Monthly Essex Roundup

by Howard Vaughan

September 2008

Big Raptors: County wide it was a fantastic month with at least 57 Honey Buzzards recorded between 8th and 28th with peak days of 13th (21), 14th (17) and 28th (four). Nearly 40 Ospreys were reported with a resident juvenile at Canvey from 11th, seven through Abberton and several through the Stour and Bradwell. Three were together at Abbotts Hall from 1st while five were seen flying towards The Naze from Languard on 13th. There will be some duplication as birds of both species moved south but it was still an unprecedented movement. Many Common Buzzards were also on the move with several double figure site movements and in excess of 100 birds reported. Many observers noted increased Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel activity and indeed a Finnish Kestrel was found dead on the coast. Fifteen Sparrowhawks were seen fron Frinton on 13th alone. A Goshawk was seen at Rainham on 23rd with two more through there on 27th and another at Boreham the same day. All were males. There was just one Red Kite see over Cattawade on 22nd and a Hen Harrier at Holland Haven till 4th. However, the star raptor was completely out of the blue when Russ Neave photographed a strange falcon above his house in Maldon 13th which turned out to be a stunning Eleonora's Falcon…

RSPB Rainham Marshes: Tern passage continued with over 1500 Common, 200 Arctic, 112 Black, 25 Sandwich and three Little Terns logged with the 11th being the big day with over 800 birds being seen! Kittiwakes (7th and 24th), three Little Gulls (12th), three Brent Geese (22nd) and two Common Scoter (4th and 14th) were also seen. Marsh Harriers were seen on nine dates – all being fresh juveniles other than a fine adult male on the 7th which was very unusual for the marsh. Ospreys headed through on the 7th and 19th and Buzzards were seen on seven days including a staggering 13 on the 20th. With a national influx of Honey Buzzards under way it was not surprising that we had one on 13th and two the following day. A female Merlin was seen from 17th. A male Goshawk was seen on the 23rd with two high and east on 27th and several obliging Hobbies finished off the excellent raptor selection. There were few waders to be seen with Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit on the Thames and a Little Stint and Pectoral Sandpiper on the pools from 28th. Up to a dozen Little Egrets roosted of an evening and our third Great White Egret of the year briefly popped in on 9th. Stock Doves built up to 110 on Wennington (25th) and Turtle Doves were seen on 9th and 18th. Duck began to increase with Pintail, Wigeon, Shoveler and Gadwall on the up and a couple of Garganey were found amongst them. There was plenty of small bird activity right from the start with the third Aquatic warbler for the reserve from the 3rd – 8th. This endangered eastern European breeder attracted quite a crowd but was incredibly elusive. From 17th two Wrynecks proved equally popular but more obliging while diligent searching of the woodland produced up to four Spotted Flycatchers, a Redstart and plenty of warblers including a skulking Marsh Warbler on 14th. Out on the marsh there were a few Wheatears and peaks of 11 Whinchats and nine Stonechats, both on the 10th. Eight Tree Pipits were caught up with the Meadow Pipit migration and the first Rock Pipit of the season was seen on 20th while a couple of Redwing and a fine Ring Ouzel were seen before the month turned. A record 46 Ring-necked Parakeets were counted heading back to their roost site at Hither Green on 19th.

Metropolitan Essex: Raptors aside it was an fair month with the Thames tern passage being tracked as far as Silvertown with 350 Common, 68 Arctic , 161 Black and two Sandwich Terns being logged between 10th and 12th. Five Black Terns were at crossness on 7th when a Manx Shearwater was also found on the Thames . It was still present next day. Another Arctic Tern made it to Fairlop on 11th where a Wryneck as seen on 7th and it or another on the 12th. The site also held Little Stint (13th), Redstart (15th), Black-necked Grebe (18th) and Short-eared Owl from 21st. Bedfords Park was well watched and attracted Redstarts (7th and 9th), Pied Flycatcher (12th), Firecrest (28th) and Tree Pipits on 5th and then from 23rd-28th with two on 27th. Another Tree Pipit was seen over Tylers Common (18th). Further Pied Flycatchers were in Wanstead Park (1st with two Redstarts), and at two sites in Grays on 18th. Crossbills were recorded as singles over four sites with six more over Dagenham Chase on 8th. Siskins were noted moveing from early in the month with a peak of 80 at High Beech on 10th. The Lee valley was very quiet save for 24 Black-necked Grebes on the Wm Girling from 14th.

South-east Essex: There were a couple of good days off Canvey Manx Shearwaters on 4th and 22nd (two), Sabine's Gull (14th), two Pomarine Skuas (9th), 700 Brents by 19th, Great White Egret (26th) and three Eider 19th. The 24th was the best day with 192 Gannets, 23 Great Skuas, 25 Arctics , one Pomarine and a Long-tailed Skua. Another was seen on 6th. Gunners Park attracted a small passage of Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts from 16th with several Tree Pipits also caught up in the movement including two on 18th and four on 21st. Siskins were reported from many sites. A Dotterel there on 20th-21st also proved very popular. Two tree Island hosted 120 roosting Little Egrets on 28th and a Ring Ouzel on 25th. Rossi the Ring-billed Gull continued to be seen at Westcliff and there were still up to 30 Med Gulls around. Three Short-eared Owls were at South Fambridge on 3rd and nearby Blue House Farm had a Water Pipit on 28th. Vange was fairly quiet with Wood Sandpiper from 7th and Curlew Sandpiper and three Little Stints on 14th. A Radde's Warbler was trapped on Foulness on 27th.

Abberton Reservoir: There were many terns around at the start of the month wit at least 277 Commons and two Blacks on 3rd and five Arctics on 6th. A juvenile Shag (or two) was present from 2nd – 6th and Egyptian Geese and Red-crested Pochards slowly increased to eight apiece by the end of the month. Hirundine movement was generally slow so 500 Sand Martins on 6th was notable. A Slavonian Grebes arrived on 26th and three Garganey were found on 28th along with a flock of Spotted Redshanks that rose to 62 by 30th. Other good birds included a Scoter (7th), Crossbill (10th) and Turtle Dove (3rd).

East & North-east Essex : Holland Haven held onto ones of its Wrynecks till 4th with others seen at Wivenhoe (7th-10th), Frinton (11th),Jespers Green (12th),The Naze (15th) and Fordham Heath (28th). Redstarts were widely reported along the coast with peaks mid-month at The Naze on 15th and 17th when there were 14 and 16 respectively. The site also held good counts of many drift species on these dates including Pied Flycatchers (12 and 11), Spotted Flycatchers (18 and 16) and Tree Pipits (12 and 10). The 15th also saw a northern race Willow Warbler, 40 Chiffchaffs, 17 Wheatear and a good movement of Siskins while on 17th there were over 45 Blackcaps. A Long-eared Owl was seen here on 26th along with the first Brambling with a Dartford Wrabler the next day. Tree pipits were reported at many sites and probably represent the best autumn passage in the county on record with a further 15 seen. A fall Frinton on 13th included six of these as well as 80 Chiffchaffs and 794 Meadow Pipits. The site also held a Richard's Pipit on 17th and offshore staring produced Pomarine Skuas on 13th and 25th and two Velvet Scoters on 22nd. The first Redwing was over Alresford on 23rd and a Red-rumped Swallow whizzed past the long staying Red-necked Phalarope (6th-13th) on East Mersea on 7th. A white-headed Long-tailed was also seen here on 28th. A yellow-browed Warbler was in Dovercourt on 25th with a Black-throated Diver offshore there on 27th. Offshore was fairly quiet with just a single Manx and Sooty Shearwater off St Osyth on 5th. There were almost no waders of note bar a peak of 57 Spotted Redshanks at Abbots Hall on 1st.

Hanningfield Reservoir: Two Black-necked Grebes were found on 7th with three there on 11th when 78 Black Terns dropped by in the afternoon. Two Little Stints on 21st were good for the site as was a Pied Flycatcher on 1st.

Bradwell Bird Observatory: Two Cory's Shearwaters were seen from a boat offshore on 9th and a red-necked Grebe was seen on 15th. Two Spoonbills were seen on 30th. There were very few passerines seen.

August 2008

RSPB Rainham Marshes: A relatively quiet month on the reserve but busy on the Thames with a fantastic tern passage from about 16th onwards. Between then and 31st over 1200 Common, 44 Arctic, 10 Sandwich , 31 Black and a single Little logged. There was very little else noted bar a high of 14 Yellow-legged Gulls and three Kittiwakes. There were eight March Harrier days with two on two dates and two single Buzzards. Peregrines and Hobbies were regular. Wader passage was kept low due to the dropping water levels but all the usual species were seen including Wood Sandpipers, Spotted Redshank, five Avocets, 12 Greenshank, Knot four Sanderlings and both Godwits. A Garganey was seen on the 8th and Teal and Shoveler numbers slowly built up. Wheatear and Whinchat passage was very sparse but there were several Spotted Flycatchers, two reports of Tree Sparrows and single Turtle Dove, Tree Pipit, Redstart and Nightingale. There were two Yellowhammer reports and as a grand finale for the month a smart Ortolan Bunting paid a brief visit on 30th.

Metropolitan Essex: A White-winged Black Tern at Crossness outfall from 11th – 14th was viewable from both the Essex and Kent side with two there on the 12th. The outfall also hosted Black Terns with six on 21st and eight on 31st with a single Little Gull on the latter date. Other Black Terns were at Walthamstow Reservoirs on 17th and 18th. An adult Kittiwake was off West Thurrock Marshes on 16th. There was a movement of Whimbrels in the first few days with a single over Harold Hill on 1st and an amazing 38 over Stondon Massey on 2nd. Another was over the Ingrebourne on 17th when an Oystercatcher was also seen while a Spotted Redshank was on Hall Marsh the same day. A Stone Curlew (and a normal one!) was seen at Sewardstone Marsh on 30th. There were few big raptors (excluding Buzzards!) with a Red Kite in Epping Forest (2nd) and a Marsh Harrier over Creekmouth on 16th. Redstarts were seen at Weald Cricket Club on 21st, Romford 28th and at Dagenham Chase on 29th. A few Spotted Flycatchers were seen and Crossbills flew through Fairlop (eight on 23rd), Harlow (one on 23rd) and Chafford Hundred (11 on 29th).

South-east Essex: Canvey Island was well watched during August although the wind was seldom favourable. However there were peaks of 12 Arctic Skuas on 16th; 2 Great Skuas, Sooty Shearwater and Fulmar on 30th and a juvenile Sabine's and a single Pomarine Skua there on 31st. A single Brent Goose was seen there on 3rd and two Curlew Sandpipers were in the point roost on 3rd while a Marsh Harrier (14th) and Osprey (16th) headed south. Another Osprey was seen over Potton Island on 23rd and 28th. East Tilbury had a great day on 30th with a full adult Sabine's Gull, three Pomarine Skuas, nine Arctics and many terns including over 700 Common, 57 Black, and a fantastic 21 Littles and 62 Yellow-legged Gulls. RSPB Vange Marshes continued to attract waders with several Wood and Curlew Sandpipers moving through while the high tide roost at Wakering included 1500 Bar-tailed Godwits and 151 Little Terns on 2nd. Southend seafront still hosted 93 Mediterranean Gulls on 3rd while the ever faithful Rossi the Ring-billed Gull returned from his holidays to Westcliff on 30th. Wallasea Island hosted the usual wader assortment along with a Little Stint on 3rd and a Merlin was seen there on 12th.

Abberton Reservoir: A relatively quiet month but with a good selection of waders including 55 Common Sandpipers and 24 Greenshank on 7th. Two Wood Sandpipers were seen on 17th with six on 19th. Many terns passed through and a peak count of 390 Commons was made on 12th along with several Arctics and Blacks. Marsh Harriers and Buzzards were seen daily and there was a Red Kite on 13th and two on 20th with an Osprey the day before. There were excellent numbers of hirundines and 150 Swifts on 20th was notable. Three Red-crested Pochards returned on 23rd with Red-necked Grebe and a flock of 325 Cormorants on 28th. A Black-necked Grebe was found on 31st.

East & North-east Essex : Seawatching of Frinton gave some impressive month totals again with over 1000 terns logged along with peaks of 22 Arctic Skuas and a Pomarine on 18th and a Long-tailed on 25th. Scoter streamed through with a high day count of 1443 on 17th when a Manx Shearwater was also seen. The 29th and 30th both saw Sooty Shearwaters offshore. The Naze featured in some of this passage and could add 19 Black Terns for the 17th and Pied Flycatcher and Redstart for 31st when another Pied Fly was at Frinton. A Marsh Sandpiper delighted visitors at Heybridge GP from 24th -30th and a Black-necked Grebe was on nearby Lofts Farm at the start of the month. Red Kites were over Birch on 1st and Maunden on 11th and an Osprey was seen at Cattawade from 12th onwards with two on one date. A Corncrake was flushed by a farmer at Clacton on 23rd. Wood Sandpipers cropped up at a few places with up to five on Reeves Hall on 7th and another at Holland Haven on 4th. The Haven also held Razorbill on 7th-8th, a Storm Petrel on 17th, Temminck's Stint on 17th-18th and two offshore Pomarine Skuas on 27th. Reeves Hall also hosted Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl and Woodlark on 18th. Crossbills were seen over Rayne, the Naze and Doddinghurst with ten there on 27th being the high.

RSPB Old Hall Marshes: A plethora of waders on 2nd included both Temminck's and four Little Stints, six Curlew Sandpipers and two Wood Sandpipers. A further 21 Curlew Sandpipers were just across Salcott Channel at Abbott's Hall on 19th. The 30th saw an Osprey fly over and over 540 Common terns were roosting on the point.

Hanningfield Reservoir: Twelve Red-crested Pochards included a brood on 5th with 20 Common Sandpipers recorded on 3rd and a single Wood Sandpiper and Black-necked Grebe on 19th. Ten Black Terns drifted through on 18th when 50 late Swifts were seen. Four Crossbills were present on 27th.

July 2008

RSPB Rainham Marshes: Little Egrets continued to increase and by the 23rd we had a new record of 56 which included a chunky yellow-billed juvenile that caused us no end of trouble! Wader passage was light but continuous with peaks of nine Whimbrel, 15 Little Ringed Plovers, 12 Greenshank and 25 Common Sandpipers along with single Knot (29th), Wood Sandpiper (9th), Spotted Redshank (1st) and Golden Plover (24th). Yellow-legged Gulls slowly increased to a peak of 26 on 31st and several Mediterranean Gulls were seen. Small parties of Common Terns patrolled the Thames and the first Common Gulls returned on 13th. A Kittiwake on 5th and a Siskin (4th) were both unseasonal. Yellow Wagtails appeared from mid-month and two Crossbills were seen on 31st when the bird of the month, a Black Kite, was watched for several minutes. Juvenile Marsh Harriers started to move through from 22nd with two on several dates.

Metropolitan Essex: Two Ravens over Barking Bay on the 10th continued the recent trend but strangely there were no local Red Kite reports in July although there was a male Goshawk was over Wanstead on 30th to add to a belated record from Beckton on 2nd June. Green Sandpipers were reported from several wet spots including the Ingrebourne Valley and the Girling Reservoir where there were 18 on 14th. Both sites also held double figure Little Egret flocks. Three Crossbills flew over Hornchurch on 20th and 12 Ring-necked Parakeets over Creekmouth the same day was a high count for the area.

South-east Essex : Mediterranean Gulls dominated the Southend Seafront scene with a new county record of 167 on 12th. RSPB Vange Marshes is starting to come back into its own with a very good selection of waders including several Spotted Redshanks and Wood Sandpipers, 26 Green Sandpipers (27th), 26 Common Sandpipers (30th) and two Little Stints and a Curlew Sandpiper on 31st. A Ruddy Shelduck was also here on 27th and there were frequent sightings of Marsh Harrier, Med Gull and Cetti's Warbler. Wallasea Wetlands hosted some good concentrations of roosting summer plumaged Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwits and Knot and the wintering male Goosander returned as early as ever on 25th. Red Kites were seen over Ashingdon (13th) and Leigh (21st) and there were many Marsh Harriers in the Wakering area while the Southend Peregrine family has been very active around the town centre. Paglesham Lagoon hosted a Black-necked Grebe on 30th and a Black Stork was seen by one lucky observer low over Shoebury on the 23rd. Sixteen Crossbills passed through two more sites but the star bird of the month went to the Woodchat Shrike watched for just a few hours on Two Tree Island on the 13th.

Abberton Reservoir: Duck started to build up and by month end there were 565 Gadwall and 12 Wigeon present. Frequent circuits produced increasing wader number with a high of 34 Greenshank on 16th and 83 Common Sandpipers on 31st. A Garganey was found on 25th and up to 2000 Sand Martins were present on 9th.

East & North-east Essex : At the top end of the county a Little Gull was still present at RSPB Cattawade Marshes on 1st while in Hamford Water there were five Eider on 16th and a roost of 131 Greenshanks on 29th. Holland Haven was pretty good for passage waders with a Spotted Redshank and Wood Sandpiper on 7th and a fine Pectoral Sandpiper from 18th-25th. Seawatching off Frinton was exceptional for July with month totals of 12 Fulmar, 850 Gannet, 462 Common Scoter, 1053 Common Terns, 20 Kittiwakes and 23 Arctic Skuas. From a county perspective these figures are unprecedented. Over 10000 Swifts were also logged during the month along with 6000 Black-headed Gulls south on the 22nd alone. Crossbills were noted moving off here on two dates and three other sites across the county reported birds on the move. Red Kites were seen at the Hythe and Elmstead Market (5th) and two were over Great Tey on 15th. A Merlin was seen at Abbott's Hall on 28th and 12 Marsh Harriers were on Langenhoe and Reeves Hall on 30th.

RSPB Old Hall Marshes: The reserve got better for waders as the month went on with peaks of 50 Spotted Redshanks on 26th, Curlew Sandpipers from 25th with seven on 30th when three Temminck's Stints and Little Stint were also present.

Hanningfield Reservoir: A Great White Egret flew through on 8th when eight Little Egrets and 24 Common Sandpipers were also seen. A Pectoral Sandpiper dropped in briefly on 29th.

June 2008

It was a month of Kites and Crossbills across the county.

RSPB Rainham Marshes: A relatively quiet month but still some late passage evident with Marsh Harriers daily till 3rd and a Buzzard on 4th. The same day a Great White Egret dropped in unexpectedly, stayed all day and then disappeared until the 7th and 8th when amazingly two were present on the last date. This is the third consecutive year that this imposing species has been recorded on site. Little Egrets built to about 20 with the first of the year's youngsters arriving. Return wader passage got underway early with several Green Sandpipers and a Wood Sandpiper (22nd) in the last week. A single Limosa race Black-tailed Godwit lingered and 19 were present as we headed into July. The river was quiet but the first Yellow-legged Gulls started to appear and both Little Gull (13th) and several Med Gulls were reported. At least four drake Garganey started to moult into obscurity and a Turtle Dove (4th) was only the second record for the year. Spotted Flycatcher (5th) and Firecrest (4th) were the only small migrants of note.

Metropolitan Essex : Four Red Kites kept the eyes upwards and also yielded another Raven (over Chingford) on 5th. Little Egrets were in their usual haunts with nine in the Ingrebourne being the high count. A pair of Garganey were seen there on 10th. Good breeding records included a brood of Mandarin near Brentwood , fledged Long-eared Owls and at least two new Firecrest territories. Crossbills were reported as flyovers at four sites and included 15 at Thorndon CP on 22nd. Two unseasonal Siskins were seen at Bedfords Park (9th) with a Woodlark there the same day. Similarly a Brent Goose at Walthamstow on 24th was out of place.

South-east Essex : More Crossbills! At least 20 were reported heading north with two parties over Rayleigh and singles elsewhere. A Siskin over Rochford on 9th mirrors the report above. The Langdon Hills Golden Oriole found at the end of May stayed till 1st and at nearby Vange two drake Garganey were still present. This site also hosted a Wood Sandpiper on 30th with Long-eared Owls being seen fairly regularly on adjacent Wat Tyler CP. This site also hosted a White Stork briefly on 15th and up to five Med Gulls. Southend Seafront started to attract its traditional summer gathering of Med Gulls with 54 by the 28th. Probably the rarest find of the month was of three Tree Sparrows at Hyde Hall on 20th.

Abberton Reservoir: Very quiet with a build up in moulting geese as the month went on but little else. A Sanderling and brood of Gadwall on 20th were both notable and a singing Quail on 25th was new.

East & North-east Essex : More Kites! Nearly 20 reports were received on top of those already mentioned and although wide ranging birds may have been involved it is still impressive given that 20 sightings in a year a few years ago would have been considered exceptional! Over 100 Crossbills moved north through the county but with no group larger than 18 at Braxted on 5th. A Quail sand near Copt Hall from 14th and an Osprey was seen over Stanway on 26th. There were no breeding bird revelations but RSPB Cattawade Marshes reported an excellent season for both Lapwing and Redshank.

RSPB Old Hall Marshes: A Bittern on 17th was very out of season built 15 Little Ringed Plovers and 11 Spotted Redshanks on 29th showed that thing were already on the move.

Bradwell Bird Observatory & The Dengie Peninsular : A Red Kite on 8th and 14 Crossbills on 15th allowed BBO to join in with the fun but it was a European race Nuthatch on the feeders on 25th-26th that caused quite a stir.

May 2008

RSPB Rainham Marshes: With near perfect water levels across the site it was not that surprising that May became a wader month with a staggering 24 species recorded including 21 of those in just one week! All the commoner species were recorded along with several Black and Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderlings and Little Stints, four Knot in resplendent chestnut plumage, seven Turnstones, three Wood Sandpipers and three diminutive Temminck's Stints from 11th to 15th with four on the 16th. The Avocets remained on site despite loosing their eggs. Summer visiting warblers got down to the serious job of breeding but there were still migrants to be found with single Spotted Flycatchers on several dates and two cracking singing Firecrests on 25th. Garganey continued to be seen and at least five drakes and one duck were present as we headed into June. We hope that this rare summer visiting duck will breed this year. Little Gulls were seen at the start and end of May and the Thames hosted five species of Tern including a Little on 4th and a Black on 5th and 7th. A howling north-easterly with rain on 26th saw some real seawatching from the centre with two Fulmars and huge Gannet trying to find a way back out of the River. Up to 11 Hobbies were very obliging but despite searching we could not find the hoped for Red-footed Falcon. Marsh Harriers were recorded most days and it is becoming very difficult to ascertain how many birds are actually involved. Red Kite (14th), Buzzard and Honey Buzzard (both 31st) kept up the big bird of prey passage while a calling tawny owl on 11th was an excellent bird for Rainham.

Metropolitan Essex: Raptors ruled the month with a fine female Red-footed Falcon at Seventy Acres Lake from 15th-21st stealing the show. It was also seen at Sewardstone on its last day. Another female was seen for s few minutes at Dagenham Chase on 18th. Red Kites were seen over Havering-atte-Bower (7th), Cornmill Meadows (11th), Harlow (19th) and Hornchurch (31st). A Honey Buzzard passed over Connaught Water on 31st 45 minutes after going over Rainham and Common Buzzards were at their usual haunts. A Marsh Harrier was over the KGV Reservoir on 4th with an Osprey over Walthamstow the following day. There was little in the way of wader passage although a Bar-tailed Godwit at Walthamstow on 9th was being pursued by a hungry Peregrine. Three Fulmars were on the Thames between Grays and the QEII bridge on 26th. A Black Tern was also reported here on 23rd with at least 16 more through the KGV on 4th. A Red-rumped Swallow at Holyfield Lake on 1st was the star passerine but for only one observer while Firecrest, Redstart, Lesser Redpoll and Grasshopper Warblers were all found in Epping Forest . A Golden Oriole was seen briefly at Cornmill on 11th and 14 Nightingales were holding territory on Fishers Green Island . A Raven was seen over Goodmayes on 2nd.

South-east Essex : Definitely a raptor month with Red Kites over Landon Hills (5th) and a flock of four over Rayleigh and Canewden on 10th. An immature male Montagu's Harrier took up residence from 13th on Wallasea till 21st and an Osprey was seen there on 17th with singing Quail on 13th. Two drake Garganey were at Vange on and off and Nightingales were heard at Benfleet Downs and Wat Tyler CP where Turtle Doves were also in song. Three Cranes were seen over Hadleigh and then South Woodham Ferrers on 7th with two also seen over the latter on 16th. Seawatching off Canvey on 26th revealed a record breaking 118 Fulmars including a blue morph, two Pomarine Skuas, five Guillemots and 55 Gannet while further upriver nine Fulmar and eight Gannet made it as far as East Tilbury where the two Pomarine Skuas were still residing.

Abberton Reservoir: May kick started with two leggy Black-winged Stilts that paraded up and down the causeway on 2nd. An Arctic Skua was seen the same day and the Channel Wagtail was still around. The 3rd saw the arrival of 19 Greenshank, eight Whimbrel, a Black Tern and six Black-necked Grebes, three of which stayed a few days. The male Scaup was last seen on 4th. Other wader highlights included a record eight Sanderling on 25th and two brief Avocets on 24th. Marsh Harriers were seen most days and a Red Kite passed though on 30th. A Redwing on 5th was late in leaving and Ring Ouzels were seen on 9th-10th and 21st-22nd. Up to eight Hobbies hawked the reservoir but there were no Red-foot reports.

East & North-east Essex: The Stour reserves hosted four Nightingales by mid-May and nearby Cattawade Marshes held seven Black Tern and Spotted Redshank on 4th and two Temminck's Stints, Wood Sandpiper and a fish carrying Osprey on 18th. Holland Haven and The Naze were pretty quiet although the Haven did hold Curlew and Wood Sandpipers (9th), a stunning male Grey-headed Wagtail (10th) and Temminck's Stint (15th). Highlights from The Naze were a Black redstart and Merlin (12th) and 14 late Siskins on 18th. A Whinchat at St Osyth on 8th was notable. Frinton was quiet but added another 11 Fulmars to the massive day total on 26th. Black Terns were seen at numerous sites in the first week. At least 40 Nightingales were in song at Fingringhoe Wick and the Long-tailed Duck was last seen on 3rd. The Colne also hosted two Ospreys on the 11th with a Red Kite and an unseasonal Bittern on Langenhoe on 30th. A immature Crane was seen there on 27th and 28th and a pair of Eider were off Mersea on 10th. A stunning female Red-necked Phalarope spent the 13th on The Hythe. Red Kites were seen over Ingatestone on 12th, Braxted on 17th and 23rd (when two were seen) and Kelvedon (30th) while Black Kites seen at Langenhoe and Great Totham on 10th. An Osprey was seen over Billericay on 18th and an immature female Montagu's Harrier spent four days from 12th at Stansted Airport . The only definite Red-footed Falcon was at Abbotts Hall on 20th although several other possibles were reported. There were very few other good passerines bar a one day Marsh Warbler at Dovercourt on 31st.

RSPB Old Hall Marshes: Whimbrel numbers steadily built up to about 250 on 4th and Temminck's Stints were seen on 5th and 18th. Garganey and Pintail were irregularly reported and Little terns look to be breeding.

Hanningfield Reservoir: Black Terns featured in the first week with nine on 3rd and 17 the next day when an Osprey was also seen. A Great White Egret over nearby Stockbrook Manor on 2nd was possibly the bird seen at the reservoir in April.

Bradwell Bird Observatory & The Dengie Peninsular : Still quiet but a Black Kite over Turncole (1st) and Montagu's Harrier on 11th kept eyes upwards.

April 2008

RSPB Rainham Marshes: With high water levels the numbers of duck remained good well into April. Three Pintail stayed throughout and Tufted Ducks reached a spring high of 54 on 12th. The 16th saw three male and a single lucky female Garganey n the site. A single drake was seen on and off after this date. Two Egyptian Geese arrived on 15th and stayed a few days while a single Brent Goose bobbed up river on 16th. Wader passage was reasonable with the first Whimbrel on 12th and groups of up to seven subsequently. Two Spotted Redshanks and up to three Greenshank moved through along with 6 Ruff, Sanderling (16th) and Turnstone (19th) and the odd Bar-tailed Godwit or two. Seven British race Black-tailed Godwits were seen in addition to our usual flock of Icelandic birds. Two Avocets seem quite taken by the new scrape. Astonishingly, our second Stone Curlew of the spring gave excellent, if distant views, for most of the 16th. The Thames was fairly quiet but yielded a few Common Terns from 18th, five Arctic Terns (20th), a Black Tern (21st) and a flurry of Little Gulls from 20th. An Arctic Skua on 23rd was a great spring record. There was plenty of big bird of prey action with at least seven Marsh Harriers, a Buzzard, Red Kite (2nd) and two Goshawk sightings. A female was seen on 2nd and a male on 13th. Peregrines were regular and the last Merlin was a male seen on 11th while the first Hobby was on 22nd. Three Short-eared Owls stayed well into the month and give us hope … Small birds were well represented with some goodies among the commoner migrant fayre. A Common Redstart was seen on 9th with single Black Redstarts on 15th and 24th. A male Whinchat on the 24th with Wheatears completed the good chats. Ring Ouzels were seen on 20th and 24th with a late Fieldfare on 27th. Yellow Wagtails were largely flyovers as was a Tree Pipit (10th) and Yellowhammer (13th) while two water pipits stayed till 10th The find of the month was a Richard's Pipit from 27th. A new site bird! Three Grasshopper Warblers reeled from 20th with our first Garden Warbler of the season the next day.

Metropolitan Essex: A Cattle Egret was found at the sou the rn end of the Wm. Girling reservoir on 12th. It stayed till 17th and showed well at times. Little Egrets continued to be seen in favoured places but most had returned to the ir breeding sites by mid-month. Buzzards were very active and three Red Kites were seen on 5th, 15th and 24th. All were along traditional flyways. Goshawks were seen at Brentwood and Sewardstone and Peregrines continued to be reported in the sou the rn Lee Valley. The first two Arctic Terns were off North Woolwich on 14th with a mini push of this species and Little Gull through the Lee Valley from 20th with a peak of 25 of the latter at the KGV reservoir on 22nd. A Roseate Tern was seen off North Woolwich on 27th. Two Black-necked Grebes were still on the Girling on 6th with four more at Fairlop on 17th. Garganey were reported from Belhus Woods CP where two drakes took up residence from 9th. A single was in the Ingrebourne on 12th and ano the r was at Walthamstow Reservoirs on 20th-21st. A Hoopoe was seen alongside the A12 at Brentwood on 26th. Ring Ouzels were seen at Fairlop on 17th and West Thurrock Marshes (25th) with Redstarts at the former site from 6th, at Sewardstone (5th) and Walthamstow Reservoirs (9th). A Black redstart was seen at the latter site on 20th. Whinchats were at Dagenham Chase (24th) and Tylers Common (27th) while the Chase also had Corn Bunting and flyover Tree Pipit on 23rd. Firecrests were seen at Walthamstow Reservoirs on 6th-7th and in Mayesbrook Park on 25th. Grasshopper Warblers were back at two traditional sites by mid–month. Twelve late Fieldfares and a single Redwing were at Tylers Common on 22nd and a Short-eared Owl hung on till at east 23rd.

South-east Essex: Vestiges of winter hung on at the end of Southend Pier with Black-throated Diver on 19th and a Shag and two Purple Sandpipers on 25th. Elsewhere Hen Harriers were reported at Hadleigh on 20th and Canvey on 18th. The Iceland and Glaucous Gulls were last seen at Mucking on 5th when 1100 Black-tailed Godwits were also counted. Paglesham Lagoon hosted a Slavonian Grebe from 12th-15th and the seemingly resident Long-tailed Duck all month. An Osprey over Wat Tyler CP on 26th was the only record and not a single Red Kite was recorded in the area. Common Redstarts were seen at Gunners Park from 13th-15th with Black Redstarts there on 20th and at Barling (13th) and Rayne (25th). Grasshopper Warbleres were in song at Wakering and RSPB Vange Marshes and the only other migrants of notes were a Firecrest on Canvey (14th) and a Tree Sparrow in Gunners Park on 4th.

Abberton Reservoir: The extra effort that the locals area putting in this year is proving well worth the effort with some great birds again. Long stayers included a male Scaup till 20th, a female till 14th, the pair of Smew till 15th and a single Goosander till 8th. The Tundra Bean Goose was last seen on 10th. A Slavonian Grebe was found on 5th increasing to two till 22nd with three on 13th and a single still on 24th. Three Black-necked Grebes were seen on 4th-5th. Tern passage was light but included up to 22 Arctics on 23rd, Black on 24th and Little on 27th. Little Gulls were also involved with several from 4th. A Cattle Egret was found on the 12th and seen till 14th while a Great White Egret flew through on 26th (and the n over RSPB Old Hall Marshes) Peregrines, Marsh Harriers and Buzzards were seen most days and the re were several very encouraging Goshawk sightings over the reservoir. The first Hobbies were back from 18th. A Garganey on 24th was the first since early March. Small birds were well represented with two Water Pipits (4th-5th & 13th), Rock Pipit (2nd), two Channel-type Wagtails (12th & 26th), Grasshopper Warbler (from 24th), two Ring Ouzels (18th-19th & 22nd), Lapland Bunting (15th), singing Firecrest (from 24th). The first Turtle Dove was back from 26th and Nightingales were well in song. The month ended nicely with a fine Red-rumped Swallow.

East & North-east Essex: Red Kites were in evidence throughout the month and the re were 13 sightings including two toge the r at Abberton on 5th. The 2nd was obviously the big day with five records alone. The Naze was relatively quiet with a few more Firecrests through and three Purple Sandpipers again on 2nd. The 19th saw a mini-seawatch with 12 Fulmar and a single Manx Shearwater. Frinton recorded 20 Fulmars on the same day and ano the r 22 on 25th giving a month total of nearly 70 just from this one site. Black Redstart and Merlin were also seen at The Naze on 20th with Long-eared Owl and Tree Pipit the re on 22nd. Holland Haven was quiet with just a couple of Firecrests and two Water Pipits on 17th. A male Montagu's Harrier was seen off Colne Point on 26th. Wivenhoe has a good little spell with a territorial Firecrest, Ring Ouzel (18th), Pied Flycatcher (21st) and Black Redstart (22nd) The Long-tailed Duck was still between here and Alresford on 20th at least. Ano the r Ring Ouzel was recorded at Frinton (18th). Thrushes going the o the r way included 300 Fieldfare at Fordham on 16th and 150 at Wormingford Mere the next day. The two that got away in April were the Hoopoe that flew across the road at Heckfordbridge on 19th and the brief Tawny Pipit on a school playing field at Witham on 25th.

Hanningfield Reservoir: The five Long-tailed Ducks were still present on 8th with two till 13th. The 10th was a good day with singing male Black Redstart, female Red-crested Pochard and the first Cuckoo. The 13th saw six Common Terns and three Little Gulls drop in but it was the 26th before an Arctic did likewise. To round things off a Great White Egret flew through on 27th; a site first.

Bradwell Bird Observatory & The Dengie Peninsular : Quiet with the only notable coming on 20th when a Channel-type Wagtail was found along with Firescrest and Black Redstart. A Wryneck was in the caravan park at St Lawrence the same day.

March 2008

RSPB Rainham Marshes: Unlike February March was distinctly inclement with plenty of wind, rain and even snow. Duck numbers remained high and a Goosander on 6th was very notable. Thousands of gulls moved through the reserve. They were mostly Black-headeds but included at least four Meds, one Little (30th), two Caspians, two Iceland Gulls (the juvenile intermittently till 31st and an adult seen on 5th). Oystercatchers were back and proclaiming their territories on the foreshore. The 9th saw a very early Little Ringed Plover back on site with two from 15th which was our first real spring day with seven Wheatears and the first two Avocets of the year. Three more were seen on 26th. Numerous Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, three White Wagtails (20th) and a couple of Sand Martins and Swallows suggested a change in the weather. Up to four Bearded Tits and three Cetti's Warblers were on the trail circuit but Stonechat numbers dwindles to just a pair by month end. A Spotted Redshank from 28th was new for the year. The 27th saw a flock of 15 Common Scoters on the Thames all day. This movement was mirrored across East Anglia . Three Short-eared Owls continued to hunt the Silt Lagoons and three each of Marsh Harrier and Buzzard moved through from 14th. Star raptor goes to the Osprey seen heading north on 29th but the bird of the month was found next day with a fine Stone Curlew roosting up amongst the ant-hills. This was the first Rainham record since October 1978.

Metropolitan Essex: Little Egrets were all over the area in March with at least 15 birds reported from seven sites with Mayesbrook and Harrow Lodge Parks being the most regular. Mayesbrook is being very well watched at the moment and is proving that a local patch can be worth the time and effort with excellent birds such as Water Rail, Peregrine, the first county Wheatear (11th), Brambling and female Goshawk (31st). Elsewhere winter did not really linger with a pair of Smew at Netherhall on 8th and a good scattering of Fieldfares (200 at Fairlop on 9th), Redwings and largely garden based Bramblings and Siskins. A garden in Wanstead also had two Mealy Redpolls amongst several Lessers. A Hawfinch graced another garden in Woodford Green on 22nd but did not linger. The same garden also briefly hosted the winters only Waxwing on 17th. The main migrant push was from 16th when there were Wheatears and Sand Martins at several sites along with two early House Martins at Dagenham Chase. The KGV reservoir held three Scoters on 27th and an early Yellow Wagtail with some Whites. The only Black Redstart was at Pages Farm on 22nd and 23rd. Other signs of movement included a Red Kite over the Ingrebourne Valley (30th), Water and Rock Pipits in the Lee Valley , four Kittiwakes at Walthamstow Reservoirs (25th) and a Short-eared Owl at Fairlop on 21st-22nd.

South-east Essex: After a fairly quiet winter is was good to get some divers in the Thames Estuary with all three species being seen off the Southend Pier and Gunners Park (9th and 21st). At least three Purple Sandpipers continued to roost at the end of the Pier and up to 20 Med Gulls were on patrol while Rossi the Ring-billed stayed at Westcliff till 21st. Strong winds on 16th did not bring much up river with 23 Gannet off Canvey being the highlight. The Paglesham Lagoon Long-tailed Duck was still present on 1st and at nearby Wallasea the Little Stint and Goosander continued to winter. A Pale-bellied Brent Goose was with 4000 Dark-bellieds on 11th and a male Hen Harrier was seen on 14th and 16th. Gull watching at Holehaven started to tail off but the Glaucous Gull was seen again on 4th when there were also three Caspians. The Glaucous Gull spent more time in March at Mucking where two were seen on 2nd with one till 22nd. Two Pomarine Skuas still patrolled the river and the Curlew Sandpiper continued to be seen up till 8th at least. Wat Tyler hosted a Marsh Harrier for most of March with three White-fronted Geese again being seen on 22nd. Wintering Spotted Redshanks and Greenshanks continued to be seen here. Two Short-eared Owls were regularly seen on Two Tree Island where a Spoonbill circled briefly on 14th. The first Wheatear was on Canvey on 15th with a scattering of Sand Martins after that time. Bramblings were reported in many gardens and parks.

Abberton Reservoir: The site's excellent year kept going with plenty of interest including a Tundra Bean Goose that joined the 22 White-fronts on 2nd and stayed till 30th, up to five Smew all month, 174 Goldeneye (1st), two Scaup (2nd), a new Black-throated Diver (15th-16th), up to six Scoter on 26th, a new summer plumaged Red-necked Grebe (from 26th), one Bittern till month end, three Black-necked Grebes (from 30th), Merlin (27th) and several Marsh Harriers, Buzzards and even a male Goshawk. Summer visitors included a male Garganey (from 26th), seven Avocet (25th), Little Ringed Plover (24th), all three hirundines, Black Redstart (24th) and White Wagtails. A Long-eared Owl on 8th was a good site bird.

East & North-east Essex: The Naze was well watched during March and there were several good days to be had with Long-tailed Duck, two Fulmars and Firecrest on 16th, Great Northern Diver and three Purple Sandpipers on 21st, Pomarine Skua and three Snow Buntings on 22nd, 12 Firescrest and an early Willow Warbler on 27th, Black Redstart on 29th and a pair of Ring Ouzel on 30th. Nearby Frinton was fairly quiet from a Seawatching point of view with just 18 White-fronted Geese (14th), a Puffin (18th), a Wheatear (20th) and 61 Kittiwakes (north on 21st). Similar fayre was to be had at Holland Haven with nine Snow Buntings (15th) and up to eight Purple Sandpipers (20th) reminding us of winter. Firecrest were first seen on 15th with four on 16th and three on 28th. A Black Redstart was seen on 16th and the first Wheatear was not found till 22nd. Elsewhere a Water Rail entertained in city centre Chelmsford early in the month and the Long-tailed Duck remained in the Colne off Alresford till at least 25th. The only Red Kite was one over Colchester on 9th. Buzzards were very active and like elsewhere there were many Bramblings in both urban and rural gardens. The Black Brant was seen again at Old Hall on 24th when Scaup and four Shag were also reported. The Maldon Black Brant was at Southey Creek on 9th with a Whimbrel at nearby Steeple the same day.

Hanningfield Reservoir: The five Long-tailed Ducks seem quite content with the fishing on the reservoir and were still present on 31st. Similarly two White-fronts lingered all month. The 7th saw a Slavonian Grebe and nine Goosanders on site and a White Wagtail by 15th. Sand Martins were present most days and Brambling could be found in the woods. A Caspian Gull was seen on 5th while 27th saw 32 Common Scoters for a short while. Only four were present next morning.

Bradwell Bird Observatory & The Dengie Peninsular : A fine male Hen Harrier was seen on 2nd and 27th and Marsh Harriers and Merlins were regular. Three Snow Buntings were seen on 23rd with a Tree Sparrow on 28th hinting at passage. Migrants were scarce but 17th saw a pair of Garganey and Black Redstart near the power station with two of the latter there on 26th. Seventeen Whimbrel on 30th were noteworthy for the early date.

February 2008

RSPB Rainham Marshes: It was an unseasonally sunny month with some fantastic spring like days on the reserve. With nothing like wintry weather there was little in the way of movement with duck numbers barely fluctuating and Lapwing numbers dropping off steadily as the days lengthened. Six White-fronted Geese visited on the 16th-17th on the back of the one spell of chilly easterlies and a Brent Goose stayed from 20th-22nd. The Golden Plover flock was occasionally up to 300 but more often 30 and about 150 Black-tailed Godwits still visited at high tide with a single Grey Plover and 30 Ringed Plover with them. Three Green Sandpipers are wintering on site and Snipe numbers leapt up in the last week with a high of 73 (and one Jack Snipe) on 25th. The Short-eared Owls have been quite reliable and Peregrines and Merlin sightings increased. A pair of the latter were seen tussling on 17th. Two Marsh Harriers were seen on 6th and 28th and a Buzzard went through on 14th. Gulls were ever popular with the Iceland Gull visiting sporadically and at least five Caspian, six Mediterranean and a Glaucous Gulls also being reported. The Thames was quiet except for a Red-throated Diver on 10th and several Great Crested Grebe sightings. Our feeders were still busy with finches and at least three Cetti's Warblers were stridently singing around the trail. Five Corn Buntings were again seen on the foreshore (17th) and both Water and Rock Pipits were relatively easy to find. The Black Redstart was again seen on the rubbish tip.

Metropolitan Essex: The Lee Valley was fairly quiet with no Essex Bitterns and only a few reports of the wintering Goosanders and Smew. The Girling Reservoir held 32 Black-necked Grebes (9th) – a new county record and the KGV Reservoir held Red-breasted Merganser the same day. A Caspian Gull at Walthamstow Reservoir on 6th was a new site bird while the male Smew and Red-crested Pochard continued to be seen at Connaught Water. A fine male Scaup was seen at Mayesbrook park in Dagenham on 8th and 10th and a Siberian Chiffchaff was seen the re on 10th and 13th. The Ingrebourne Valley still hosted a Bittern and many Cetti's Warblers and was a regular place (along with Cranham Marsh) to catch up with the local Ring-necked Parakeets. West Thurrock Marshes still held 22 Avocet and two Jack Snipe on 23rd as well as the first returning Oystercatchers. At least five Firecrest were in the Warley area with another in Chafford Hundred on 1st.

South-east Essex : Gulls, gulls, gulls……… Hole Haven Creek scooped at least 15 Caspian Gulls during the month along with many Meds, two Icelands (1st winter on 16th and 21st and adult on 27th) and two juvenile Glaucous Gulls (one from 8th onwards). The other was the wintering juvenile from Barling and Paglesham that was seen the re till 23rd and then at Hole Haven on 28th. Rossi the Ring-billed Gull strutted his stuff at Westcliff with up to ten Meds while the end of Southend Pier held over twenty more and at least three Purple Sandpipers. A Black-throated Diver was also seen off here on 22nd and 24th. Paglesham Lagoon still held the Long-tailed Duck and Scaup all month while the east end of Canvey held a Black redstart from 2nd and two Arctic Skuas and 50 Kittiwakes offshore on 3rd. East Tilbury also hosted skuas with a single Pomarine on 3rd and two on 11th. On the former date there were also six Kittiwakes and 500 each of Avocet and Black-tailed Godwit. The Curlew Sandpiper was seen again on 11th. Wat Tyler Cp had three White-fronted Geese on 21st and nearby RSPB Vange Marshes had Water Pipit 3rd and a Barn Owl. Nearby a Woodlark was heard singing over Corringham on 27th.The 6th saw a Red Kite over Hadleigh and male Hen Harrier was seen eating a Golden Plover on Wallasea on 2nd where the male Goosander was still pretending to be a Shelduck all month and 2000 Brent Geese were seen on 23rd.

Abberton Reservoir: Quieter than it has been but three Bitterns were still showing magnificently of an evening along with the seemingly resident Red-necked Grebe, four Smew and up to 40 Goosanders. A Black-throated Divere was reported again on 17th and White-fronted Geese peaked at 22 on 17th which stayed till at least 23rd. Several Med Gulls were seen in the roost. Two Treecreepers on 10th were the first for some years.

East & North-east Essex: The Stour was fairly quiet although A nice Water Pipit was at Cattawade on 23rd and a Black Brant was found in Hamford Water. Frinton logged 13 White-fronted Geese (1st), Fulmar and Gannet (9th) and two Great Northern Divers (11th) but there was no real passage. The 7th saw a flyover Lapland Bunting, Peregrine, two Buzzards and four Marsh Harriers out on Howlands Marsh and in general there were Buzzards visible all over the county. Eighteen Goosander were well inland in the Colne Valley at Rose Green on 16th and further out at least 500 Avocet are wintering along with a Long-tailed Duck. A Slavonain Grebe was also seen off Alresford on 24th. Great White Egret seen at Fingringhoe on 21st-22nd was presumably the individual see at RSPB Old Hall Marshes on 12th and Abbott's Hall on 13th. Mersea Island hosted a roost of at least seven Short-eared Owls, a ringtail Hen Harrier, wintering Black Redstart and two small flocks of Twite. The Blackwater went quiet in February with only nine Slavonian Grebes (and more often only two) on 6th and three Great Northern Divers. A Whimbrel was seen on 3rd. Old Hall hosted a Black Brant from 13th and a pair of Scaup, five Marsh Harriers, Merlin and 14 Spotted Redshanks on 28th with 160 Pintail on 16th being notable. Inland there wee a flurry of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker sightings and the finch flocks at Braxted yielded up to 100 Brambling, both Redpoll species (11th) and surprisingly a Lapland Bunting (17th) Two Hawfinches were seen in the main park and 17 Woodcock were flushed the re on 12th. A further 48 were pushed out of a wood at Greenstead in late January.

Hanningfield Reservoir: The five Long-tailed Ducks stayed all month but were often elusive and the reservoir now seems very prone to human disturbance. Two White-fronted Geese were seen on 4th and gull watching produced a Caspian Gull on 19th, 20th and 28th that had been seen at both RSPB Rainham Marshes and Hole Haven Creek. A male Goshawk was seen very well on 11th.

Bradwell Bird Observatory & The Dengie Peninsular : The 6th saw two Arctic Skuas at Blue House Farm and 11 Twite at Althorne where a White-fronted Goose lingered all month with the Greylags. Fourteen more were on Ramsey Marsh on 6th with Velvet Scoter and two Hen Harriers near the Observatory on 10th.

January 2008

RSPB Rainham Marshes: Our Christmas stars, the Barnacle Geese, stayed till 16th and attracted a steady stream of admirers before they headed east to Elmley in Kent . Two White-fronted Geese brightened up the 2nd when a sparkling, red-eyed Slavonian Grebe was found fishing on Aveley Pools. This was only the second record for the reserve. Strong winds brought several Kittiwakes, Little Gulls and a Goldeneye up the Thames . Lapwing increased quite dramatically and by 25th 3000 were shimmering black and white across the marshes with 500 Golden Plovers for company. Other waders included 30 Curlew, 410 Black-tailed Godwits, two Jack Snipe and a record 17 Knot. An Iceland Gull was found on the 3rd and visited sporadically till 26th. Four Caspian Gulls and a Ring-billed Gull (25th) completed a good gull month. Peregrines made frequent hunting sorties after waders and ducks and a female merlin made irregular appearances in pursuit of finches and pipits. At least three short-eared owls were holding winter territory on the silt lagoons. Stonechats were ever present and a black redstart, was seen along the newly opened section of the Riverside Path. Finches abounded with over 400 linnet finding plenty of seeds to keep them well fed while Flocks of green, gold and chaffinches congregated around the feeders near the visitor centre and reed and corn buntings could be found on the foreshore with three species of pipit and pied and grey wagtails. The mild weather prompted three male Cetti's warblers to explode into song and robins, song and mistle thrushes have all been proclaiming their spring intentions. Will we yet have a winter or will spring get there first?

Metropolitan Essex : There was little in the way of winter movement and winter duck were scarce. Weald Park had up to ten Goosander with several around Holyfield Lake and up to eight at Sewardstone. Belhus Woods CP, Seventy Acres Lake hosted three Smew apiece while Mayesbrook Park surprisingly hosted a pair on 3rd. Black-necked Grebes on the Girling Reservoir reached 29 on 6th and the KGV hosted a Red-breasted Merganser on 12th. There were no reports of wild geese and the only ones of interest were 11 Egyptians on Fishers Green Goosefield on 6th. There were no Bittern reports from the Essex sections of the Lee Valley and the Berwick Pond birds were seen infrequently. Little Egrets were reported from nine inland sites with up to four in Mayesbrook Park where a Water Pipit was much appreciated. Nine Lesser Redpolls visited some birch trees in Barking from 9th and there were several small Siskin flocks reported along with a handful of mostly garden Bramblings. A single Hawfinch was seen over South Woodford on 27th. Firecrests continued to be seen in the Warley Place area and another was in a garden in Hornchurch. Finally, 107 Magpies were counted going to roost in the Roding Valley NR on 13th.

South-east Essex : The Long-tailed Duck and Scaup stayed at Paglesham Lagoon till 26th at least and there were 22 Goldeneye there on 22nd. Wallasea Wetlands continued to hold a wintering Little Stint and the male Goosander and the 5th also held two male Hen Harriers and a Greenshank. A Merlin was seen there next day. Seawatching off Canvey Island produced a Pomarine and two Arctic Skuas on 26th while the Southend Pier on 27th hosted up to 25 Med Gulls, the same skuas and a Great Northern Diver. There was a huge count of 630 Turnstone roosting there on 13th when four Purple Sandpipers were also present. Things picked up at Holehaven eight Caspian Gulls on 5th and two more on 19th. Up to nine Yellow-legged Gulls were also present. Rossi the Ring-billed Gull was regularly on patrol at Westcliff. Up to 600 Avocets were reported at East Tilbury and Stanford and three White-fronts were seen at Wat Tyler CP on 14th. The Prittlebrook Siskins were stillpresnt with up to 20 being seen daily. Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers were noted at Hockley and Belfairs.

Abberton Reservoir: There were plenty of December leftovers with Red-necked Grebe all month and the two Black-throated Divers and Black-necked Grebe till mid-month. Smew reached eight and Goosander occasionally broke 50. A few White-fronted Geese were seen with up to eight lingering from 5th till at least 17th. Three Bitterns kept those prepared to wait happy at the west end all month and a fine adult Yellow-legged Gull came to bred with the other gulls. Both Shag and Brent Goose on 6th were notables for the reservoir and 542 Cormorants on 27th was the biggest January roost count ever. By the end of January several pairs were already incubating.

East & North-east Essex : The Blackwater continued to be good but the generally milder conditions precluded much change. Up to 13 Slavonian Grebes (15th), four Great Northern three Eider and single Long-tailed Duck were reported. Numbers of Shags increased with over 15 in the estuary. At Heybridge GP the seven Pink-feet stayed till 20th while the undra Bean Goose was seen at Loft's Farm with the Greylag flock on 14th. Two more Tundras wereover Tollesbury on 1st. The Brant was at Maldon on 1st and a Black-necked Grebe was on the pits on 6th. The Colne had a good month with up to 650 Avocet , Brant (29th) and Long-tailed Duck (13th). A Scaup was on pits near Brightlingsea (17th). Holland Haven, The Naze and Frinton were fairly quiet apart from 3rd when two Manx Shearwaters and a Fulmar were observed. The Haven regularly held two Purple Sandpipers and a Little Stint was seen on several dates. Five Snow Buntings were see at Jaywick (3rd) and on the 7th The Naze hosted 35 Twite, 2 Bewick's Swans and 10 Red-throated Divers. Further Twite were reported at Dovercourt with 16 on 24th and Mersea with 15 on 1st. The Island also hosted six Snow Buntings on 31st and a Black Redstart from 23rd on a building site. Up to seven Short-eared Owls have been seen hunting at Mersea Strood causeway. The Stour was also quite good in January with a boat trip on the 1st revealing a Black-necked Grebe (also seen on 22nd), four Scaup, four Slavonian Grebes, Black-throated Diver, Velvet Scoter and Black Brant! The new RSPB wetlands at Cattawade held 1500 Golden Plovers and two White-fronts on 30th. Inland there were several good finch and bunting spots including up to 60 Yellowhammer at Doddinghurst (4th) and 220 at Colne Engaine 17th) and 30 Brambling and a Hawfinch at Great Braxted Park.

Hanningfield Reservoir: Three female Long-tailed Ducks were found on 4th and by the next day there were five! They were still present toward the end of the month. Goosander reached 12 (6th) and a Whooper Swan was seen in 10th. Up to 100 Brambling were present on 6th with two White-fronted Geese the same day.

Bradwell Bird Observatory: Several Hen Harriers including two adult males were seen out on the Dengie and four Marsh Harriers and several Merlins, Peregrines, and Short-eared Owls made for a good spectacle. A flock of 41 Bramblings at Old Montsale Farm on 2nd was the biggest in the county and seven White-fronted Gees were seen at Althorne on 1st.

2007 Archives

2006 Archives

2005 Archives

2004 Archives