Sunday 26 April 2015

SBBOT trip to Minsmere

A 06:30 start from Sandwich Bay with visits to Abberton Reservoir Nature Reserve and then on to Fingringhoe Wick on Sunday, both in Essex, before the whole of Monday at Minsmere on the 20th. I was looking forward to seeing, and hopefully photographing some new species - especially some waders, maybe Little ringed plover, Greenshank, Common or Wood sandpiper, so expectations were high.
The first thing everyone noticed at Abberton were the huge swarms of flies, I think they were a species of Robber fly, but there were quite literally millions of them. As you walked through a swarm you could hear the high pitched whine of them flying, I was surprised they weren't being hoovered up by hirundines, perhaps they were unpalatable? They were completely harmless but you had to be careful not to swallow any or get them in your eyes.
Skylark at Abberton
I'm sure there are lots of interesting birds at the reserve but few were near enough to photograph. When you first arrive at a new reserve it is difficult to decide how best to go about it - especially as a photographer. The first hide, overlooking the reservoir, had nothing other than Mallard or Coot within 200m and nothing on the shore line. If time were unlimited it might be worthwhile sitting there for 4 hours in the hope something would turn up - but you could be missing something stunning elsewhere. My ploy was to visit each hide and area to see if anything was about and then choose where to spend most of my time. A Reed bunting was calling close to the path near the visitor centre which I took a few shots of on my way out and it was here I stopped for the last few minutes for better shots.
Reed bunting.
It took quite a while for the bird to climb high enough for a decent shot but it was always partially obscured by twigs and stems.
I didn't get any worthwhile shots from the hides but I spotted a pair of Yellow wagtail in the long grass - also near the first hide. They never really came out into the open (apart from a time I was photographing the Reed bunting and, unknown to me, the Yellow wag had landed on a plastic tree protector behind me, someone else on the trip got that photo). 
There was an extension to the main reservoir a couple of kilometers away from the visitor centre so my wife and I walked out to that. It was marginally more rewarding with Nightingales singing near the exit and another 2 pairs of Yellow wagtail en-route.

The extension to the reservoir was view-able from a road causeway called Layer Breton Hill, there were Common tern, Great crested Grebe, some hybrid ducks and geese and on the far side a heronry where several Little egret and Grey heron nests could be seen - at some distance.
Heron with 3 young.
Also visible from the causeway were two Cormorant colonies with nests in the trees - I'd always assumed they nested on cliff faces until I saw tree nesting bird in the Cotswold Water Park.
From here we were taken to Fingringhoe Wick, a lovely reserve on the banks of the River Colne (which empties into the North Sea near Brightlingsea). Scrub and woodland covered a lot of the reserve and it was criss-crossed with paths. A couple of hides overlooked the river and others a scrape and saltmarsh. But, like the morning, everything was quite a long way away. People reported some Black-tailed godwit in summer plumage but these were only picked up by scope on the far side of the river. It is a great place to see Nightingales, there were 26 territories reported, but I only saw one for a fraction of a second as it flew across the path. Blackcaps and Chiffchaff were quite common but apart from the Chiff below I didn't get any photos. It was unusual to see one on the ground.
We did just catch a glimpse of a Marsh harrier displaying, it folded its wings and dived, pulling out of the dive as it approached the ground, by the time we'd got to an area with full visibility it had stopped displaying and was flying away. It did eventually come back our way and was joined by another but they were a long way away, we saw a second pair even further away.
That was about it for the day and we were driven to our hotel ready for an early start in the morning.
20th April, Minsmere.
I'd been to Minsmere a few times before but many years ago, my memories of it were very good and parts of it seemed familiar. There was a Sand martin colony near the visitor centre and I did manage a few shots of one by a nest hole, a new photo tick for me.
A circuit of the West Scrape, visiting the 5 hides revealed very little in range, my memories of Avocet with chicks a few metres away were not replicated, everything seemed a long way off. I saw a Greenshank, reasonable numbers of Avocet, and Black-tailed godwit and a few Ringed plover but none really close enough.
Black-tailed godwit - heavily cropped!
A pair of Greylag geese with about 12 young were on one of the pools and for a change, they were close.

The only other really close encounter was a Sedge warbler which was singing away just the other side of a ditch, I was able to use a bush on my side to partially hide behind.

From the Bittern Hide there were some great views of Marsh harriers, the hide is on stilts and quite high giving the chance to view the birds at almost eye level. I had my best opportunity for some great shots but disappointingly they were poor (very poor!) Mostly out of focus and silhouetted, but apart from that...
We passed a cordoned off patch labelled 'Adder viewing area' but having read the information board about the most likely time to see them, we weren't hopefully. Having spent a few minutes peering into the long grass under bushes as advised and literally seconds after my wife said "I don't think we'll see any" she spotted a couple performing their mating courtship, necks extended intertwining with each other, I missed that - they were only visible for a few seconds, but then one moved off through the grass and I managed to get a snap.
With time running out I was keen to try to see a Dartford warbler, these were most likely to be found on Dunwich Heath just to the north of the actual reserve. It was going to be a ~3 mile round trip from where we were so we had to keep an eye on the time. Having never seen a Dartford warbler before I wasn't sure where to look  and despite scrutinising every bird and scanning the low gorse and heather bushes I didn't see any. I met a couple of people who had binoculars, so I assumed they were birders, and asked if they had seen any, they had seen 3 during their walk across the heath. As the woman told me this, she said "There's one now" and sure enough, although difficult to see against the still brown heathers, was my first Dartford warbler. I did take a few shots but they are not much more than a few pixels of warbler - ID-able from the photo but not worth showing here.
We made it back to the coach with a little time to spare and right next to the visitor centre I got my next photo tick, a Marsh tit, a frustrating little bird to photograph, there were a pair but neither stayed in the same place for much more than a second, every time I'd found it in my viewfinder, pressed the shutter to focus, they were somewhere else. I did get a couple of shots but definitely one to improve on.

Wednesday 22 April 2015

15th to 18nd April
15th.
The day started bright and sunny so I went to Sandwich Bay in the hope of finding something interesting to photograph, I did my usual slow drive along Golf Road, I can nearly always find Grey partridge doing this but often they are too far from the road to photograph as was the case today. I have become quite adept at keeping an eye out for other vehicles (in front and behind) and pulling over to allow them to pass so I can continue my slow crawl along. I could walk it but the birds seem far less concerned by a car than a person walking and this has given me some great opportunities for shots at quite close range.
I did park up and walk around the large gorse patch roughly halfway along, a Whitethroat was singing but the sun was behind it so I couldn't get a shot. The Linnet (below) however was lit perfectly but I couldn't get any closer because of the density of the gorse bushes. I just love the coconut smell of the flowering gorse - and it looks great in photos!
The Scrape was devoid of pretty much anything but Coots and a few distant ducks so I spent half an hour wandering around the Elms chasing what seemed like ghosts - the Blackcaps were there in reasonable numbers but melted away whenever I got close. Perseverance paid off in the end and I did get a few shots of both the male and female. I'm fairly sure that if I had time, standing quietly in a good spot and waiting until they came to me would pay off but it is difficult to do that when you can hear them singing  somewhere else.


In the afternoon I was visiting my mother but took a circuitous route via Ickham and Littlebourne to see if the Grey wagtails were around. I didn't see them anywhere but a Red kite drifted overhead, I couldn't resist firing a few shots but it was obviously too far away for anything other than a record shot.
16th. A day out at Lullingstone Roman villa near Eynsford, somewhere I'd promised to take my wife for ages, ideally it should be combined with a visit to The World Garden at the Castle, but that wasn't yet open this season. We'd barely got out of Eastry when I spotted a Crow mobbing a Red kite, normally there is nowhere to stop when I see something like this but I was on a little country lane and luckily there was an area I could pull the car off the road. I leapt out of the car with my camera zoomed in on the birds as the red 'low battery' flashed its last and the camera turned itself off. Life! I grabbed another battery but the birds were now a way off, I was thinking I may have to pursue them in the car when they headed back my way. I got a few shots, a couple on my Flickr site and this one.
I'd assumed the Crow was just mobbing the Kite but when I saw the photos on the computer I could see the Kite had something held in it's claws, it is difficult to make out what but it could have been a Crow chick?
Five miles further on near Adisham, I passed a Mistle thrush on an area of grass, we drove within 5 feet of it and it didn't pay any attention. They are normally very wary so this was an opportunity not to be missed. I opened the window and took some shots but the sun was in the wrong direction (or, more acurately, I was in the wrong direction to the sun). The piece of grass forms a triangle between three roads so I was able to drive around and get on the right side, just in time for a few frames before the thrush flew away with it's worm catch.
A brief word about the area where Lullingstone Roman villa is situated. It is in the Darent Valley within the surprisingly rural M26/M25/M20 triangle, the nearest village is Eynsford which is a pretty little place on the river with a small stone bridge for light traffic, lorries and coaches have to use the ford next to the bridge. When you consider that Eynsford is less than 3 miles as the crow flies, from Swanley or 5 from Orpington or Dartford, it is an amazing oasis of tranquility. I suspect the area would provide good birding along the river and in the nearby woodland although we didn't see much during our time there worth mentioning apart from a pair of Grey Wagtails near the castle, 
Eynford village and the river Darent.
17th and 18th. Staying local I ended up at the Bay again, more of the usual suspects with the exception of a Snipe in the 'Water rail' corner of the Scrape. The Chiffchaff was calling in the Elms (I say 'the' Chiffchaff as it appears to be the same one, it has a tuft of unruly feathers on its right side just above the wing, see photo below). The great thing about chiffs is that they tend to call from exposed branches and as the leaves aren't properly out yet you can often get a clear view.
Snipe on the Scrape
The Chiffchaff with extra feathers, in the Elms
A Wren was singing loudly from a very photogenic perch and I caught a Grey partridge that had ventured close to the road and the warm weather had brought out some Speckled wood butterflies in the Elms.


We're off to Minsmere on the 19th so hopefully a few different species to report next time.


Wednesday 15 April 2015

7th to 14th April.
With visitors at home over Easter I didn't manage to get out much but seem to have made up for it over the following week. On the 7th it was bright and sunny and I stopped off at the Scrape on Sandwich Bay. Just by the gateway a Wren was singing lustily from a post and I was able to get a few shots. I'd not seen a Wren display before but a couple of times it raised its wings as if in flight, still singing, but going nowhere.
 
The Scrape held the usual suspects, a few Teal remained, Little grebes, Shoveler, Coots, Tufted duck etc. 7 or 8 Mute swan flew in but just like I'd witnessed a few days earlier, one of the males systematically chased off all the others bar one. Having cleared the Scrape of things to attack, the two remaining swans swam around happily for a while. A lapwing flew its amazing display flight and then landed right in front of the hide.
 A brief visit to the Elms produced a Firecrest and Chiffchaff, although I was very close to the Firecrest, the light was poor and the photos rather disappointing.
As it was such a bright day I returned in the late afternoon for one last attempt at the Short-eared owl in flight. I nearly missed it, it started flying around just after 5pm and didn't hang around very long. I did get a couple of usable photos.
Wednesday 8th. A trip to Rye with my wife and mother in law was a good excuse for me to visit Rye Harbour while they shopped and lunched. I'd have been better off joining them really. I saw only 1 Mediterranean gull, the Sandwich terns were there in reasonably numbers but either too fast or too distant for any decent shots with my little camera. I spent ages trying for a flight shot but all were failures and the photos of the colony on the beach were rendered pretty much unusable by a heat haze off the pebbles and the distance of the birds. I did see a Ruff and some Ringed plover but again they were a little too far away for good quality shots.
My best photos came from a pair of very confiding Linnet in the scrub to the north of the reserve. I did the usual trick of taking a few shots from the point they were first within range then taking a few steps towards them and firing off a few more shots, repeating this technique until they fly off or I can get the shot I'd ideally like. The camera is capable of great detail in the right conditions, see below. The birds remained, I took some like this and then backed away. 

Thursday 9th. Combining a visit to my mother and a birding trip isn't always easy but I'd heard reports of Grey wagtail along the Nailbourne at Littlebourne and I could stop off there on my way. I had seen a couple of pairs (or the same pair displaced by ~1Km) a few days earlier but the pair I was going after had been seen at a different location on several days. I couldn't have asked for much better, I found the spot, the two birds were there and posed nicely on various branches over or obstacle in the river. 
Friday 10th, - much like Wednesday, I offered to chauffeur, this time for a trip to see the delights of Broadstairs. I went on to Foreness Point which proved a bit of a disappointment. A few Linnet were on the grassed area but other than that very little. A pair of Fulmar were resting on a ledge on the cliff face but appear not to have moved since I last photographed them a couple of weeks ago. I did stand and watch a Dunnock singing away and House sparrows collect twigs off a shrub for nesting material presumably.
With it being so quiet on the cliff top I decided to visit Margate cemetery, possibly an unlikely spot for birding but these large town cemeteries can be quite rewarding, lots of established trees, relatively quiet areas in an otherwise busy built up area. Unfortunately that wasn't the case today - there was very little here either. A few Ring-necked parakeets destroying the flower buds and blossom of the trees, and a couple of wary Jays.
Click on images for larger view.
While I'd been on the cliff top I'd seen another photographer wandering around, our paths never crossed but it was fairly obvious he was after birds as well. At the cemetery an hour or so later I saw what appeared to be the same man with a camera. This time our paths did cross and I asked if he'd been at Foreness, he had, mystery solved - it turned out to be Tom Webzell, someone I'd been following on Flickr almost since I'd started bird photography, but up until this point had never met.
Sunday 12th 4 Shelduck were on the Scrape, a Chiffchaff in the Elms and Grey partridges in the fields between the Chequers pub and Cinque ports golf club.

 

Not exactly well camouflaged!

Monday 13th. As it was a bright afternoon I decided to have one more look for the Short-eared owls. While I was waiting to see if they appeared I noticed 3 Wheatear in the turf field near Dickson's Corner. I stood at the fence and took a few distant shots, there were 2 males and a female. There was no sign of the owls so I decided to sit down in the turf field to see if the Wheatear would get any nearer. Over a period of time they became quite inquisitive and first a male then the female started to gradually approach. I was taking shots with each meter they got nearer. At one point the female was within about 10 m, I'd taken a couple of shots and then some guys on motorbikes drove past, the bird didn't take much notice of the engine noise and I sat motionless hoping it would remain. Then one of the clowns on a motorbike blasted his horn - it was obvious it had been done to disturb whatever it was I was trying to photograph, unfortunately with great success, the bird flew off. Thanks!
I nearly quit at that point, I'd not taken a coat as I hadn't expected to be sat quietly in a field, I was pretty cold and my fingers were getting numb, but I sat a little longer and the birds began their slow progress towards me again. I was really pleased I stayed, some of the closest shots of a Wheatear I've managed.



A trip to the woods near Nonington on the Tuesday 14th to collect a few wild garlic leaves (Ransoms) which my wife was going to make into a version of pesto (we've not tried it yet but it came recommended), soon saw me distracted when a Goldcrest started flitting about just above my head. There are often excuses, and this time is no exception, the angle of the light was poor and the Goldcrest was - as anyone who has seen them will know - constantly on the move. Being such a small bird and flitting about so much, I was finding it nearly impossible to get the camera to focus on it. A couple of times it revealed just how bright it's crest is but I failed to get the shots. There were a couple of shots that showed how close it was but they aren't very good. 3 buzzards circled on the thermals, they were a bit far away but I couldn't help but have a go, again, not very good!



A slightly easier target was a Small tortoiseshell which was feeding on dandelion flowers, with the warm sun on my back it could have been summer.