Six Go Mad in Essex

Had a great day out in deepest Essex on Sunday 3rd January with some of Essex's finest........... oh and Jono, Bradders Jnr, Hawky, Shaun and Redsy! We were at Abberton Res. at the dam before first light and had located the now long staying Spotted Sandpiper within minutes. Some of the lads used there best field craft skills and expensive penis extensions, sorry cameras, to get much better shots than my slightly blurry efforts from my 10 x zoom Canon digital camera, which you will find on: http://www.wansteadbirder.blogspot.com/; http://www.braddersbirding.blogspot.com/; and/or http://www.hawkysbirdingblog.blogspot.com/.




Moving on to the causeways we added Spoonbill; Smew (1 redhead and 3 drakes); Goosander; Whooper Swan and Red Breasted Merganser.


Next we headed to Mersey where we added many waders to the day list including of note Spotted Redshank and Greenshank! We were disappointed not to find any Snow Buntings on the island itself, and moved on to Rolls Farm.

Up to 6 Great Northern Divers showed distantly, with around the same number of Slav Grebes providing better views. A single Red Throated Diver was added to the day list and Shaun and Hawky done well to spot a distant Barn Owl roosting in a tree some distance away.


We moved on to Braxted Golf Course hoping for Hawfinch, but none could be found. We made the 40 minute journey to Southend so the lads could year tick Rossi the Ring Billed Gull. Having been the previous day it was my second to Rossi in 2 days. From the sea front at Westcliffe a Black Throated Diver showed very distantly, and a few Med Gulls were seen.

The highlight of the day though had to be look on Jono's face after discovering he had kneeled in dog sh*t to take yet another photo of yet another Turnstone. Classic.

Tick that mate!