Nice end to the birding year at Wallsea Island

On sunday went out out toWallsea Island for my last days birding on lovely day birding even though at the moment you can only currently walk along the wall quite a few birds out on the estuary with a lots of Redshanks, Ringed Plovers, Dunlins and Lapwing feeding out on the mud. Furthern in and on the inner pools lots of Teal, Gadwall Wigeon and wildfowl with Meadow Pipits and Skylarks in the fields.

Reflecting Redshank

Walking back along the wall in the late afternoon the first of the raptor came in the form of a beautiful Barn which spent some time hunting before landing on a fence post about 50 foot behind a pair of birder who where looking the wrong way!! Further down the wall a Short-eared owl came in off the sea and one of the 6 that spent the rest of the evening hunting or fighting in the fields along with a Ring-tailed Hen harrier whicch flew through before a beatiful Sunset.

Hunting Barn Owl

Hunting SE Owl

Speedy Hen Harrier

Sunsetting

College Lake

A nice trip out to College Lake with the RSPB last weekend on a beautiful winter morning with plenty of Fieldfare and Redwing around along with selection of Finches. From the main lake a nice selection of ducks with Wigeon, Tufted and Gadwall in high number and over 10 Snipe feeding on the islands.

We then walked further round with more sighting of the winter thrushes along with a few Bullfinches, GreenWoodpecker and a big flock of linnet least 40 birds and a nice woolly bonus in the shape of the grazing sheep with a few hunting Kestrels over the grassland. Then walked around to the woodland hide where a nice selection of Tits and Chaffinches where feeding.

Feeding Redwings

One of many Fieldfares

Green Woodpecker briefly in the tree

The flock of sheep

Then ended the day at Wiltstone Reservoir where I came across an Dunlin which is quite unusual at this time of year feeding in with the ducks with a nice number of Teal and Wigeon looking stunning in the evening light.

Feeding Dunlin

Feeding teal

Calling Wigeon

Greylags flying through the sunlight

Wiltstone Sunset

Winter morning at Amwell

At the weekend had a nice morning at Amwell Gravel Pits started off with few robins calling while walking along the canal past the main pit where there when plenty of Blackbirds and Redwings feeding and sometimes coming down to drink before the path started to get busy but along of the main paths lucky enough to come across a Goldcrest feeding with a tit flock.

Robin in the winter sun

Redwing down to drink

Feeding Goldcrest

Then headed down to James Hide where i spent a lovely few hours in the hides seeing what was going about and was lucky enough to have a few of a Water Rail though fast! quite soon as i got into the hide. Also around the feeder were a nice Marsh Tit and some nice Reed Bunting and a nice flyover Sparrowhawk.

Water rail popping out

Sparrowhawk overhead

Marsh Tit by the feeder

Male reed bunting by the pool

Wilds of essex

On sunday a superday out with my local RSPB group to Tollesbury Wick on the coast of essex around the car park a nice Jay was showing well then walked up to the coastal wall where big flocks of Geese were flying in mainly Brent Geese then as we walked up we had some nice views of a Kingfisher and a few Little Egret on the shoreline with Skylarks singing around us. Further on we caught a view of a big wader group trying to keep dry as the tide was coming in with Grey Plovers, Gloden Plovers, Redshanks, Dunlins, Turnstone, Oystercatchers and Sanderlings in this group before the Golden Plovers moved onto into a nearby field a super spectacle.

On the Blackwater we had some views of Wigeon and Teal in the sunlight and were enough to find three Slavonian Grebes out in the water along with some Great Crested Grebes and a few shelducks. While the tide was coming in we managed to spot a Barn Owl hunting in the nearby field so had a few nice views of one of favourite british birds.

Waders Massing

Golden Plovers

Brent Goose

Ship out in the harbour

Then ended the day with a brief stop at the Causeway at Abberton Reservoir with the sight of Hundreds of starlings coming into roost a beautiful sight.

Sunset over the water

Starlings in the tree

Remember though who fought for us

With today the 100th anniversary of the start of the 1st World War a good time to remember the sacrifices that have been made by our armed forces in that time.

Last week paid a visit to the poppies around the Tower of London in memory of this event where there are laying a poppy of each victim of the war in the piece "Blood Swept Lands And Seas of Red" to remember the 888,246 who sadly lost their lives.

In Memory

Poppies by the tower of london

Fungi in Symondshyde wood

At the weekend had a nice walk in Symondshyde wood mainly to see what fungi was around plenty around with quite a few Bonnets species around with quite a few Rosy and Clustered Bonnets along with Bracket Fungi, Candle-snuff Fungus, Sulphur Tuft and a Fly Agaric which had gone past its best. Also around in the wood was a super hunting Sparrowhawk and a few Goldcrest in with roaming Tit and finch flock.

Rosy Bonnet

Clustered Bonnets

Sulphur Tuft

Not sure what it is but an unsual looking fungi