Mark Bridges tookus on a tour of the reserve that he is a warden for, andwas very informative about the history of the site. Ididn’t even know the reserve was there but willcertainly be going back again. Mark has written anupdate of the Avocet breeding story that featured inEssex Birding issue 123.Following the BOP conference in March it is good to

see that Kestrels have beenmaking use of the nest boxesalready up and that other boxes have been distributed,so hopefully evenmorewill do so next year.Wealso havea follow up of the Turtle Dove conference and the workin hand getting sites sown with the seed we purchased.Help is still neededwith thiswork on 8thMarch so pleasespeak to Gerry if you have some time to spare.And to satisfy those of us that like to read about

other’s birding trips, Marilyn andMark Bridges have sentin a write up of their ‘pager’ trip to Cornwall and John& Louise Sykes have written about their trip to Jordan.Everyone has interesting stories and you are great

storehouses of birding experiences with many personalanecdotes and recollections. Past memories of specificspecies sightings; trips, local or elsewhere will be of greatinterest andenjoyment toour readers,whynot shareyours?Please letme know if youwould like to submit somethingfor a future issueofEssexBirding, or if youhavesuggestionsfor articles, we are always on the lookout for new ideas.Lastly, you will have found a merchandise form

enclosed with this issue. We have sourced a supplierthat will embroider our logo onto clothing as required.This is so much better than having to bulk buy up frontand being left with sizes and colours that no-onewants,also a percentage of the money from every item youpurchase goes to the Society. Steve has offered tocollect any orders once a month and we can bring wecan bring themwith us to the indoormeetings/field trips,alternatively you can arrange to have them delivered toyour door direct by contacting the supplier.

Gannets by Steve Grimwade

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CONTENTS WINTER 2014/SPRING 2015

Please note that opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Society,

Trustees, Officers or Executive Committee.

Printer

Healeys Print Group, Unit 10, The Sterling Complex, Farthing Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 5APTel: (01473) 461122 Fax: (01473) 464154 email: info@healeys-printers.co.ukwww.healeys-printers.co.uk

Publisher

The Essex Birdwatching Society

Front Cover illustration:

Black-headed Gull by Sam Shippey

Society logo:

Barge and Brent skien by Richard Hull

Editor details:

Steve & Lesley Collins, 37 Springham Drive, Colchester, CO4 5FNTel: 07733 003048 (after 7pm) Email: stephencollins247@btinternet.com or lesleydc21@gmail.com

Editorial

Lesley Collins..............................................2

Chairman’s Watchpoint

Gerry Johnson ............................................5

News & Information............................6

A Year at Pulborough Brooks

Anna Allum ................................................7

EBwS Archivist Update ......................9

Jordan – Petra and Wildlife

John & Louise Sykes................................10

Friedrich Herman Otto Finsch ......12

Bellamy at Brightlingsea Weekend

Gerry Johnson ..........................................13

Review of the Collins Bird Guide App

Steve Grimwade ......................................15

Where the Pager Takes Us

Mark Bridges ............................................16

RSPB Rainham Marshes

Howard Vaughan......................................19

An Update on Two Tree

Island’s Avocets

Mark Bridges ............................................22

Kestrel Nest box presented to

Southend School for Girls

Louise and John Sykes ............................22

BTO Nest Record Scheme Organiser

Carl Barimore ..........................................23

Radar Angels – The Swift

John Smart ................................................26

Wethersfield Turtle Dove

Gerry Johnson ..........................................28

Bird Counts at Abberton

J Thorogood..............................................29

A ‘little’ time for Essex

Conservation

Gerry Johnson ..........................................29

Meetings Programme:

Winter/Spring 2015 ..........................30

Recent Indoor Meetings

Gerry Johnson ..........................................31

Recent Outdoor Meetings

Gerry Johnson ..........................................34

Recent Reports & Bird News ......38

Abberton Reservoir

David Wimpress ......................................38

Foulness

Dr. Chris Lewis ........................................41

Hanningfield Reservoir

David Acfield ............................................42

Langdon Hills & Thameside

Nature Park

Andrew Cox ..............................................44

Mersea Island

Steve Entwistle ........................................46

Metropolitan Area

Howard Vaughan......................................48

North-East Essex

Dr. Simon Cox ..........................................49

Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve

Howard Vaughan......................................52

Southend Area

Paul Baker ................................................53

Wat Tyler Reserve and Vange

Marshes

Andrew Cox ..............................................57

4

ESSEX BIRDWATCHING SOCIETY

Annual General Meeting

Friday, 6th

March 2015 in the Hall at the Quaker Meeting House, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford Commencing at 19:30

AGENDA 1. Apologies for absence.

2. Minutes of Annual General Meeting held on the 7th

March 2014 to be ‘read’, agreed and signed (Proposed: !!!!!.!!!!. 2

nd !!!!!!..!!!) (In favour !!......Against !!....! Abstain

!!....!)

3. Matters arising from the 2014 Annual General Meeting minutes

4. Report of the Executive Committee for 2014, presented by Chairman

5. Presentation for approval of the audited accounts for the year ending 31st December 2014, presented by Treasurer

(Proposed: !!!!!!!!!!2nd

!!!!!!......!!) (In favour!.!...... Against..!...!.. Abstain !.....!.)

6. Election of President for 2015 – 2016: Nomination: Margaret Mitchell (Proposed: !!!!!!!..!..!2

nd !!!!!!!...!!) (In favour!....!... Against..!!.... Abstain !.....!.)

7. Election of Hon. Auditor for 2015 – 2016: Nomination: Connah Goldsworthy (Proposed: !!!!!!!!!! 2

nd !!!!!!!!!...) (In favour .!....!. Against !!..... Abstain !.....!)

8. Election of Hon. Solicitor for 2015 – 2016: Nomination: Andrew Bryce & Co (Proposed: !!!!!!!..!!.. 2

nd !!!!!!..!!.....) (In favour .!....... Against !!..... Abstain !.....!)

9. Election of Officers for 2015 – 2016 - Nominations:

Hon. Chairman G. Johnson Hon. Vice-Chairman S. Collins Hon. Treasurer A. Harbott Hon. Secretary Mrs L. & J. Sykes Membership Secretary P. Dwyer

Assistant Secretary (Gift Aid) J. Thorogood Assistant Secretary (Minutes) Position Vacant Indoor Meetings Organiser Position Vacant Outdoor Meetings Organiser G. Johnson Sales Goods Organiser P. Dwyer Editor “Essex Birding” Mrs L. & S. Collins Editor “Essex Bird Report” G. Smith Senior Recorder L. Steward

Recorder(s) T. Jeffreys and M. Tracey Recording Team Co-ordinator Position Vacant Social Media Co-ordinator S. Collins (Facebook) T. Jeffreys (Twitter) Archivist T. Jeffreys Outdoor Events Organiser Position Vacant Publicity Organiser Position Vacant

(Proposed: !!!!!!!!! 2nd

!!!!!!!!..!.) (In favour!......... Against !....!.. Abstain .....!..)

10. Election of any new Trustees – Nominations: None (Proposed:!!!!!!!.!! 2

nd!!!!!!!!!....) (In favour!!...! Against!!...! Abstain !!....)

11. Election of up to ten additional members as assistants to the Executive Committee for 2015 – 2016.

Nominations: D. Preston, S. Grimwade (Proposed:!!!!!!!!.! 2

nd !!!!!!!..!!) (In favour!!...... Against !...!... Abstain !.....!)

12. Address by President – Mrs M. Mitchell

13. Close of 2015 Annual General Meeting followed by a lecture on ‘Black-tailed Godwit Migration’ by Dr Jennifer Gill, from University of East Anglia, Norwich.

5

currently received by members, and theymust be subsidised by other activitiesundertaken, so we will need to act in someway in the not too distant future to addressthe situation. Thanks to Steve Collins,members now

have the opportunity to purchase qualitymerchandise with the Society logo tastefullyembroidered on the chest. Please see details

enclosed in this issue together with the Order Formfor sending, with payment, directly to G M Supplies, 9Gloster Road, Martlesham, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP5 3RB.Due to the position of ‘Conservation Co-ordinator’

on the Committee being vacant for a few years theSociety has been unable to respond as positively as itwould wish to requests for data from third parties forareas and/or specific sites in Essex, which has, in thepast, been an important source of revenue to theSociety. In view of this unacceptable void in theSociety’s capabilities we have become a partner inthe Essex Field Club’s ‘Essex Records partnership’scheme. This partnership is a collection of manyindependent bodies in Essex having a vast range ofknowledge and interests, covering many aspects ofthe wildlife in Essex. All data submitted by the Societyremains the sole property of the Society, but will forman important part of the Counties Data Search Systemadministered by the Essex Field Club. Whensubsequent requests are now received from any thirdparties for specific data, detailed informationcovering all aspects of wildlife will be able to bepresented through this partnership, in a veryprofessional manor, for an agreed fee. The Societysees this as an important way forward and the feesreceived, after costs, will be shared by all partners inthe ‘Essex Records partnership’ scheme. Finally, if you have a spare couple of hours on your

hands and are looking to use your valuable timewisely and more productively, why not donate themto the Team that keeps the Society running? We are avery friendly bunch always looking to add newvolunteers to the Team to help out in a positive way,which is most rewarding, will keep you young atheart and what a great way to meet new friends andmake acquaintances. Graham Smith, Editor of the’Essex Bird Report’ for the last five years, has statedthat a ‘Joint Editor’ must come forward/be found atthe next Annual General Meeting in March 2015 toassist with the production of the ‘Report’ for 2013, ashis other interests and commitments are not beingrealised. Without this assistance sadly there could bea delay in the completion of this next ‘Report’.Graham is also appealing for as many newphotographs as we can get for possible inclusion infuture ‘Reports’. Email – silaum.silaus@tesco.co.ukPlease contact the Secretary Louise and John Sykesfor more information about all Team EBwS positionson the Committee by e-mail tojohn.sykes@btinternet.com or on 01245 355132.I hope that you all have a splendid ‘bird filled’ 2015.

CHAIRMAN’S W A T C H P O I N T

BY GERRY JOHNSON – CHAIRMAN

Sadly, during September 2014 the Society lost notone but two Vice Presidents in close succession.Firstly, following a period of ill-health, Diane Westonpassed away on 18th September. In the early years ofthe Society Diane and husband John were veryinvolved and instrumental in the Society’sdevelopment along with the conservation measures toprotect breeding Little Terns at the ‘Naze’. Then on30th September Jim Smith passed away in hospitalafter being admitted a few days earlier. Jim joined theSociety in the early 1960’s and held various positionson the Executive Committee during his 50 years as amember. Jim also often made valued contributions todebates on the County’s e-mail group. Both DianeWeston and Jim Smithwere huge supporters of theSociety, what it stands for and what it undertakes. Theywill be greatly missed by family, friends and themembers that knew them well over many years andfrom those early years. Obituaries will appear in the‘Essex Bird Report’ for 2012.Over recent years, membership to the Society has

gradually been reducing from an all-time highapproaching 700 to the present level of just over 500!Having one on the lowest county bird club subscriptionrates at just £16.00 per adult, I cannot believe that thisoutstanding value for money, along with the fantasticbenefits, are not appreciated by everyone with aninterest in birds in Essex, their local conservation andthe important County data recording, all as undertakenby the Society to produce the first class and awardwinning ‘Essex Bird Report’?Speaking about the ‘Report’, the 2012 Edition will be

with members very shortly and we trust that you willapprove the enhanced content and changes made.Produced by Editor Graham Smith and the Team ofSub-Editors from the vast amount of data received bySenior Recorder Les Steward, Recorders TerryJeffreys and Mick Tracey and the Team that filtersthrough all this information to produce the mostaccurate annual ornithological record for Essex.However, unless this declining membership trend

is reversed, it could be difficult in future years tomaintain all the activities the Society are currentlyinvolved in. If you are interested in birds in Essex thenwhy not join the Society, or if you know of someonewho has an interest in birds in Essex pleaseencourage them to visit our website or contactMembership Secretary Peter Dwyer bye-mail at petedwyer@petedwyer.plus.com or bytelephone on 01787 476524, to become a memberand support everything positive the Society stands forand undertakes.We are now approaching ten years since the

Society had the need to raise subscriptions. This hasonly been achieved through cost savings and beingprudent, but as mentioned above, due to the currentreduced level of membership the ‘guaranteed’income is only just over £8,000 which does not coverthe expenditure to produce all the publications as

6

Osprey Letter

Hi Gerry

I thought you would be interested to

know my son and daughter-in-law

treated both mums to a lovely

weekend away at Rutland Water to

see the ospreys.

We went on the Rutland Belle boat

on the water and saw one of the two

pairs of ospreys. Although my sight is

poor, with help from family and other

lovely folk on the boat, I was able to

see it sitting on top of a pole on a

tower in the middle of the water

before it flew out of sight. We then

went on to breakfast at another of

the reserves, where the devoted

volunteers provided a slap up

breakfast on a barbeque for the 64

people on the boat. Driving on to

Lynden Reserve, I was offered a

motorized scooter, but chose to walk

the mile each way and managed

extremely well, thoroughly enjoying it

along the shores of the lake with

lovely wildflower meadows, including

yellow rattle. Here, sitting in a hide I

had a good view of one of the second

pair, before it flew off. We did not see

them dive for fish, but lots of others

such as terns and black backed gulls

did, together with other water birds

we see less frequently. The first

ospreys had produced three chicks,

but the second had laid eggs when

the male which had lost three flight

feathers was attacked by his brother

and driven away. The new male then

tipped the three eggs out of the nest,

and although they mated it was too

late for the hen to produce a second

brood. The wardens are confident

they will do so next year.

2015 Essex Corn Bunting Survey

Essex Birdwatching Society and the

RSPB are teaming up to complete a

survey of Corn Bunting breeding

populations in Essex in the early

summer of 2015.

The Corn Bunting has undergone a

catastrophic decline of 90% in the UK

from 1970-2011 (The State of the

UK's Birds 2013). Recent trends show

a UK decline of 34% from 1995-2011

(Breeding Bird Survey 2012). Please

help us to find out how this important

Essex bird is fairing – we are looking

for volunteers to help survey for Corn

Bunting in the summer of 2015.

The aim of the 2015 Essex Corn

Bunting Survey is to count the

numbers of territory-holding male

Corn Buntings in the county and the

survey methodology will confirmed

with volunteers as we build up to

gathering the data early in 2015.

The survey will build on data

gathered during a similar survey

carried out by EBS volunteers in

2007, allowing comparisons to be

made and provide evidence on the

state of Corn Bunting breeding

populations in the county.

Please let me know if you are

interested in taking part in the survey

– I can be contacted on 01702

258357 or my email address is

simon.carpenter@rspb.org.uk

Thank you in anticipation and

looking forward to hearing from you.

Simon Carpenter

Rutland Water Coach Trip

The coach trip to Rutland Bird Fair was

a success this year, and will be

repeated on Sunday 23rd August 2015.

It was a memorable occasion and

as the commentator on the boat had

been at your fantastic raptor event at

Writtle, I thought you would be

interested in my experience.

Regards

Iris Snow

Letter to the Editor

Dear Lesley

You may not know of me, but I have

been a member of the Essex Birders

since 1954. Sadly with age I am

limited in my field visits, compared

with my earlier days.

Your report in the Summer/Autumn

report of Abberton 13.11.1949 reminded

me of my first visit with the Society to

Abberton Reservoir 10.1.1954.

Rosemary Upton was the field

organiser and we travelled with

Primrose Coaches from Chelmsford.

Amongst that party was Bob Spencer

(deceased) organiser of BTO ringing.

Our sightings for that day: –

Hundreds of Tufted Ducks, Pochard

and Coots, many Wigeon and

Shoveler. Barry Hough spotted Red-

throated Diver, dozens of Golden Eye,

3 Red-legged Partridges and a large

flock of Teal. Barry Hough picked out

a Pintail. 5 Goosander and many

Great Crested Grebes. Near a

pumphouse a Black-necked Grebe

(that Bob Spencer queried – he was

wrong) and 80 – 90 Mute Swan.

Sorry if numbers are vague, but for

a beginner the whole trip was

exciting. Mrs Upton finished up the

outing at a pub, or tea-rooms that

was enjoyed by all.

Yours sincerely

Bob Beech

NEWS & INFORMATION

Committee Contact Details

Chairman Gerry Johnson 01245 356633 gerry2johnson@aol.com

Treasurer Anthony Harbott 01992 575213 anthonyharbott@talktalk.net

Secretary John & Louise Sykes 01245 355132 john.sykes@btinternet.com

Membership Secretary Peter Dwyer 01787 476524 petedwyer@petedwyer.plus.com

Essex Bird Report Editor Graham Smith 01277 354034 silaum.silaus@tiscali.co.uk

Essex Birding Editors Steve & Lesley Collins 07733 003048 stephencollins247@btinternet.com or

lesleydc21@gmail.com

Archivist Terry Jeffreys terry.jeffreys@btinternet.com

7

Peregrine by Gareth Hughes

It’s a frosty morning and I take a walk down thehedgerow-lined trail that leads to my favourite placeon the nature reserve – Hanger View. I pause enroute at the bottom of the zig zag path to take a peekinto the spruces in Fattengates courtyard, a tiny birdhovers around the edge of a branch – a Goldcrest. Itflies lower and during a brief spat with a fellow titchycreature I spot a flash of yellow as its crest flares upin indignation. No Firecrest on this occasion but it isalways worth a look.I continue down Green Lane – an old drover’s road

– and as I approach Hanger View I can hear thehonking of geese and the gentle whistling ofWigeon.I arrive at the viewpoint and watch an array ofdabbling ducks going about their business; herds ofcolourfulWigeon – a mass of orange, chestnut, pink,grey and white – graze the wet meadows, zippy littleTeal inhabit the nooks and crannies at the edges ofthe pools, handsome Pintails parade in the deeperwater whilst Shoveler ‘minesweep’ across thesurface.All of a sudden this peaceful scene is interrupted –

chaos ensues as thousands, yes literally thousands, ofducks and Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits andSnipe take to the air, swirling around in panic. It mustbe a Peregrine. And there she is, sharp pointedwings and powerful wing beats as she scythesthrough the whirling mass. This time she returns toher favourite perch in the big willow empty-taloned –even the fastest bird in the world has to work hard forher breakfast. Time to head back to the visitor centreand warm up with a cup of tea before we open up for

the day.Having eaten all of the hedgerow berries on their

arrival in autumn now is the time to look out forflocks of Redwing and Fieldfare foraging on thepasture fields in search of our juiciest worms.Amongst them could be a couple of bold-lookingMistle Thrushes. If you are patient and sharp-eyed,head down to West Mead hide to search forbeautifully camouflaged Snipe. I’m sure I’m not alonein having spent too much time staring at a tuft ofrushes wondering whether it is a snipe or not, but if itis cold and icy this hide is a great spot to see them upclose and actively feeding around the ice-free ditchthat flows into the frozen pool.As the weather starts to warm up look for signs of

spring; pretty pink Bullfinches enjoy nipping the budsoff the blackthorns along the zig zags and our addersemerge from hibernation to bask in the sun on thewarmer days. Our resident birds, the ones who stickwith us through the wind, rain and even snow of aBritish winter, are starting to think about establishinga territory and finding a mate – listen out for the feistyWren who punches above his weight. He shouts outhis song, perched on a prominent low branch, yellowbeak open wide and tail cocked.Listen out for your first singing Chiffchaff. Look for

your first butterfly of the year – a sulphur-YellowBrimstone perhaps? Or a fuzzy queen Bumblebeelooking for an old mouse hole in which to start hercolony. Spring is on its way.Mid-April is when things really get going as one by

A Year at Pulborough BrooksANNA ALLUM, RSPB VISITOR OFFICER

8

one new voices are added to the Pulborough Brookschoir. We begin with the repetitive Song Thrush,mellow Blackbird and wistful Robin, add theChiffchaff and bubbly Blackcap (my personalfavourite). Then the Nightingale, Common andLesser Whitethroat, the lovely fluteyWillow Warblerand the Garden Warbler join us. Finally the Sedgeand Reed Warblers add their odd frenetic songs tothe mix. But it is the Nightingale who is the soloist,the virtuoso performer. Fattengates courtyard(nicknamed Berkeley Square for the months of Apriland May) is one of the best places not only to hearbut also to see this usually secretive singer.Out on the wetlands the lapwings perform

acrobatic manoeuvres and you can hear theirevocative ‘peewit’ calls. Look skywards for dancingdots – Skylarks – as they rise higher and higher intothe air singing their joyful tune I defy you not to smile.Shelducks feed on the pools before circling round insearch of a suitable rabbit burrow to nest in and raisethose lovely fluffy humbug ducklings.A selection of waders take advantage of the pools

and wet grassland – breeding Redshank, Little-ringed Plover and Snipe are all a possibility, but agreater range of wading birds will simply be stoppingoff using the reserve to rest and re-fuel on their waynorth. Garganey are a tricky duck to find but weoften see a few of these smart ducks each spring,sometimes they even stop to breed.We’re moving into May and June and more insects

are enjoying the wildflowers around the trail. TheOrange Tips are over but feisty Small Copper andbeautiful Common Blues flutter around the sunny

sheltered spots. Chaser dragonflies emerge and startto patrol the ponds – black pond on our heathlandtrail is a hotspot for Four-spotted Chasers, and whenthe sun is out you can hear the clash of their wings asthey vie for the best perches from which to launchtheir attacks on smaller insects, including the LargeRed and Azure damselflies that also inhabit theheathland pool.Now is the time for an evening visit; choose a

warm, still evening and remember your insectrepellent – if it’s a good night for the bird you arelooking for tonight, it will also be a good night for thenasty bitey insects! You’ve not far to go, just a shortwalk up to the highest point on our heathland area,the site of a bronze age barrow mound, and as thedaylight fades listen out for the rather unnatural‘churring’ of the nightjar. If lucky you could see a darklong-winged silhouette emerge from the darknessand even catch a glimpse of the white tips of thewing and tail feathers.Bring a bat detector if you have one – large Noctule

and Serotine Bats may be seen flying across the moreopen areas and smaller Pipistrelles flit around theoaks on the edge of the heath and car park. Atwinkling fairy light in the undergrowth – you’vefound a Glow Worm! We run a series of evening or‘after dark’ events at this time of year and introduceyou to some of these very special creatures, featuringmoths, Nightjars, Tawny Owls, bats, Glow Wormsand newts.The breeding season is now in full swing and busy

parents can be seen feeding noisy demandingyoungsters amongst the bramble patches, along the

Yellow wagtail by Chris Prince

9

hedgerows and around the pools. Lookfor Lapwing chicks on the pool edges,with protective parents nearby. Thesewonderful birds are one of the keyspecies that we manage the wetlandsfor, and one of the RSPB’s priorityspecies in the South East, so the chicksare not only cute but really ratherimportant too.The summer months can seem quiet

for birds – some will already have left fortheir epic southwards journey, otherswill be more secretive whilst they moult.This is when the insects take centrestage and the bright yellow fleabane onthe zig zags is popular with fabulousbutterflies – Skippers, Blues, SmallTortoiseshells, Red Admirals, Peacocks,Painted Ladies and on many yearsClouded Yellows. Sit on the bench onthe slope at the top of Nettley’s loop and keep youreyes on the oak and ash trees and you could berewarded with a sighting of a Purple or a BrownHairstreak.Whilst the pools will have largely dried out, the

muddy edges prove popular with migrating waderswhose breeding seasons are over. Search forSandpipers from Nettley’s hide and Jupp’s view –most numerous are green, but you should findcommon and perhaps even Wood or PectoralSandpiper too. But don’t stop at Sandpipers,Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff and Dunlinare amongst the other regulars at the PulboroughBrooks service station. Juvenile Marsh Harriers are afrequent sighting at this time of year, flying low overthe ditches in search of prey.It is autumn in the bird world and things are on the

move. Yellow Wagtails can be seen picking upinsects disturbed as our highland cattle graze,Spotted Flycatchersmake their aerial sallies insearch of insects from the fence lines around Adderalley. Redstarts give themselves away by flashingtheir rusty red tails before flitting back into the cover

of the hedgerow. Weird and wonderful fungi pops upin the damp and dark places – black wood is the bestspot for fairy tale fly agaric, delicate lilac bonnets andclumps of bright sulphur tuft.We are almost full circle as the pools start to

expand and the ducks return, initially tricky to identifyin their rather scruffy eclipse plumage. Their coloursgradually brighten as the autumn leaves turn goldenand the berries redden, ready to be feasted on by thehungry hordes of thrushes arriving from Scandinavia.Whatever time of year you choose to visit there is

special wildlife to see and hear. There is also homemade soup, great cake and bird-friendly coffee in ourcafé, and when you know that spending your moneyin our shop or café raises money to help conservationyou can enjoy slice of cake with a clear conscience.Eat cake, save nature, enjoy nature – it doesn’t getmuch better than that!

Editor’s note: We have a coach trip arranged to visitthis lovely reserve on Sunday 15th March, please seeGerry to get your names down.

Visitor centre photo by Gareth Hughes

Since my last report, the Archive has increased alittle. Thankfully, we have located copies of issues 52and 56 of the Essex Bird Watching and PreservationSociety Bulletin so I am fairly certain that we nowhave all the documents published by the Society insafe keeping.I am still hoping that there are members’ annual

records out there that were originally sent into theSociety which can be absorbed into the Archive. Thefamily of Jim Smith have bequeathed his birdingrecords and photos to the Society.I have recently found some documents that are

useful to the Archive; the 2000 Report of the EastLondon Birders Forum and The Birds of Bishop’s

Stortford and District. Both of these documents arepart of a series so I shall be looking out for furtherissues to complete the “sets.” Again, I am appealing to the membership to

provide me with information on any documentationthat should be held in the archive and anysuggestions regarding pamphlets and books that arerelevant to the birds and ornithology in Essex. Soplease let me know if you hold or know thewhereabouts of any documentation that would beuseful to have in the Society archive.

Best wishesTerry Jeffreys

EBwS Archivist Update

10

We arrived at Heathrow to meet up with our tourleader, Julian Sykes, and the other five members ofour group. The BA mid afternoon flight took 5hrs tothe Jordanian capital Amman. We were met insidethe airport by the local agency ‘fixer’ who whisked usthrough visa, customs and arrival procedures. Heasked where our binoculars were and we said theywere in our hand luggage. Apparently a previousbirding group had had their bins confiscated byJordanian security.Our local guide Roberto and our driver Dawoud

took us to our hotel, The Regency Palace. We retiredto our rooms as it was midnight local time and werewelcomed with a packed dinner.The Middle East has seen much turbulence and

political strife in recent years, but Jordan remains asafe venue for those interested in the area’sfascinating history and rich birdlife.After an early breakfast we were enroute to the

desert oasis at Azraq. A Pallid Harrier flew acrossthe road and a Steppe Buzzard was seen. Westopped for photos at the desert castle Kharaneh,built in the eighth century. Our next stop was at theUNESCO site of Qasr’ Amra, a small bath-house builtfor the Umayyad caliphs to socialise. On our walkalong Wadi Butm to see the ancient wild pistachiotrees, we saw a Hoopoe, House Sparrows, Kestrel,Crested Lark and Barn Swallows. In the floweringbushes there were hundreds of Painted Ladies. Weexplored the area of small pools and spottedSubalpine Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, a maleMarsh Harrier and Common Chiffchaff. A PurpleHeron flew overhead. Then we noticed activity inone of the small trees, with a Red-breastedFlycatcher, a Wryneck and a Thrush Nightingale. AMasked Shrike appeared, along with an ArabianWarbler, a Redstart and a shy Water Rail.We alsosaw a Mauritanian Frog, a Spiny-footed Lizard and aSilver Y Moth. On the way back to the minibusJoanna and myself sneaked a view of the frescoesinside the bath-house.

We arrived at the RSCN Lodge for lunch. This was anatmospheric old British army field hospital built in the1940’s. It has been extensively restored and modernisedby the RSCN, retaining many original features.The afternoon was spent at the Asraq Wetlands

Reserve. This area used to be an amazing oasis withthousands of birds and other wildlife. However by1992, after disastrous human intervention when mostof the water was pumped to the ever expandingcapital Amman, there was very little left apart fromsome deserted reed- beds and low muddy pools. In1998 the RSCN launched a programme to protect thewetland area and although some success has beenachieved, it faces an uphill struggle.As our group was approaching a small bridge

another visitor pointed out a small sand-colouredsnake lying on the bottom of the pool, which waslater identified as a Northern Water Snake. Then agroup of White-eared Bulbuls were seen, along withLaughing Dove, Collared Dove, Moorhen, LittleEgret, Squacco Heron and Spanish Sparrow. Acouple of Bluethroats were very obliging, and photoslater revealed both white and red spotted. AKingfisher flew over the larger lake, then a MarshHarrier was seen, along with a Snipe. New speciesfor the day included a Reed Warbler, SedgeWarbler, a female Little Crake and three Mallards.From the hide we had excellent views of a maleLittle Crake. Then a very large Northern Water Snakewas spotted, dozing on the edge of the reeds, verynear where the Little Crake was feeding. We held ourbreath as the Little Crake passed the snake twice, inboth directions. Fortunately the snake was eitheralready full or in a deeper sleep, but the Crake wasliving dangerously. We finished the day with somenew species, Little Grebe, Black-eared Wheatear,Osprey, Common Buzzard, Night Heron, Spur-winged Plover, Green Sandpiper and a flock ofRed-rumped Swallows.The next day an early start was made to visit the

Shaumari Reserve at Asraq. Although officially closed forthe past 5 years for maintenance/ renovation, we wereallowed access. There is very little money available forwildlife projects in Jordan. The reserve took a lot of workto find the birds but eventually we listed several speciesof Wheatears – Desert, Black-eared, Cyprus, Isabellineand Northern. A male Marsh Harrier circled above,and a Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk werenoted. An Ortolan Bunting was called along with aYellow Wagtail, a Wood Warbler, an Eastern Bonelli’sWarbler and a Lesser Whitethroat. An Oryx wasspotted running along the side of a wire fence, and aherd of Onager straddled the horizon. We had amazingviews of a Long-legged Buzzard, followed by a SteppeBuzzard and Common Kestrel.After lunch at the lodge we drove to Al-Safawi, a

junction on Highway 10 and explored the ‘blackdesert’ of igneous rocks. The new species included aBlack Kite, a White Wagtail, and Little-ringed Ploverseen on a small pool by the roadside. A Temminck’s

JOHN & LOUISE SYKES

Jordan – Petra and Wildlife

White-eyed Gull by John Sykes

11

Lark was running about. Dust devils threeWoodSandpipers. The group also noted the first Star Agama.We reached our destination Umm al Jamal, the

derelict basalt city. Although interesting historically,the site only gave us two new speciesWoodchatShrike and Greenfinch. There was evidence ofoverspill Syrian refugee camps along the main road.The main camps were out of sight.A small rocky pool at Niyifa gave us very good

views of Tree Pipit, Red-throated Pipits, a Black-headed Wagtail and two Little Egrets.The next morning there was an optional pre-

breakfast bird watch on the approach road to theShaumari Reserve. Early mornings, although brightwere quite cold, with a chilly wind hitting uswhenever we left the minivan. We had good views ofpreviously seen wheatears; new species includedGreater Sand Plover and Rufous-tailed RockThrush. A Hoopoe Lark was heard.After breakfast we drove south to Wadi Rum, via

Amman. New species for the journey were Jay andBlackbird. On approaching Rose Sand Camp, Hillawi,we logged Tristram’s Grackle. After checking in wewere off in two number four wheel drive vehicles totour part of the Wadi Rum area. The wadi itself is oneof a sequence of parallel faults forming valleys in thesandy desert south of the Shara Mountains. They areoriented almost perfectly north-south, shaped andcharacterized by giant granite, basalt and sandstonemountains rising up to 800m sheer from the desertfloor. This is the area that T.E. Lawrence loved.Good views were had of Trumpeter Finch, Rock

Martins and an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler. Thegeology of the area was truly awesome. We stoppedalongside a private reserve, leased by a Sultan ofQatar, and saw a small herd of Nubian Ibex. In thetrees were Blackcap, White-crowned Wheatear,Rufous-tailed Robin, Masked Shrike and anUpchers Warbler as well as previously seen species.After watching the sunset, we crossed a small streamthat gave us Little Stint and Ringed Plover. Theevening buffet at the camp included lamb cooked inan ‘oven’ built under the sand. Although we thoughtWadi Rum was amazing there is a real danger that itthreatens to become a theme park in the near future.The next day started with an optional short walk to

see the sunrise. We left the camp after breakfast for a45minute drive to Aqaba, a beach resort on the RedSea. On arrival, as we made our way to the seafront,a Rose-ringed Parakeet and a European Roller flewoverhead. Hafayer is an area of allotments right onthe seafront. We had amazing views of threeWryneck here, just a few feet away. One was in frontof us eating ants as they emerged from a brokenbranch. We were looking at the Yellow Wagtails veryclosely to see if one was a Sykes Wagtail but it wasdecided it was an Ashy-crowned Wagtail. WhiteWagtail, Willow Warbler, Masked Shrike andWhite-spectacled Bulbul also showed well. Wemoved further along the coast, looking for a place toeat our packed lunch. A small pontoon caught oureye, and we noted the target species for the areaWhite-eyed Gull, along with three Caspian Ternsand a Slender-billed Gull.Our lunch stop was at South Beach picnic area,

near a small bay on the edge of the container dock.Three moreWhite-eyed Gulls were here, along with

Common Sandpiper, Heuglins Gull and a SquaccoHeron. However the surprise of the day was a largeManta Ray that surfaced in the bay. The groupwatched it for 15 minutes before it disappeared. Wechecked into our hotel, Radisson Blu Tala Bay Resortthen rested out of the sun, it was 34 degrees. At 5pman optional bird watch in the hotel grounds provedvery productive. So many Blackcaps flitted about inthe flowering bushes and trees. At least five previousseen species gave good views in the car park area.The gardens were well maintained, in full flower andwe discovered a Blue-headed Wagtail.We watcheda pair of Crag Martins flying back and forth anddiscovered a nest with three chicks. A LaughingDove nest was seen in a stairwell.After an early breakfast, we drove the short distance

to the Aqaba Bird Observatory, a sewage works, onthe border with Israel. Thirty species were recordedhere, the new ones being Baltic Gull, Black-headedGull, Armenia Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Ruff andWhiskered Tern. A flock of 10 Garganey flew over,and the Black-winged Stilts were very photogenic inflight. At one stage the group was asked to move onby an Israeli guard in a watchtower.After lunch at a very smart Aqaba fish restaurant we

drove to Petra. We loggedMourning Wheatear on thejourney. We were staying at the Petra Guest House,which was right next to the entrance of the historic site.An evening drive to Little Petra followed dinner but ourhopes of seeing the elusiveHume’s Owlwere not met.However Julian heard then saw a Desert Hedgehog.Petra is one of the wonders of the Middle Eastern

World, a gigantic natural amphitheatre hidden in therocks, out of which a delicately coloured city, withimmense facades, has been carved. The temples and

Palestine Sunbird by John Sykes

Sinai Rose Finch by John Sykes

12

caves of Petra rest high up above a chasm, with hugewhite rocks forming the Bab, or gate, of the Sig, thenarrow entrance towering more than 20 metres high.Birdlife is scarce here but we recorded male andfemale Sinai Rose Finch, Fantail Raven, 30 SteppeBuzzards, three Steppe Eagles, two Desert Larks,Crag Martins and Tristram’s Grackles.The nextmorningwe visited Little Petra which has a

short, high gorge and familiar carved facades to themainsite. Herewe had really good views of the Sinai RoseFinch,which delighted the photographers. New speciesseen herewereRock Petronia, Blue Rock Thrush andPalestine Sunbirds. However themost colourful sightwas of threemale Sinai Agama, bright turquoise blue,sunning themselves on the rocks.We drove on to ournext location, theWadi Dana Reserve, and theRummana Campsite (RSCN). By the roadside clusters ofBlack Iris grew, the national flower of Jordan. Most of thegroup started towalk down the steep hill towards thecampsite, andwere rewardedwith four new species,Chukar, Bonelli’s Eagle, Cuckoo and LevantSparrowhawk. The last part of the afternoonwas spentnear the bird hide, where therewas a puddle of water.Short-toed Eagle, Common Kestrel, and aGriffonVulturewere seen, alongwith several Linnets. It wasvery cold in the tent overnight, so we kept our clothes onand piled on the blankets. Most of the group took the pre-breakfast bird walk, and noted a new speciesWoodlark.Wall Lizard and Natterjack Toad were also seen.After breakfast we began the drive to Feynan, an

isolated rural community in Wadi Araba. CornBunting, Great Grey Shrike and Finsch’s Wheatearwere added to the list. We stayed at Feynan Ecolodgefor two nights. This remote desert hotel offers aunique experience of environmentally friendly, lowimpact nature tourism amid traditional Bedouincultures. There was no light pollution and no trafficnoise, candles after dark, a relaxing end to our trip.

An early morning watch from the roof terraceproduced six species already seen. Later a walkalong the wadi gave us a Pied Flycatcher. Most ofthe group visited another wadi nearby at Whynanand saw a Barred Warbler. The group had a veryearly start as the drive to the airport was over 3 hours.But a brief stop at the Fifa Reserve (RSCN) producedtwo Dead Sea Sparrows, and several other species.This site is the only one left in Jordan where you canfind the Dead Sea Sparrow but the RSCN are fightingindustry and economic demands to preserve it.We were met at the airport by Mr Fixer who saw us

quickly through check-in and passport control.However at security nearly everyone in the group hadtheir hand luggage searched and bins checked. Allour passports were collected and double checked. Asenior man arrived and eventually we were givenclearance to pass through with our bins.As Jordan is 85% desert, birding was never going to

be easy. But as a group we saw over 130 species andenjoyed some spectacular sites. I will never forgetseeing part of the Petra Treasury appearing at the endof the gorge, bathed in sunlight.

Julian Sykes Wildlife Holidays, Karma Travel AgencyInfo@RobertoAdventures.com

Wryneck by John Sykes

Finsch's Wheatear by John Sykes

Prussian ornithologist, curator, author and collector.Dr Otto Finsch was one of the great ornithologicalexplores of the nineteenth century. He was born inSilesia (now mainly in south-west Poland) on 8August 1839.A keen student of natural history, he taught himself

all that he could on the subject and at the age oftwenty published his first paper on the birds ofBulgaria. It was to be followed by important works onbirds from every quarter of the world; New Guineaand Polynesia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand,Siberia, California and Alaska, Lapland and manymore.As an ornithologist, Otto Finsch’s most valuable

work concerned birds that occur well beyondEurope, in all, he described 14 new genera and about150 new species of birds. He was highly regarded byhis own generation of ornithologists and washonoured by them when they named such species asthe Amazon Parrot (Amazona finschi), the Grey-headed Parakeet (Psittacula finschii), Finsch’s

Flycatcher-thrush (Stizorhina finschii) and Finsch’sWheatear (Oenanthe finschii).

(Extracts from ‘Biographers for Birdwatchers’ –Barbara and Richard Mearns)

Friedrich Hermann Otto Finsch

13

The Society were kindly invited to participate inthe “Bellamy at Brightlingsea Weekend” by RogerTabor, Chairman of the British Naturalists’Association, to assist as guides on the bird watchingwalks along the splendid Brightlingsea Sea Wall(formally the town’s railway line between 1866 until1964) and on the boat trips leaving from the townJetty at the Hard at regular intervals.Both days commenced at the Millennium Gardens

beside Promenade Way near the famous Batman’sTower at 10:00 with a short introduction by RogerTabor and then wise words of encouragement andinspiration from Professor David Bellamy OBEabout the wildlife and the excellent Essex habitats tothe many families that participated over theweekend, from all over Essex and beyond. DavidBellamy, the world renowned icon Naturalist, now 81years young and living in Co Durham for over 50years, still has that very special WOW factor!Over the two days there were many varied and

very interesting wildlife activities pre-arranged atdifferent locations and habitats across Brightlingseacoastal areas. From ‘Spider Safaris’ at the ancientwoodland of the Lozenge Nature area; Plants &Wildlife of the Grazing Marsh (formally a Salt-Marsh)with Dr Chris Gibson; Grasshoppers, Crickets andBumblebees; Identification of Sea-wall grasses toSeashore Wildlife & Crabbing on the Jetty, each withexpert naturalist who lead the activity along withDavid Bellamy to show, identify and describe themany different species found. Going aboard theEssex & Kent Inshore Fisheries & ConservationAuthority’s vessel ‘Tamesis’ to see thefascinating range of marine speciesthey had dredged up from theColne estuary and exploring the‘mud’ of the old historical oyster pitsproved great attractions for the youngand not so young alike!In temperatures approaching 30°C

(86°F) it was very hot on the Sea Wallwalks but a pleasure to be out on thewater on a Brightlingsea HarbourCommissioners’ vessel for the 45 minuteboat trips departing from the Jetty toexplore Brightlingsea Creek around the twosmall islands of East and West Cidery, all invery flat calm water conditions. (On one boattrip with Steve Collins we even had a couple ofladies joining it thinkingthat they were going on theBrightlingsea foot-ferry to St.Osyth, so they got more thanthey bargained for!). It was notlong before we started to see theexpected Black-headed Gulls and noisy

Herring Gulls, especially when getting close to abuoy where Herring Gull had nested. Little Egretwere seen, nine in total, and Oystercatcher werealso early species identified, including some injuvenile plumage. More gulls including a largerLesser Black-backed Gull, with its yellow legs anddark grey back, occupied a post marking thenavigation channel, plus waders including Black-tailed Godwit in their beautiful chestnut summerplumage and Redshank with orange/red legs wereseen on the exposed mud during the first trip beforethe mud disappeared under the rising tide, high at12:40, then being exposed again for the last two boattrips. A flock of some 120 Curlew were on WestCidery Island, with half taking to flight which was asplendid sight. Three Common Tern, one carryingfood flew overhead on one trip, and then ten noisyLittle Tern held our attention over the boat. Therewas so much to be seen on the excellent 45 minutetrips which were appreciated by all taking part. Otherspecies seen on the boat trips included Cormorant,Lapwing, Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper,Shelduck, Turnstone, Whimbrel, Grey Heron, PiedWagtail, Dunlin, Starling, Swallow, Woodpigeon,Collard Dove and Feral Pigeon.The Sea Wall walks provided excellent elevated

views across the brackish water of the Colne Estuary,with the fresh water coming down from Colchestermeeting with the sea water at Brightlingsea, togetherwith the extensive SSSI Grazing Marsh withthousands of yellow meadow ant nests confirmingthat the habitat has not changed for many, manyyears. Meadow Brown, Common Blue, SmallTortoiseshell, Clouded Yellow and Gatekeeperwere amongst the butterflies noted togetherwith a Seal in the Estuary.

The Saturday walks were in very hotconditions, but excellent species were

noted from the Sea Wall also on theancient Woodland walks on

both days.

Bellamy at BrightlingseaWeekend – 26th-27th JulyGERRY JOHNSON

Little Tern by George Brown

14

Jay, Goldcrest, Blue-, Great- and Long-tailed Tit,Gold-, Green- and Chaffinch, Whitethroat, juvenileYellow Wagtail and a flock of ca.70 House Sparrowwere all seen along with Sparrowhawk, Kestrel anda Common Buzzard soaring on a rising thermal onSaturday morning. Overhead Swallow, House Martinand Swift all hawked for insects. Each day GreenWoodpeckers were seen amongst the ant hillsproviding easy and constant food for them. Amongstthe wet, reed filled burrow dyke just behind the seawall both Sedge Warbler and Reed Warblerprovided views as they flew quickly just above thereed stems before disappearing into the thicker,dense growth below. Linnet with their chestnutbrown wings, grey head and bright red breastpatches looked stunning as they perched on mixedHawthorne and bramble bushes for all to enjoy. Smallgroups of Goldfinches fed on ripe thistle seeds whilea smart male Yellowhammer provided a brief view to

some in the group. Being a very ‘hot’ weekend in Julyit was not the most productive time of the year forvast numbers of birds, but two of the high-lightsamongst the many species seen of the final walk onSunday, in the more comfortable mid-twentiestemperature, was the superb male Yellowhammerperched on top of a Hawthorne bush and a femaleCuckoo that flew along the reeds and perched just ashort distance along the Sea Wall for all of the groupto gain very good views.The”Bellamy at Brightlingsea Weekend” event

was enjoyed by everyone that took part to help makethe weekend a great success and a splendid advertfor Brightlingsea and the extensive wildlife of thearea, especially the birds. Special thanks to DavidBellamy for travelling from Co Durham, to RogerTabor for the invitation and to Anthony Harbott,Peter Dwyer and Lesley & Steve Collins for taking ashare of the guided walks and boat trips.

Lapwing by Unknown

15

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Good Birds

Most birders are familiar with the excellent CollinsBird Guide by Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney andDan Zetterström that was first published in 1999. Arevised second edition was published in 2010 withupdated and extra illustrations plus taxonomicchanges, making this an essential field guide forEurope, North Africa and the Middle East.In August 2014 at the British Birdwatching Fair, Collins

and Touch Press released the digital version of this fieldguide, aimed at users of Apple iPhone and iPad.With the advent of digital field guides in Australia

and the United States, Collins have done a fantastic jobin converting the guide into a ground-breaking app.Once downloaded from Apple’s App Store, the app

opens onto the title page which looks pretty similar tothe field guide. Then it takes you to a page showingall the families from wildfowl right through tovagrants, accidentals and introduced species.Clicking on one of these groups will take you to amore detailed page and clicking on an individualspecies takes you to a page that is familiar with thefield guide. (see screenshot)A fantastic feature of birding apps is that they don’t

just have illustrations and text, but also feature songsand calls, making this ideal for in the field when youhear something that you can’t identify!By clicking on the illustration you are taken to

another window where the image is ‘zoomable’, byusing ‘pinch and pull’ on the screen and enabling theuser to get a clearer view of a certain feature orplumage detail.As per the field guide there are distribution maps

and at an additional cost of £1.99, the user candownload the 271 distribution maps from the BTOBird Atlas 2007-11, with the BTO receiving apercentage from downloads sold. Other extras aretwo downloadable video files of common birds ofNW Europe plus less common and local species in asecond volume for £5.99 and £3.99 respectively.A great feature of this app is the facility to compare

species or plumages side by side, such as Pipits. (seescreenshot)All in all, this is a great app and there are plans in

the future for the app to be available on the Androidplatform.The basic download (without additions) costs

£12.99 which seems very reasonable, considering theamount of information available at your fingertips.

Review of the Collins Bird GuideApp – The Ultimate FieldguideSTEVE GRIMWADE

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An early morning start in late January 2014 sawleader Steve Grimwade and the 6 of us heading southwest on our ‘where the pager takes us’ trip toCornwall. We had a good journey and it didn’t seemlong before we were pulling up at Broadsands inDevon for our first bit of proper birding although wehad seen Red Kite, Raven and Common Buzzard onthe way.We made our way across the car park and soon

found our quarry, a small flock of Cirl Buntingsfeeding on seed put down to ensure their wintersurvival. They were not alone as CommonChiffchaff, Reed Bunting, Robin, Chaffinch andDunnock were also seen. After admiring the CirlBuntings for a while we made our way to thepromenade for a scan of the bay, this proved to bevery productive and our list included Rock Pipit,Black-necked Grebe, Gannet, Oystercatcher, Shag,Great Northern and Red-Throat Diver, GreatCrested Grebe, Razorbill and Fulmar. Very pleasedwith ourselves we started to make our way back tothe minibus but didn’t get very far as Steve waschecking a hedgerow and found a fine SiberianChiffchaff. This was turning out to be quite a trip!Heading onwards we stopped for lunch at Brixham

Harbour which was very quiet, Shag and Grey Sealbeing the only species of note.As time was marching on we continued our

westward journey across Bodmin Moor to our hotelin Helston. After a freshen up we reconvened in thebar to complete our checklist for the day followed bya very fine dinner. It had been quite a long butrewarding day and everyone retired early with theanticipation of what we might see the next day.We awoke to strong winds and heavy rain but not

to be deterred, after breakfast we donned our waterproofs and headed off to Penzance and where in notime we found a small group of Purple Sandpiperson the rocks and off shore, Gannet, Shag andFulmar. With waves crashing over the promenadeand steady rainfall we decided that there were lessprecarious places to visit so headed next to CarbisBay. Here, despite the intermittent rain, we had goodviews of Shag, Great Northern Diver, Gannet,Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill and Red ThroatedDiver.With the rain finally easing we were on the move

again, this time to the attractive town of St Ives withthe hope of a special Gull or two. From the car parkwe walked through the narrow streets to

Where the Pager Takes Us –Cornwall with Swallow BirdingMARK BRIDGES

Icelandic Gull by Steve Grimwade

17

Porthgwidden Beach, immediately findingTurnstones feeding on the rocks and aftercloser scrutiny finding some PurpleSandpipers amongst them. The wind herewas very strong and had blown a lot ofbirds into the bay. Lots more Razorbill,Guillemot and Gannet were busy feedingand closer in we had good views ofMediterranean, Herring and GreaterBlack-backed Gulls. A nice addition was aGreat Skua that obligingly landed on thesea, although a bit distant.Not too long after our arrival, a Gull

landed on the beach in front of us andSteve quickly identified it as a first winterIceland Gull. Walking around the edge ofthe cliffs to overlook the harbour a firstwinter Glaucous Gull was located, giving anice aerial display. As lunch time was uponus we walked back towards the car park,admiring a couple of close Great NorthernDivers offshore and finding another firstwinter Glaucous Gull on the rocks whichwas very close and enjoyed by all.The return journey to the car park was

eventful in itself as the wind was now gusting up to60mph and picking up sand from the beach whichwas blowing directly in our faces; it was more likecrossing the Sahara than St Ives!After our picnic lunch we drove to Hayle Estuary,

arriving at the hide at Ryan’s Field just in time to beatanother heavy shower. Kingfisher, Peregrine,Greenshank, Redshank, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwitwere all noted on the reserve and once the raincleared we made our way across to the estuary. Allthe usual estuary Gulls were present but the starshere were both Goosander and Red-breastedMerganser fairly close together which was useful forcomparing the two species. Teal and Wigeon werefeeding close to us with yet another Great NorthernDiver. Waders were plentiful with Oystercatcher,Greenshank, Redshank, Lapwing, Curlew, GreyPlover, Ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlinand Sanderling being found.Satisfied with what we had seen at Hayle we then

headed to the coast and a visit to RSPB MarazionMarsh. We had only just started to walk along paththat runs along the southern side of the reserve whenSteve called Bittern! It was the briefest of views forsome of us as it quickly dropped down into the reedsbut luckily it flew again shortly afterwards andeveryone got to see it in flight before it dropped out ofsight again.It was getting late and there was not much else of

note so we rounded off our outing with a return toHayle Estuary and a visit to Carnsew Basin and viewsof another Great Northern Diver before headingback to our hotel for another good dinner, runthrough of the checklist and reflection on some greatbird sightings.Our last full day in Cornwall dawned wet and

windy again but by the time we were ready to leaveafter breakfast the weather had improved and wasdry. This lifted our spirits along with the promise fromSteve that we were going to some great locations. Itwas therefore with some consternation that after onlya short drive we pulled up at the local sewage works!

Scanning the hedgerow and filter beds proved veryfruitful with Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, CommonChiffchaff, Siberian Chiffchaff, Robin, Wren,Dunnock, Chaffinch and Goldcrest starting our daylist. Crossing the road to the lake we soon found ournext target bird, Whooper Swan, which was minglingwith Mute Swans, Tufted Duck, Coot, Moorhen,Herring Gull and Black-headed Gull. Deciding toget a closer look we set off around the edge of thelake. This proved to be a good idea as Steve soonidentified a crest calling from a stand of Bamboo,everyone scanned intently and suddenly a fabulousFirecrest emerged giving us all great views. Buoyedby this we carried on to look for theWhooper Swanwhich wasn’t too hard as it swam our way and wasquite happy posing for photographs despite us allstanding very close!Next stop was a spot near Truro where a Glossy

Ibis had been reported, despite a thorough searchwe had no luck but several Pheasants and a smallflock of Siskin were found.We weren’t far from the coast so made our next

destination Gerrans Bay which is very scenic andworth a visit just for the view. Although quiet bird-wise we did record Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit,Fulmar and Great Northern Diver.Lunch was now in mind so we left Gerrans Bay

and headed for Hayle, having a brief stop at the Ibislocation, again without success. Our destination forlunch in Hayle was the excellent pasty shop, havingmade our selections we returned to the mini bus toeat them whilst overlooking the estuary, witheveryone tucking in it was the quietest that theminibus had been so far! Another Great NorthernDiver and Rook were noted, the Rooks beingparticularly interested in scraps of pasty.A return visit to Carbis Bay followed but it was

much quieter than the previous day, we still foundGreat Northern Diver, Fulmar, Kittiwake,Razorbill, Guillemot and Gannet. Newlyn Harbourwas our next stop where we were treated to somegood views of eight Great Northern Divers,

Whooper Swan by George Brown

18

Kittiwake and Razorbill. We also found a small flockof House Sparrows and very smart Stonechat.Our final stop for the day was Penzance in the hope

of locating a reported Black Redstart. We took thecoastal path which is lined with large rocks; perfecthabitat for the Redstart but despite some diligentscanning there was no sign. We did find more GreatNorthern Divers though! A day of varied locationswas rounded off nicely with a pre-dinner drink andcompletion of the checklist followed by an excellentdinner.For our final day and it was dry and bright, after

breakfast we said farewell to our hotel and started forhome, with a few scheduled deviations on the way ofcourse. Our first stop was Colliford Lake and on toDozmary Pool passing a lone Barnacle Gooseamongst a flock of Canada Geese on the way.Despite the sun being in our eyes (we weren’tcomplaining!) we soon spotted Goldeneye, TuftedDuck, Teal, Little Grebe and Pochard, eventuallyafter a lot of scanning we found our main quarry, adrake Lesser Scaup. Despite being asleep it was anice bird to find and we had good views.With a rain shower looming we returned to the

minibus and continued eastwards, passing CommonBuzzard, Sparrowhawk and Raven before reachingExeter where we stopped to pick up lunch. Wecarried on towards Dawlish Warren, our last locationfor the trip, stopping briefly at a golf course where we

found a Bar-headedGoose with a large flockof Oystercatcher,Curlew, Brent andCanada Geese. Withrain looking likely wedecided to eat lunch inthe minibus, at the sametime a pager messagecame through that aBonaparte’s Gull hadbeen reported in thearea. So withwaterproofs back on weall set off along the coastpath but unfortunatelythere was no sign of theGull. It was far from awasted visit though, as ityielded Brent Goose,Red-breastedMerganser, Long-tailed

Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe,Shag, Oystercatcher, Sanderling, Turnstone,Dunlin, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter and the bynow expected Great Northern Diver.The rain arrived with a vengeance so we

reluctantly decided to return to the minibus and headfor home adding some Red-legged Partridge andmore Common Buzzard during the journey.A great group of people, lots of laughs along the

way, lovely locations (mostly!) and terrific birdsadded up to a truly memorable four days.

Siberian Chiffchaff by Steve Grimwade

Great Northern Diver by George Brown

19

Rainham Marshes straddles the outskirts of eastLondon and Essex and has long been known as ahaven for birds. However, among birders itsreputation was often unsavoury, and it was known tomany as ‘that rubbish tip with burnt-out cars, piles oftyres, bubbling chemical pools, rats, guns,motorbikes and whizzing bullets ... oh, and WaterPipits and Short-eared Owls’.But things have changed somewhat over the last 14

years and the RSPB has ushered in a new erawhich combines conservation needs witheducation and a high quality visitor experience.

In the beginningThe local landscape has not always been

dominated by open marshes, and the area hasundergone some fascinating transformationsover thousands of years. Its geomorphologicalhistory started with the build-up of silty glacialdeposits overlying the Eocene marine Londonclays and gravels up to about 13,000 BC. Afterthis, the cold, treeless steppe and tundra habitatwas replaced with a covering of birch and pine.However, from 6,000 BC sea levels rose andduring the Mesolithic and Neolithic epochs,spanning 8,000-2,000 BC, the site saw twoperiods of inundation, each followed by denseforestation which is the source of the ancientbogwood that we periodically unearth.The Rainham area has been occupied by man

since the Palaeolithic (35,000-10,000BC), withhand tools found in the nearby Aveley shingleterraces, and there is evidence of Bronze andIron Age (2,200 BC to 43 AD) habitation andRoman occupation (43-140 AD) nearby.Farming in the area began after the Bronze

Age, but most of the land remained un-reclaimed during the Medieval period (140-1550AD). Reclamation and the establishment of seawalls began in the 14th century, andWennington Creek was finally sealed off fromthe Thames in 1691.The marsh provided high-quality grazing and

grain production from 1550 until as recently as1906, when the War Department created first thePurfleet Rifle ranges, and then in 1915 those atthe Rainham end of the site. On Aveley Marshthree stop-butts were created (part of one stillstands) with a Mantlet bank in front of each. Thisbroken linear feature still divides Aveley andWennington Marshes. The hundred-yard shootingridges can still be seen across the marsh, and inthe scrub the Cordite store and one of eight anti-

aircraft ammunition magazines still stands, testamentto the military history of the marsh, which was animportant air defence location during both wars.Most birdwatchers know of the stone barges (and

their attendant Rock and Water Pipits) discarded nearColdharbour Point when they became surplus torequirement as a Mulbury Harbour for the D-DayLandings in 1944. The only major changes during thelast century were the creation of the Silt Lagoon

RSPB RainhamMarshes – a brief

resume of the distant past, reserve

beginnings and future plans...HOWARD VAUGHAN

Cattle Egret by Russ Sherriff

Glossy Ibis by Basil Thornton

Water Pipit by Dave McGough

Short-eared Owl by Priscille Dunerin

Penduline Tit bySam Shippey

Collared Pratincole by Adrian Webb

20

complex between 1967 and 1987 for Thamesdredging’s, and the new, elevated A13 and theChannel Tunnel Rail Link in the last 10 years.

Recent historyThe RSPB bought Rainham, Wennington and

Aveley Marshes from the MoD in July 2000. Thereserve covers 411 ha of grazing marsh and siltlagoons and represents almost all of the InnerThames Marshes SSSI (Site of Special Scientific

Interest). Since the purchase, the RSPB has startedthe long task of restoring the marshland back to itsformer glory. This has been a long and complexprocess as, apart from habitat management, therewas a whole range of issues relating to the site’sprevious usage to be dealt with prior to the reserveopening to the public.One of the major priorities has been the removal of

the unwanted remains of the site’s militaryoccupation. A hundred years’ worth of accumulated

rubbish has had to becleared, including anyunexploded ordnanceremaining on site. Inparallel with this work, theprogramme to restore themarshland itself will alwaysbe ongoing.The habitat work has

concentrated onmanagement of water andgrassland. The reserve has anetwork of some 15miles ofditches, many of whichwerelargely unmanaged duringmost of themilitary’soccupation. As a result, manyof the ditcheswere blockedwith years of accumulatedsilt and vegetation andneededmajor restorationwork to enable them tofunction as water carriersandwet fences.We have restored them to

a condition that is beneficialfor both the movement ofwater and for the suite ofspecies that depend uponhealthy ditches, such asWater Vole and aquaticinvertebrates includingGreat Silver Diving Beetleand Small Red-eyed andScarce Emerald Damselfly.In conjunction with thiswork, we have installed anetwork of sluices that willhelp us to control the waterlevels across the reserve byoperating varying levels indifferent parts of the site atthe same time of year. Thenew Purfleet Scrape hasbeen designed as threeseparate hydrological unitsto accommodate thispractice. This will mean wecan maximise the availablehabitat for breeding wadersand wintering waterfowl.Cattle on the reserve act asour grass managementmachines, allowing us tocontrol the sward height tooptimum conditions.We have three habitat-

White-tailed Plover by Sam Shippey

Black-winged Stilt by Tony Coombs

Hoopoe by Adrian Webb

Wryneck by Mick Southcott

Marsh Warbler by Les Harrison

Slaty-backed Gull byPriscille Dunerin

Caspian Gull by Andy Tweed

White-winged Black Tern bySam Shippey

21

related field-teaching stations across the reserve,which have allowed our team to provide a very highstandard of on-site curriculum based education fromprimary age upwards. A network of boardwalk andtarmac trails has been created by co-operationbetween our contractors and our invaluable teams ofvolunteers; the trails allow full access to a 2.5mile walk.The state-of-the-art Environment and Education

Centre has been constructed to be as green aspossible and aspires to be carbon-neutral andincorporates rainwater harvesting, solar and geo-thermal energy and even our own small wind turbineand will no doubt stand as a benchmark for visitorcentres across the country. It affords excellent viewsacross the reserve and Thames and houses a café,shop, optics, a classroom and offices while ourdesigner built Shooting Butts and Purfleet Hides haveraised the bar in the construction of viewing areas toenhance the visitor experience.

The wildlifeThe birdlife of Rainham Marshes has been well

documented in the Essex and London Bird Reportssince the late 1940s, and the habitat and avifaunahave not changed ostensibly since that time, largelythanks to the protracted stay of the MoD. Since theRSPB acquired the site in 2000, wintering wildfowlnumbers have increased dramatically, with Wigeonnow regularly reaching 1,000 birds (from 250),Common Teal up to a peak of 3,475 (from 1,050) and,most notably from a London context, more than 40Pintail, with a peak of 88 (from six). The marsh holdsimportant numbers of breeding Reed Bunting, LittleGrebe, Meadow Pipit, reedbed warblers and Skylark.The erection of a serious electric fence around thewhole of Aveley Marsh has resulted in a significantincrease in the breeding numbers and success ofLapwings and Redshanks with 2014 being a bumperyear with over 50 young Lapwing fledging from 38pair and Redshank fairing similarly with a record 31pair nesting.Bearded Tit, Stonechat, Barn Owl, Grasshopper

Warbler and Water Rail are all notable local breedersand since Cetti’s Warblers colonised in 2006, theyhave steadily increased with the largely mild wintersto a high of 32 shouty males this year. Marsh Harriershave become a resident feature and we were overthe moon to host a young male and two females thisyear resulting in three fledged chicks between them...great news. Marsh Warblers have now held territoriesfor the last three years which is encouraging for thisrare species with only a toehold summeringpopulation in the UK while the ‘kronking’ of Ravenshas almost become a daily feature in recent monthsas the local Kentish birds pay the marsh a visit.The Thames is cleaner now than it has been since

the Industrial Revolution and the Inner Thameswader population has increased dramatically (whileconversely diving duck numbers have fallen) –Rainham now hosts up to 1,000 wintering Dunlins,300 Black-tailed Godwits, 30 Curlews and a few GreyPlovers and Turnstones. Harbour Seals can be seenhauled up at low tide and seem to be breeding whileBob the bull Grey Seal is a regular feature. On calmerdays Harbour Porpoises are often encounteredactively feeding on the outgoing tide . . . who’d havethought it ten years ago?

About 286 bird species have been recorded, andduring the late 1960s and 1970s, the silt lagoons wereattracting rare waders on a regular basis, includingsuch gems as Solitary and Western Sandpipers.Collared Pratincole and Sociable Plover in 2005suggest that the site’s rarity days may be returning. AWhite Tailed Plover in July 2010 and a Slaty-backedGull in January 2011 put us back on the map but itwas the long staying Baillon’s Crake in September2012 that drew in the crowds with over 3000 visitorsin just over two weeks! More visitors and more eyeshas seen an increase in river activity with good ternand even skua passage noted after a good easterlywhile eyes up have produced regular raptor passageon suitable afternoons as well as diurnal passerines.During the summer the reserve is a riot of colour

with banks of purple Tufted Vetch and Thistles,yellow Bristly Ox-tongue, sky-blue Chicory and redPoppies. We have had 33 species of butterfliesincluding the last Wall Browns inside the M25 and ahost of bees, including several nationally scarcespecies of Andrena and Colletes. Dragonflies anddamselflies proliferate and the colonisation of WillowEmerald Damselfly in 2014 took the list to 24.Water Voles continue to do well and Rainham is

still considered to hold one of the densestpopulations in the country. Stoat and Weasel areoften seen but thankfully, Mink have only madesporadic appearances, and seem to have been oftransient animals. Marsh Frogs are now a firmfavourite with the visitors and their loud belching hasbecome an important part of the summer wildlifechorus. The flourishing of this alien amphibian has nodoubt helped increase the Grass Snake population aswell as providing a valuable seasonal food source forMarsh Harriers, Egrets, Herons and Kingfishers.

The futureThis project would have been impossible without

the support of our neighbours, local stakeholders andfunders. It is hoped that this green oasis among theurban sprawl that is Metropolitan Essex will standtestament to all those who worked hard on theproject. From those who helped save the marshesand thwarted the development of a Universal Studiostheme park to the government and local and nationalauthorities whose backing made the dream ofturning a neglected medieval marsh into a flagshipRSPB reserve a reality.As we head for 2015 we have already started on

the next phase of this regeneration and the diggersand trucks have been out on Wennington Marshsince mid-October. They have been tirelessly creatinganother nine kilometres of shallow fingered, rill-likescrapes to enhance what was previously dry hay-meadow and create another new mosaic ofwonderful waterways that local and passing wildlifewill find hard to resist.We look forward to seeing you all very soon... and

not just for the next big rarity . . . we have so muchmore to offer . . .Howard VaughanInformation Officer – RSPB Rainham Marsheswww.rspb.org.uk/rainham

22

After the failure of the Avocets to breed on Two TreeIsland in 2013, we were hoping that this was just ahiccup and they would be back to normal for 2014.Alas, despite the presence of a few Avocets on thelagoon throughout the winter, they once again failedto breed, as in the previous year, displaced by Black-headed Gulls.This year was different though. In 2013 the Black-

headed Gull count was in excess of 750, howeverthis year their numbers had depleted to 250, adramatic change for these birds too.

We believe that the Avocets have made the near-by RSPB Bowers Marsh their new home, withsomething in the order of 90 being observed on thelagoon at one stage in the spring. Given the problemsthat they experienced on Two Tree Island I believethat they are much safer at Bowers Marsh, althoughwe are sad that we have lost them from the Island asa breeding species.The Black-headed Gulls that we did have again

bred very well and, undeterred by their numbers,

An Update on Two TreeIsland’s AvocetsMARK BRIDGES

Hello John and LouiseThank you so much for the Kestrel box, I hope you

got a flavour for the school and the work we do hereto encourage wildlife within the school grounds andalso encourage the students to take care of it. Thegirls were very excited about being invited along onan EBwS trip, I am sure you will see us in the nextfew months.We are very lucky to have such large beautiful

grounds here, and I hope our resident Kestrelmakesuse of the box. I have enclosed the photos of thepresentation.Many thanks again, I look forward to hearing from

you regarding the nest boxes and your future work.Sally

John and Louise had a tour of the extensive fieldbehind the school that backs on to a railway line,has a row of mature trees, is near another schooland is quite close to Thorpe Bay golf club. Butamazingly the grounds already have a Kestrel there

that is seen most days. Sally runs a nature club atthe school and we came away with 3 tit boxes,made by the girls to a template from the RSPBwebsite, Louise said that we would find a home inan Essex school for them.

So, do you have children or grand-childrenattending a school in Essex that would beinterested in having a box put up? If so pleasecontact John & Louise Sykes on 01245 355132.

Kestrel Nest box presented toSouthend School for GirlsJOHN & LOUISE SYKES

Avocet by

George Brown

around a dozen Common Tern pairs bredsuccessfully as well as a couple of pairs ofOystercatcher and Redshank. A young family ofShelduck were also observed but we couldn’t besure whether they actually bred on the lagoon.It looks as if the Two Tree Island Avocet breeding

story has reached its end, at least for the time being,but the important thing is that they are now presenton other, more secure sites, which is a good thing.Avocets do often drop into our lagoon to feed, so atleast we still get the chance to enjoy watching thesefabulous waders.

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Though not often credited as a harbinger of spring,the song of the Chiffchaff certainly marks thebeginning of the spring migration. A short-distancemigrant, wintering in southern Europe and NorthAfrica, males typically begin to arrive in the UK inMarch and quickly establish territories in theirfavoured lowland woodland habitat, ready for thelater arriving females. By early-April, paired femalesare busy building nests in the understory while themales continue to sing high above. Throughoutfrenetic trips to and from the developing neststructure, the female can often be heard uttering theslightly less well-known but just as distinctive‘hooeet’ call, somehow at the same time as carryinglong strands of grass. And as a BTO nest recorder,standing in the wood listening, this tell-tale sound willsend me dashing towards its source, hoping toglimpse the bird at work. Chiffchaff nests are usuallywell hidden – a dome of grass nestled in groundvegetation – and so the best way to locate them is towatch adults returning to them.If I see a female with a beak full of nesting

material, I will sit at a distance and watch it visitseveral times before taking a note of the likely spotand coming back several days later to investigatefurther. If this time I see no material being carried(suggesting that the nest is complete), I’ll quickly butvery carefully (following the all-important NRS Codeof Conduct) approach and examine the nest,counting any eggs that have been laid. Theseobservations will prompt a follow-up visitseveral days later to count the full clutch.Another visit is planned for about two weekslater – Chiffchaffs incubate for c.14 days – torecord the number of hatched chicks. Thenthere is another when the chicks have grownenough to be ringed and in turn a final visit ismade to assess whether the young fledged.The information collected from these fewcarefully timed visits is then sent to the BTO’sNest Record Scheme (NRS). This year, atWicken Fen NNR in Cambridgeshire, which ismy home recording patch, colleagues and Imonitored 25 Chiffchaff nests this way. Not allof them were found at building stage – somenests we did not begin monitoring until anadult was spotted carrying food to chicks –but in any case all information collected wassent to the BTO’s Nest Record Scheme,where already it has been ‘crunched’ alongwith data from all over the country and usedto produce a preliminary report on thebreeding season1, which the Scheme doesevery autumn. Over the next few months, asmore 2014 data come in, BTO will continuewith these analyses and in due course it will

update the long-term species breeding performancefigures – clutch size, brood size, timing of breedingand nest failure rates – that are available on the BTOwebsite2.For eight years now I have been doing nest

recording as a BTO volunteer (although I also happento have a desk job at the BTO helping to run thesurvey!) but of course the BTO itself has beencollecting data on nests for much longer – the NestRecord Scheme is 75 years old this year in fact. Itbegan as the Hatching and Fledging Enquiry in 1939,set up by naturalist and broadcaster James Fisherand biologist Sir Julian Huxley to collect informationabout the basic breeding biology of British birds.3

Twelve relatively common species were selected asthe focus of the survey and the methodology – makerepeat visits to nests and count eggs and chicks – wasdevised so that data could be collected to assesstypical clutch and brood sizes and incubation andfledging periods. Survey participants were charged2s. 6d. for a pack of 50 nest record cards on which torecord their observations.4 Although now free andlargely replaced by recording software, these smallnest record cards are still available today.The first paper published that used predominantly

NRS data was E.T Silva’s 1949 analysis of Song Thrushnest records 5 (although David Lack’s famous Robinstudy also made use of NRS data). From looking atBTO minutes and newsletters from the time, it appears

BTO Nest RecordScheme Organiser

CARL BARIMORE

Chiffchaff nest in grasses by Dave Scott (used by permission of BTO)

24

this study took over five years to complete – probablyas quickly having an adding machine to do the statswould allow! Although these early papers focused onbreeding biology, it became obvious that the databeing collected by NRS would be just as useful forlooking timing of breeding – when in the year birdsbegin to lay – and also nest success rates. Fast forwardto 2014 and nest records have been used in over 300scientific publications including papers looking at theeffects of pesticide use on nesting success and theeffect of climate change on timing of breeding6. Sinceits inception, an incredible 1.6 million records havebeen submitted to the Nest Record Scheme, coveringover 200 different breeding species. Because itextends back 75 years, the NRS dataset is particularlyuseful for looking at effects on bird populations thatmay be happening over long periods of time.As I mentioned earlier, in addition to collecting

data as a volunteer I also work on the Nest RecordScheme and when I first started in the mid-2000ssome worrying changes were happening. The surveywas seeing a steady decline in participation andthose new volunteers who were joining up weredoing things differently. Instead of finding andmonitoring nests in natural sites, they were putting upnest boxes and monitoring the occupants.Consequently, numbers of nest records being sent infor cavity-nesting species that take to boxes, like BarnOwl, titmice and Tree Sparrow, were on the up, whilenumbers of records for species like Blackcap,Bullfinch, and even Dunnock and Robin were on thewane. Having more records for cavity-nesting specieswas of course fantastic – especially given that theyare very tricky to monitor in natural sites – butdeclining submissions for the rest was a problem.So what was going on? Well, in hindsight it looks like

the BTO was used to being relatively ‘passive’ aboutrecruiting volunteer nest recorders. In the 1950s, theornithological community was moving on from eggcollecting, just as it had moved on from the practice ofshooting specimens years before, and many birders of

that generation knew how to find birds’nests – the BTO only had to ask them ifthey wouldn’t mind putting those skills togood use. Perhaps there was also more aculture back then of studying and actually‘watching’ birds instead of justcounting/listing. One of the mostinteresting stories I’ve heard aboutsomeone becoming a nest recorder wastold to me by the late Max Meadows, alifelong resident of Writtle, Essex. Maxwas 79 and our most senior NRSparticipant, yet still sending in a huge 200nest records per year. I’d asked him towrite an article for a BTO newsletter onhis life as an ornithologist and what I gotwas a fascinating account of a lifelongdedication to studying local populations ofbirds. As for monitoring nests, Max saidthat his father was an avid naturephotographer who had set aboutphotographing a nest for every breedingbird species in Essex. As his young son,Max’s job was both to help find the nestsand to carry his Dad’s photographicequipment – a plate camera and a huge

wooden tripod. His father would develop the blackand white photographic plates himself and then paintthem to add colour. If you visit Writtle museum, youcan have a look at these photographs. As for Max, hewas hooked and for five decades he studied the birdsaroundWrittle and submitted counts and other data toEBwS. In 1982, when he retired from teaching, Maxstarted focusing more on nest recording and over thenext 24 years he submitted 10,125 nest records to theBTO. (When he died in 2010, EBwS kindly reproducedMax’s article in the Essex Bird Report, accompanied byhis obituary.)Although I also began bird watching at a young age

and hopefully was at least of some use to my localbird club (Cambs) by submitting wildfowl counts fromgravel pits near my home, for most of my youngbirding years (1990s) I took little interest in birds’ lifecycles and breeding biology. Like most people I wasinterested in identifying birds and knowing when theywere arriving and leaving so that I could see them andsometimes count how many. But I hadn’t seen asingle Robin or Blackbird nest before taking up nestrecording in my mid-20s. If my birding choices havebeen similar to many of my generation, then it will bea generation much less culturally drawn to the NestRecord Scheme than birders of yester-year, andmoreover without the skills to find a single nest!This was more or less what we supposed when

considering what to do about the Nest RecordScheme in the mid-2000s – we though peopleneeded more encouragement and crucially moreopportunities to train and learn nest finding skills.Thanks to extra funding from the BTO’s trust andeven more importantly the skills, time and patienceof our veteran nest recorders, we began organisingtraining courses, a new BTO field guide on nestmonitoring was published, and most recently we’veset up a mentoring scheme whereby new NRSparticipants can meet with experienced recorders intheir local area. These measures, together with widerpromotion of NRS, seem to have had some effect:

Chiffchaff by John Harding (A) (used by permission of BTO)

25

both participation and numbers of nest records sentin have climbed by a third since 2007. Mostsignificantly, more records are being submitted fornon-nest box species like Chiffchaff and Blackcap.So what about nest recording in Essex? There are

c.12 regular BTO nest recorders in the county at themoment and in 2013 they submitted 273 nest records(table 1). And in addition to the stalwart efforts ofMax Meadows, there have been several who havecontributed many records over many years – SimonCox, for example, has collected 2,371 nest records inEssex since 1985. However, compared to othercounties in England, participation in Essex has alwaysbeen relatively low and many surprisingly commonspecies are under-recorded (table 2). As mentioned at the beginning of this article, a big

part of the Nest Record Scheme today is what theBTO calls ‘Integrated Population Monitoring’, whichmeans pulling together abundance, productivity andadult survival information from different BTO surveysand trying to show not just changes in abundanceover time but also where in the life cycle any adversechanges might be happening. Is a given decline beingaccompanied by a decline in breeding performance,for example? For many species we can now producenational trends in productivity, but NRS rarely hasenough data to produce regional trends, whichmeans the BTO is less able to look at possiblereasons for regional declines and changes indistribution. That’s why it’s always good to get morerecords from individual counties, just as it isimportant to get a good number of local BBS squarescovered! So, if you’ve not tried nest recording before,please do consider giving it a go. One great thing

about NRS is that it is very easy to get started – youcan make a very valuable contribution just bymonitoring nests in your garden, for example. Formore information about NRS, please do have a lookat the survey website (www.bto.org/nrs) and if youwant a starter pack or need help getting startedplease do email nrs@bto.org

AcknowledgementsMany thanks indeed to our 2013 nest recorders for

the county: Steve Baines; B R Beischer; BIAZA NestRecording Project; Blackburn, Leighton and Moores;Bridget Bird & Jenny Bird; Simon Cox; John Doe;Jenny Dunn; Michael Mac; Joshua McDowall; DavidRobert Morrison; Graham Reeve; David Wilkin

Refs1. www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/nrs/results/nrs-preliminary-results-20142. www.bto.org/about-birds/birdtrends3. Hickling, R (1983) Enjoying Ornithology. Poyser,Carlton4. Burton, JF and Mayer-Gross, H (1965) The first 25years of the Nest Record Scheme. Bird Study 12:100-1075. Silva, E.T. (1949) Nest records of the Song-Thrush.British Birds 42: 97–111.6. www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/nrs/publications/science-publications

Editors Note: Carl will be giving a talk on this subjectat the indoor meeting on Friday 6th February. If youhave any questions or would like more informationwhy not come along and speak to Carl in person.

Species name Total

Mute Swan 1

Canada Goose 1

Mallard 4

Pheasant 1

Little Grebe 1

Cormorant 2

Marsh Harrier 2

Kestrel 11

Peregrine 3

Moorhen 6

Oystercatcher 1

Species name Total

Avocet 1

Herring Gull 2

Little Tern 1

Stock Dove 23

Wood Pigeon 25

Collared Dove 2

Turtle Dove 20

Barn Owl 26

Little Owl 1

Tawny Owl 2

Skylark 1

Species name Total

Swallow 27

Pied Wagtail 3

Wren 1

Dunnock 1

Robin 6

Blackbird 15

Song Thrush 3

Blackcap 3

Whitethroat 2

Chiffchaff 2

Blue Tit 31

Species name Total

Great Tit 20

Treecreeper 1

Jackdaw 6

Chaffinch 4

Greenfinch 1

Goldfinch 5

Linnet 1

Bullfinch 4

Table 1. Number of nest records collected in Essex in 2013

Table 2. Numbers of nest records collected in Essex for 10 common species, compared to overall NRS totals

Essex totals

2011 2012 2013 UK Total for 2013

Coot 0 1 0 571

Meadow Pipit 0 0 0 307

Wren 1 3 1 177

Dunnock 0 1 1 313

Robin 1 3 6 422

Blackbird 4 10 15 1384

Song Thrush 0 1 3 431

Starling 1 2 0 295

Chaffinch 2 4 4 319

Linnet 2 3 1 304

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Our summer visitor, the insect fuelled and greasyplumaged Common Swift (Apus apus) is anacknowledged iconic bird species. This article willdwell upon those lifestyle aspects that qualify thespecies for such a prestigious accolade. Of the c.95species of swifts worldwide, our Common Swift is themost migratory. A bird larger than either Swallow orHouse Martin, with a surprising wingtip to wingtipmeasurement of 1’5½” (45cm) At the taxonomic level,it is closely related to the hummingbirds.A bird that sleeps, bathes, drinks and mates on the

wing and only alights to carry out its nesting duties.Their potential life span is some 21 years (proved byringing) but generally, after succumbing to predationor weather extremes, averaging some eight or nineyears. During its almost aerial lifespan, they may flyseveral million miles that includes the back and forthbetween Europe and Africa, their winter quarters (anannual return journey of some 8000 miles) the specieshas a summer distribution as far east as northern China(with sub-speciation across the range)The bird only becomes sexually mature in its third or

fourth year and then raises a single brood of one or two.Its nest site is usually in older style buildings where aniche is left under the eaves. Pairs of Swifts remain faithfulthroughout their lives and use the same nesting site eachyear. These niches are vulnerable as older style buildingsare either replaced or refurbished (insulation upgrade)and thus their nesting locations become sealed. Good forhousehold and office fuel bills but not so good for thebirds. It is a tragic sight to see birds returning in early May,and unable to gain entry to their traditional nest sites,falling back onto the ground. This, and the decline ofairborne insects, mainly due to agricultural practices, areprobably the main reasons for the birds decline bothnationally and across much of Europe. The RSPB estimates that the species has declined as

a breeding bird in the UK by 50% in the last fifteenyears. Swifts, arriving in early May and departing frommid-August onwards, are only with us for a little morethan a hundred days each year.However, there is a London based organization

called ‘Swift Conservation’ that is attempting to redressthe balance by providing artificial nest sites on thesides of buildings, mainly in cities. Swifts favour thecanyon like aspect of streets lined with tall structures.“Race memory” at work from the earlier cliff nestingdays? This organization has strong links with similarEuropean Swift initiatives. There are even proprietarymade nest-boxes that can be built integrally into theexternal fabric of a new structure. But providing Swiftnest-boxes is best described as a specialist operationas the boxes (quite chunky in size) require to bepositioned high up and clear of obstructions.Although it has long been known that the birds winter

in Southern Africa, the B.T.O have recently carried outresearch, via fitting them with miniscule geo-locators,to document precisely where they winter within thecontinent and the route taken (This neatly corroborateswith similar studies undertaken by the Dutch) From the

evidence so fargained, the UKpopulation travelssouth through Franceand Iberia beforecontinuing down thewest side of theAfrican continent.There they hawkabove the forests ofthe Congo and alsoundergo wintermovements east toMozambique thatborders the IndianOcean. Presumably,these are weatherand aerial foodrelated wanderings.The Swift also

nudges at thenorthern edge of themigration envelope.Our most northerlybreeders are on Foula, an island in the Shetland groupbut there are records of sightings over Iceland, theFaeroes and Spitsbergen (And in this respect, the Swiftis viewed as being ‘Climate Change’ proof) These areconsidered to be non-breeding birds from theContinental European / Scandinavian landmassexploring the High Arctic throughout the twenty fourhours of summer daylight. Other sub-adult and non-breeding birds, it is thought, may well stay in Africauntil sexually mature before returning to commencebreeding. A species ‘fail safe’ mechanism at work?Proof that Swifts sleep on the wing was first reported

by a WW1 French biplane pilot who upon gliding overenemy positions at night, flew through a flock of birdsat an altitude of c.10,000ft (ten thousand) Initially hewas not believed until it was later corroborated. Thenin WW2, when radar was in its infancy, ‘Radar Angels’appeared as wraiths on the radar screens as furtherproof. Dutch military radar equipment, used for birdstrike studies in 2000, recorded the signature offlocking Swifts at 5,900ft (five thousand nine hundred)This has led to the research that the birds undergo‘micro-sleep’ in the form of the alternate switching onand off of the different sides of the brain. House Martinsand the equatorial Frigate Birds are also known tosleep on the wing.Both Hanningfield and Abberton Reservoirs can play

host to an enormous build-up of Swifts during thesummer. It is one of the ornithological wonders ofEssex. It is a marvel to witness. The blizzard of hatchingand dispersing midges attract local birds and refuelthose journeying further north. Later, the young of theyear join the feeding adults above these vast waterbodies to gain weight for the journey to their winterquarters. Reference to the Essex Bird Reports quotesestimated numbers anywhere between c.2000 and

JOHN SMART

Radar Angels – The Swift

Common Swift (Apus apus)

[Copyright David Moreton, courtesy of

www.swift-conservation.org]

27

c.30000 (thirty thousand and more) above HanningfieldReservoir on days when oppressive weatherconditions trigger such insect hatching. There is littleevidence to date that any of these birds are destined,or from, the European continent. Here in Billericay, we used to have more nesting

Swifts than there are now. The older generationremember the Swift ‘screaming parties’ racing up anddown the High Street. There are still two strongholdcolonies here that total c.20 pairs. These are inbuildings of long standing, a converted workhouse anda church. In the late seventies, a flock of Swifts used tooccasionally hawk along, as did House Martins, thewider rides of Norsey Wood LNR.Many consider the ‘screaming parties’ of Swifts above

our roof tops (an indication of their nearby breedingsites) as ‘The Sound of Summer’. Sadly, this culturalconnection between us humans and the natural worldis being lost as the decline of the species continues.By adjustment of their flight feathers, and their

associated carpal wing coverts, the Swift arranges its

feathers in the optimum configuration for lift andmanoeuvring at any one point in time. This quality of‘morphing’ is the envy of the military aircraft engineers.One could muse, without criticism, that along withseveral other highly migratory bird species, the size ofour planet has not overstretched their capabilities.

References:-‘Swifts in a Tower’ by David Lack 1956. ‘BTO News,’

Issue 299 July 2012; The ‘Swift Conservation’ website;The annual publications of the ‘Essex BirdwatchingSociety’; ‘Birds of the Western Paleartic – IV’; ‘Swifts’by Chantler & Driessens; Proceedings of the RoyalSociety – Taxonomy – D. T. Ksepka – 1st May 2013; LuitS. Buurma – The Royal Netherlands Air Force.

[John Smart 09/04/2014]S.o.S = Save our Swifts.A similar article to this first appeared in the Norsey Wood LNR Newsletter in early 2014.

Radar Angels ~ What Rules Apply?

Arrow fast the SwiftsFeathers fashioned in the morph of lift

Heralds the spirit of spring!Piercing the skies with screamAgainst the broad canvas blue

Biologically wired to findThat vulnerable niche again

As manna risingInsect fare, plucked from the air!As landscapes unfold beneath

Dwindling forests and the scars of ManTo shoot through the hoops of peril!

To outvie the strafing falcon!To outfly the skirts of storm!

High above the darkened half-worldAerial affinity in the half-sleepIn their black livery wheeling

Unaware of time zones and lines on mapsFrom the dry season to a summer afar

Angel shadows adorn the radar!Glide earthwards at the sight of sun

One summer one broodBroken eggshells and rancid scraps

Outstretched necks in the darkness begThe aspiring essence of flight!

An agent of Gaia? An agent of the Divine?What medium of perfection drives?

Who knows what rules apply?

And from under Nurture’s wingThey peek out brightly-eyed

Onto a beckoning world of wonderTo make their swoop of faith

As if immune to the grip of gravityTo brush that blue of sky

The bond between the hemispheres!

John H. Smart. 01/01/2014

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The MOD Police HQ at Wethersfield Air Field wasone of the ‘special’ sites identified as suitable forTurtle Dove soon after the ‘Essex Farmland Birds’Conference in September 2012. This was arrangedwith Rosalind Gourgey, Wethersfield SustainabilityOfficer and two suitable areas were selected to besown with Turtle Dove Feed Mix (TDFM), but thewheels of the establishment and authority moveslowly! Eventually all obstacles and any objectionswere overcome thanks to Ros’s patience,perseverance and tolerance with support from theSociety when and where possible. Subsequently avolunteer work party numbering nine strong, plusRos, were assembled at 10:00 on Sunday 10th August2014 to clear the first dedicated 0.75 acre (0.3 ha) areaof dead grasses, weeds, brambles and scrub whichhad previously been sprayed in readiness for our visit.For those members that joined the Field Trip

Meeting to Wethersfield Air Field back in April 2013,you will already know something about the site andappreciate its fantastic potential for Turtle Doves tobreed. For those that did not attend and do not knowthe site, the excellent suitability is due to the nature ofthe extensive areas of thick hedges which have verylittle disturbance apart from the Glider Club using therunway at weekends and the security patrols, so it isideal and the Society is grateful for this opportunity tobe an active partner with the MOD Police HQ at theWethersfield Air Field site in this extremely importantinternational conservation project.Following the recent settled period of very hot and

dry weather conditions, that August weekend saw thearrival of the remains of Hurricane ‘Bertha’ fromacross the Atlantic, with heavy rain, thunder, lightingand strong winds forecast! However, following ‘tea-and-biscuits’ in the Family & Sustainability Centre, thegroup of hardy volunteers, with rakes, hoes andloppers at the ready headed for the area on the far sideof the Air Field to set about the task to be undertaken.On arrival at the site the light drizzle soon turned

into very heavy driving rain, so it was quickly back

into the cars to wait and see if it might subside? Aftersteaming up the cars with our wet coats for the nexthalf-hour, we returned to the Centre for morerefreshments and to consider our options and thebest way how we might proceed?However, the decision was taken out of our hands

as after ‘tea’ the rain stopped, the clouds cleared andthe sun appeared, so we returned to the site andenthusiastically set about the task. Due to the heavyrain part of the area was under water, but at least thedead weeds were easier to rake up and the softground made it easy to hoe or pull out the long rootsby hand. We had a short break for lunch with softdrinks and refreshing cool water provided by Ros,plus lovely home-made flap-jacks baked by Debbie. We were quite aware and conscious that it would

have been ideal to have hired a Rotovator to makethe task so much easier, but due to the nature of theland use in previous times, permission had not beengranted to actually dig or break into the soil structure,so we were restricted to removing the top vegetationand to roughen-up the soil surface only, inpreparation for subsequent sowing of the TDFM.The afternoon was very pleasant in the sheltered

location where we worked and by the time moreominous and menacing looking very dark cloudsappeared on the horizon in late afternoon the workparty had already completed the objective of clearingthe allotted area, making it ready for the next stage.However, due to the wet conditions it was notpossible to actually sow the fine seeds of the TDFMthat day. That would have to wait until the ground haddried out sufficiently to achieve the best germination.The area worked on was the first of the two sites at

the Wethersfield Air Field complex which are to bemanaged for Turtle Doves. The second area isconsiderably larger at over 5 acres (2.5 ha) where 21old underground fuel storage tanks were currentlybeing removed and will subsequently be back-filledwith shingle then have a thin covering of soil to capthe shingle. Once this work is finished it will also besown with TDFM across the extensive area. Thesetwo sites will then form an important part of a patch-work of sites managed in Essex and beyond for TurtleDoves, one of our beautiful farmland species now invery serious danger of extension from England.The results of the work party at Wethersfield Air

Field were a resounding success, in spite of theinclement weather conditions trying to scupper ourbest efforts. With grateful thanks to the work partycomprising Malcolm Cresswell, Peter Dwyer,Trevor Hextor, Debbie & Alex Johnson, RichardStanley and Louise & John Sykes for all their hardwork and especially to Debbie for the flap-jacks andour host Ros for the refreshments and biscuits. Theywere very much appreciated.

Wethersfield Turtle Dove‘Work Party’GERRY JOHNSON

Louise Sykes, Ros Gourgey, Peter Dwyer, Malcolm Cresswell, Richard

Stanley, Gerry Johnson, Alex & Debbie Johnson

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Following discussion with Essex & Suffolk Water theSociety has been asked to help with the monthlyWildfowl and Wader counts carried out at the reservoirto submit to the WeBS Secretariat.As an essential part of the planning consent to raise

the water level and thereby increase the capacity ofAbberton Reservoir in order to meet future anticipatedwater demand the site must continue to satisfy SPA,SSSI and Ramsar designations. Essex and Suffolk Waterhave and continue to exercise great care to ensure thatthese designations continue to be met.In order to assist with this the Society has been asked

to help with monthly bird counts which are required tobe submitted to Natural England who oversee theseprotection status criteria.

It has been suggested that to provide accurate data forthe site, coordinated counts would need to be carried outfrom at least 6 strategic locations around the reservoir. This would be an opportunity to help with gathering

vital information from locations not normally availableto bird watchers.A regular team of 12 or more counters would be

required to fully implement this. If you have thenecessary skills to identify all common wildfowl andwader species, could commit regularly, and would liketo help with this wonderful opportunity please contactinitially John Thorogood whose details are given onyour Membership Card. It is planned to complete a trial count during May 2015.

Bird Counts at Abberton ReservoirJ THOROGOOD

How do you fancy doing a ‘little’ work to preparethe second area at the Wethersfield MOD PoliceHQ, CM7 4AZ, for Turtle Doves, at 10:00 on Sunday8th March 2015? In this issue of ‘Essex Birding’ youwill read the report covering the first area atWethersfield already prepared and sown with ‘TurtleDove Feed Mix’ (TDFM). The Society has developedan excellent partnership with this special verysecluded site thanks to the Sustainability AdviserRosalind Gourgey, all to benefit Turtle Doves. However, thanks to a mistake by the construction

company that extracted the 21 redundant fuel tanks,they covered the soil with a thin layer of shinglerather than the other way round, so we must nowrake the shingle from the soil to leave a mosque ofexposed soil in readiness for sowing with TDFM oncethe soil temperature rises above 6°C in spring.Therefore I am appealing to our members and

guests to volunteer to complete this essentialpreparation work and have a most enjoyable timetogether with likeminded people. It is said that “Manyhands make light work”, so the more people that canbe assembled together, the easier the task will be tocomplete in a couple of hours. I hope that the date, 8th March 2015, is far enough

in advance for as many people as possible to be ableto make a valued contribution and donate a ‘little’time to Essex Conservation. This day will go aheadirrespective of weather conditions, so all you have todo is advise your intention to attend to our Secretaryby e-mail john.sykes@btinternet.com or me by e-mailgerry2johnson@aol.com advising your vehicleregistration together with the name(s) of the peopletravelling in the vehicle (You can register up toThursday 5th March). Don’t forget to bring a rake,suitable clothing and thank you for your support.

Following on from the vegetation clearance by thework party, we can advise that sowing of the TDFMwas completed in early September at the first areaand can now look forward to the germination and ongrowing next spring. However, the larger second siteincorrectly had shingle put on top of the soil!!Subsequent plans are now in place to gather an armyof volunteers together from the Society and from theRSPB to expose areas of the soil during the winter of2014-15 in readiness for spring sowing before anyweeds can get established. We can then monitorhow the two sites develop in future years along withthe expected Turtle Dove activity. Some cutting-backwill be required in later years, but after that very little

maintenance of the areas will be necessary. We can also report, following the Society’s ‘Essex

Farmland Birds’ Conference, other Essex sites havejoined this Turtle Dove initiative. Thanks to MarkBridges, the very different site at EWT Two TreeIsland Reserve, just to the west of Southend on theThames Estuary; and thanks to Mark Outten atRSPB Bowers Marsh Reserve, a little further west.These two sites have also had areas suitablyprepared in 2014 and sown with the TDFM. Alongwith others, these sites will all be compared forachievement to ensure that precious resources areused and maximised to their full potential and thebest results are obtained for Turtle Doves.

A ‘little’ time for EssexConservationGERRY JOHNSON

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EVENING INDOOR MEETINGSAt the Quaker Meeting House, 82 Rainsford Road, Chelmsford, CM1 2QL. Members £3.00 each, Non-members £4.00each on the door. Refreshments served during the interval. Meetings start at 20:00 unless stated otherwise (i.e. AGMin March – 19:30). ‘Free’ car parking on site or less than one minute away next to the County Hotel.

FIELD TRIP MEETINGSFor more details and to book coach seats, phone Gerry Johnson on 07775 663166 (after 19:00). Large ’free‘ car parknext to County Hotel in Chelmsford. All Coach Trips commence from Trinity Church (opposite the County Hotel)07:15 for 07:30 departure, unless stated otherwise, with pick-ups at Shenfield High School at 07:45 and Oak P.H.Grays at 08:00 or Swan P.H. Stanway at 08:00, depending on the direction of travel on the day. £20.00-£22.00 each,subject to destination and attendance. Accompanied juniors are ‘free’. An entrance charge also applies to somevenues and reserves for non-members of RSPB, WWT, Wildlife Trusts, etc. To avoid disappointing anyone on awaiting list non-attended coach bookings, without cancellation, will incur the trip cost. For non-coach trips,meet at the venue car park at 09:00. Requested donation Members £2.00 each, Non-members £3.00 each. Accom-panied juniors ‘free’.

MEETINGS PROGRAMMEWINTER 2014/SPRING 2015

be looking for early summer visitors Bullfinch,Blackcap, Woodpecker, Raptors, lingering wintermigrants in the varied habitats. Shenfield & Grayspick-ups, as required.

Friday – 27th March 2015The ‘GEOFF PYMAN MEMORIAL LECTURE’, MaldonTown Hall, CM9 4PZ Nicholas Watts of Vine HouseFarm explains and shows how ‘Farming and Wildlife’can go together in the 21st Century.(Held in conjunction with the Essex Wildlife Trust,Maldon & South Woodham Ferrers Group) Tickets£5.00 from Peter Dwyer or on the night at the door

Friday – 10th April 2015OWLS – Mike Toms, BTO Associate Director andauthor of the recent New Naturalist volume on BritishOwls, will explore our fascination with Owls,examining how our relationships with theseenigmatic birds have varied both with time andacross cultures. Using stunning photographs, Mikecaptures the ways in which our association withOwls have shaped their conservation and status.

Sunday – 19th April 2015PAXTON PITS – A splendid venue across the borderin Cambridgeshire for Nightingale, Blackcap, WillowWarbler, Chiffchaff, Cuckoo and late winter migrants.Plus Bittern, Goldeneye, waders, grebe and morewildfowl. Chelmsford only

Sunday – 17th May 2015BRECKLANDS – LYNFORD ARBORETUM &SANTON DOWNHAM – Two very different sites todiscover. Hawfinch, Brambling, Crossbill at Lynford.Grey Wagtail, Willow Tit, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo andCrossbill at Santon Downham, along with many moreinteresting summer visitors. Chelmsford only.

Sunday – 14th June 2015 (07:00 Start)CLEY MARSHES NWT RESERVE – Although batteredby the winter storms in 2013-14 Cley is still one of thebest reserves on the north Norfolk coast. MarshHarrier, Hobby, Sedge & Reed Warbler plus alwaysthe possibility of that something ‘special’ that can justturn up on any day. Chelmsford only

Friday – 9th January 2015KENYA Derek Howes has visited many placesphotographing birds and animals over many years.Africa is one of Derek’s favourite continents andseldom has a year gone by when he does not ventureto Africa, so come along and enjoy some of the manyexperiences encountered through superb images.

Sunday – 18th January 2015 (No Coach)LEE VALLEY, FISHERS GREEN – Known for the‘Bittern Watch Point’ of the Lee Valley, but manyspecies like Smew winter on the sheltered watersamongst the islands, plus Siskin, Redpoll, Redwing,Fieldfare and Merlin are all possible

Friday – 6th February 201575 YEARS of NESTING – The BTO’s Nest RecordScheme, one of their core population monitoringsurveys, has just celebrated its 75th Anniversary.Survey organiser Carl Barimore joins us to talk aboutwhat being a BTO nest recorder means and whatdata collected at the nest can tell us about breedingbirds, in order to be able to undertake meaningfulconservation in the future.

Sunday – 15th February 2015OUSE WASHES WELCHES DAM RSPB RESERVE &WELNEY WWT – Around the Reserve buildingsBrambling, Siskin, Yellowhammer and Tree Sparrowplus other farmland species. The ten hides along theReserve embankment provide views across theWashes. At Welney one of the high-lights is to watchthe Wildfowl and wild Swans from the comfort of acentrally heated hide! Chelmsford only.

Friday – 6th March 2015 (AGM at 19:30)BLACK-TAILED GODWIT MIGRATION Dr JenniferGill from University of East Anglia, Norwich, informsabout some of the secrets and unknown details ofthis winter visitor and it epic migration journey to thenorthern breed grounds and what they encounter onroute. One of the longest migrations of any species.

Sunday – 15th March 2015PULBOROUGH BROOKS RSPB RESERVE – Nestledin the Arne valley of the Sussex countryside we will

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‘Ringing for Conservation’– 5th September 2014Having made the Society bookings for the QuakerMeeting House months in advance, no one wasmore surprised than me when on arrival for the firstIndoor Meeting of the autumn season I found itclosed for renovation! However, a short excursionacross the road to the County Hotel, and following abrief discussion with the Manager an alternativelocation was secured for the meeting to the relief ofthe members gathering in expectation, our anxiousspeaker and me.Jacquie Clark, Head of Demography for the BTO

had travelled from Thetford and started, on time, witha brief history about ringing, how and when ringingstarted, how it has developed and how important ithas become as a conservation tool and an indicatorfor so many species.Since 1909, when ringing was ‘hatched’ through

two schemes: one run by ‘British Birds’ editor HarryForbes Witherby, and one at Aberdeen University byArthur Landsborough Thompson, over 38 millionbirds have been caught and processed. Of these,700,000 recoveries have been made to gather thesubsequent data all of which helps establish howlong birds live, the places they migrate between atdifferent times of the year together with changes inpopulations. * Might you know the species of birdfirst ringed? A recent example of movement change is

Blackcaps which were thought to now be overwintering in the UK? However, through ringingrecoveries it has been discovered that ‘our’Blackcaps are still migrating to winter around theMediterranean while the Blackcaps wintering in theUK are arriving from the continent. A number of otherspecies (i.e. Blackbird) also follow this same pattern. Today over a million birds are caught every year by

over 2,600 highly-trained and licensed volunteerswith more and more data recorded. We now knowthat Swallows winter in South Africa rather than atthe bottom of ponds as thought prior to early ringingrecovery data being made available. But there is stillso much to learn about so many species that we donot know enough about or where they actuallymigrate to during winter? Events have moved on considerably from the early

days when metal rings were hand made. Therelatively recent introduction of colour ringing withthe large characters on different coloured rings hasmade identification so much easier from a distance,especially for waders and gulls. Some geese nowhave colour neck rings which makes recording datathat much easier than leg rings that are often maskedin water or by vegetation.Any rings recovered have a return address of “BTO

Brit Museum NH, London SW7”. This actually refersto the Natural History Museum in South Kensington

and nothing to do with The British Museum. Thisaddress is used because the word ‘Museum’ issimilar in many languages and ‘London’ is easilyrecognisable around the world. Today there is alsoreference to a web site: www.ring.ac where recoverydetails can be reported on line. It was a very informative lecture covering myths,

legions and facts together with the importance of‘ringing’ by dedicated and skilled volunteers. * Thevery first species of bird ringed was a Lapwing inAberdeen.Should you wish to learn more about this

fascinating subject, copies of “Bird Ringing – AConcise Guide”, crammed with facts and theScheme’s record-breakers, are available from theBTO shop at just £7.50.

Quest for the White-earedNight Heron in Vietnam– 3rd October 2014David Walsh is a Suffolk based birder, currentlyworking at an Ipswich School. But David has strongconnections with Essex, having been an activemember of Southend Ornithological Group from1985-1992, when he taught at Westcliffe High Schoolfor Boys. To David’s credit, by sharing his passionwith the pupils, a number of them now holdimportant positions working for various conservationorganisations around the world.When one of the first images was of a stunning

Spoon-billed Sandpiper followed by Gurney’s Pita,both seen in southern Thailand at the start of a threemonths sabbatical in 2008, then you know that youare in for a very interesting evening! Moving fromThailand, through Cambodia David arrived in Hanoi,Vietnam. The Red River in Hanoi proved to be a goodarea for birding with Yellow-browed Warbler beingcommon, Brown Shrike, Blue Throat, CitrineWagtail, Dusky Warbler and Siberian Ruby Throatall present. The White-eared Night Heron was known to live

in China, but is rare, classified as ‘endangered’ and isdeclining due to habitat loss and hunting. David hadthree objectives in Vietnam – to raise awareness, toconduct a survey and to initiate an action plan toprotect the species. In order to move from onedistrict to another was very bureaucratic requiringvarious documents to be stamped and signed all ofwhich took time, but eventually arrived at a remotevillage on the edge of a National Park. Whenenquiring with the villagers for the White-eared NightHeron, David was first directed to Little Heron andChinese Pond Heron before a hunter eventuallyrecognised the species and said that he had recentlyshot one, and subsequently produced the skull. Sadthough this was it was the first evidence that thespecies existed in this area of Vietnam. Next was to

RECENT INDOOR MEETINGSGERRY JOHNSON

32

locate where they were being hunted and changeattitudes.During the various excursions into the forest many

brilliant species were captured on camera, includingGreater Cucall, Crested Serpent Eagle, Asia BrownOwlet, White-crowned Folk-tail, Crimson Sun Bird,Red-headed Trogon, Grey Capped PygmyWoodpecker, Blue-winged Leaf Bird ,Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, White-crested LaughingThrush and Flower Peckers to name a few. Then avillager suggested that if David went to a certain treethe target species would be seen flying at 18:30.David headed off in anticipation. Magpie Robin,White-throated Fan-tail, Green-eared Barbet,Plaintive Cuckoo, Pied Falconets were seen, then,right on cue, in fading light conditions, a male White-eared Night Heron flew over head at ca. 18:30. Thefollowing day it rained but two days later it appearedagain and the photographs taken were confirmation.Although not found in other expected areas

explored in Vietnam, two White-eared Night Heronwere located near Lake Ho Ba Be. David returned in April 2009 and again in 2010 and

located on three separate days, three, four and threeWhite-eared Night Heron, eventually tracking downa nest with two young present. A subsequentmanagement plan was implemented with the hunterbeing paid to protect the species. Not only were wetreated to seeing some excellent photographs,including some of this rare species in Vietnam butalso to David’s experiences while travelling throughremote Vietnamese villages and staying with localfamilies.

Searching for Sociable Plovers inIndia – 7th November 2014Rick Vonk, RSPB Manager North East Essex andSouth Suffolk Reserves, kindly joined us to sharewith members and guests his experiences during a30 day sabbatical in February to northern India tolook for the Sociable Plover. Now estimated at lessthan 11,000 in the world and declining due tochanges in land use in their traditional homeland.Ricks journey commenced on the subcontinent in

Bombay with a good friend working with the‘Bombay Natural History Society’. The first imageshown was of a species now seen on a regular basisin Essex, the Ring-necked Parakeet followed by thebeautiful Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, SouthernGrey Shrike, Black-shouldered Kite, AsianOpenbill, the large Pied Kingfisher, the ‘huge’Painted Stork and again species seen in England,Ruff, Redshank and Black-winged Stilt to reinforcethese species range around the world, but noSociable Plover!Moving on to Keolandeo National Park, Indian

Courser, Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, PurpleHeron, 5,000 Pintail (in a good year you can see 450on the Stour Estuary), Red- and Yellow-wattledPlover were all seen in large numbers, but again noSociable Plover! Traditionally these areas wereextensively grazed to keep the scrub well undercontrol and provide vast open areas of grassland asrequired for Sociable Plovers to thrive, to have anunencumbered view should any predator try andcreep up on them. Unfortunately in recent years the

areas have been under grazed, become overgrownwith scrub thus causing the Sociable Plover todessert. In Jaipur (the Pink City), the Tal Chhapar Sanctuary

was investigated where Common Sandpiper,Demoiselle Crane, Isobelline Wheatear, TawnyEagle, Laggar Falcon and Peacock were all seenalong with Jackal, Black Buck, Wild Boar and SpottedDeer. The accommodation throughout the journey varied

between good hotels in fine buildings to basic bed-and breakfast, but the people were always veryfriendly, the food was basic, sometimes ‘interesting’,with very few and only minor repercussions,probably due to being very careful with the bottleddrinking water. Another area covered was the ca.50 sq. miles of

the Sorsun Grasslands, Sariska National Park,Rewasa which produced splendid species – Red-vented Bulbul, Red-rumped Wheatear, GreatIndian Bustard, Indian Tree Pie, Long-leggedBuzzard, Egyptian, Long-billed and White-backedVultures and the superb ‘blue’ Indian Roller all intemperatures up to 50ºC. At the final site LakeHarshit, Sawai Madhopur, Little Green Bee-eaterand many more expected species were seen. Unfortunately, even with the experience and local

knowledge of the guides for the various areas visited,alas Sociable Plover were not seen at any time duringthe trip! All the more reason for Rick to return to Indiaat sometime in the future to try again, possibly at adifferent time of the year? (This only goes to showhow fortunate it was for the people that made thevisit to RSPB Rainham Marsh Reserve to see aSociable Plover that turned up there in earlyDecember 2005).This talk was well attended and we were treated to

some excellent photographs and Rick’s typicalrelaxed commentary for his journey around thedelights of Rajastan, Northern India.

‘Spring in Japan’– 5th December 2014By popular demand Graham Ekins was invited backto give a presentation and share some of hisexperiences as encountered during a spring in Japan.As expected the hall was virtually full on a coldDecember evening, but the hall was warm and wewere to be treated to many delights from the Far East.On arrival in Yokohama two of the first species

seen in Yamashita Park were Tree Sparrow andWhite Wagtail of the Eastern race. Then, amongstthe large cherry trees decked with delicate doubleblossom, White-cheeked Starling and OrientalGreenfinch moved around oblivious to the manyfamilies walking around. Unfortunately this species ofGreenfinch is declining due to trapping in Chinaduring migration. The superb images, includingHawfinch, Northern Boobook Owl, White-belliedGreen Pigeon, just kept coming to keep everyonespell-bound.Moving on to Kasai Rinkai Park in Tokyo we started

with the beautiful Oriental Turtle Dove, Bull-headedShrike, Black-eared Kite, Eastern Yellow Wagtail,Slatey-backed Gull, Vega Gull, the endemic LargeBilled Crow, Far-eastern Curlew with chestnut

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plumage across the nape and the breast/underspotting extending right to the rump, Falcated Ducklooking similar to Teal and Wigeon and GreaterScaup as both seen in Essex! Due to extended portdevelopment in Tokyo the limited Yatsu-higataMudflats had good concentrations of waders –Pacific Lesser Golden Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler,Eastern Black-tailed Godwit, Sharp-tailedSandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Kentish Plover,Dunlin (about a third larger than the Dunlin seen inthe UK) and Redshank that fly at 28,000 ft. to crossover the Himalayas on migration.After catching the ‘bullet’ train, which was so

precisely punctual, to travel across Japan at 250Km/hr. the adventure moved on to Tobi-shima Islandvia the Sakata harbour ferry. During the 18 Km.crossing Pomarine Skua, Arctic Tern, Whimbrelwith a white rump, Ancient Murrelet, JapaneseMurrelet, Rhinoceros Murrelet, Temminck’sCormorant, Grey Phalarope, Streaked Shearwater,Flesh-footed Shearwater and 10,000 migrating Sootyand Short-tailed Shearwater to name a few. Whenthe stunning images were on the screen Graham pin-pointed the finer details, together with the technicaldifferences, compared to the species seen in Japanwith the species of the same name seen in Europe.Once on Tobi-shima Island the quality of the

‘Japanese Inn’ accommodation was interesting withthe requirement to dress in a Kimono for dinnerfollowing a communal bath! Sitting cross-legged onthe floor was challenging to retain ones modesty. The Island is a haven for birds moving along the

north-west coast of the mainland, the paths were allconcrete or at least gravel to make moving aroundthe excellent habitat very easy. The first class qualityphotographs depicted more superb species just keptcoming – Red-flanked Bluetail, Red-billed BlueRock Thrush, Olive-backed Pipit, Asian Brown

Flycatcher, Asian Stub-tail (not unlike our Wren),Siberian Ruby Throat with its fine song, the flightySiberian Blue Robin which was only photographedafter lying down motionless for some 30 minutes andallowing the bird to move around the undergrowthand approach Graham. Plus Mugimaki Flycatcherand Pallas Reed Bunting both of which should nothave been there during spring, the time of Graham’svisit, but they were there probably due to theprevailing wind direction. Japanese ‘birdwatchers’ appear to be more

interested in photographing birds with huge lenses,taking hundreds of shots of a Hoopoe, the first seenon the Island for three years. After spending a weekon Tobi-shima Island and picking up a number of liferspecies it was back to Tokyo and the Sagmi Riverarea and the Larch Forest of Mt Fuji where JapaneseWagtail, Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, JapaneseGreen Woodpecker, Japanese Tit (similar to ourGreat Tit), Japanese Willow Tit, Japanese Varied Titand Japanese Accentor were all shown to theaudience.Graham kindly extended the talk with more

stunning photographs of species seen in the SouthChina Sea on route to Japan. These included Maskedand Red-footed Booby, White-tailed Tropicbird andrare Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters. As with all of Graham’s trips to any parts of the

World, this trip to Japan was extremely well plannedto get the most out of the time spent in any oneplace, and formed part of an epic twelve weekadventure to the Antarctic, New Zealand and the FarEast, which added a total of 260 species to Graham’slifer list. I am sure, like you, I cannot wait untilGraham returns with another episode of hisadventures across the globe with more fantasticimages. See the 2015-2016 Fixture Card/Programmelater in 2015 for further details.

Rook by Sam Shippey

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‘The Birdfair’, Rutland Water– 17th August 2014It was a different welcome just before 09:00 at theAnglian Water Egleton Centre compared to when wevisited four months earlier back at the end of April2014. There were already many visitors queuing toenter The 26th Birdfair, the brain child of co-organisersTim Appleton OBE and Martin Davies over a quarterof a Century ago! The idea was ‘hatched’ in the localPublic House, appropriately named The Finch’s Arms,following a local event held at Rutland Water in 1987 –‘The Wildflower Bonanza’. And how successful it hasbecome, going from strength-to-strength andincreasing in size each year, come rain or sunshine andas they say – the rest is history.From those relatively modest beginnings in 1989 the

event has subsequently raised ca. £3,500,000 in 26years for so many important and worthy conservationprojects around the world. Currently the world’sseabirds are more threatened than any other group ofbirds; therefore the funds raised in 2014 will go to theBirdLife Marine Partnership programme with nationalgovernments and international bodies to create marineprotected areas for birds, marine mammals and fish.We had all day to do just what we wished. There

were many outside exhibits, displays and activitiesalongside the 14 huge marquees crammed full withsomething for everyone. There were NationalTourism Organisations from around the world andmany well known tour operators with itineraries’covering destinations from the outback of Australia tothe jungles of Zambia, from the freezing snow andice of the Antarctic to the heat of the desert inEthiopia. Also places much closer to home, Norfolk,the Dorset coast, Northumberland, Wales and theScottish highlands all featured. If anyone wished tobook of just research their next wildlife trip they hadthe ideal opportunity and were spoilt for choicewhere to go.Even ‘free’ to enter raffles for prizes and holidays!

Now I know you will say it is not worth entering asyou never win. Well I said that, and last year I won aweekend for two at the La Strange Arms Hotel in OldHunstanton, Norfolk and had a very pleasant staywith my wife during the spring of 2014.Then there was the optics and accessories

marquee with most of the well known and some lesswell known optical manufacturers, all showing ushow good their products were and why we shouldchange to their ‘new’ products with a brighter image,lighter weight and multi-coated lens, etc, ranging inprice between a few hundred pounds to somethingapproaching a small fortune! Jürgen Mullerwasinterested in new binoculars, but with so many tochoose from it was so difficult and he could notdecide which ones to purchase. There were even afew useful ’free’ handouts in the form of lens cleaningcloths in pouches from Leica, Swarovski and CarlZeiss. These manufactures also provided a ‘free’

cleaning and ‘check’ of their respective binoculars.There was clothing, foot-ware and accessories

from Country Innovation, Paramo, Rohan and RoyalRobbins to name a few. If we are to believe all themarketing and publicity, clothing is nowmanufactured from advanced ‘technical’ one-wayfabrics that breathe and have moved on from thedays of the simple cotton wax jacket of old. Not forgetting the superb art marquee with so many

excellent photographs, first class original art works,prints, beautiful carvings and sculptures. There weredesigns and styles to suit all tastes from traditional tomodern. Which one to choose was the only problem?The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Royal

Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Hawk &Owl Trust, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Wildlife Trustsand Birding for All were all well represented. The BTO attracted many visitors to their very

professional ringing demonstration of birds trapped inmist nets and to witness the different behaviour ofbird species caught (some pecked the handler, somemake a lot of noise, some shed feathers while othersremained very calm and quiet throughout theprocessing). The skilled and knowledgeable licensedringers provided specific details and advised some ofthe bird’s finer points, which were very informativeand most interesting. This was something not able tobe appreciated unless making the special effort toattend a ringing session somewhere. The time toprocess each bird is usually completed in ca.30seconds, so stressing the birds is kept to an absoluteminimum. The different species seen were Great andBlue Tit, Gold and Greenfinch, Reed Warbler,Whitethroat and Garden Warbler. In previous years Ihave seen Woodpeckers and a Sparrowhawk, whichboth need to be handled with extreme care andcaution by the ringers if they wish to avoid beingseriously injured.Excellent selections of Natural History books could

be found on any subject and covering most creaturesyou could think of from all parts of the world,together with the modern equivalents in the form ofe-books and App with diagrams, calls, songs andmaps for android and i-phones alike. I wonder whatelectronic accessory might be available next. Likemany members, Alan Knight searched for books outof print and was pleased with his purchase of variousclassic publications. Others purchased bird food inbulk – sacks of seed mix and tubs of fat balls – inreadiness for winter feeding. In the very conducive conditions and pleasant

surroundings some of our group I encounteredduring the day participated in an ice cream, whileothers enjoyed refreshments in the catering areasituated next to the auction marquee where bidswere accepted for a variety of interesting items,ranging from optics, overseas trips, clothing andbooks, all kindly donated by various exhibitors.This, the largest annual ‘Fair’ of its kind in the UK

(possible in the world) not only attracts over 20,000

GERRY JOHNSON

RECENT OUTDOOR MEETINGS

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visitors each year, but also celebrities like NickBaker, Dominic Couzens, Mike Dilger, MatthewGordon, Josep del Hoyo, Simon King, JohnnyKingdom, Miranda Krestovnikoff, David Lindo,Stephen Moss, Bill Oddie, Chris Packham andJonathan & Angie Scott who participate in speakingat interesting lecture (192 over the three days),quizzes and question & answer sessions. I also metup with Chris Knight of Stone Curlew fame from theBrecklands, Russell Savory from Stow Maries WWIAerodrome in Essex, Kate and Geoff Gibbs nowretired and residing in North Wales, but previouslyvery involved with the Society when living in Essex,Mike Dent on the Lee Valley outside display plusAnnette Adams & Steve Grimwade from SwallowBirding who operate a very reasonable selection ofday trips in the UK and longer tours to Europe.Some of the group managed to take time out and

walk around part of the Reserve. Richard Harpersaw Red Kite and Common Buzzard, while ChrisBell had excellent views for over 20 minutes of twoOspreys fishing.By closing time at 17:00 everyone had enjoyed the day

and was ready to sit down and relax in comfort on theluxury coach while our driver Bill took control to drive usthe two hours back to Essex with the opportunity toengage with others on the trip and make new friends.The 27th ‘Birdfair’ will be back at Rutland on 21-23August 2015. Might you be there to enjoy the uniqueexperience and help support conservation?

Two Tree Island EWT Reserve &Wallasea Island RSPB Reserve– 21st September 2014 It was a beautiful calm autumn equinox day for ourmorning visit to the EWT Two Tree Island Reserve.Nestling under the escarpment and in the shadow ofthe romantic remains of Hadleigh Castle, built in1215, we were met by Warden Mark Bridges in thecar park. We welcomed a number of membersjoining us on their first Field Trip Meeting amongst thegroup numbering 27. In the warm sunshine Blue andGreat Titmoved about the adjacent bushes andthree Swallows swooped overhead. Mark provided a little history and back-ground of the

Reserve, which like so many today is built on an oldrubbish tip (David Simmonds recalled seeing refugetrucks depositing their contents here when visiting thearea as a lad), before heading off in a westerlydirection on the landward side of the Reserve. Itwould appear that the Island is so named due of twoElm trees that once stood on the Island, but haveunfortunately long gone, probably due to Dutch Elmdisease, with only suckers from the remaining roots asevidence of their existence. The Island is mainly roughundulating grassland with bramble scrub, thickets ofHawthorn and Blackthorn bushes, punctuated withponds. It comprises excellent habit for many bird,butterfly and reptile species.In the salt water channels Mallard, Teal, Wigeon,

Redshank, Black-headed Gulls and Little Egretwereamongst the birds recorded. The high pitched noise ofthe model aeroplanes from the Model Aircraft FlyingField in the centre of the Island broke the tranquillity,but the birds appeared to be undisturbed. Before reaching the western end twelve Linnet, six

Goldfinch, two Meadow Pipit, Long-tailed Tit, Jay,Whitethroat, Stock Dove, Carron Crow,Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Magpie, Starling in smartwinter plumage were seen. Dave Smith was quick topoint out a Whinchat, but it was only seen by some.We also came across ‘Tree Stump Gravel Yard’ wheretrees damaged by storms in the Southend area hadbeen deposited and left to decay. We also passed aplot of land previously prepared in readiness to besown that afternoon by a volunteer work party with‘Turtle Dove Feed Mix’ as part of the Turtle Doveconservation project work being undertaken in Essexinstigated by the Society. The surrounding area ofdense vegetation is also ideal habitat for breeding. Once at the western end with the bright sun

behind us, the group strung out along the path or satin the hide to view the saline lagoon as the birdnumbers increased due to the rising tide, high at11:42. The light conditions were excellent with 200Black-tailed Godwit, 35 Dunlin, 30 Greenshank, 25Redshank, 20 Ringed Plover, 20 Golden Plover,three Avocet, and two Grey Plover one still insummer plumage, three Yellow Wagtail contrastingso well amongst the red stems of ‘Sanfire’, Lapwing,Knot and a Curlew Sandpiper were all present.Continuing our walk along the seaward side we saw

Grey Plover in summer and winter plumage together,and could now appreciate the Salt Marsh and extendingMud Flats offering a level of protection to Two TreeIsland at the eastern end. Amongst the vegetation onthe Salting’s the white plumage of 35 Little Egretwaseasy to make out, unlike the cryptic camouflageplumage of 150 Curlew. We were also privileged to seethe arrival of ca. 600 Brent Geese, just back for winter,less than a mile along the coast from Southend-on-Sea,one of the largest populated areas in Essex.Returning towards the car park a fine Red Admiral

was seen resting on a fence rail and Brian Jameschecked for Little Egret in roost area by ‘Egret Pool’and counted a further 30. This roost has been knownto reach well over 100 at peak times.Some of the group remained at Two Tree Island to

explore further, while others travelled the shortdistance to RSPB Wallasea Island Wild Coast Reserve.Nick Green joined the group there where theconditions were somewhat different with a cold windblowing across the river from Burnham-on-Crouch.The ongoing construction work was evident with

barges being unloaded with soil from the Cross Railtunnel project under London in readiness forlandscaping. We walked eastwards along the seawall with the tide receding to expose mud flats, partlycovered with sea aster. Black-headed Gull andHerring Gull were seen in small numbers and on thenaturally formed lagoons Cormorant, a pair of MuteSwan, 25 Shelduck and a mixed flock of Canada andGreylag Geese increased the day’s species seen.Returning, Meadow Pipits were seen and prior to

reaching the car park we crossed paths with DonMurray. Following John Eaton’s morning WeBS counton Foulness Island, John and Les Bird (wearing a‘Denver’ boot to support damaged bones in his foot)joined the group at the car park. At the Reserveentrance they had seen a Hobby, two Marsh Harrierand Corn Bunting. It had been an excellent day, with a modest 56

species seen on what are ‘local patches’ in this partof Essex for some of our members.

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The Naze & Holland Haven– 19th October 2014By Nick Green The 06:30 alarm was greeted with disdain, the rainhosing down outside with horror! Gerry picked meup at 07:30 and we sped northwards to The Naze.However, the weather forecast was right: the rainfront headed north-eastwards out into the North Seawith prevailing mild south-westerly winds and theskies even slowly cleared allowing the sun to shineeventually. At 08:25 on arrival some Starlings werenoted coming in off the sea, eventually numberingover 100, which looked promising plus Robins andDunnocks calling from nearby bushes and a fewChaffinches were making their “pink” calls.We headed to the Naze café and car park and met

up with regular Naze observers Glenn Moore andDaryl Rhymes plus the other participants, includingLouise from Galleywood and Moira Jackson fromSunny Mead Farm, both joining us for the first time.[Daryl Rhymes reported 12 Redwings, Ring Ouzel

in the Southwest first]Moira and I escaped the madding crowd and

headed slowly to the sycamore clump below theescarpment noting a few thrushes, Goldcrests andcalling Chiffchaffs en route. Near this area, suddenlya loud distinctive “tsooo-eeeet” was heard and soona superb Yellow-browed Warbler was identified andseen but it was difficult to follow and note salientfeatures – another was heard calling. News wasspread to Gerry and other birders, who soon arrived. Some of the group then drifted towards the John

Weston EWT Reserve, where it was very peaceful butnot a single migrant was noted! However, offshorefrom here Daryl Rhymes did well to re-find the loneBlack Brant amongst 100 or so Dark-bellied BrentGeese. Waders included Turnstones, RingedPlovers and a Greenshank. Returning to the Café,Gerry and others did well to see one of the elusiveYellow-browed Warblers en route – and then enjoy aslice of bread pudding!! Two flyover Siskin and acuppa were Nick and Mo’s highlights.Other species seen included 2 Merlin, 2 Bearded

Tit, 4 Swallows, Marsh Harrier, a late Swift and aWheatear. Next venue was Holland Haven and we headed

directly to the hide overlooking the scrape where 14EBwS birders were happily ensconced. ThreeStonechat were soon noted in the reedbed area butthe scrape excelled with 60+ Black-tailed Godwits,Lapwing, a mass of Wigeon and Teal and a solitaryPintail. With patience, an adult Yellow-legged Gullmaterialised (Francis Hall confirming leg colour!), anadult winter-plumaged Mediterranean Gull flew intothe gull roost and a Snipe once obligingly flewaround the scrape! Two rather distant CommonBuzzards graced the skyline, often mobbed byCrows. We relished the bright sunny conditionsthough the breeze was freshening. Despite a Sunday,there was much activity on the beach with a numberof mechanical diggers preparing the sea defenceswith the Scandinavian granite.It had been another excellent day despite a rather

wet start but The Naze had produced some classicmigrants, if not in “fall” conditions. Holland Havenhad provided with good habitat, 7 species of gulls

and great birding in fine company. Some 70 speciesrecorded was very respectable considering.

Oare Marshes KWT Reserve– 16th November 2014 It was a foggy, dull start as we boarded the coachin Chelmsford, Shenfield and Grays for therelatively short journey from Essex to Kent for ourNovember Field Trip meeting. After a short comfortbreak at the M2 services we continued for Favershamand the Oare Marshes KWT Reserve, on the southside of the Swale Estuary, the first time the Societyhas visited this reserve.The heavy rain of the previous day meant that parts

of the sea wall path were a little muddy in placeswhere concentrating around gates, etc. We followedthe creek and it was not long before Redshank wereheard and seen moving down Oare Creek. Even inthe gloom of the day the bright colours of twoKingfishers were seen by some of the groupadjacent to the boat mooring. With the various lengths of time taken by members

to observe the species seen, the group started tostretch out along the path. For a change the numbersof Grey Heron’s seen out-numbered Little Egret’ssix to five. A Green Woodpecker was seen crossingthe creek before perching on a telegraph pole, and alittle further along the path a Marsh Harrierquartered the ground behind the far embankment.Prior to reaching the sea sluice a Greenshank wasfirst heard, and then seen, on the far embankmentwhere Oare Creek meets Faversham Creek. Once atthe sea sluice the Reserve expands with the option tocontinue along the sea wall to the point, or to take analternative path to the hide overlooking the EastFlood scrape, which today was covered with restingwildfowl and waders. On closer examination wecould see Tufted Duck, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon,Shoveler, Pochard, Pintail, Lapwing, Black and Bar-tailed Godwit, Mute Swan, Coot, Moorhen, two Ruffand 16 Snipe tucked in amongst the tall tussocks. Asoften happens something ‘spooked’ the birds to putthem to flight and 30 plus Snipe were counted beforeevents calmed down and the birds settle back downon the scrape.In the reeds Bearded Tit’s provided brief views as

they moved from one area to another, along withStonechat, Meadow Pipit and Reed Bunting.Approaching the point hide a flock of ca.80 Avocetwere resting on the mudflats with Turnstone andDunlin. The water was so calm, like a mirror withouta ripple, and in the far distance on the Isle-of-Sheppey a group of ca.70 Grey Seals were hauled outon Horse Sands. Investigating further we could makeout a large flock of waders, comprising Lapwing,Golden and Grey Plover. Down the coast towardsWhitstable five Common Scoter and Great CrestedGrebe were seen in the Channel with Dunlin,Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Knot, Oystercatcher andCurlew all on the exposed mudflats with skeins ofdark bellied Brent Geese overhead. From thisposition Richard Harper found another Kingfisherperched on the ‘skeleton’ ribs of an old barge,obviously a regular perched use for hunting from atlow tide as it moved around in a very relaxed

37

manner. On the far side of the Swale we could alsosee the Harty Ferry Public House on Sheppey beforewe moved along the sea wall, seeing Goldfinch,Greenfinch and more Stonechat, plus the call ofthree Cetti’s Warbler.At the only brick structure on the reserve, the

information building/boat house where there is asmall car park suitable for cars only, we turned alongthe road hearingWater Rail in the dense reeds, sawtwo Little Grebe on the Scrape along with moreSnipe. On the top section of a pylon a PeregrineFalcon had a high vantage point to observe thecomplete area, eventually moving to a closer pylonfor an even better view of the reserve to possiblymake a move on some unsuspecting prey? Otherraptors seen include Kestrel, Common Buzzard,Sparrowhawk and moreMarsh Harrier.Some of the group took an excursion to a new hide

overlooking wet meadows and West Flood scrapewith nine Polish origin Konik horses grazing. Les Birdand Len Matthews efforts were rewarded with goodsightings of a Short-eared Owl over the meadow.Oare Marshes KWT Reserve is not the largest of

Reserves like others we visit, but on a typicalNovember day when the hours of daylight areconsiderably reduced, particularly on a day like todaywhen it was dull and did not really get light all day, itis ideal and produced an excellent 81 speciesidentified by the group, including five Kingfishersightings and a Grey Wagtail by Simon Banks.

Old Hall Marsh RSPB Reserve– 7th December 2014Following recent temperatures down to zero, todaywas dull with the thermometer registering 8ºc, but inthe stiff north westerly breeze the extra layers wererequired. With the change in management personalat the RSPB Old Hall Marshes, the entrance gate bythe farm is now only open between 09:00 and 17:00,so the early arrivals queued to wait for the officialopening time for our final Field Trip of 2014. Whilewaiting Fieldfare were seen in the tall trees and inthe adjacent hedge feeding on the berries.We welcomed Ian Tabin and Keith Overall on their

first Society Field Trip. As we parked up we could seea Stoat with a dead Rabbit just a few metres in frontof us in the field. As more cars arrived the Stoat left itsmeal and ran for the protection of the hedge, brieflystopping to stand on its hind legs and look at us. In abush just behind the car park a Redwing paid a shortvisit to also feed on Hawthorne berries.With the 5.4 Metre high tide at midday we took to

the sea wall for an anti-clockwise walk around thereserve and were straight away into Waders, mainlyRedshank but also Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet,Curlew, Dunlin, Lapwing, Golden and Grey Plover.From the top of the sea wall there were Shelduck,across the thicket where we heard and saw goodnumbers of Fieldfare. In the Salt Marsh channelsWigeon, Mallard, Teal, Little Egret and smart drakePintail were noted. Throughout the day skeins ofBrent Geese arrived to join the ever growing flock inthe field. The mixed flock of Grey Plover, Dunlin,Ringed Plover but mainly Golden Plover all restingon the islands were eventually pushed off by the

rising tide. It was a fantastic site to see hundreds ofbirds taking to the air! The extra water in TollesburyFleet brought Great Crested Grebe, Goldeneye,Red-breasted Merganser and a female Eider intoview. We were ‘hit’ by a short sharp squall but once itpassed the sky cleared and the sun improved the day.The ‘Iron gate’ flash although covered with water

was devoid of birds, but the lagoon prior to ‘McClure’sMarsh’ produced a selection of wildfowl –Wigeon,Mallard, Teal and Pochard. Some of the group hadother business to attend to during the afternoon, sothey took the path across the reserve and the shortcircular walk while the others continued by‘McClure’s Marsh’ where Barnacle Geese whereseen amongst Greylag and Canada Geese. FemaleMarsh Harriers were seen over the lower part of thereserve along with three Kestrels and a PeregrineFalcon flying over the Channel towards BradwellPower Station.As we approached Pennyhole Bottom a male

Marsh Harrier was seen and a Short-eared Owl wasflushed from its resting/sheltering position behind thesea wall out of the wind. It flew low over the roughpasture giving us excellent views before coming torest. It was interesting that when on the ground howwell it blended in.At the small beach at the point Pied Wagtail and

four Turnstones searched the stranded seaweedwhile aMute Swan glided by and the only other birdon the water was a Great Crested Grebe and a Sealbobbed around towards West Mersea. The Short-eared Owl was relocated flying away from ourposition before coming to rest on a sheltered post.Meadow Pipit and Skylark were also present aroundthe sea wall.With the tide starting to fall, again the various

waders returned to roost on exposed Islands. LittleEgrets and Grey Heron were seen moving from onechannel to another and again nine Konik horses(used for ‘natural’ management of the reserve),congregated by a gate and were also seen during ourvisit. Winston added a Stonechat around the carpark, but the iconic Brent Geese were a delight tohear and see arriving all day. But for most the bestbird-of-the-day was the Short-eared Owl?

We do hope that you have enjoy reading theseReports of our friendly Field Trips and interestingIndoor Meetings held regularly by the Society, and they‘wet-your-appetite’ to come along and join us as amember or as a guest? We look forward to seeing youat an Indoor Meeting soon or, if you fancy a great dayout, on one of the future Field Trips. You will be mademost welcome and who knows what we might see?

Fieldfare by Steve Grimwade

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The Society wishes to thank all the members that contribute to these Reports and the members that collate themtogether to give a ‘feel’ for the species that are seen throughout the different areas and habitats around the County.Most notes published in this section of ‘Essex Birding’ are gathered by individuals or groups of other local birders.

Some records come from logs, kept at wildlife trust and other centres. Casual birders, as well as experienced andproficient field observers and some professional naturalists, have access to these, so logs have been carefully checkedand in some obvious cases ‘unlikely’ sightings will have been expunged at that stage. Records of some commonerspecies added to logs by members of the public visiting a site may be happily accepted, but there is still potential forerrors and mistakes. Therefore, as always, the advice is read, enjoy but recognise that while almost all news isaccurate, authenticated records will appear only in the Essex Bird Report.Many thanks are expressed to all those who make the effort and report their sightings, to the diligent log scrutinisers

and not forgetting the dedicated reporters and to those birdwatchers who share their records with them. If not done soalready can you please send all your relevant records for 2013 into the Senior County Recorder, Les Steward(les.steward@btinternet.com) or the County Recorders, Terry Jeffreys (terry.jeffreys@btinternet.com) or Mick Tracey(micktrac@aol.com), not forgetting to use the six-column ‘Excel’ format to make things easier to process thethousands of records received. When submitting records, please look at the Society website or the most recent EssexBird Report to see whether any full descriptions are required in the case of species which are currently consideredrare or vagrant in the County. Thank you.

May to October 2014

The period saw the completion of thesecond (Gwen’s) hide and a furtherincrease in water depth in the mainreservoir. The emergent woodlandproduced an increase in Reed Buntingpairs and breeding Lapwings wereattracted to the grassy slopesbetween the

reserve centre and the reservoir, whileSkylark pairs also increased with theiraerial songs very much a feature throughto July. The observation shelter to thesouth of Billetts Farm was close tocompletion and further work was carriedout to provide eventual access to otherareas of the reservoir. Pyramidal Orchidswere found in the EWT area.

MayHighlights on the 1st included two BlackTerns, 30 Common Terns, four or more

Arctic Terns, 12Whimbrels, threeGreenshanks, a Ruff, anOystercatcher, a Knot, three Dunlins, asecond-summer Caspian Gull and aHobby, while the first Lapwing chickwas reported. Passerines includedNightingale,Willow Warbler,Blackcap, Common Whitethroat,Swallow,Whimbrel, Greenshank,Skylark, Yellow Wagtail, Linnet andCorn Bunting. In the rainy afternoon anEgyptian Goose, a Kestrel and a flockof 66 Swifts and ten Swallows wereadditions for the day. On the7th aCommon Sandpiper, 20 Swifts, aNightingale, a Lesser Whitethroat andaWillow Warbler were seen. On the9th there were five Cuckoos and aTurtle Dove pair. On the 11th two LittleRinged Plovers, three Little Gulls, amaleMarsh Harrier and a Kestrel werepresent, as were a Cuckoo, Skylarks‘galore’, Yellow and Pied Wagtails,Blackcap, Common Whitethroat,Linnets, Reed and singing CornBuntings. An albino Starling was seenand an early Clouded Yellow butterflywas recorded.

JuneThe 20th provided another CloudedYellow butterfly and a Spoonbill was infront of Gwen’s hide the following day.

JulyOn the 16th, as well as Great CrestedGrebes, the western end produced 21Mute Swans and 11+ Egyptian Geese,Greylag and Canada Geese; alsonumerous Mallard and Gadwall, withescapees represented by a Black Swan,a Bar-headed Goose and two Red-

BY DAVID WIMPRESS

AbbertonReservoir

RECENT REPORTS & BIRD NEWS

Pintail – Male by Richard Allen

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breasted Geese and a Swan Goose,these being present for much of thetime until the end of the periodreviewed.. Waders consisted of 60+Lapwings and six Golden Ploversshowing remnants of summer plumage,these being disturbed by two workmenfrom the far south-western corner ofLayer Breton causeway, and a GreyPlover which flew over, still largely insummer plumage and two GreenSandpipers. Large numbers of Cootswere seen, plus two Common Terns,seven Pied Wagtails, four of themjuveniles, a singing Sedge Warbler andtwo Linnets. The 22nd was hot and sunny, with a,

cooling north-easterly breeze andaround 100 Mute Swans were countedand the two almost-regular Red-breasted Geese were on the bank atLayer Breton causeway. An Osprey waspresent near there for ten minutesaround midday. Other raptors were seenwere a single male Marsh Harrier, aCommon Buzzard and a Kestrel. Waderpassage had begun with three Black-tailed Godwits, three Ruff, two GreenSandpipers and a Little Ringed Plover,the latter on the island then re-appearing in Hide Bay. 20 CommonTerns and nine Swallows wererecorded. On the 26th a Clouded Yellowbutterfly was again reported. On themorning of the 28th a Pintail, aGarganey and a Common Buzzardwere present. 200 Cormorants wereinvolved in a feeding frenzy. Wadersseen consisted of six Black-tailedGodwits, four Greenshanks, a GreenSandpiper and six CommonSandpipers. 100 or more CommonTerns and 100 Sand Martins werepresent and four Yellow Wagtails, aCetti’s Warbler and twoYellowhammers were reported.Two Red-crested Pochard, a duck

and an eclipse drake, were feeding inthe middle lagoon on the 29th. Wadersincluded three Little Ringed Plovers, aRuff, a Black-tailed Godwit, a GreenSandpiper and three CommonSandpipers. A Black Tern was feedingat the mouth of Wigborough Bay and 15Yellow Wagtails were near the visitorcentre. By the 30th bird movement andbreeding numbers had reached a peakfor the period with 22 Egyptian Geese,five Garganey, 63 Little Egrets, threeMarsh Harriers (two adult males and ajuvenile), three Common Buzzards, sixKestrels, a Hobby and a Water Railrecorded. Waders seen included twoOystercatchers, an Avocet, five LittleRinged Plovers, a Ruff, four CommonSnipe, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, fiveGreenshanks, seven Green Sandpipersand 24 Common Sandpipers. Two LittleGulls were in Hide Bay and two BlackTerns were seen from the visitor centre.A Barn Owl and a rufous morph

Cuckoo were near Peldon Baywatchpoint and three GreenWoodpeckers and a male Bullfinchwas by Abberton Church as were twosinging male Yellowhammers. A maleBeautiful Demoiselle dragonfly wasbetween the car park and front doors ofthe reserve centre on the 31st.

AugustOn the 1st four Garganey were seenfrom Peldon Bay watchpoint, three Red-crested Pochard were off Layer Bretoncauseway where raptors noted weretwo Marsh Harriers: a juvenile and amoulting adult male, two CommonBuzzards and two Hobbies, while afemale Peregrine was by Billett’s Farm.A Little Ringed Plover was seen fromLayer de la Haye causeway and otherwaders present included, threeGreenshanks, four Black-tailedGodwits, four Green Sandpipers and aRuff as well as 80 Common Terns withthree Yellowhammers also reported. Onthe 3rd two Red-breasted Geese, aPintail, 11 Garganey, three Red-crestedPochard a drake and two ducks, threeLittle Grebes, 72 Little Egrets, twoMarsh Harriers, three CommonBuzzards, a Hobby, 13 Little RingedPlovers, a Ruff, six Greenshanks, fiveGreen Sandpipers, 18 CommonSandpipers, two Willow Warblers anda Goldcrest were present. A Glossy Ibiswas reported from Wigborough Bay onthe 6th. Garganey in Peldon Bay hadincreased to 14 on the 9th when twodrake Red-crested Pochard were inWigborough Bay. Waders seen werefour Ruff, three Common Snipe, eightBlack-tailed Godwits, two Redshanks,four Greenshanks, and 11 CommonSandpipers. A dozen Swifts remained.On the 10th there were 13 Egyptian

Geese, nine Garganey; all in PeldonBay, a drake and two duck Red-crestedPochard, two Goldeneye, an earlyBittern at the western end, 70 LittleEgrets, four Common Buzzards and twoHobbies were seen. Waders wereprominent with a Little Ringed Plover,16 Ringed Plovers, an adult Knot inWigborough Bay, eight Ruff, 21 Black-tailed Godwits, 18 Whimbrels in oneflock which flew south early on, sixGreenshanks, six Green Sandpipers, 23Common Sandpipers and fourTurnstones. A juvenile Whinchat wasalso present.. 25 Ruff were on the bankof Layer Breton causeway on the 13th.On the 15th highlights were an Ospreyin Wigborough Bay and a Whinchat atthe visitor centre car park. Watching allday on the 17th resulted in reporting16Egyptian Goose, six Red-crestedPochard, four them drakes, aGoldeneye, a Marsh Harrier, twoPeregrines, one Avocet, three LittleRinged Plovers, six Ringed Plovers,two Dunlins, nine Ruff eight Common

Snipe, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, aRedshank, five Greenshanks, threeGreen Sandpipers, six CommonSandpipers and, most interestingly, aTree Sparrow on fencing between thetwo hides in the EWT reserve. Hugenumbers of House and Sand Martinswere gathering and feeding at the LayerTreatment Works on the 19th when aHobby stormed in and scattered themin all directions.Birds were again on the move on the

25th. Highlights around the reservoirincluded a Scaup, a Marsh Harrier, twoHobbies, 61 Ruff, 100 plus RingedPlovers, 23 Black tailed Godwits, tenDunlins, two Spotted Redshanks, sixGreenshanks, two Curlew Sandpipers,two Green Sandpipers, two CommonSandpipers, four juvenile Arctic Terns,a Mediterranean Gull, 30 plus Swifts,lots of hirundines, two Wheatears and aWhinchat. By the 26th 25 Wigeon hadarrived and were between causeways,as were four Red-crested Pochard. Amoulting adult duck Scaup was alsoseen. 72 Ruff were counted, 57 of themin Wigborough Bay and of this total ninewere Reeves, Other waders recordedwere seven Black-tailed Godwits, twoSpotted Redshanks, five Redshanksand seven Greenshanks, A juvenileMediterranean Gull which had a fullymoulted mantle was seen from thereserve centre and of 35 Great Black-backed Gulls seen, only three wereimmature. 53 Common Terns whichappeared as wind increased and wereaccompanied by four juvenile ArcticTerns, all appearing to arrive from theBlackwater estuary. 32 Swifts came intoreserve as the wind increased and 1,000Sand Martins, 1,500 House Martins and2,500 Swallows were estimated presentduring rain. Seven Yellow Wagtails anda Sedge Warbler were at the reservecentre. A Pectoral Sandpiper was onthe water’s edge below Gwen’s Hideand a Great White Egret on the northshore of the middle section on the 27th.Both were viewed from the Layer de laHaye causeway. Another Great WhiteEgret had appeared on the northernshore of middle lagoon on the 28th andwas still present beyond the end ofOctober. On the 30th at least 100Cormorant remained, some stillroosting in nest site trees! Raptorspresent comprised a Sparrowhawk anda Kestrel, Waders included two Ruff,two Green Sandpipers and a CommonSandpiper A dozen or so CommonTerns remained as did a small numberof Yellow Wagtails, mainly juveniles. Onthe last day of the month 32 Pintail, aduck Red-crested Pochard, a GreatWhite Egret, two Marsh Harriers, twoHobbies, two Little Ringed Plovers,nine Ringed Plovers, two Dunlins, 35Ruff, a Black-tailed Godwit, threeGreenshanks, five Common

40

Sandpipers and a late Swift were seenand a Spotted Flycatcher was atAbberton Church.

SeptemberThe Great White Egret remained,mainly between the causeways allmonth and was joined by a second birdat the beginning of October. On the 1st aMarsh Harrier, a Peregrine 20 Ruff,two Black-tailed Godwits, two GreenSandpipers, a Kingfisher and 40Swallows were seen.. There were twoKestrels, a Lesser Whitethroat, aCommon Whitethroat, six Blackcapsand 12 Chiffchaffs, all near AbbertonParish Church. Next day a CommonBuzzard was present and a Black Ternwas feeding between the causeways.On the 4th two Marsh Harriers wereseen, one from each causeway as wellas a Common Buzzard, four Kestrels,two Hobbies, a Peregrine, and at least100 Lapwings, 18 Ruff and three GreenSandpipers were present around thesite. At Abberton Parish Church were aGreen Woodpecker, four Swallows,two Blackcaps, a Lesser Whitethroat, aCommon Whitethroat and at least 30plus Chiffchaffs and aWillow Warbler.Also seen were a Black Tern, two Red-crested Pochard, a Kingfisher, aWheatear and a Cetti’s Warbler. AnOsprey appeared on the 7th, remainingnext day. when, after initial thick fog andheavy showers a Marsh Harrier, a RedKite, a Black Kite, two Hobbies, fiveCommon Buzzards , a Peregrine , aSparrowhawk, and a Kestrel. werereported. The two kites from north ofthe visitor centre and were watched forabout five minutes after which the Blackwent east and the Red went south. ARock Pipit was also reported.. Warblerspresent were Cetti’s Warbler, CommonWhitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat,Blackcap, Chiffchaff and WillowWarbler, On the 8th nine Little Grebes,

a Marsh Harrier, a Kestrel and twoHobbies were seen; a Peregrine flewover between the causeways andwaders comprised five Ruff, a GreenSandpiper, a Common Sandpiper andalso present were a Kingfisher, threeMeadow Pipits, and one YellowWagtail, plus a Whinchat in the reservearea. On the 12th two Whinchats wereeast of Hide Bay.On the 14th a Marsh Harriers, six

Common Buzzards, a Hobby, a juvenilePeregrine, 25 Ruff, a Black-tailedGodwit, a Greenshank, and six GreenSandpipers were seen. A circuit on the16th produced three Marsh Harriers,seven or eight Common Buzzardsfeeding on the freshly-cut hay fields,three Ruff, a Hobby, seven Kestrels,two Sparrowhawks and a Pintail aswell as a Whinchat and twoYellowhammers. On the 17th two Ruff,a Common Sandpiper, a Stock Doveand the latest Yellow Wagtail were bythe southern end of Layer de la Hayecauseway. On the 17th there were 40Pintail, a female Red-crested Pochard,25 Little Egrets, two Marsh Harries, ajuvenile female Sparrowhawk an adultand a juvenile Kestrel, a Ringed Ploveraround 200 Lapwings, 33 Ruff, sevenCommon Snipe, two GreenSandpipers, 25 Meadow Pipits, fiveYellow Wagtails, two Grey Wagtails, 20Pied Wagtails, about 80 Linnets withGoldfinches. On the 18th 20 LittleEgrets were counted, two Kestrel and40 Lapwings were seen near the ParishChurch as were three Common Snipe,One Green Woodpecker, five MeadowPipits, 40 Pied Wagtails and twoGoldfinches were also present. On the19th one Pintail, three Marsh Harriers,one Sparrowhawk, two Kestrels wereseen. A Hobby was hunting over thelagoon south-west of Layer Bretoncauseway and also recorded were eightRuff, a Kingfisher, and a Yellow

Wagtail, a Whinchat which was by thevisitor centre and two Wheatears infields just north of there.On the 21st when viewing from the

visitor centre one watcher saw two MuteSwans, five Canada Geese, eightMallard, two Shoveler, 20 Tufted Duck,a Great Crested Grebe, five Cormorants,one Common Buzzard, a Kestrel, tenCoot and three Meadow Pipit. A secondwatcher saw a Little Egret, a GreyHeron, three Marsh Harriers, twoCommon Buzzards, three Kestrels, aHobby, a Ruff, a Great SpottedWoodpecker, a Meadow Pipit, twoWhinchats, a Wheatear, a Long-tailedTit, a Jay and a Goldfinch. Additionalspecies seen that day were four MarshHarriers, a Common Buzzard, aPeregrine, two Ringed Plovers, 42 Ruff,a Green Sandpiper and two CommonWhitethroats. There was a Goldeneye,40 Little Egrets, 12 Ruff, a Redshank,two Green Sandpipers, a GreyWagtail,and a Cetti’s Warbler at Layer BretonCauseway on the 27th. On the 29th eightPintail, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, twoRuff, a Greenshank, a Green Sandpiper,a Kingfisher and a Cetti’s Warblerwereat the Layer Breton causeway and twoStonechats and several Goldfinches bythe reserve centre car park.

OctoberOn the overcast and drizzly morning ofthe first the two Great White Egretsremained and they were present allmonth. A Kingfisherwas spotted in treeson south bank by spillway on LayerBreton causeway. On the 2nd a Bittern, aMarsh Harrier, eight CommonBuzzards, two to the north, and six in akettle to the west, a Kestrel, a Peregrine,two Green Sandpiper, a CommonSandpiper, three Common Gulls, aKingfisher and three Swallowswererecorded. On the 4th two Greenshanks,two Green Sandpipers and a GreyWagtailwere reported. Watching on the5th produced a Common Buzzard, aWater Rail, two Little Stints inWigborough Bay, two Ruff, a GreenSandpiper, a Common Sandpiper and aGrey Wagtail. An unusual visitor on the6th was a Dark-bellied Brent Goose.Also present were two Black-neckedGrebes, 55 Little Egrets, a Bittern, threeMarsh Harriers, two CommonBuzzards, four Ringed Plovers, twoGolden Plovers, a Grey Plover, twoLittle Stints, a Dunlin, 25 Ruff, nineCommon Snipe, two Black-tailedGodwits, two Green Sandpipers, twoCommon Sandpipers, a late TurtleDove, a Whinchat, and threeStonechats. A very smart Clouded Yellowbutterfly was sunning itself on a wall.After rain on the 9th, two Bitterns

were seen going to roost at the westernend of the site. On the 11th two juvenileLittle Stints, 16 Ruff, five CommonSkylark by Sam Shippey

Snipe, six Black-tailed Godwits, sixGreen Sandpipers, a CommonSandpiper, two Stonechats and twoWheatearswere present. Next day twoMarsh Harriers, 40 Ringed Plovers, 115Golden Plovers, two Little Stints, 12Dunlins, 27 Ruff, six Black-tailedGodwitswere seen. On the 16th a MarshHarrier, a Common Buzzard, aKingfisher and a Grey Wagtailwere atthe western end. At dusk a Bittern flewlow over Layer de la Haye causewaytowards Layer Breton end. On the 18thone Black-necked Grebewas in PeldonBay as was aMarsh Harrier, and eightRinged Plovers. An adult Little Stint onLayer de la Haye causeway was newand other waders comprised twoDunlins, 26 Ruff and three CommonSnipe. A rarity for the site was aWoodlark. On the 20th 46 GoldenPlovers, 200 Lapwings, four Black-tailedGodwits a Little Stint, six Ruff and 30Linnetswere seen from School Lane.On the 25th a ‘redhead’ Goosander

was by the Dam inlet and a Red-throated Diver was in Peldon Bay. Alsoseen were a Common Buzzard, threeDunlin, 15 Ruff, a Common Snipe, twoGreen Sandpipers and a Rock Pipitflew over Layer de la Haye causeway.There were also two Grey Wagtails,two Redwings, a Cetti’s Warbler, twoBramblings and 60 Corn Buntings werearound Peldon Bay. Next day two feralBarnacle Geese, 12 Goldeneye, a Red-throated Diver, fourMarsh Harriers,two Common Buzzards, a juvenilePeregrine, an Avocet, 35 RingedPlovers, 525 Golden Plovers, 12Dunlin, 22 Ruff, three Common Snipe,two Black-tailed Godwits, five GreenSandpipers, a Kingfisher, five GreyWagtails, three Stonechats, twoRedwings, five Goldcrests, aBrambling, and 30 Corn Buntings werereported. Another observer added aLittle Grebe, 11 Little Egrets, sixPintail, in ones and twos and a drakeGoldeneye, A Barn Owl flew acrossroad just south of Layer Bretoncauseway. On the 27th a Sparrowhawkand a Common Buzzard were seen, aPeregrine was near Abberton Church,sitting on the reservoir bank and 300plus Golden Plovers and 200 plusLapwings, five Ruff, five CommonSnipe, a Green Sandpiper, and a GreenWoodpecker were recorded. The lastday of the month was very warm with amaximum of 22º centigrade! Therewere two Goldeneye near the visitorcentre, the two Great White Egrets andfour Kestrels were present. AMerlinflew low over the car park. Also seenwere a Peregrine, three Ruff, fourCommon Snipe, around 15 CommonGulls, a Short-eared Owl, a Kingfisher,a Green Woodpecker, a Grey Wagtailand three Stonechats.

Please note that recent sightings andWeBS counts are available on the FaBSGroup website:https://sites.google.com/site/foulnessareabirdsurveygroup/Breeding Birds:65 Species bred or probably bred and

a further six species possibly bred in2014.Our survey was more complete this

year than last in that most of Foulnesswas surveyed at least once, however Ihave not received any breedinginformation for Potton other than thatconcerningMute Swan from the Apriland August WeBS counts. Six pairs ofLittle Grebe had some success withthree of these pairs seen with twojuveniles each. There were 16 occupiednests of Little Egret and four of GreyHeron in the East Newlands pines,producing at least 24 and four juvenilesrespectively. One pair of Little Egretmay have bred at Wakering Stairs for thefirst time.Mute Swan bred on Potton with two

nests found on the April WeBS countand one pair with five young on theAugust WeBS count. Eight pairs ofGreylag were seen with 16 juveniles.Breeding Canada Goose numbersrecovered to 42 pairs with 33 juvenilesrecorded. 30 pairs of Shelduck had avery successful year with 102 juvenilesobserved. At least 18 pairs ofMallard bred. Five pairs ofPochard and six pairs ofTufted Duck were seen earlyin the season, but only one pairof the Pochard wassubsequently seen with young.No Shoveler or Gadwall wereseen May to July and a pair ofTeal seen in May are more likelyto have been overwinterstragglers than a breeding pair.As in previous years male andfemaleMarsh Harrier wereseen during the summer butthere was no goodevidence ofbreeding in theFoulness area.Buzzard were againseen regularly duringMay and June butprobably didn’tcommence breedingon Foulness this year.Four pairs of Kestrelwere recorded but this isprobably anunderestimate. Therewere sightings ofSparrowhawk in Mayand Hobby in May and

June but no good evidence of breeding.Breeding waders made a slight

recovery from last years’ nadir. Avocet –26 pairs produced nine juveniles;Oystercatcher 52 pairs; Ringed Plovertwp pairs seen in May but notsubsequently; Lapwing two pairs withtwo juveniles in the Fleet area;Redshank 29 pairs. Black-headed Gullshad a successful year with 207 pairsrecorded in colonies on the Coast Road,East Newland scrape, borrowdykesalong the Crouch and Roach and on theraft in New England Creek; 110 juvenileswere recorded. The roof-nesting largegull colony in the fleet area had 13occupied nests of Herring Gullproducing 25 juveniles. Eight apparentpairs of Lesser Black-backed Gull werealso present but only one nest identifiedand one juvenile seen. Common Ternbred in small numbers on the NewEngland Creek raft (five pairs) and at theEast Newlands scrape (four pairs withthree juveniles seen).Turtle Dovemade a remarkable

recovery from last year’s low with 12singing males recorded. Cuckoo alsoreturned to more usual numbers with 18singing males/pairs seen/heard. BarnOwl are said to have had a fairly goodyear but we only recorded two pairs onour survey. Probably two pairs of LittleOwl bred this year at Churchend andWhite City and a juvenile was seen withthe pair at White City at the end of July.Once again there were no Short-earedOwls reported this breeding season, butLong-eared Owl bred successfully at

Wakering Stairs with three juvenilesseen and a further pair may have

bred in Jerry Wood (the last

41

BY CHRIS LEWIS

Foulness

Mistle Thrush by Richard Allen

42

breeding record for the Foulness areawas 1997). Four pairs of GreenWoodpecker bred but there was nogood evidence for Great SpottedWoodpecker breeding this year.The following passerine records are

worthy of mention: recorded Skylarknumbers made a small recovery with 65singing males; House Martin nests weredown even further than last year withonly seven active nests at Churchendand the Courtsend colony has beencompletely wiped out, 12 nests wererecorded in total for the Foulness area;12 pairs of Meadow Pipit (marginalrecovery on last year’s all time low); 23pairs of Yellow Wagtail (average); threepairs of Song Thrush and once again noMistle Thrush; Four pairs of Nightingaleat Wakering Stairs; one GrasshopperWarbler singing at Wakering Stairs inMay; one pair of Cetti’s Warbler atWakering Stairs; Sedge Warbler 12 pairs(good recovery from last year’s lowestever count); Reed Warbler five pairs(substantial decline on last year’shighest ever count); Garden Warblerone singing at Wakering Stairs in Maybut not seen subsequently; LesserWhitethroat 14 pairs; CommonWhitethroat 230 pairs; Blackcap 19pairs (highest ever); Reed Bunting 13pairs; Corn Bunting nine pairs (equallowest ever, but numbers havefluctuated widely from year to year).The only other May to July record ofnote was a Glossy Ibis seen in the Fleetarea on 27th June. This was the firstrecord of this species for the Foulnessarea, but unfortunately it was not seenby any of the FABS Group.

August750 Sand Martins passed through on3rd. The WeBS count on 10th producedthe third Foulness record of GreatWhite Egret (on Potton) and aWoodSandpiper (also on Potton).

SeptemberA Quail on 8th and Corncrake on 12thwere reported by a Foulness resident.The Oystercatcher roost built up to justunder 20,000 for the WeBS count on21st. A new high count record forCanada Goose was reported at 1735birds (though I suspect some doublecounting may have been involved). Alsoseen that day were a Curlew Sandpiperat Wakering Stairs and a PiedFlycatcher on Foulness.

OctoberOn 12th new record high counts wereset for Little Egret with 181 birds seen,Buzzard with seven birds reported andJay with 12 birds. Also on 12th a BlackBrant was found along the coast roadamongst flocks of Dark-bellied BrentGeese totalling almost 11,000.

MayThe pair ofMarsh Harriers was everpresent and, judging by their behaviour,may have had young by the month end.An unseasonal adult Yellow-legged Gullwas near the island on the 2nd and anasal saddled female CommonPochard – light blue F43- may well havebeen “saddled” in France. A drakeGarganey showed well on the NorthLagoon from the 7th for a couple ofweeks and the third Osprey of thespring caught a fish on the morning ofthe 9th. Good views until the 14th meantit was possible to ascertain that it hadbeen ringed as a chick at Rutland Waterin 2012. A third Oystercatcher arrivedon the Island, much to the chagrin of theresident pair and a first summer LittleGull was seen from the Point Hide thatafternoon and stayed until the 13th. FourDunlin flew over the causeway on the11th when cold, windy weatherattracted 20 Common Terns as well asthousands of Common Swifts andhirundines. On the 12th at least 13juvenile Bearded Tits were atop thereeds on the North Lagoon and by theend of the month at least 25 juvenileswere counted. The following day sawthe appearance of the first Red-crestedPochard brood there and by the 18ththere were three family parties. A BarnOwl flew over the causeway on the 14thwhich was assumed to have come fromCrowsheath but later in the month a pairwas discovered using a nest box on thereserve. One and, occasionally, twowere to be seen in the same treethroughout the period under review butthere was no proof of breeding. TheCetti’s Warbler was still to be heard onthe North Lagoon but finally gave uptrying to attract a mate at the end of themonth and both Hobby and Little Egretwere being reported regularly at thistime. A Yellow Wagtail on thelagoon wall on the 15th wasonly the third record of

the spring, reflecting the welldocumented decline of this species atthe reservoir. The only two Black Ternsof the spring dropped in on the 17th andthe next day the appearance of threeOystercatcher chicks on the Islandproved the pair had been successful forthe second year. Two pairs of CommonBuzzards were displaying over thelagoons at this time, a very fewCommon Sandpipers trickled throughthe West Bank during the last twoweeks and a pair of Black-neckedGrebes was there on the 25th and 26th.Butterflies were unremarkable with justa few Green Hairstreaks but Green-winged Orchids flowered near SandonHouse for the second year.

JuneA single Little Egret was virtually everpresent around the reservoir into July.On the 3rd the Marsh Harriers werefood passing, a pair of Hobbies wasdisplaying, four Common Buzzardswere on the soar and a family ofShelduck, two adults and 11 ducklings,was on the South Lagoon. A pair ofSedge Warblers were seen on the NorthLagoon on the 5th and subsequentlybred successfully and possibly ten pairsof Common Terns were showing someinterest in a couple of the rafts. ARedshank flew over on the 11th whenthe butterfly transect recorded the firstClouded Yellow as well as fourteen Bee,twenty Common Spotted and twoPyramidal Orchids. The WeBS count onthe 14th found eight breeding pairs ofRed-crested Pochard and over 50 birdsas well as a Kingfisher and a Long-eared Owl. A Green Sandpiper on the16th may have been the first returningwader and up to three were present onthe West Bank later in the month. Bothfirst summer Little Gull and Red Kitewere seen from the Point Hide on the22nd and, as water levels began torecede in the last week, two Redshankwere on the enlarged island on the 27thwith a brood of four Egyptian Geese.Redshank numbers increased to five on

BY DAVID ACFIELD

HanningfieldReservoir

Wheatear by

Richard Allen

43

the 29th when they were joined by aLittle Ringed Plover whilst an escapedRinged Teal added some colour to theSouth Lagoon. At least four broods ofCommon Pochard and two of TuftedDuck were recorded during the finalweek and, whilst no Broad-leavedHelleborines could be found on thereserve, eighteen spikes were locatedbeside the North Lagoon though fewsurvived the Muntjacs.

JulyA White-letter Hairstreak, a rare visitor tothe reservoir, was found on the reserveon the 1st, Purple Hairstreaks wererecorded from the 3rd and a few MarbledWhites and a Chalkhill Blue were seen atCrowsheath later in the month. LittleEgretswere usually present throughoutthe month with eight on the 27th thehighest count. Bearded Tit numbers onthe North Lagoon continued to impresswith at least 35 juveniles being countedon the 2nd. The next day the first juvenileMarsh Harrier took to the air and by thebeginning of the second week four youngwere on the wing, the second successfulbreeding year. Waders during the firstcouple of weeks included Whimbrel,Oystercatcher, Ruff, Greenshank,Redshank, Ringed and Little RingedPlover, Green and Common Sandpiperand Black-tailed Godwit. The first twoYellow-legged Gulls of the summer wereoutside the Point Hide on the 5th with atleast six different birds present onoccasion during the month and up to sixwere virtually ever present throughout therest of the period under review. An adultMediterranean Gull landed briefly on theisland on the 7th and again on the 12thwhen two Arctic Skuas and a Whimbrelwere surprising visitors in the afternoon.A Tawny Owlwas flushed from near theRawl hide on the 10th, the first juvenileCommon Tern from the small breedingpopulation on the rafts was recorded onthe 13th and two Spotted Redshankswere off the causeway the next day. Ajuvenile sinensis Cormorant, ringed nearMons, Belgium on April 1st was on theisland on the 18th, two Garganeywere inthe channel on the 19th and a WoodSandpiperwas by the Stone Bridgebriefly the following morning. A Dunlinjoined the other waders for two daysfrom the 23rd with a second bird on the27th and both Black-necked Grebe andTurnstonewere in Fishing Lodge Bay onthe 24th whilst a family of SpottedFlycatcherswas seen at Crowsheath. AGlossy Ibiswas reported on the 25th, thesecond record for the reservoir and twojuvenile Mediterranean Gullswere infront of Point Hide on the 27th; they werepresent on and off into August. Wigeonand Peregrine were reported on thesame day and the following afternoon aSanderlingwas seen from the samehide.

AugustThe first day of the new monthproduced two Garganey in Rawl HideBay, the two juvenile MediterraneanGulls from the Point Hide and a coupleof Greenshank and nine Black-tailedGodwit opposite the Fishing Lodge. TheGarganey stayed until the end of themonth and were joined others withbetween four and seven a regularfeature of the bay. The last two juvenileMarsh Harriers departed on the 2ndalthough males were seen on threedates in the second half of the monthand a Kingfisher was a regular visitor tothe causeway pool; it was still there intoOctober. The commoner waderscontinued to move through with notablegatherings of Black-tailed Godwits (upto 30), Green Sandpipers (15) andGreenshank (seven). A Little Tern, arare visitor to the reservoir, was reportedon the 7th and two Black Terns stayedfor a couple of days from the 9th whenLittle Egret numbers had increased to13. Also present on the 9th were 67Common Terns and a Turnstone withtwo of the latter the 17th. Over 30 Red-crested Pochard were off the FishingLodge on the 16th and two Tawny Owlswere calling on the Reserve and theSouth Lagoon. Two Wood Sandpiperswere reported to have put in a briefappearance from the Rawl Hide on the19th when 14 Yellow Wagtails wereseen going to roost on the lagoons. ASaker on the 24th, presumably anescapee, was a surprising visitor.Easterly winds and heavy rain is oftengood for the reservoir and so it provedon the 26th when Osprey, Arctic Skua,Black Tern, six Turnstone, fiveRedshank, three Ruff, four Dunlin and14 Ringed Plovers dropped in, albeitbriefly in most cases although theOsprey stayed until the 29th. Drizzle onthe 28th produced two juvenile LittleGulls which stayed into September andthey were joined by at least one Arcticand three Black Terns on the 29th withLittle Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, 17Green Sandpipers and the Ospreyperched on the platform all reportedthat afternoon. As regards butterflies,two Painted Ladies were seen on the4th in what was a poor year for thisspecies and Clouded Yellows werefound on North Dam meadows with amaximum of seven on the 11th.

SeptemberMost of the waders had left at the end ofAugust but a few Godwits, Ringed andLittle Ringed Plovers, Ruff, Redshankand Greenshank were presentoccasionally throughout the month withCommon and Green Sandpipers on theWest Bank. The first two Pintails of theautumn arrived in Rawl Hide Bay on the1st but only one Garganey remained tosee in the new month; it was to stay

until the 6th. Misty weather on the 5thproduced brief visits by two SandwichTerns and three Avocets; possibly threedifferent Avocets were feeding inFishing Lodge Bay on the 10th. CommonSnipe were also arriving at this timewith one on the 4th and six on the 6th.Sightings of Hobby had beenreasonably regular in late summer butthe presence of an adult feeding twojuveniles that afternoon and subsequentsightings during the month suggestedlocal breeding as did six soaringCommon Buzzards on a few occasionsover both the Lagoons and North DamMeadows. Two Little Stints were inFishing Lodge Bay on the 6th, to bejoined by another on the 8th and at leastone was reported regularly over the nextcouple of weeks. The WeBS countersfound a Wheatear on the North Dam onthe 9th and there was another there onthe 15th and two the following day. Asolitary Dunlin joined the Stints on the13th and 14th and a Peregrine disturbedthe peace on the morning of the 15th;another landed on the bank a weeklater. Two Yellow Wagtails were seenon the 17th and wandering MarshHarriers were recorded on a few dateswith three on the 19th and two on the28th but the view of a ring-tail harrier onthe 21st was frustratingly too brief andtoo distant although a Hen Harrier wasreported on the 26th. Nearly 500Cormorants were counted on the 21stand, with Great White Egrets beingseen regularly at Abberton and Pitsea,the arrival of one on the 28th was not acomplete surprise. Eight Common Snipewere found on the North Lagoon thatsame day.

OctoberA Kingfisher and a pair of Stonechatswere on the North Lagoon on the 1stand one Stonechat was seen on the12th and the 24th. A few Ruff, up to 11Green Sandpipers and up to 12 Black-tailed Godwits were present throughoutthe month and up to seven CommonSnipe were on the Lagoons or theIsland. A late Little Ringed Plover wasin Fishing Lodge Bay until the 4thandthe first Goldeneye arrived the next daywhen a Cetti’s Warbler was found onthe North lagoon; one was heard in thesame area regularly later in the month.Two Little Stints flew past Oak hide onthe 6th when six Yellow-legged Gulls, aDunlin and four Swallows were in frontof the Lodge. Six House Martins joinedthem on the 7th and a lone Swallowwas regularly recorded into the lastweek. Heavy rain on the 8th produced aLittle Stint, a Dunlin and five RingedPlovers whilst Marsh Harrierscontinued to put in occasionalappearances with birds reported on the11th and the 14th and then on the25thand 26th. Additional waders at this

44

time included Greenshank and RingedPlover and the WeBS count on the 12thproduced three Grey Wagtails on theNorth Dam and a high count of 55 LittleGrebes. The reservoir participated inthe large movement of Redwings on theeast coast with flocks reported flyingwestwards on the 14th and 15th. AHobby was still present on the 19thand20th when a distant and mobile GreyPhalarope was seen from the RawlHide in the late afternoon; it was stillthere the next morning . A Rock Pipitwas in Fishing Lodge Bay on the 22nd,with two on the 27th and both Black-necked Grebe and Common Sandpiperwere seen from the West Bank whilst aNuthatch, for some reason a very rarebird at the reservoir, was found on thereserve. On the last day of the month aClouded Yellow was flying on NorthDam Meadows.

MayButterflies were a feature of LangdonHills on the 4th with two Brimstone,eight Orange Tip, nine Speckled Wood,Holly Blue, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell,Small White and Green Veined White allnoted; odonata included two Hairydragonflies and at least three Large RedDamselflies. Seven male Whitethroatsand a Treecreeper were recorded.A Nightingale was heard singing in

Willow Park on the 6th, 8th and 9th witha Bullfinch also here on the latter date.Next day the One Tree Hill area heldBuzzard, Hobby and five GreenWoodpeckers while 60+ Starlings andat least nine Swallows frequented themeadows and paddocks of the adjacentstables. Other birds here included threeLinnets, six+ Goldfinches and threeGreenfinches; four Common Ternspassed overhead. Two Hairy dragonfliesand a Broad-bodied Chaser were also ofinterest, with Small Copper and LargeWhite butterflies; other butterfliesreported from this area in the early partof the month included Grizzled Skipperand green hairstreak.On the 15th the Westley Heights C.

Park/ Langdon Reserve held aSparrowhawk, seven GreenWoodpeckers and five Great-spottedWoodpeckers, Treecreeper and at least12 Swallows. Fifteen Speckled Woodswere counted with Large Red andfemale Azure damselflies noted. Nextday an early morning visit to the Dunton

Plotlands/Lake brought two Hobby,Grey Heron, Lesser Black-backed Gull,two Common Terns, Stock Dove,Swifts, a male Cuckoo, six Swallows, aLesser Whitethroat, six CommonWhitethroats, Greenfinch, Goldfinch,two Bullfinch and a singingYellowhammer.

An Emerald damselfly was reportedfrom Langdon Hills on the 23rd alongwith a good selection of butterflies:Holly Blue, Common Blue, Wall Brown,Orange Tip, Brimstone, Speckled Wood,Small Heath, Peacock and Comma. AHolly Blue was seen at Laindon West onthe 25th where there was an unusualrecord of a Nuthatch, in trees alongDurham Road early in the morning; aHobby flew over in the early afternoon.Hobby were noted from Langdon

Hills on the 28th and again on the 31st,with, on the latter date, Kestrel, twoMistle Thrush, a Lesser Whitethroat,17+ Long-tailed Tits (including manyyoung), a Bullfinch and a Red Admiral.At Thameside Nature Park on the 1st

there were three Cuckoos, a Kingfisherand four Bearded Tits (pair + twoyoung). Next day a Buzzard was noted,along with a Wheatear and aNightingale. The last named wasrecorded on several occasions duringthe early part of the month. Wall BrownButterfly and Glow-worm were alsonoted on this date.Two Buzzards featured on the 3rd

with Wheatears on the 4th and 5th;three Whimbrels were seen on thelatter date. Hobby and Kingfisher wereseen on the 14th with three Kingfishersand a Barn Owl next day. On the 18ththere were five Cuckoos, Kingfisher,Little Owl and Marsh Harrier.Barn and Little Owls featured again

on the 21st and 22nd as did Kingfisheron the 21st and Marsh Harrier on the22nd. Next day there were eight RingedPlovers and 30 Common Terns while aSpoonbill was reported on the 26th.Marsh Harrier and Stonechat wereseen on the 28th.

JuneThe 3rd saw two Hobby at LangdonHills along with 9 Swifts aSparrowhawk was noted at LaindonWest. Hobby were also seen on the 5thand the 7th; the latter date also sawthree Green Woodpeckers, at least fourGreat-spotted Woodpeckers, aNuthatch and ten+ Swallows.A Buzzard was seen next day as were

five Green Woodpeckers, threeNuthatch, a female Yellow Wagtail, twoYellowhammers and eight+ Swallows.Dragonflies noted were two Four-spotted Chasers, five Broad-bodiedChasers, an Emperor, Large Red andCommon Blue damselflies. Butterfliesseen were: Small Tortoiseshell, RedAdmiral, Peacock, Brimstone (female),

Large Skipper, five Holly Blue, MeadowBrown and 19 Speckled Wood.There were 18 Long-tail Tits and two

Mistle Thrushes at Laindon West on the10th while butterflies recorded atLangdon Hills on the 13th included WallBrown, Small Copper, Brown Argus,Brimstone, Painted Lady and someremarkable records of Chalkhill Blueand Small Blue. Next day there were sixGreat-spotted Woodpeckers, at leastthree Nuthatches, four+ Coal Tits, atleast two Goldcrests, 15+ Swallows andtwo each of Greenfinch and Goldfinch.A Ring-necked Parakeet flew over mygarden in Laindon West on the 17th.A Kestrel was at Langdon Hills on the

19th while on the 21st there were aHobby, Buzzard and twoSparrowhawks when a BandedDemoiselle was notable and aBrimstone was also seen. A Buzzard was also seen on the 22nd

as were five Green and two Great-spotted Woodpeckers, five Nuthatch,two Treecreepers, two+ Goldcrests,two+ Coal Tits, two – three RedAdmirals, two Holly Blues, Ringlet,Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Largeand Small Whites. An immatureSouthern Hawker was also noted as wasa Common Darter. Seen at LaindonWest on this date were SmallTortoiseshell, Comma, Holly Blue andLarge Skipper as was a Common Darter.At least 12 Swifts were overhead andthe usual Greenfinches andGoldfinches graced my feeders.A Kestrel was seen at Langdon Hills

again on the 27th; in addition there wereat least five Nuthatch, two+Treecreeper, seven+ Greenfinch, threeRed Admirals, Small Tortoiseshell andSmall Skipper with Emperor andCommon Darter dragonflies. A group of50-100 Swifts gathered close to theDunton Lake area. Six plus HouseSparrows on my feeders includedseveral juveniles.Other records from the end of the

month included further sightings ofHobby, Buzzard and Sparrowhawkwhile butterflies reported includedWhite-letter Hairstreak, Essex Skipper,Brimstone, Red Admiral, White Admiraland a very interesting record of a LargeTortoiseshell, following a sighting in theBasildon area earlier in spring.Down at Thameside Nature Park three

Buzzards featured on the 1st while LittleOwlswere recorded on the 5th, 11th and16th. A Water Railwas notable on the11th and a Kingfisher on the 16th. Amale Marsh Harrier and six MarbledWhite butterflies were seen on the 25th.

JulyGarden Warbler and Bullfinch wereamong the birds noted early in themonth; butterflies included Brimstone,Red Admiral, Marbled White and White-

BY ANDREW COX

Langdon Hills& ThamesideNature Park

45

letter Hairstreak. On the 7th there was aSparrowhawk, one or two Hobby,three+ Green Woodpeckers, twoNuthatch, three+ Treecreeper; 50-100Swifts were counted in the air close tothe Dunton Lake. A single Silver-washedFritillary was joined by five-six RedAdmirals, Peacock, two-three Comma,Ringlet and Purple Hairstreak.Two days later the One Tree Hill area

held Sparrowhawk, two+ GreenWoodpeckers, two Nuthatch and 30+Swallows, the latter hawking over anadjacent wheat field. At least four WhiteAdmirals were in the woods, with tow-three Silver-washed Fritillaries, PurpleHairstreak, the first Gatekeepers andmany Ringlets and Speckled Woods.Dragonflies included Emperor, SouthernHawker, Brown Hawker, Four-spottedChaser and Common Darter.Thirty plus Swallows were again

hawking over the wheat field on the12th when three Bullfinch were noted.Two Bullfinch were present in theDunton area next day, with Hobby andKestrel also seen. At least six White-letter Hairstreaks nectared on brambleflowers; Emperor and the first MigrantHawker dragonflies were seen.Kestrels were also noted on the 14th

and 18th while a Tawny Owl called inCoombe Wood, Westley Heights on the19th. Also in this area and One Tree Hillwere ten+ Green Woodpeckers, four+Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Yellowhammerand Bullfinch. Ten Swallows comprisedtwo adults and eight juveniles. Notablebutterflies included a White Admiral, atleast six Silver-washed Fritillaries(including a pair in display flight), threeRed Admirals, two White-letterHairstreaks, Purple Hairstreak andMarbled White. Emperor, SouthernHawker, Migrant Hawker and BrownHawker were also of interest.Butterflies featured strongly on a

lovely sunny and warm early eveningvisit to Dunton on the 22nd: at least sixRed Admirals, eight+ Commas, 14+Gatekeepers and four White-letterHairstreaks were the species seen, witha female Southern Hawker. ThreeGreen Woodpeckers present comprisedan adult accompanied by two juveniles.Seven Green Woodpeckers were

seen or heard from the WestleyHeights/Langdon area on the 26th, withthree+ Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Coal Titand Goldcrest also of interest; fourEmperor and three Southern Hawkerwere noted. A Common Whitethroatwas in my garden at Laindon West onthe 30th.Records from Thameside included 40

House Martins on the 12th, YellowWagtail on the 14th and Peregrine onthe 16th. Two Yellow Wagtails werenoted on the 18th and a Little Owl nextday. FiveWhimbrels on the 22nd werein addition to 640 Avocets; a Kingfisher

was also seen while 37 Sand Martinsand 24 Swallows were counted.

AugustSparrowhawk and Kestrel were notedfrom Langdon Hills on the 3rd, witheight Green Woodpeckers, twoNuthatch and Treecreeper. Butterfliesincluded Red Admiral, Comma,Speckled Wood and Gatekeeper;Southern Hawker and Migrant Hawkerwere dragonflies seen.NineWhimbrels and four Turnstones

were at Thameside on the 9th when aHobby was seen over Laindon West.Next day sevenWhimbrels featured atThameside as did 50 Goldfinch.At least nine Greenfinch emptied my

feeders at Laindon West on the 14thwith four Jays and a flyoverOystercatcher next day. ThamesideNature Park on the 15th held a Great-white Egret, 50 Curlew, two LittleOwls, two Yellow-legged Gulls,Kingfisher, Stonechat,Whimbrel,Snipe, four Dunlin, two Buzzards and aHobby. AWheatear was seen here onthe 17th with another on the 20th whentwo Little Owls were also seen again.Up on Langdon Hills on the 16th were

two Sparrowhawks, two Treecreepersand a male southern hawker. A Hobbywas seen on the 21st and a Buzzard onthe 22nd while the 24th saw five GreenWoodpeckers, three Great-spottedWoodpeckers, four Nuthatch, threeTreecreeper, Coal Tit, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Song Thrush, ten MistleThrush and aWillow Warbler. Hobbyand Sparrowhawk appeared at LaindonWest.

Back down at Thameside there weretwo Spoonbills on the 23rd while aBuzzard and threeWhimbrels wereseen next day. On the 24th two Kestrelswere in addition to seven Black-tailedGodwits,Whimbrel, 20 Linnet and twoWhinchats.A Golden Plover flew over my garden

at Laindon West on the 27th with threeBuzzards and a Sparrowhawk on the30th; the usual Greenfinches andGoldfinches included juveniles of bothspecies.Staying in my back garden, there were

many Swallows and House Martins onthe last day of the month; fourMistleThrushes also passed over while birdsof prey seen were two Sparrowhawks,one or two Hobby and a Kestrel. AHobby was reported from Langdon Hillson this date.

SeptemberA Yellow Wagtail flew over LaindonWest on the 1st while at Thamesidethere were 29 Teal, threeWhimbrel, 72Curlew, seven Black-tailed Godwitsand 50 Goldfinches. Curlew alsonumbered 72 next day; also countedwere 11 Avocet and 630 Black-headedGulls.A Spotted Flycatcher was notable

from Langdon Hills on the 4th; 9 Long-tail Tits and a Hobby were also ofinterest. Spotted Flycatcher featuredagain on the 6th with at least threeNuthatch, two Bullfinch and 50+House Martins. Brimstone and Peacockbutterflies were noted and a Buzzardpassed over Laindon West.

Next day three

Greenfinch by

Richard Allen

Godwits featured on the 21st, Red Kiteand Kingfisher on the 22nd. AKingfisher was seen again on the 25thwith 300 Avocets and aWhimbrel alsonoted. The last day of the monthbrought 22 Brent Geese and 30Goldfinches.

MayThe report starts with a Cuckoo, SandMartin and aWheatear at CudmoreGrove Country Park on the 2nd, the nextday aWhimbrel at Stone Point and twoLittle Terns and two Reed Warblers atMaydays Farm. The first Swifts seenaround the island on the 4th, same day aGreen Hairstreak (Shop Lane),Wheatear, two Common Terns (StonePoint), and two Turtle Doves at GyantsMarsh. Between two and three TurtleDoves stayed in Willoughby Car Park allmonth as they were being fed in a localgarden. A Yellow Wagtail, two maleYellow Hammers and aMediterraneanGull (Meeting Lane) on the 6th, twoSanderling on the Point on the 8th, aHobby at the park on the 12th, the nextday a Little Owl along Bromans Lane.The 14th aWheatear andWillowWarbler (Park), and at West MerseaWilloughby Car Park a stray Green-winged Orchid flowered away from theone only garden on the island which has

Migrant Hawker and Common Darterdragonflies.At Thameside on the 1st the two Little

Owls were still showing well. Othersightings included 200 curlew, 400Avocet, 40 Black-tailed Godwit, 400Shelduck, 30Widgeon, 50 MeadowPipits and 20 Linnets. A Stonechat washere on the 10th, with two next day. Alsoon the 11th were a Peregrine,Kingfisher, Green Sandpiper and 26Swallows. Clouded Yellow and WallBrown butterflies were seen.Seven Bearded Tits and eightWater

Rails were reported on the 14th whiletwo days later the two Stonechatsshowed again; there were also furthersightings of Kingfisher and Little Owl.Red Admiral and Speckled Wood

were still on the wing from LangdonHills on the 17th when birds includedBuzzard, Peregrine and Tawny Owl.Passerines included 20+ Redwings,Goldfinch, ten+ Greenfinch, Bullfinch,Song Thrush, Long-tailed Tit,Goldcrest and Meadow Pipit. Bullfinchwas seen again on the 24th, with at least15 Long-tailed Tits also recorded. Thelast two days of the month saw TawnyOwl, Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk,Bullfinch and Firecrest all reported.Back at Thameside on the 17th, 1000

Avocets and 300 Black-tailed Godwitswere counted, while next day Avocetsnumbered 600. Other records on thisdate included 300 Dunlin, 50 Curlew, 14Grey Plover, three Bearded Tits, twoKingfisher, two Yellow-legged Gullsand a Peregrine. 50 Black-tailed

46

BY STEVE ENTWISTLE

Mersea Island

Nuthatch and two Bullfinch were againnoted from Langdon Hills while birds ofprey dominated an afternoon in thegarden at Laindon West: twoSparrowhawk, two Kestrel, two Hobbyand at least five Buzzards. Five was thehighest number seen together: as manyas 17 may have been seen in the courseof the afternoon. Hirundines wereoverhead all afternoon- at least 20Swallows and 50 House Martins;possibly many more. Four MistleThrushes were also seen.On the 10th Thameside held 200

Avocet, aWood Sandpiper, twoBuzzards, 30 each of Linnet andGoldfinch,Wheatear and a Kingfisher.Next day there were Peregrine, Hobby,three Greenshank, 50 Ringed Ploverand three Yellow-legged Gulls. Twodays later Kingfisher and Tawny Owlwere reported from the newlyaccessible lake area, with Tawny Owland Hobby here on the13th; elsewherein the Nature Park on this date werePeregrine, Little Owl (two seenregularly close to the entrance gate allmonth), sixWhimbrel and twoWhinchat.A Tawny Owl was heard from

Langdon Hills on the 19th where, nextday, there were Nuthatch, threeTreecreepers and at least twoGoldcrests. A Peregrine was reported.Two Buzzards and a Sparrowhawkwere seen at Laindon West on the 21stwhen a Kingfisher and two Stonechats(pair) were at Thameside. At thislocation on the 24th were two Kestrelsand aWheatear, with aWhinchat onthe 26th. A Hobby was seen at LaindonWest on the 27th.Up on Langdon Hills on the 28th were

three Nuthatch, two Treecreeper,four+ Goldcrest, Coal Tit, three Greenand three Great-spotted Woodpeckers.At Thameside on this date werePeregrine, 300+ Shelduck, 30 Avocetand 50 Goldfinch.

OctoberBuzzard and Tawny Owl were reportedfrom Langdon Hills on the 1st, with fiveBullfinches reported on the 3rd. ABuzzard featured again next day, as didKestrel, Snipe (in flight over CoombeWood), three Green Woodpecker, atleast two each of Nuthatch andTreecreeper, four+ Coal Tits, six+Goldcrests and around 100 HouseMartins.Birds of prey were notable on the 5th,

with Peregrine, Buzzard,Sparrowhawk and Kestrel all seen; asmall flock of Goldfinches were alljuveniles.A Tawny Owl was heard calling from

the Dunton Plotlands at dusk on the 8th,with two Bullfinches on the 11th.Notable insects included Red Admiraland Speckled Wood butterflies with

Sedge Warbler by John Sykes

47

lots. Our only Nightingalewas singingalong Shop Lane, gone from the park thisyear. Three Cuckoos and five plus MarshHarriers seen from Shop Lane on the21st, next day 60 Black-tailed Godwits, apair of Shoveler and six Avocet at thepark. Two pairs of Avocet breeding onthe saltings near the golf house.

June112 Black-tailed Godwits were on thepark fields on the 1st, the 2nd a femaleShoveler with seven young on the dyke,the first breeding record for the CountryPark, two Sand Martins flying aroundthere but none bred of the cliffs thisyear. A Red-legged Partridge at MeetingLane, a very hard species to find on theisland (as of December I have not seenone this year). Back to the Park Dykeand a female Gadwall with six young,another first breeding record for thepark on 4th. On the 6th a Sedge Warblersang briefly along the Strood channel,another bird nor breeding on the islandthis year. Three Sandwich Terns in themouth of the Colne on the 10th, 15Avocet on the Point the next day.Kestrel now feeding their young in thenest box at the park behind the pond.Three Cuckoo – two at Maydays andone calling over on Langenhoe on the14th, Turtle Doves still around allmonth in Willoughby Car Park. A pair ofAvocet near the Point with three youngon the 18th, two Corn Bunting alongChapman Lane, Tawny Owl (Fen Farmroadside wires), a Little Owl at theVillage Shop and one at Broman Farm.Our Strood adult Yellow-legged Gullwas back on the 28th till the month end,end of month five Kestrel chicksfledged from Park Box and two Avocetchicks on park flooded fields.

JulyOn the 1st two pairs of Yellow Wagtailsand a Greenshank at Maydays Farm(Pyefleet). On the 2nd a Black Redstartat East Mersea Vineyard, a Kingfisherstarted showing at the Park Pond,Whimbrel and Red-legged Partridge atthe park on the 9th, on the 12th at thepond a Tufted Duck and a young broodof four, on the Point an Avocet with twochicks (the two other broods of chicksdisappeared) at the park four pairs bred,only one brood fledged. On the 24th aTawny Owl along Cosways Lane, aSnipe and ten Black-tailed Godwits atthe park. The next day a Hobby atOyster Fisheries. On the 26th aNightingale called/croaked at the parkentrance (first there this year). The 29that Reeves Hall a Green Sandpiper,Greenshank, two Gadwall, 50 Greylagand six Canada Geese, CommonSandpiper, twoWhimbrel, 200 Avocet,100 Black-tailed Godwits and two LittleTerns, nearby off West Mersea 50+Common Terns recorded. Month ended

with a Common Sandpiper at the park.

AugustOn the 1st along the Strood a CommonSandpiper, three Mediterranean Gulls,six Greenshank, Whimbrel, two LittleTerns and a Yellow Wagtail, on 4th atthe Park two Sedge Warblers, a ReedandWillow Warbler seen, 45Sanderling there the next day. TheNightingale called at the entrance againonce on the 7th, a Fulmar, 100+Swallow and 20 Swift flew past the Parkon the 10th, also on the 10th a Spoonbilland Little Stint over on LangenhoeMOD private land. On another privatepool at West Mersea 19 GreenSandpipers seen on the 11th, CommonSandpiper on 16th and 17th. On the14th a Kingfisher, 20+ Whitethroats,six+ Lesser Whitethroat and a femalePeregrine seen around East Mersea. OffMaydays on the 16th two summerCurlew Sandpipers and a CloudedYellow seen. One Swift was still flyingaround our house on the 17th, on the18th five mainly summer malesWhinchats flitting along the borrowdykeat Maydays Farm. One or two Redstartseen daily at the park from the 20th tillmonth end, the first Spotted Flycatcherat Ivy Dock on the same day, also a TreePipit at the Oyster Fisheries. SpottedFlycatchers started showing the nextday at the Park Pond with a peak of sixon the 27th. On the 31st 20 YellowWagtails, Wheatear and Painted Ladywere seen at the park. I had aHummingbird Hawk Moth and SouthernHawker in our garden that day.

SeptemberOn the 1st three Curlew Sandpipers,three Greenshank, two CommonSandpipers, two Common Buzzard,Whinchat, Wheatear, four Ruff, fiveGreen Sandpipers, 20 House Martinsalong the Pyefleet, the odd SpottedFlycatcher was still showing at the parkand also a Kingfisher now most days at

the park pond. An Osprey flew north-West over the Park on the 7th, the WeBScount on the 8th recorded eight+Buzzards, two Hobbies, four Wheatearand six Whinchat seen from West toEast Mersea along the Pyefleet. At thepark pond 80 Little Egret at roost and aLittle Stint on the flooded field on the9th, 95 Little Egret on the 10th, a Parkrecord. A Great White Egret offCobmarsh Island, a first for Mersea, onthe 10th and 11th also a Spoonbill seenthere on the 11th. On the 16th a GreyWagtail, the next day at the park largemovements of Meadow Pipits,including a Tree Pipit and lots of Blackbilled continental Blackbirds. On 23rdfour Brent Geese returned and 18 thenext day. 400 Black-tailed Godwits atthe Hard, West Mersea on 28th, twoStonechat, two Rock Pipits, Peregrineand Green Sandpiper along Pyefleet atMaydays on the 29th. The month endedwith two Cetti’s Warbler singing andshowing well at the park pond on the30th.

OctoberOn the 1st a Red Kite flew West overChapmans Lane and Grey Wagtail atWest Mersea, a Stonechat at golf house,the two Cetti’s Warblers stayed allmonth at the pond, hope this is a newsite for them (the only one on theisland). A Stonechat at the park on the3rd, a Kingfisher at the Hard on the 4th,at the pond on the 5th two+ BeardedTit dropped in for five minutes, alsothere the Kingfisher and a Water Railcalled. In the afternoon 15 CommonBuzzard flew over. A pair of Stonechat,300 Brent Geese, 600 Widgeon were atthe park nearby and four Pintail flew outof the Colne on the 7th. A Little Gull andMediterranean Gull at Cooper Beach,Wheatear, Common Tern, Rock Pipit

and House Martin at the Point on the8th. On the 10th a leucistic Starling withsandy body and white wings was seenon the flooded fields at the park, in with

Goosander by

Sam Shippey

48

1500 Starlings. An Osprey over onGeedon Marsh on the 11th until near theend of the month, and seen now andagain. A Merlin at Maydays on the 11th,two Eider and a Shag at the VictoriaEsplanade on the 12th. Early on the 15that the park entrance six Ring Ouzel, 20Redwing, 25 continental Blackbirds,five Song Thrush and a Bramblingwereseen. The 16th a Rough-legged Buzzardover on Langenhoe stayed around untilthe 22nd, a Short-eared Owl headednorth-west over the Point on the 18th,another Ring Ouzel at the park pond onthe 20th, same day a dark phase ArcticSkua flew along the Pye Fleet. A RedSquirrel near the car park and hide at thepark on the 21st, the Great White Egretflew along the Pyefleet on the 22nd, alsoanother Ring Ouzel seen. The monthended with 12 new Red Squirrels on the28th, brought to Mersea into two releasepens – one at East Mersea and one atWest Mersea. Now in December thereare eight more in the East and four moreat West Mersea (so keep your eyesopen) let’s hope, with no greys, therelease programme works.

MayI shall once again start with Red Kiteswith 15 sightings during the month withthe majority coming from the Lee Valleyarea. The Valley also hosted a singleBlack and 24 Arctic Terns on the KGVon the 1st and 15 Arctics at HolyfieldLake on the 2nd (where Ravensmaderegular appearances once again).Walthamstow Reservoirs had a LittleGull on the 5th which was joined bytwo Sandwich Terns on the 8th whileanother Black Tern was seen atGallions Reach on the 4th. WansteadFlats hosted two Whinchat (4th),Redstart (9th) and Tree Pipit (10th) butit was Nick Croft’s singing Blyth’s ReedWarbler that stoll the regional show onthe 29th.

JuneRed Kites were noted on nearly 20occasions with two over GunpowderPark (6th) being the only multiple. AHoney Buzzard over Leyton (8th) wasthe only other notable raptor. Ravenswere seen up near Greensted alongwith the probably rarer Grey Partridgewhile five Cranes noisily overBrentwood (6th) must have been asight. A Great White Egret was seenover Belhus Woods CP (2nd) and LittleEgrets were spreading out to feed from

their Chafford colony. Two drake Red-crested Pochard were seen atWalthamstow Reservoirs from the 1stand the summering female Smewpopped up on Warren Pond on the 5th-6th. The Reservoirs also hosted aCurlew on the 27th and the first GreenSandpiper was back in the Ingrebournefrom the 18th. A Hoopoe was seenbriefly in Wanstead Park on the 22ndand 12 Crossbills were the first of theseason in Weald Park (14th). A maleBlack Redstart in the Royal Docks onthe 30th hopefully indicates that theymay still be hanging on in that everchanging area.

JulyA typically quiet July with a few wadersmoving through the Lee Valley includinggood numbers of Common Sandpipersand two Sanderling on the KGV on the27th (along with the over-summeringfemale Smew). An Oystercatcher overLeyton (11th) was notable as was ajuvenile Avocet that took up residenceat Cornmill Meadows from the 27th.Dagenham Chase LNR had a good runwith a Wood Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit from the 27th. The onlyodd passerine was a Pied Flycatcher onWanstead Flats on the 31st.

AugustA wader and passerine filled month withsomething very strange going on withBlack-tailed Godwits betweenDagenham Chase and the IngrebourneValley where a flock took up residencefrom 16th with about 25 birds andpeaked at 61 on the 24th. This species isa very scarce visitor to both sites so thiswas unprecedented. An Avocet evenjoined the IV birds from the 19th. DCcontinued to host two WoodSandpipers till the 3rd while anotherwas seen at Gallions Reach (8th). Thelatter site had a good month withrecords of Arctic, Sandwich and BlackTern along with four Little Gulls on the29th, Kittiwake (10th) and Goshawk(20th). Another Goshawk was seen overRomford on the 21st along with a HoneyBuzzard. More sky watching producedanother Honey Buzzard there the nextday and three together on the 31st whilea Marsh Harrier over South Weald(23rd) was the sole record. A finalHoney Buzzard was seen overWanstead Flats on the 27th. Black-necked Grebes were seen on the KGV(24th) and Walthamstow Reservoirs(31st) and the Smew persisted at theformer location while a Garganeylingered in the Ingrebourne from the 5thand at Cornmill Meadows on the 3rd.From mid-month there was a notablethroughput of passerines with dailywatching of Wanstead Flats producingno less than 11 Tree Pipit days, 12Redstart days (including seven on the

31st), numerous Whinchat, Wheatear,Spotted Flycatcher and commonerwarbler records, Pied Flycatchers onthe 2nd and 24th, Wood Warbler 17thand even two Turtle Doves (24th and29th). Redstarts were picked up at afurther seven sites with the 31st provinga key day with a high of four atDagenham Chase along with 12 SpottedFlycatchers and a single PiedFlycatcher. Another Pied Flycatcherwas seen at Walthamstow Marsh thesame day and a Wood Warbler spentthree days from the 18th at BelhusWoods CP which scored with aWryneck from the 30th. Further TreePipits were seen at Bedfords Park(23rd) and Firecrests were reportedfrom Leyton (20th) and WalthamstowMarsh (21st).

SeptemberThe Black-tailed Godwit flockcontinued to move between DagenhamChase and the Ingrebourne Valley andwere tracked back to Barking Baywhen they wanted some shorelinefeeding. Both sites also held Ruff and itlooks like these godwits may help tocarry other waders to these two sites.Another Ruff was at Fairlop Waters CPon the 14th while down on the Thamesthere was a Razorbill off Tilbury Docks(9th) and Guillemot off Beckton (15th)and Barking Bay (29th). SeveralSandwich Terns were also patrollingthis part of the river. Inland there wasgood drift passage with Whinchats andSpotted Flycatchers at numerous sitesalong with seven Pied Flycatchers, 15Redstarts, 11 Tree Pipit, a flock of 37Yellow Wagtails at Dagenham Chase(12th), Woodlark at Wanstead Flats(27th), two Redwing at Warren Gorge(16th), Firecrests at Wanstead andLeyton and Short-eared Owls arrivedat Wanstead on the 22nd and 30th withanother through Walthamstow Res onthe 29th when a Rock Pipit was alsoseen. Eyes up produced some goodBuzzard passage with 13 overWaterworks NR (2nd) and 24 (and aHoney Buzzard) over Wanstead parkin one flock on the 6th. Another HoneyBuzzard was over Fishers GreenGoosefield (6th) with 15 Buzzardquickly through Chingford Plain thesame morning. With Merlin atBedfords Park (15th) and Goshawkover Belhus Woods CP the same dayand a Kite over Dagenham Chase onthe 13th, it was a good raptor month.The Smew and Black-necked Greberemained on the KGV and twoGoosander were seen there on the 7th.Jack Snipe, Greenshank and Lapwingwere all added to the Wanstead Flatsyear list and a staggering 1130 Ring-necked Parakeets left their Leytonroost on the 21st.

BY HOWARD VAUGHAN

MetropolitanEssex

49

OctoberThe weather that brought the Skuas toRainham took them further up river andthe 12th-14th saw similar numbers ofGreat Skuas, Little Gulls and BrentGeese at places like Barking Bay andGallions Reach (with an additional 95Brent at the latter on the 29th). TheReach also had an Arctic Skua (14th)and a Kittiwake (15th). Seven siteshosted Ring Ouzels during the monthwith Wanstead Flats having animpressive seven ouzel days with a peakof six on the 14th while DagenhamChase held up to five from the 20th.There was a fair scattering of latehirundines,Wheatears andWhinchatsand a Yellow Wagtailwas overWalthamstow Filter Beds on the 3rd.Equally late Hobbieswere seen overGunpowder Park (11th) and theIngrebourne Valley (16th) and migrantShort-eared Owlswere seen overWaterworks NR, Gallions Reach, theIngrebourne (15th), Gunpowder Park(27th) and Wanstead Flats (15th and20th). A Long-eared Owlwas seen atBelhus Woods CP (10th) and the firsttwo local Fieldfareswere there on the13th. AMerlinwas seen at Gallions onthe 29th and a Goshawk over Chingford(20th) was the only other raptor of note.Jack Snipewere seen at WalthamstowReservoir (4th), Waterworks NR (27th)and Gallions Reach (29th) and a handfulof Black-tailed Godwitswere stillfrequenting Dagenham Chase.‘Valentino’ theMed Gull returned toValentines Park in Ilford for his 15thwinter on the 10th and others were seenon Wanstead Flats. The Flats also had a

very showy Lapland Bunting on the16th-17th and a few Bramblingwereseen amongst other migrating finches.Redwings really started to move on the13th with 1500 through the Flats and2000 the following day when 4000headed west over Collier Row and 2300went through Gunpowder Park. BlackRedstarts seemed to be taking up winterterritories in Bow and on the KGVReservoir and aWoodlark was seen atThorndon CP South on the 5th. The firstBittern of the season was in theIngrebourne on the 30th and the massiveRing-necked Parakeet roost in Leytonreached a staggering 1840 on the 26th.

MayNightingales were reported inreasonable numbers with at least 17singing males at Fingringhoe Wick, six ata site in Thorrington and one – two atseveral other locations. Small numbers ofTurtle Doveswere recorded includingup to 11 in a private garden. A fine GreatWhite Egret in breeding plumage wasenjoyed by several observers at HollandHaven on the 4th, a Red Kite and twoMediterranean Gulls flew over WigboroWick Farm, St Osyth, on the 6th and ninepairs of the latter species were present inone of the area’s gulleries. Also on the

6th, a Hoopoe frequented a garden atMoverons Farm, Brightlingsea, and thefollowing day saw a moderate hirundinepassage at Frinton, aWhinchat onHowlands Marsh, St Osyth, a pair of GreyPartridges at Sunnymead Farm,Wivenhoe, whilst a GrasshopperWarblerwas reeling away at FingringhoeGP.On the 9th, a Spoonbill flew over

Frinton, a Little Gull was seen atWivenhoe and of two young TawnyOwls picked up in Earls Colne, one diedbut the second survived in a WildlifeHospital later to be released. A femaleRedstart was present at The Naze onthe 10th and both Spoonbill and BlackKite were identified at Colne Point onthe 12th. Sightings at Frinton on the 12thincluded an Osprey (also seen atHolland Haven), two Hobbies, a Red-throated Diver, 131 Common Scoters,two Guillemots and four Razorbills.The 13th produced six Crossbills atWivenhoe, a Quail at Colne Point(heard again next day); also SpottedFlycatchers there and (two) at HollandHaven with another at Great HollandPits and one at The Naze on the 14th.SeveralWhinchats andWheatearspassed through mid-month and 60 Bar-tailed Godwits were present along theRiver Colne at Alresford on the15th, alsoa Temminck’s Stint, briefly, at HollandHaven on the 16th and a Little Stint atStone Point, Walton, on the 17th.Avocet chicks hatched at several

sites in late May and a pair of Red-breasted Geese held territory again inHamford Water and a Spoonbilldropped in at Colne Point on the 29th.

Smew by Richard Allen

BY SIMON COX

North-eastEssex

50

JuneFurther selected breeding reportsinclude 17 Little Egret nests in St Osyth,the most so far; at least two pairs ofGadwall in Hamford Water; at leastthree pairs of Little Ringed Plovers inthe area of which one was known tohave raised a raised a chick; two pairsof Hobbies were located, and a total ofc.40 pairs of Little Terns laid clutchescombining three sites though only a fewof these are known to have beensuccessful. Over 20 pairs of CommonTerns did well again at a gravel-pit in StOsyth though the island at Blue GatesFarm, Alresford, was no longer suitabledespite some work carried out duringthe previous winter. It is pleasing toreport that Barn Owls had a particularlygood breeding-season with brood sizeswell above the recent average. Surelythe surprise of the summer was thediscovery of a singingMarsh Warbler inthe area on 9th June. Subsequentobservations indicated that at least threeadults were present and there weresigns of nesting activity, hence progressreports were not widely publicized.On the 5th, over 1,000 Swifts were

recorded both at Colne Point andFrinton and a Mandarin was atWivenhoe and a Little Stint at HollandHaven on the 8th. Two Kingfishers anda Grey Wagtail at Ardleigh on the 9thwere encouraging as were a pair ofGrey Partridges near Frinton Golf-course on the 11th. A Coal Tit atHolland Haven on the 14th was unusualfor this site which also produced 1-2Common and Green Sandpipers, single

Little Ringed Plover and Ruff, and upto 50 Black-tailed Godwits in thesecond half of the month. Other reportsof note were two Siskins at Wivenhoeon the 19th, a Golden Oriole on the 21stand a Glossy Ibis on the following day,both seen flying out of the St OsythPriory Estate.

JulyA Grasshopper Warbler was reelingaway at Holland Haven on the 2nd in anarea where one had been present inlate April, though there had been noreports in the interim, and a Garganeywas found there on the 20th and 21st.Return wader passage was in evidencewith maximum counts of six LittleRinged Plovers, six Common, threeGreen and twoWood Sandpipers atHolland Haven, also oddWhimbrel andRuff. There were also up to 77 Avocetson the scrape, though probably only fouryoung fledged this year, and up to 82Black-tailed Godwits. Fingringhoeclaimed the highest count ofGreenshanks with 19 on the 24th, a daythat also produced records of eightGreen Sandpipers at Howlands Marsh,St Osyth, and six Common and a GreenSandpiper at Ardleigh Reservoir.FourMediterranean Gulls flew past

Frinton on the 8th, as did four BrentGeese the following day which also sawthe start of an impressive Gannetmovement peaking at 324 on the 10thwhen 75 Common Scoters, twoGreatand two Arctic Skuas also passed there.The month ended with a Fulmar seenfrom The Naze on the 29th and probably

the same Red Kite seen at Colne Point onthe 30th and Holland Haven on the 31st.

AugustIt is pleasing to report that at least onepair ofMarsh Warblers bredsuccessfully (see June) and bothSparrowhawk and Tawny Owljuveniles were seen at Wivenhoe earlyin the month. An adult Long-tailed Skuapassed close inshore at Holland Havenon the 2nd when a Redstart was seenat Wigboro Wick Farm. The Hythelagoons and the Holland Haven scrapeboth attracted a good selection ofwaders. At the former, up to nine LittleRinged Plovers, 19 Green , sevenCommon and twoWood Sandpiperswere recorded plus 200 Black-tailedGodwits though these represented onlypart of the Colne Estuary flock at thattime which reached a record 1,200birds. Holland Haven hosted twoWoodSandpipers on the 2nd, three CurlewSandpipers on the 6th, an adult GreyPhalarope from the 18th-22nd, and 14Ruff on the 29th and there were up to94 Sanderlings and a CurlewSandpiper at The Naze, up to 40Greenshanks on the Fingringhoe Wickscrape and, on 13th, 95Whimbrel, 17Green Sandpipers and a CurlewSandpiper – also a Spoonbill – onFingringhoe Ranges. There were alsoseven Green Sandpipers, 34 Black-tailed Godwits and a Greenshankinland at Langham on the 8th.One Pomarine Skua. three Arctic

Skuas and 29 Gannets passed HollandHaven on the 10th but the big seabirdday was the 26th when an observer atFrinton logged 54 Arctic, two Great andsingle Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas,76 Sandwich, 20 Arctic and 20 BlackTerns, six Fulmars, two Little Gulls anda Red-throated Diver. The first of threedifferent Caspian Gulls was identified atHolland Haven on the 19th with aYellow-legged Gull and an Ospreythere next day. Also on the 19th, fourSpoonbills flew over Walton.Whinchats andWheatears moved

down the coast in modest numbersfrom mid-month onwards and a fewGarden Warblers, Tree Pipits,Redstarts, Spotted and PiedFlycatchers were seen at coastalvantage points. Warbler passagepeaked on the 28th with estimates of80 Common and 30 LesserWhitethroats, 25 Blackcaps and aWood Warbler all at The Naze and asecondWood Warbler was ringed onthe 30th at Holland Haven whereprobably differentWrynecks werediscovered on the 27th, when anotherwas at Frinton, and 31st. MistleThrushes deserve a mention withgroups of 15 at Sunnymead Farm,Wivenhoe, and 24 at Great Oakley.Swallow passage was in evidence on

Purple Sandpiper by Steve Grimwade

51

the 30th with over 1,350 countedpassing Frinton.

SeptemberOn the 2nd, a juvenile Arctic Tern waspresent along the River Colne and anOsprey crossed the river fromWivenhoe to the Geedons. Either this ora second individual was seen fromnearby Sunnymead Farm on severaldates to the 13th. A surprise visitor to afarm pond in St Osyth on the 2nd was aBlack-bellied Whistling-Duck,presumably not fresh from an Atlanticcrossing! There was a series of reportsof Tree Pipit, Redstart, Firecrest,Spotted and Pied Flycatcher fromcoastal sites but mainly in ones andtwos. Counts of 14 Wheatears and sixWhinchats at Holland Haven on the 3rdwere the highest in the month; alsothere were an early Fieldfare (6th),Yellow-legged Gull (8th), Arctic Skua(10th) and nine Mediterranean Gulls(11th). Three Hobbies over HighwoodsCP on the 7th raise the possibility ofnesting nearby and on the same day, aBlack Tern was seen at FingringhoeWick and a Wryneck was found at TheNaze with further sightings in the samearea through to the 21st. TwelveBuzzards viewable from Wigboro WickFarm on the 9th were a sign of the timesand single Honey Buzzards flew overThe Naze (11th) and Frinton (15th).A Curlew Sandpiper, two Little

Stints, up to eight Green Sandpipersand aWater Rail frequented The Hythemid-month, and at Frinton two Long-tailed Skuas (one also seen fromHolland Haven) passed on the 13thwhilst on the following day a Cory’s

Shearwater was identified, also fiveGreat Skuas and the start of a heavyMeadow Pipit passage involving severalthousand individuals. Although on amuch smaller scale, Grey Wagtailpassage was observed along the coastin above average numbers though thenumber of most finch species this yearwas, in contrast, modest. Swallows,however, were conspicuous with over3,000 moving down coast on the 23rd. AtThe Naze, there were notable counts of95 Robins (16th) and 31 Blackcaps(24th); also there both GrasshopperWarbler and Woodlark (21st) with thelatter species also recorded at Frintonthat day together with both Great WhiteEgret and Red Kite which flew overHolland Haven. There were a fewreports of small groups of TreeSparrows, one – two CurlewSandpipers on two occasions inAlresford Creek and seven Arctic Ternspassed Frinton on the 23rd. On the 27th,an even larger group of MistleThrushes – 40 at Alresford – wasimpressive and a juvenile Reed Warblerbearing a Norwegian ring was handledat Holland Haven. A popular bird at themonth’s end was a Barred Warbler atThe Naze; found on the 29th it showedon and off for the next two days.

October Always a good month in which toobserve diurnal migration, this year’sOctober totals from Frinton includedover 55,000 Brent Geese, 46Mediterranean Gulls, 20,500 WoodPigeons, over 900 Skylarks, 88 Jays, 34Rock Pipits, over 2,000 Chaffinches and6,500 Goldfinches. The passage of these

species was also commented upon atother sites. There were scattered reportsof Merlins and Short-eared Owls andseveral small parties of Bearded Tits onthe move.On the 2nd, three Spoonbills flew

over Holland Haven and 30 GreyPartridges were seen from the ColnePoint access road, probably reflecting arelease program at nearby WigboroWick Farm. Four Spotted Redshanksand ten Green Sandpipers were at TheHythe on the 4th and the first of a seriesof Yellow-browed Warbler sightingscame from The Naze on the 5th. Reportsfrom there continued to the 29th,maximum day count of three, and therewere probably two different individualsat Frinton and singles at Holland Havenand Wivenhoe. A count of 32Chiffchaffs at The Naze on the 12th wasnoteworthy.Seabird movements began with a

Long-tailed Skua at Holland Haven onthe 6th; a late Little Tern (also aSpoonbill) was at Colne Point on the11th when a Shag passed Frinton;Pomarine and Great Skua and ArcticTern were all seen from The Naze onthe 12th and at Frinton on the 13th therewas a full set of Skuas (14 Great, twoeach of Pomarine and Arctic, and oneLong-tailed), 118 Gannets, four VelvetScoters, two Long-tailed Ducks andfour Little Gulls. Later in the month, afew more Skuas and a Black-throatedDiver were seen at Frinton.There was a good fall of Thrushes

mid-month peaking on the 14th when atleast 28 Ring Ouzels were locatedbetween The Naze and St Osyth plus atWivenhoe and over 200 Song Thrushesand 600 Redwings arrived, combiningcounts at several sites. Blackbirds werealso in evidence but in smaller numbersand 31 Bramblings were seen atFrinton. Possibly the same Great GreyShrike was seen at The Naze andFrinton on the 16th and single Rough-legged Buzzardsmade all too briefappearances at Wigboro Wick Farm(18th), Holland Haven (20th) andWigboro Wick again – thought to be adifferent individual – (25th). An Ospreywas seen at Thorrington Mill on the 18th,a Great White Egret at Colne Point onthe 22nd was the first confirmed recordfor the St Osyth area and several BlackRedstarts were reported late in themonth.Up to seven Purple Sandpipers were

present on the Holland Haven to Frintonseawalls on occasion and an EmperorGoose was a regular sight on the Havenscrape. A Red-throated Pipit obliginglycalled when passing through WigboroWick farmland on the 26th, three Scaupand an impressive 112 Red-breastedMergansers flew south past Frinton andHolland Haven on the 28th and twoShore Larks were also identified at theYellow Browed Warbler by George Brown

52

former location. Late departuresincluded three Sand Martins atSunnymead Farm on the 21st and aWheatear at Wigboro Wick, wherethere were also up to 14 TreeSparrows, on the 31st. Other sightingson the final day of the month were aGrey Phalarope at The Naze and a fly-over Lapland Bunting at Holland Haven.

RSPB Rainham Marshes

MayAnother uninspiring May passes us bywith scant reward. Wader passage hadits moments but numbers were low andonly the 17 species on the 8th stood outwith 18 Whimbrel, Turnstone, five Bar-tailed Godwits, three Knot and aWoodSandpiper being the highlights. Thelatter were also seen on the 17th-18thand 24th while 11 Sanderling on the 11were a good find. Four more werecounted on the 25th. Two Great White

Egrets touched down on the 1st havingbeen seen earlier at Beddington and a2nd year Caspian Gull was unseasonalon the 24th. The usual raptorsentertained and a Honey Buzzard wasseen on the 4th and Ravensmade acouple of sorties from their nearby nestsite. Passerines of note where scarcewith the 3rd being notable for theWhinchat and 13 Wheatear seen. OddWheatearsmade it into early June andthe first Spotted Flycatchers were seenin the Cordite on the 14th with odd birdsthereafter with a male Nightingale inthere briefly on the 20th. A lone maleGarganey on the 14th was a year firstand late in the day Bittern wassomewhat of a surprise. The breedingseason has so far been amazing withyoung Redshank and Lapwingeverywhere and many other broodsappearing including Shoveler, Pochard,Cetti’s Warblers and Bearded Titbroods.

JuneA month dominated by breeding birdswith some good records, but more ofthat later in season when all the figuresare in . . . A few early returning passagewaders had arrived before the end ofthe month with a couple of Avocets,Green Sandpipers, Curlew andIcelandic Black-tailed Godwits. MarshHarriers were still about and Red Kiteswere seen on the 11th (two) and 21st.Two Egyptian Geese were the first ofthe year (23rd) and two SandwichTerns were seen on the 27th. Animmature Night Heron was seen briefly

very late on the

12th but never reappeared although wedid find a family of Grey Wagtails whilelooking!

JulyWader passage picked up with a goodselection of expected species droppingin through the month including the firstIcelandic Black-tailed Godwits, WoodSandpipers from the 8th, Turnstone, 8Ruff, Avocet andWhimbrel. CommonSandpipers peaked at 13 (21st). Theriver was quiet but a Little Tern was asurprise (18th) and Sandwich Ternswere seen on the 12th and 18th withCommon Scoters on 11th and 26th. Thefirst Garganey was seen on the 13th andthe species became more reliable fromthe 19th. Marsh Harriers were still dailyand Red Kites were seen on the 17thand 20th. The bird on the latter dateeven landed in the middle of Aveley fora short while! The first Whinchat andWheatear snuck in before the end ofthe month along with a few YellowWagtails and a surprising Short-toedLark that refused to be pinned down onthe 20th. One of the local wanderingRavens was seen the following day.

AugustA fair selection of waders utilized thegood looking scrapes and 20 specieswere recorded including several WoodSandpipers (including three on the13th), Curlew Sandpiper (29th), LittleStint (30th), Bar-tailed Godwit (27th)and a smattering of Greenshank, Ruff,plovers, Whimbrels and Black-tailedGodwits. A Spotted Crake was foundon the 4th and was present intoSeptember although a couple of lengthygaps in observations suggest that morethan one may have been involved . . .Garganey were seen from the 6th withup to five being seen while theSevenoaks Greylag flock started toreturn and a female Red-crestedPochard on the 30th and 31st wastechnically the rarest bird of the monthbeing new to the reserve . . . There wassome Tern passage in the last few days:26th: six Black, 200 Common and fiveArctic (as well as two Bonxie); 28th:adult Roseate, four Black, five Arcticand three Sandwich; 29th: five Black, 14Arctic, two Little, 140 Common andthree Sandwich; 31st: 500 CommonTern. Eyes to the skies produced someBuzzard and Marsh Harrier passage toaugment our local birds. Hay makingout on Wennington over the BankHoliday attracted at least 18 Buzzards toinvestigate the cut grass and by the 27ththere were also seven Marsh Harriersand numerous Kestrels out there too.Hobbies were out hawking thecountless hawkers and withSparrowhawk and Peregrine around itwas a magical sight. A ringtail HenHarrier on the 13th and an Osprey on

BY HOWARD VAUGHAN

RainhamMarshes

Tree Pipit by

DD (Unkown)

53

the 23rd made for an excellent raptormonth. A Long-eared Owl delightedvisitors in the Cordite Scrub for a fewhours on the 31st and a Raven gave theother corvids jun on the 27th.Wheatears and Whinchats were scarceand a few Spotted Flycatchers andYellow Wagtails were reported alongwith a single Redstart (19th) and threeTree Pipits (29th).

SeptemberWader passage was again quite slowalthough 23 species were seen duringthe month with six Curlew Sandpiperson the 1st probably being the highlight.Our wintering Spotted Redshankreturned for its third year and a LittleStint was a good find late in the month.A Great White Egret spent two daysfrom the 7th on the pools. River passagewas quiet with few terns and just acouple of Arctic Skuas, Guillemot(15th), a single Scoter and up to 50Yellow-legged Gulls and a CaspianGull to peak interest. The SpottedCrake was last seen on the 2nd andeight Pink-feet almost landed on the17th. Sky watching produced a fewBuzzards and Marsh Harriers alongwith a Goshawk (10th) and Kites on the23rd and 25th. Hobbies lingered allmonth and Peregrine activitypredictably increased. A Redstart wasfound on the 4th and two were thenpresent while out on the marsh,Whinchats were moving in goodnumbers while other drift speciesremained scarce with almost no YellowWagtails and Wheatears and just asingle Ouzel on the 26th. Meadow Pipitpassage was good with 147 on themorning of the 17th and the Ravenswere seen on and off. Rarity for themonth was the immature LesserSpotted Woodpecker (only the secondsite record) that was found on the 2ndwhich stayed, albeit elusively, intoOctober.

OctoberOctober was all about the Thames witha fantastic spell from the 9th when aPomarine Skua headed up river but itwas when the weather turned on the12th that things started to happen withsix Brent Geese and the last twoCommon Terns being logged. Thefollowing day was foul and a flock of 11Great Skuas spiralling up river wasexceptional with 68 Little Gulls headingout the other way to keep us looking.Four more Bonxies were seen the nextday along with more Little Gulls, ajuvenile Gannet (a jubilant David Smithat last), two Scoter, 29 Brent Geese andtwo very late Black Terns whichamazingly then hung around until the26th! The Bonxie fest continued daily tillthe 18th when the last two were seen.Swallows were seen moving in this bad

weather too and it was not surprisingthat Ring Ouzels dropped in with birdsseen on the 15th, 17th and 24th whilethe odd Wheatear and Whinchatpersisted till late in the month. Nothingtoo surprising amongst the waders withthe Little Stint staying to the 3rd andodd reports of Greenshank, SpottedRedshank and a couple or relativelyshowy Jack Snipe. Marsh Harriers andPeregrines were seen each day andringtail Hen Harriersmoved south onthe 14th, 25th and 31st while a femaleMerlin was seen on a couple of dates.The first (and so far only) Short-earedOwl was seen on the 18th and theRavens became a daily feature. Ducknumbers slowly increased and anEgyptian Goose on the 17th waspopular with locals as it is stillsurprisingly rare here. The LesserSpotted Woodpecker continued tofrustrate but not for the couple watchingit on the 25th when a Hawfinch landedin the same tree with some otherfinches! Only the second record for thisspecies here.

MayA count of eighty Corn Buntings on the1st at Lower Raypits was unusual for thetime of year. The fine male Ring Ouzelin Gunners Park was still present on the1st and the reeling GrasshopperWarbler on Two Tree Island was seenand heard for the last time on the 4th.Whimbrel were still passing throughwith twelve on Canvey Wick on the 4thand ten on Wallasea on the 5th. Just asolitary Green Hairstreak was presenton Canvey Wick this year being seen onthe 5th and 6th only, as were five BrownArgus. The wandering Ringed Tealvisited Bowers Marsh on the 5th and 6thbefore departing SOG airspace to visitBlue House Farm for the summer. AHedgehog visited a Benfleet gardenbetween the 6h and 13th and follows arecord of one in Canewdon last month.Worryingly there has been a very steepdecline in records of Hedgehog over thelast decade. An adult Spoonbill onBowers Marsh on the 7th was a nice findbut was not seen subsequently. Whatwas presumably just the one wide-ranging Red Kite toured the areabetween the 7th and 11th when it wasseen in Rayleigh, Benfleet, Leigh,Eastwood, and then Hullbridge. TheNightingale at Wakering Stairscontinued to sing all month and wasjoined by a second bird from the 8ththrough to the 17th, with four reportedfrom there on the 9th. A Stonechat atWakering Stairs on the 8th was the only

record all month. Little Terns arescarce in spring these days so it waspleasing to see a pair fishing along theCrouch at Lower Raypits on the 9th and10th. The last Common Sandpipers ofthe spring were at Bowers Marsh andWest Canvey Marsh on the 13th, andGreen Sandpiper put in its finalappearance on the 15th at Vange Marsh.Between those two dates there was asmall but noticeable pulse of late springmigrants which included Whinchats atGunners Park and West Canvey Marsh, aSpotted Flycatcher at Wakering Stairs,five Wheatears (across Bowers,Gunners park, and Wallasea), a GardenWarbler in Gunners Park, and fourTurtle Doves along with five Cuckoos atWakering Stairs. Bearded Tits wereshowing exceptionally well mid-monthwith seven at Vange Marsh and twelve atWat Tyler C.P.; Water Voles also put in anappearance mid-month at BowersMarsh and Two Tree Island. A drakeGarganey was a good find on the 17thon the recently recreated wetlands ofLower Raypits, and a probable maleMontagu’s Harrier reportedly flewnorth over Two Tree Island on the samedate. Wakering Stairs on the 17thprovided the highest spring count ofSandwich Terns and Wall butterflieswith ten and four respectively. Smallernumbers of Wall were recorded at fiveother sites this month. A PrivetHawkmoth was the highlight of a mothtrapping session in a Prittlewell gardenon the night of the 17th. The highlight ofthe month was undoubtedly the femaleDotterel which spent most of the day onWallasea on the 19th where a Quailflying across the road was also claimed.An immature Spoonbill was mobilearound Bowers Marsh and Vange Marshfrom the 21st through to the 26th andwas probably one of the two whichspent a short while at Bowers Marsh onthe 20th. Two Gannets off WakeringStairs on the 22nd were the first recordssince March whilst conversely the flockof nine Dark-bellied Brent Geese flyingby Gunners Park on the 23rd were thelast of the winter. A drake Garganey atBowers Marsh from the 23rd to the 31stwas the forerunner of a series ofmultiple mid-summer records. ThreeGrey Partridges on Wallasea from the23rd to the 25th was an excellent localrecord; it’s probable that they originatedfrom Foulness as they have been lost asa local resident for some years now. APainted Lady on Wallasea on the 23rdwas the first of the year and wasfollowed soon after by one on BowersMarsh on the 26th. A Weasel ran acrossthe road at Stambridge on the 24th thesame day that its North Americancousin, the Mink, was apparently seento take an adult Moorhen at Wat TylerC.P. A Turtle Dove at Wat Tyler C.P. thesame day was the sole record this

BY PAUL BAKER

Southend Area

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month of this struggling species from itsformer stronghold, although thankfullyfifteen individuals were present at nineother sites. The first two HeathFritillaries of the year were on the wingat Daws Heath on the 25th. The secondRed Kite of the month was seenheading north over Hockley towards theCrouch on the 30th. The month closedwith a sighting of a Long-eared Owl at asite in the east on the evening of the31st.

JuneMirroring events of last June, a femaleRed-necked Phalarope was againfound on the south Essex marshes, thistime on Bowers Marsh on the 1st. Quitewhy a Red-necked Phalarope hasturned up in June for the last two yearsis open to speculation but it could evenbe the same returning individual? Again,just like last year it only stayed aroundfor a few hours only after receiving a lotof unwelcome attention from the localAvocets. The number of HeathFritillaries in Belfairs Woods peaked thisyear at just eight on the 5th. It issobering to think that 333 were countedhere in 2010. It is the same story atnearby Daws Heath where there was apeak of eleven on the 11th comparedwith 500 in 2009. It seems thetransitional habitat they require is nolonger being maintained for them. TheLong-eared Owl in the east showedwell most evenings from the 5th to the18th. Hadleigh Downs produced someinteresting records on the 8th with anOsprey heading south, a very earlyMarbled White and two Painted Ladies.Another Painted Lady was seen thesame day at Landwick. From the 10thonwards reports of Water Voles seemednumerous with 1-2 seen at seven sites.

The first White-letter Hairstreaks of thesummer were recorded on BenfleetDowns on the 11th as was a Silver-washed Fritillary, the third confirmedlocal record in the last four years. A RedKite over Bowers Marsh on the 11th wasnot unsurprisingly the first of only tworecords this month. A pair of Garganeywas seen on Pitsea Marsh on the 12thbefore furtively retreating back into thereedbed. After just two spring records ofsingle birds, Little Ringed Ploversurprised everyone at Bowers Marsh onthe 13th when a pair of adults wasproudly showing off their two juveniles.The first White Admiral this year waspredictably found in Belfairs Woods onthe 13th with the first two PurpleHairstreaks seen the following day onBenfleet Downs. Tawny Owls weremore obvious this month with threesingles noted from the 15th onwards atRayleigh Mount, Loftmans Corner, andCanewdon. A pair of Stonechats wasshowing along Benfleet Creek from the20th to the 25th. The first returningCommon Sandpiper was at LowerRaypits on the 21st. A peak count oftwelve White Admirals was made inBelfairs Woods on the 21st but thehighlight was seeing the Dormousewhich was live-trapped by the licensedfield researchers. A pristine PaintedLady was on Wallasea on the 21st whenWhite-letter Hairstreaks peaked at arespectable 27 on Benfleet Downs.Marbled Whites had increased to 40along Benfleet Creek on the 24th. The27th produced records of two juvenileCoal Tits in a Benfleet garden and twocalling juvenile Long-eared Owls at thesite in the east where an adult had beenpresent since 31st May. The followingday a family group of Stonechats atBowers marsh also included two

juveniles whilst a Green Sandpiperthere the same day was the firstreturning bird of the autumn. Thesecond Red Kite of the month wasreported west over Leigh on the 29th.The pair of Garganey on Pitsea Marshcontinued to play hide and seek on the30th but this time five birds werecounted of which 3-4 were consideredjuveniles.

JulyA Treecreeper present in BelfairsWoods on the 2nd along with two WhiteAdmirals was notable. The Long-earedOwls in the east showed again eachevening from the 2nd to the 11th whereto great delight their number of juvenileshad increased to three. Two PurpleHairstreaks and a White Admiraldelighted in Hockley Woods on the 4th.A north-west wind coupled with rainsaw the ever optimistic seawatchersventure out for the first time this autumnat Canvey. Modest rewards came withan impressive July count of 259 Gannetswhich were escorted by three GreatSkuas and three Little Terns whilst aSiskin over Gunners Park was arguablyless expected. A single Dark-belliedBrent Goose was loafing around TwoTree Island on the 11th and 12th. ASpoonbill was seen to fly in to BowersMarsh from Wat Tyler C.P. on the 11th.Optimum water levels attracted goodnumbers of waders to Vange Marsh fromthe 11th to the 16th. Pick of the bunchwas a Wood Sandpiper whichremained to the 19th but otherhighlights included twelve Little RingedPlovers, twelve Spotted Redshanks, 15Green Sandpipers, and seven CommonSandpipers. A Garganey was alsofound there hiding among the Teal onthe 11th. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth in

Tree Sparrows by

Sam Shippey

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a Benfleet garden on the 15th was thefirst of the year and the only sighting thismonth. A small arrival of Painted Ladieswas noticeable from the 15th through tothe end of the month when nine singleswere seen at eight sites. The Spoonbillon Bowers Marsh reappeared on the16th before promptly disappearing oncemore, perhaps across the Thames toCliffe, and the family party of Garganeystill numbered five and were presentthrough to the 21st. It was pleasing tonote a family of Turtle Doves atLandwick on the 16th included twoadults and 3-4 juveniles. The woodlandat Daws Heath provided the last twoPurple Hairstreaks of the summer on the17th as well as a live-trapped Yellow-necked Mouse, the first ever definiteSOG record. A flock of six Ruff on thesaline lagoon at Bowers Marsh on the19th were further evidence that returnwader passage was gaining momentum.An all too brief Great White Egret spentfive minutes on Pitsea marsh on the 20thbefore relocating to the Wat Tyler C.P.scrape where it spent just thirty minutesbefore flying off west. The first ArcticSkua of the autumn was harassing ternsoff Wakering Stairs on the 22nd.Clouded Yellows were noted onWallasea on the 27th and Bowers Marshon the 29th where the first Wheatear ofthe autumn was also logged. Themudflats off Canvey Point attracted aLittle Stint on the 29th, the first of theyear. A Cuckoo and a Willow Warblerin Gunners Park on the 30th indicatedthat autumn would soon be upon us.

AugustFollowing on from last month’s first everrecord, another Yellow-necked Mousewas trapped in Daws Heath on the 2nd.A female Red-crested Pochard was agood find at Wat Tyler C.P. on the 2nd. Itremained on the scrape through to the8th and was the first local record sinceFebruary 2012. A juvenile Garganey onVange Marsh on the 3rd was surprisinglythe last sighting of the year. A Spoonbillwas reported flying over Canvey Waytowards Bowers Marsh on the 4th andwas probably the Cliffe bird on anotherday trip. A new high count of at leasteight Porpoise was made from CanveyPoint on the 8th indicating thecontinuing improvement in the waterquality of the lower Thames. A Long-eared Owl at dusk on Bowers Marsh onthe 9th was the first site record of thissecretive species. A Painted Lady inEastwood on the 11th was the first offive singles seen over the next twoweeks across the area. Following therecent collapse and extinction ofNuthatch in Hockley Woods, it wasinteresting to receive a report of one insub-optimal habitat near Rayleigh on the14th which is apparently the first recordhere in over forty years. There was a

tantalising record of a Glossy Ibis flyingover Canvey Way towards BowersMarsh on the 14th, but despite searchingit could not be relocated. Passerinemigration picked up momentum fromthe 15th when the first Redstart of theautumn was found at Barling withanother the following day in GunnersPark along with the first SpottedFlycatcher, a fall of fifteen WillowWarblers, and six Clouded Yellows. Thefirst Whinchat was also scored on the16th with a single at Bowers Marsh. Afemale Mandarin in Friars Park on the17th was unexpected for this time ofyear and was the first record sinceJanuary 2013. A Spotted Flycatcher wasnoted at Coombe Wood on the 19th, thesame day that a new bird arrived inGunners Park where it remained untilthe 21st. Bowers Marsh hosted eightGreen Sandpipers, four Whinchats andfive Stonechats on the 21st. On the 23rdon the adjacent Pitsea Tip there were 50Yellow-legged Gulls, four CaspianGulls, ten Whinchats, and sevenStonechats. Gunners Park hosted a peakcount of six Wheatears on the 23rd anda Spotted Flycatcher, with a further twoSpotted Flycatchers on Canvey Wickthe same day. Vange Marsh was quiet onthe 24th with just a smart White Wagtailand the ever present Snow Gooserecorded. Fulmar was logged off thePier and Gunners Park on the 25th,these being the first records this year. Inwhat was a poor autumn for seabirdpassage the Thames had a good day onthe 26th with 15 Common Scoter, 26Arctic Skuas, 17 Great Skuas, a LittleGull, six Arctic Terns, 17 Black Ternsand a Spoonbill which crossed to Cliffeall logged off Canvey, whilst a SootyShearwater passed by Gunners Park. ALittle Stint dropped in on Vange Marshlate on the 26th with four present therethe next day. There was a report of aSabine’s Gull and a Merlin off Canveyon the 27th. A Redstart was reported onWest Canvey on the 27th with two seenthere the following day. Numbers ofLittle Egrets on Two Tree Island brokeall records with a staggering 246counted on the 28th. Another SpottedFlycatcher dropped in at CoombeWood on the 29th. There was a veryimpressive count of seventy YellowWagtails on Lower Raypits on the 30thwhen Vange Marsh hosted nine SpottedRedshanks. The following day, VangeMarsh held good numbers of waderswith the four Little Stints still presentalong with nine Little Ringed Plovers,eight Ruff, seven Green Sandpipers,and five Common Sandpipers.Passerines also continued to passthrough on the 31st with a Redstart andtwo Spotted Flycatchers in GunnersPark and another Spotted Flycatcher atStar Lane Pits.

SeptemberA Coal Tit was noted again in CoombeWood on the 1st but the Wryneck inGunners Park on the 1st wasconsiderably more appreciated. TheWryneck remained through to the 7thand was typically elusive but eventuallyallowed everyone to connect. Alsopresent in Gunners Park on the 1st werethree Whinchats and the Redstartwhich had been found the previous day.An adult Little Stint was present onCanvey Point on the 1st but was soonreplaced by a juvenile the following dayalong with the first three CurlewSandpipers of the year. A Tree Sparrowwas a good find in Gunners Park on the2nd and continues this species’ slowrevival with records almost annual nowsince 2008. An Osprey was fishing in theRoach at Paglesham on the 5th but wassurprisingly the only autumn record thisyear with no lingering bird at WakeringStairs for the last two years. A Red-backed Shrike on Benfleet Downs onthe 5th eluded everyone except thefinder. Two Little Stints were on VangeMarsh on the 6th along with another onCanvey Point whilst a CurlewSandpiper was a surprise find aroundthe lake in Gunners Park. The nearbybushes in Gunners Park hosted arespectable four Spotted Flycatchersand two Pied Flycatchers on the 6th.The Spotted Flycatchers remained untilthe 9th whereas one Pied Flycatcherlingered until the 11th. Wheatearreached a peak of six again this monthin Gunners Park. Curlew Sandpipersbegan using the Two Tree Island lagoonas a high tide roost with a single on the7th increasing to five on the 11th andsingles infrequently through to the 26th.Both Glossy Ibis and Great White Egretwere reported as roosting at Wat TylerC.P. on the 8th. The Glossy Ibis wassubsequently present daily in the roostthroughout the month whereas theGreat White Egret was not seen againuntil later in the month. A twitchableTree Pipit was located in the long grassin Gunners Park on the 8th where itremained through to the 11th. A Weaselrelocating its five kits in Gunners Park onthe 8th must have been a magical sight.Greenshank numbers climbed to 58 onthe lagoon at Two Tree Island on the 8thand two Spotted Flycatchers were seenat Bowers Marsh. Five Black Terns offCanvey Point on the 12th were the lastof the year and doubled the numberseen this month. A sprinkling of waderswere present on the 13th when five Ruffand three Little Ringed Plovers werepresent on Bowers Marsh with a furtherfive Ruff on Vange Marsh along with sixGreen Sandpipers and a SpottedRedshank. The first flock of Dark-bellied Brent Geese arrived off TwoTree Island on the 13th, a couple of daysearlier than usual. During the 13th and

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14th a small movement of HoneyBuzzards passed through with birdsreported from Leigh, Vange Marsh,Wakering, and South Benfleet. In whatcontinued to be a dreadful autumn forseawatching, the 14th was the only daythis month that witnessed anymovement of note. Highlights off Canveywere a Fulmar, 11 Arctic Skuas, threeGreat Skuas, three Guillemots, and twoPorpoise. A Little Stint arrived onBowers Marsh on the 14th andremained until the 18th; it was joined bytwo others on the 17th. A Muntjac inDaws Heath wood on the 14th wasnotable. A Garden Warbler was a goodfind in Gunners Park on the 15th; itremained until the 19th and was theonly one of the autumn and just thesecond one of the year. The Glossy Ibiswhich was now appearing daily at theWat Tyler C.P. roost made a rare sojournto Vange Marsh on the 16th whereaslater that day at the roost, the morediligent observers counted animpressive 135 Little Egrets. A BarredWarbler was an excellent find inGunners Park on the 18th andpredictably proved extremely populargiven that it was the first in the area fortwenty three years. It performed well attimes and remained until the 21st. Alsopresent in Gunners Park on the 18th wasa Tree Pipit and five Wall butterflies,while a fine adult male Redstart was onTwo Tree Island. An acro hoppingaround in an apple tree in a suburbangarden in Eastwood on the 19th provedto be nothing more than a rather lateand wayward Reed Warbler. A WaterVole at Fleet Head on the 19th wasinteresting and the first here for at leastfifteen years. The Great White Egretbecame more reliable at Wat Tyler C.P.from the 20th onwards and was joinedby a second bird on the 25th and 26th.After a break of eleven days anotherSpotted Flycatcher arrived in GunnersPark on the 20th where it remained untilthe 21st with the final bird of the yearreported from Sutton on the 22nd.Gunners Park remained productive onthe 21st with the aforementionedSpotted Flycatcher, another Tree Pipit,a Redstart, a Wheatear, and the onlytwo Siskins of the month. GreenSandpipers enjoyed their last hurrah onthe 22nd with five at Wat Tyler C.P. andseven at Bowers Marsh where CloudedYellow, Wall butterfly, and the month’sonly Painted Lady were all also noted;three Wheatears still lingered there thefollowing day. There was ‘a bit of acircus’ on Wallasea on the 23rd whentwo ringtail harriers arrived. Initialobservations suggested at least one wasa Montagu’s Harrier however arrivingbirders were greeted by two HenHarriers. After cross referencing notesand timings it appears that a Montagu’sHarrier arrived with a Hen Harrier but

soon moved on after a second HenHarrier arrived on the scene. Adding tothe excitement was the first Short-earedOwl of the autumn which put in a lateappearance as the ‘circus goers’departed. The Short-eared Owlremained until the end of the monthand was joined by a Merlin from the26th onwards. Whinchats still lingeredwith a bird on Two Tree Island on the27th and two at Bowers Marsh, andKingfishers became much morewidespread this month with birds atBowers Marsh, Gunners Park,Hullbridge, Southchurch Park East, TwoTree Island, Wallasea, and Wat Tyler C.P.The 28th saw an explosion in BeardedTit numbers at Wat Tyler C.P. with 30-40present in one large noisy flock.

OctoberA Water Vole in Barling Magna WildlifeN.R. on the 2nd was a site first and anadult Muntjac accompanying a fawn wasseen in Belfairs. Two Willow EmeraldDamselflies were still on the wing at StarLane pits on the 2nd as were animpressive sixteen Clouded Yellows inGunners Park which included two‘helice’ types’. Bird passage wasrelatively quiet with two Siskins throughGunners Park on the 2nd the highlightalong with a pair of Egyptian Geesewhich dropped in to Wat Tyler C.P. thesame day and remained through to the6th. A late Hobbywas still to be foundover the grazing marsh behind Wat TylerC.P. on the 3rd and 4th. Both the GlossyIbis and the Great White Egret behavedthemselves by roosting at Wat Tyler C.P.on the 5th, 9th, and 10th. There was anunconfirmed report of three Little Stintson Bowers Marsh on the 5th where asmall immature grey goose was foundamong the Greylag Geese on the 6th. Itwas eventually identified as a Pink-footed Goose, a surprisingly scarcespecies locally; it remained on BowersMarsh until the 18th. A drake Mandarinon Southchurch Park East on the 6th wasunexpected and was gone the next day.A seawatch off Canvey on the 9th waswoefully quiet but did produce twoFulmar, a species which has becomehard to come by in recent years. A reportof four Whinchats lingering at WestCanvey Marsh on the 9th was unusualbut not implausible given the strongshowing the autumn. Seawatching offCanvey on the 12th and particularly the13th was productive with the onlyPomarine Skuas of the autumn passingthrough over the two days. The 12thproduced two Pomarine Skuas, fourGreat Skuas, and three Arctic Skuaswhereas the 13th was the best day by farof a dire seawatching autumn. Totals onthe 13th were 17 Gannets, six Scaup, aGrey Phalarope, 15 Pomarine Skuas, 44Great Skuas, 14 Little Gulls as well asthe last Common Tern and two Arctic

Terns of the year, and a Spoonbillwhich flew south over the Thames.Thrushes arrived on the 13th and 14thstarting with a handful of Redwings atRayleigh and Ashingdon followed thenext day by the only Fieldfare of themonth which was in Gunners Park, anda small fall of Ring Ouzelswith two onTwo Tree Island, two in Gunners Park,one at West Canvey Marsh, and one onBowers Marsh. Stonechats typicallybecame more numerous this month asevidenced by an impressive eleven onBowers Marsh on the 15th. A Short-eared Owlwas a good record for WestCanvey Marsh on the 16th when the firstBrambling of the year flew overGunners Park where an unseasonalrecord count of 21 Clouded Yellows wasalso made. The following day, the 17th,witnessed diurnal finch passage inGunners Park with a further twoBramblings, 400 Goldfinches, and 120Linnets identified among the 800 fincheswhich passed through in 100 minutes.The last Whinchat of the year was notedat West Canvey Marsh on the 17th. Areport of two Rough-legged Buzzardscame from Wallasea on the 18th. Localbirders quickly identified, andphotographed, a very showy juvenileRough-legged Buzzard along with apale Common Buzzardwith a whiterump and pale tail base. The Rough-legged Buzzardwas present until the20th but not subsequently, despitereports to the contrary – (EBR Editorplease note!). Keeping company withthe Rough-legged Buzzard on Wallaseawas the Merlinwhich now showeddaily, a ringtail Hen Harrier, and the lastWheatear of the year which was presenton the 20th. The Great White Egretroosted for the last time this month atWat Tyler C.P. on the 20th. A presumedpair of Coal Titswere surviving inCoombe Wood on the 20th and 21st. Asthe last vestiges of summer drew to aclose and winter began, the last twoHouse Martinswere reported overAshingdon on the 21st a full three weeksafter any other records, the first two Red-throated Divers flew upriver pastCanvey on the 23rd, and the last SandMartinswere over Boyce Hill on the24th. Short-eared Owls arrived from the24th to the 31st with singles on BowersMarsh and Two Tree Island and three onWallasea. The 26th saw four Siskins overWallasea and two over Wakering Stairswith this species being unusually scarcethis autumn. The Hen Harrier onWallasea was joined by a second ringtailon the 27th with both birds showingdaily through into November at least. Areport of three Swallows over Two TreeIsland on the 28th constituted the finalsighting of this species and three PaintedLady butterflies were still enjoying thesunshine at Wallasea on the 30th aswere three Red Admirals and two

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Clouded Yellows. The month drew to aclose with a fine male Black Redstartbriefly in Gunners Park on the 31st whichwas remarkably the first of the year.

MayA female Marsh Harrier at Wat Tyler onthe 2nd was in addition to fourOystercatchers, two Common Terns, amale Cuckoo and seven Bearded Tits.The last two species were recordedregularly throughout the month, withtwo Cuckoos on several dates and threeon the 24th; the highest count ofBearded Tits was 12, also on the 24th.All records came from the area ofReedbed viewable from the GreenCentre hide. Six Bearded Tits were atVange on the 4th, with a Little-ringedPlover also present.Kestrel and Greenshank were seen

at Wat Tyler on the 5th; also presentwere Hairy Dragonfly, Large Red andAzure Damselflies, a female Brimstone,Orange Tip, Peacock and Red Admiral.A Kestrel was also at Vange Marsh onthis date in addition to Sparrowhawk,Cuckoo, four Common Terns, aGreenshank, Nightingale, four+Bearded Tits, a male Brimstone andtwo Hairy Dragonflies.A Buzzard was seen at Wat Tyler on

the 6th, with four Common Terns and asprinkling of Swifts, House Martins andSwallows on the 9th while 25 Swiftswere noted on the 11th. Next day therewere five Common Terns, a MarshHarrier and four Shoveler (three malesand a female), Marsh Harrier andTurtle Dove on the 14th and a WaterRail on the 15th. Common Ternsnumbered four again on the 17th with50 Swifts, Turtle Dove and male andfemale Marsh Harriers on the 24th.Next day Vange Marsh held 15

Gadwall, eight Pochard, two Buzzards,a female Marsh Harrier,Sparrowhawk, Hobby, two Little-ringed Plovers, a male Cuckoo, LesserWhitethroat, at least five Bearded Tits(including a pair with two young), sixGoldfinch and eight Reed Buntings(pair with nest and six singing males).Four male Common Blue butterflies anda pristine male Hairy Dragonfly werealso noted. Odonata were a feature atWat Tyler on this date: Hairy Dragonfly,three Four-Spotted Chasers, two Broad-bodied Chasers, Common Blue,Blue-tailed and Large Red Damselflies.

Kestrel and Holly Blue were of note.Two Marsh Harriers were seen at

Wat Tyler again on the 30th as were twoPeregrines; a Water Rail was heardcalling. Spotted Redshank, GreenSandpiper and Turtle Dove werereported from Vange on the 31st.

JuneA pair of Garganey were a good find atWat Tyler on the 6th, with a male Shoveleralso present. Cuckoo and Bearded Titwere noted while Vange Marsh held sixLapwings, singles of Oystercatcher andAvocet, two Little Egret and at least sevenCommon Blue butterflies.Next day at Wat Tyler there were a

Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, three LesserWhitethroats, seven CommonWhitethroats (pair + five singingmales), a Cuckoo and at least fourBearded Tits. One or two (male andfemale) of the former were recordedregularly until at least the 20th while thelatter were also recorded all month, stillshowing well in front of the GreenCentre hide; at least 6 on the 9th wasthe highest number reported. Also notedon the 7th were at least eight Four-Spotted Chaser and six Broad-bodiedChaser Dragonflies; butterflies seen onthis date were: Common Blue, HollyBlue, Large Skipper, Speckled Woodand Small Tortoiseshell.Marsh Harrier and Hobby were seen

on the 9th, as was a Turtle Dove; a RedKite was reported from Bowers Marshon the 11th. Marsh Harrier and TurtleDove were again at Wat Tyler on the13th as were three Oystercatchers andthree Lapwings; Common birds seenincluded Swallow, Reed Warbler,Goldfinch and Greenfinch. APeregrine was noted next day, when apair of Great-crested Grebes had fiveyoung; there were two broods of LittleGrebe, one of three and one of four.Two broods of Little Grebeswere still

apparent on the 20th while the youngGreat-crested Grebes appeared to havebeen reduced to three. An adult Moorhenhas four young in tow and other recordsincluded Peregrine, two Grey Wagtailsand at least 17 Long-tailed Tits.At Vange on the 24th were ten Mute

Swans (a pair + eight cygnets), 18 LittleEgrets, six Grey Herons, 20 Lapwings,a Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, fourSpotted Redshanks, two CommonRedshanks and a Green Sandpiper.Butterflies at Bowers Marsh on the

28th included 100+ Marbled Whites and50+ Ringlets.

JulyBearded Tits featured on the 1st andcontinued to do so throughout themonth, with at least five juvenilespresent in front of the Green Centre Hideon the 18th. A Hobbywas noted on the1st, with Peregrine and Marsh Harrier

on the 2nd. A Green Sandpiper was alsohere on this date while Vange on the 4thsaw ten Mute Swans (a pair and eightcygnets), 20 Teal, 12 Little Egrets, tenGrey Herons, 40 Lapwings, two Little-ringed Plover 30 Black-tailed Godwitsand five Greenshanks. Next day tenLittle Egrets and a Marsh Harrierwerenoted at Wat Tyler. A Kingfisher wasseen at Wat Tyler on the 8th and a MarshHarrier on the 9th; on which date VangeMarsh held 24 Little Egrets, nineGreenshanks, 29 Common Redshanks,5 Spotted Redshanks, three CommonSandpipers, five Green Sandpipers, 40Lapwings, 20 Curlews, 24 Black-tailedGodwits, three Little-ringed Ploversand 26 Avocets. Other species includedBearded Tit, Water Rail, ten Goldfinchand 20 House Sparrows.A Spoonbill was seen from Wat Tyler

on the 11th with Kestrel, Hobby and160 Coots also noted. Kestrel andSparrowhawk were seen at VangeMarsh when there were 75 Lapwings, 11Black-tailed Godwits, 23 Avocets, threeLittle-ringed Plovers, three SpottedRedshanks and 21 Greenshanks; atleast six Bearded Tits a pair with twojuveniles and a male Reed Bunting wasnoted carrying food. Many Swallowsand Sand Martins were present as werefour Common Terns.A Greenshank was at Wat Tyler on

the 17th where, next day, there was aMarsh Harrier, three Common Ternsand 20 Black-tailed Godwits (overBowers Marsh). Butterflies includedGatekeeper, Ringlet, Peacock and atleast four Red Admirals while one ortwo Southern Migrant HawkerDragonflies were also seen.At Vange Marsh on the 18th were

three Little-ringed Plover, two Dunlin,a Ruff, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, nineSpotted Redshanks, five CommonRedshanks, 30 Lapwings, twoGreenshank and two WoodSandpipers. A Great-white Egret wasreported from Wat Tyler on the 20th,with three Peregrines on the 21st.Back at Vange on the 23rd, 89 Black-

tailed Godwits were present withsingles of Spotted Redshank andGreenshank, three each of Avocet,Curlew and Common Sandpiper and 60Lapwings. Eclipsed wildfowl includedten Gadwall and two Pintails. A Hobbywas noted from Wat Tyler on the 27th.

AugustWat Tyler on the 2nd saw 338 Cootsscattered around the scrape; two dayslater there were 45 Little Egrets and abrood of Red-crested Pochards.A Marsh Harrier featured on the 6th,

with two Black-tailed Godwits on the10th. A Marsh Harrier was again seen onthe 14th as was a juvenile Cuckoo. VangeMarsh on this date held threeGreenshank, two Common Sandpiper,

BY ANDREW COX

Wat TylerReserve andVange Marshes

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three Snipe, three Little-ringed Plover,150+ Lapwing, 14 Curlew, 12 Black-tailedGodwit and 14 Common Redshank.Back at Wat Tyler on the 16th there

were Peregrine, Kestrel, MarshHarrier, 260+ Coot and two juvenileBearded Tits. Dragonflies comprisedSouthern Hawker, Migrant Hawker,Common Darter and Ruddy Darter.Vange held Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, 200Lapwing, 11 Curlew, two Little-ringedPlover and a Wheatear.A male Marsh Harrier was noted at

Wat Tyler on the 22nd, withSparrowhawk, Kestrel 100+ SandMartins and at least two Bearded Tits.A Kingfisher at Vange Marsh on the

26th was followed next day by 14Greenshank, 35 Common Redshank,two Spotted Redshank, three CommonSandpiper, two Snipe, three Little-ringed Plover, four Black-tailedGodwit, 150 Lapwing and anotherKingfisher. A ring tailed Hen Harrierwas reported from Bowers Marsh.Heading towards the end of the

month on the 29th two Marsh Harriers,a male and female, were seen at WatTyler; in addition there wereSparrowhawk, three Ruff, a Black-tailed Godwit and 100 hirundines, amix of Sand Martins and Swallows.

SeptemberFourteen Little Grebes, reported fromWat Tyler on the 1st, was a good count.Next day there were two MarshHarriers (male and female), Peregrine,Kestrel and 116 Canada Geese. MarshHarriers continued to be seenthroughout the month, usually one totwo birds but with three on the 12th.Two Buzzards noted on the 8th were

in addition to Kingfisher and Black-

tailed Godwit. Also on this date aGlossy Ibis and a Great White Egretjoined the Little Egret roost close toWat Tyler’s scrape. These featuredregularly all month, with two of thelatter species on the 26th. Little Egretnumbered at least 50. A Hobby wasnoted on the 12th.The Glossy Ibis was reported from

Vange Marsh on the 16th where therewere also two Ruff, 20 CommonRedshank, two Spotted Redshank, twoGreenshank, one Common Sandpiper,one Green Sandpiper, 25 Snipe, 20Avocet, 200 Lapwing, six Curlew andten Black-tailed Godwit.Five Snipewere seen at Wat Tyler on

the 19th as were 40+ Swallow and aHobby. Another Hobbywas here nextday, with Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, twoMarsh Harrier and two Buzzards. At leasttwo Water Rails could be heard calling.Sparrowhawk and Kestrel also

featured at Vange Marsh on this datealong with Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, 13Avocet, 12 Black-tailed Godwit, 12+Snipe, 230 Lapwing, two Ruff and twoGreen Sandpiper.Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail were

notable again on the 22nd, this timefrom Wat Tyler; two Water Rail, twoSnipe and two Bearded Tits were heretoo. Two days later an impressive 30-40Bearded Tits were reported from WatTyler while two Kingfishers werereported on the 29th.

OctoberThe Glossy Ibis and one of the GreatWhite Egrets from Septembercontinued to feature regularly until the10th at least, keeping company with 50roosting Little Egrets.Peregrine and Kestrel were seen on the

2nd, with a Kingfisher, two EgyptianGeese and 29 Bearded Tits. Next day therewere three Marsh Harriers, a Hobby anda Sparrowhawk in addition to 21 MuteSwans, growing numbers of Shoveler,Teal and Wigeon, two+ Water Rails, 20+Snipe, a Ruff, a Green Sandpiper,Kingfisher, three Grey Wagtails and fiveSwallows. Migrant Hawker Dragonflieswere still on the wing; they could beencountered for most of the month.Three Marsh Harriers and two

Egyptian Geese were seen again on the5th- the Geese were reported severaltimes over the next few days and MarshHarrier continued to appear until themonths end, with 2 males reported onthe 7th and a female and 2 juveniles onthe 11th; although the highest numberseen at any one time was 4, on the 28th.Two Grey Wagtails were present on the6th, rising to 4 on the 7th when 13Swallows were also noted. Four GreyWagtails were seen again on the 10th.Besides the Marsh Harriers already

mentioned, the 11th saw a Peregrine,Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and twoKestrels present along with Kingfisher,14+ Snipe, 20 Common Redshank, 14Black-tailed Godwits and two Curlews.82 Gadwalls were counted on thescrape and at least one Water Railcalled nearby. A Kingfisher was seenagain on the 14th while Vange Marsh onthe 18th held six Curlew, four GreenSandpipers and a Stonechat. One of theMarsh Harriers also put in anappearance here. Little Grebesnumbered 14 on the 25th, with twoWater Rails and six Black-tailedGodwits. Two Sparrowhawks, Kestreland Peregrine were noted.

Garganey by DD

(Unkown)

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