The 'patch list'

Yesterday afternoon I took a walk out to Manor Farm and the fishing lake there, spotting a pair of courting Great Crested Grebes on the lake and a pair of Pochard nearby, a species I'd not seen here before. I thought about this and decided I would start keeping a list of the birds I'd seen in this area, so thought about how to define a 'patch' for the list. Since I regularly walk across the Baddow Meads into Chelmsford town and also over the Baddow Meads and across Manor Farm to Sandford lock it seemed a good idea to include both of those so my local patch follows the river from the town centre (the Meadows shopping centre and High Bridge Road) eastwards to the A12 bypass road bridge and includes the meadows, paddocks and the fields of Manor Farm to the north and south of the river. This gives a reasonable sized area, about two miles long and at the widest about three quarters of a mile across, but still one which is easily covered.

I've been watching wildlife in this area for a couple of years, although some parts I've only started walking in the last few months after some exploration of paths I'd not previously looked at. I intend to add an insect (mostly Dragonflies and Butterflies) list this year too, I watched those a lot last year and it seemed a very good area for both - although further along the river at Little Baddow there are even better pickings with dragonflies like the Scarce Chaser to be seen! In terms of mammals I've not seen that many but they are tricky to see during the day and I have found signs. The ones I know are:

Mink
Rabbit
Grey Squirrel
Bat (low over the river - Daubenton's I think)
Badger (footprints and faeces)
Muntjac (footprints)
Mole (lots of hills!)
Otter (footprints and suspected spraint)
Fox (faeces)

The birds I have seen in this area include:

1. Blue Tit
2. Black-headed Gull
3. Blackbird
4. Blackcap
5. Bullfinch
6. Canada Goose
7. Carrion Crow
8. Chaffinch
9. Chiffchaff
10. Collared Dove
11. Common Gull
12. Common Tern
13. Coot
14. Cormorant
15. Cuckoo
16. Dunnock
17. Feral Pigeon / Rock Dove
18. Fieldfare
19. Gadwall
20. Goldcrest
21. Goldfinch
22. Goosander
23. Great Crested Grebe
24. Great Spotted Woodpecker
25. Great Tit
26. Green Woodpecker
27. Greenfinch
28. Grey Heron
29. Grey Wagtail
30. Herring Gull
31. House Martin
32. House Sparrow
33. Jack Snipe
34. Jackdaw
35. Jay
36. Kestrel
37. Kingfisher
38. Lapwing
39. Lesser Black-backed Gull
40. Lesser Whitethroat
41. Little Egret
42. Little Grebe
43. Long-tailed Tit
44. Magpie
45. Mallard
46. Meadow Pipit
47. Mistle Thrush
48. Moorhen
49. Mute Swan
50. Pheasant
51. Pied Wagtail
52. Pochard
53. Red-crested Pochard
54. Red-legged Partridge
55. Redwing
56. Reed Bunting
57. Reed Warbler
58. Robin
59. Sedge Warbler
60. Skylark
61. Snipe
62. Song Thrush
63. Sparrowhawk
64. Starling
65. Stonechat
66. Swallow
67. Swift
68. Tufted Duck
69. Water Rail
70. Whitethroat
71. Wigeon
72. Willow Warbler
73. Woodpigeon
74. Wren
75. Yellowhammer

The Naze beckons

When I was a kid each summer my parents would take my brother and I to Walton-on-the-Naze on the train for a day trip, unable to afford to travel further afield and my father not one for travelling. It suited us well though and I have very happy memories of those days, playing on the beach, shooting electronic aliens in the arcade on the pier and munching warm doughnuts on the train home. I return occasionally to that seaside town of my youth, although I'd last visited some years ago during a heatwave and although I saw my first ever Oystercatcher at the Naze I returned looking like a lobster!

A fine day was promised for the 28th of February, coinciding with a promising tide. Having read a little about the good birdwatching on offer at the Naze in winter and after seeing a photograph of Snow Buntings on the beach I decided that I should really make a trip while the winter birds were still around. I rose early and walked the two miles into town to catch the 6:39am train, waiting on the platform ith a cup of black coffee from one of those chain coffee shops, trying not to fall asleep on the bench. At Thorpe-le-Soken I waited for the Walton train and spent the time watching Jackdaws flocking, always a great sight and sound to hear. I pulled into Walton just before 8am and headed out to the overlook to get a first view of the sea and the pier, a tradition I keep whenever I visit. I headed down to the promenade and dug out my binoculars to scan the pier and nearby breakwaters. Lots of gulls but also a single Turnstone out on the breakwater, a species I wanted a close view (and maybe photograph) of since I'd missed out on getting good views at Southend in the autumn.

Walking to the end of the pier was not possible as work was being done halfway out so it was closed, pigeons and a Blackbird being all I saw there, but walking north along the promenade I found a group of young Herring Gulls on the seawall with a few Turnstones amongst them and I managed to carefully approach one of the Turnstones, getting a photo from around 10 feet away. Happy that I'd got what I hoped for I walked on past the swampy grass of Bathurst Meadow that was full of Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls and turned away from the coast along Hall Lane. At the north end I found the entrance to the footpath looping around the Naze, a nose-shaped outcrop surrounded silty channels, saltmarsh and crumbling cliffs. Negotiating the quagmire at the western end and watching tame Blackbirds and Robins (always a delight no matter how much I see them) I came to the earthen sea wall that surrounds the Naze. To the east the channels and muddy islands in the distance were scattered with birds, Shelducks on the near banks, gulls and other indistinct flocks on the islands. I saw a large flock of Avocets wheeling in the sky over one of the far channels and overhead a flock of Golden Plover flew south-west high over the water. Brent Geese and Redshanks bathed in the large puddles gathered in the fields and on the watery ditches I could see lots of Greylag Geese, Teal, Gadwall, Mallard and large numbers of Coots.

As I turned eastwards the saltmarsh spread out from the sea wall. I could see Redshanks dotted here and there, Shelduck flying overhead and landing in the inlets, Grey Plovers sleeping on the edge of the marsh and Curlews crying their mournful calls into the sky. The sky was grey, occasional glimpses of brightness appearing but quite gloomy... not how I'd thought the weather would be. As I reached the eastern edge of the Naze and turned to head back along the clifftop to the Naze Tower I noticed a few birds down on the beach so I walked over and saw a group of Sanderlings, a wading bird I'd not seen before! I followed them as they foraged amongst the surf and spotted a favourite, a Ringed Plover amongst them. When a heavy wave forced them into the air and the flew off to the north I turned around prepared to climb back up to the path but noticed that now the tide was retreating it was exposing enough beach to walk back that way, something I'd actually never done.

I only walked a short way before the skies cleared and in the warm sunshine I found myself amongst a great gathering of Turnstones, Sanderlings and Dunlin, all feeding on the newly exposed foreshore. I'd seen lots of birds gathered like this at Hunstanton but not close up, yet by kneeling down a little way off and letting them come to me as they worked along the beach I got to within 20 or 30 feet of the Sanderlings and the Turnstones were practically feeding at my feet! I snapped away as the birds fed furiously, mindful to keep my distance from the waterline so that they could pass in front of me without distress, and then noticed a new bird - at least three Purple Sandpipers! One approached and wandered about on the clay boulders feeding busily near where I stood, peering into little pools and pecking at morsels. Further on more Ringed Plovers were feeding and a Grey Plover stood grumpily amongst the fast little Sanderlings before flying off northwards. Everywhere I looked gulls were flying overhead, standing on the beach and floating out on the water but I couldn't identify many - gulls are still a bit of a mystery to me.

At the end of the cliffs I passed the fallen wartime pillboxes and climbed the stairs to walk along the concrete wall south back to Walton, stopping to eat my lunch on the beach steps, throwing the odd lump of bread to the gulls on the beach. Back at the pier I paused to look at the new wind turbines being constructed off-shore on the Gunfleet Sands, took a few photos and then turned away from the sea to catch the train back home.

Purple Sandpiper

Jacks and Crests abound!

On Thursday last week I walked across the Baddow Meads into Chelmsford and found the area around the road bridge to Chelmer Village stuffed with Reed Buntings, Meadow Pipits, Redwings, Fieldfares, Magpies and Starlings. Heading away from town the ground was still covered with snow but the grass here closer to town was mostly clear and so the birds had gathered in large numbers to take advantage of it. The town parks were also full of Redwings, even in the busier areas which these shy birds might otherwise avoid.

Not so much around on the Baddow Meads on Sunday morning after the general thaw, it was pretty quiet there really although I disturbed two Jack Snipe near the road bridge! The first time I've seen those and since I'd seen Snipe in the same area recently too (which had also been first sightings for me) I was pretty pleased to see them here. When I got home I had to look up Jack Snipe in my Collins Bird Guide and then check photos on flickr of them flying to be sure though. It's still possible they were something else, I know my limits with ID, but I'm pretty confident they were Jacks. Certainly not more Snipe - the bill was long, but quite a bit shorter than the Snipe I'd seen there recently, which had amazingly long bills compared to their bodies!

A few Redwings in the trees by the road bridge, nothing like the huge numbers I saw there earlier in the week though. At Springfield Lock I saw there were still a fair number of Tufted Ducks, lots of BH Gulls, Moorhens and Coots, a Cormorant, a number of Little Grebes and, sitting on some low branches nearby, a Little Egret. I spent a little time attempting some recordings on my camcorder (the breeze really shook my dodgy cheap tripod and it was difficult to use it to line up the shots - should have taken my big manfrotto really). Saw a female Goosander but she didn't stay long - there were a lot of canoeists using the river (there's a canoe club nearby) so the birds were rather disturbed.

I walked on up to the automatic sluice, passing a Reed Bunting in a bush and crossing the river at the Essex Record Office and then walking back down to Springfield Lock along the little stub of the canal, still frozen over. I stopped on the bridge there to watch the Little Grebes (looking down on the river from the other side from where I watched the Tufted Ducks/Little Egret...) then walked on along the footpath to Chelmer Village, spotting a Fieldfare flying overhead as I crossed the rough grass. In the middle of the area some trees and bushes held a number of Blackbirds, a female Chaffinch and House Sparrow both wet from bathing, a male Chaffinch and some Magpies.

Through the tunnel under the main road, I spotted a Sparrowhawk flying over the retail park. Then, turning off at the Harvester down Mill Vue Road, I passed Barnes Mill and took the footpath through the horse paddocks ("Morning lads!") to the river and continued east beside the river to Sandford Lock, a Grey Heron standing in the fields off to the south and lots of Great and Blue Tits in the Willows. I could see Cormorants and Gulls flying over the fishing lake at Manor Farm off to the south and decided to head there. I crossed the little footbridge to Sandford Mill Road and took the footpath on the right past the cottages that leads to Manor Farm and the little reservoir there. The reservoir was iced over but I saw a bird fly across to a willow, just a glimpse but it really looked very much like a Kingfisher. Unlikely given the ice and that I've not seen any around Chelmsford for a few months but it did really give the impression of one... very intriguing!

I saw a Wren in the trees as I circled the reservoir, this spot is a favoured territory I think as I often see Wrens in this little area, but otherwise very quiet, no Yellowhammers today. Great to see the tiny Wren had survived the cold though. As I walked along the farm track across the field from the fishing lake I could see sixteen Cormorants at the far bank, many holding out their wings in the sunshine. On the near bank a number of Gadwall were feeding on the field edge, a male Wigeon amongst them (first one I've seen in the local area). Also on and around the lake I could see lots of Coots, Moorhens, BH Gulls, some Tufted Ducks, a Grey Heron, a Little Egret and a pair of Red Crested Pochard! I only recently saw some captive Red Crested Pochards on the wildfowl pond at Blakeney quay but had never seen them in the wild before. I had to take some shaky footage on my camcorder to check at home since they were so far away and having watched it: yes, definitely Red Cresteds!

There were lots of gulls gathered on a nearby field but those were the last birds I really saw on the walk... I headed home very pleased indeed - two lifers and three new species I'd not seen around Chelmsford before.

Catching up - snow brings in the birds

I haven't posted for ages even though I've had quite a lot to write about, I got out of the habit unfortunately. I need to sit down and write up some entries for the trip I took to north Norfolk at the start of December - that was pretty special and you'll have to excuse me if I write quite a bit about that as I saw a lot that I'd not seen before, especially large flocks!

So what's been happening around here? Well, the cold weather around Christmas and New Year brought a lot of new activity to Chelmsford and I have found plenty going on around the Baddow Meads floodmeadow. Lots of Stonechats had moved to the river here and on the meadows some big flocks of Starlings, Redwings, Meadow Pipits, Reed Buntings, Fieldfares were about, plus I had quite a lot of sightings of Grey Herons, Cormorants and Little Egrets too. During the snowy period recently I also had Redwings visiting my garden for the first time, coming in to feed on ivy berries. The parks and riverside trees in town have been alive with winter thrushes, as have the local orchards. Redwings, Fieldfares, Blackbirds, Mistle and Song Thrushes have all been very visible while snow was on the ground, but they are dispersing now that the weather is warmer again.

On the 19th of December I saw a Snipe flying over the Baddow Meads, a first for me and rather exciting to see, plus there have been varying numbers of Goosander at Central Park and at Springfield Lock, the greatest number I saw was at the Lock on the 7th of January when there were 27! Have also seen Gadwall and Tufted Ducks around Springfield Lock too, I've only ever seen Gadwall in Norfolk before so great to see them in the local area.

On Friday I went along with a work party for the BTVC to do some voluntary work at Galleywood Common. Six of us spent the day removing gorse that is smothering the heather heathland, an extremely rare habitat in Essex now. There's a vast amount of work still to do there and some gorse had already been cleared too but we made a fair impression. We didn't see much wildlife during the day but we did find a Pigmy Shrew running around in the gorse, the first time I've seen one alive! It was very satisfying to give back something to a place I've spent a reasonable amount of time wandering around, although I'm certainly paying for it in aching muscles!

To Southend at last!

On Tuesday I went to Southend and met up with Dave, a birdwatcher/photographer I'd been talking to on flickr for a while. He's been visiting Southend and photographing lots of birds I wanted to see, such as Turnstones and Plovers of different kinds so he offered to show me around. The day started not very promisingly with a dense layer of fog covering much of south Essex, but we were hopeful that once the the day warmed up a little it might burn off.

We met at the sea-front and took the first train to the end of the pier, hoping we might see the groups of Turnstones there that Dave had seen but unfortunately it was low tide and they were all out on the mudflats. We saw Oystercatchers flying about and Cormorants out on the water and off to the south-east a trio of Brent Geese flying low above the waves. A few pigeons perched on the railings and a young Mediterranean Gull sat on some wooden posts nearby alongside a juvenile Great Black Backed Gull. Taking the train back we could see the water was extremely shallow after spotting a Grey Heron sitting motionless half a mile out from the beach, then we saw lots of waders out on the muds - Redshank, Oystercatchers and then a Curlew, the first I'd ever seen and a bird I really had wanted to find!

Mediterranean Gull on Southend Pier

Back at the sea-front we left the pier and went down to the sea wall on the east side of the pier, pausing to watch a Pied Wagtail on the road and a small huddle of Little Egrets in a pool on the beach. When they flew away we went out to the wall and looked out at a mass of waders in the distance, lots of Dunlin amongst the birds we'd spotted from the train and out to the south-east a second Curlew probing the mud with it's long curving bill. We took some photographs, difficult at such distances and on such a dull grey day but at least by now the fog had lifted from this side of the estuary, although we could see the Kent coast was still shrouded.

We left the beach and collected Dave's car, driving west to Leigh-on-Sea where we hoped to find more Brent Geese. We were not disappointed as when we arrived at the small quay at the eastern end of Leigh we saw a large group of geese on the exposed muds and amongst them lots of Black-tailed Godwits! I'd seen Godwits at Cley before but only off in the distance - these were far closer and so I could much more easily see their back tails as they probed the mud. We settled down to take photographs and as I did so I watched the occasional little scuffles between the geese as they fed. A few Redshank were dotted here and there and in a creek near the quay a few gulls lurked, keeping out of the cold breeze perhaps. I could hear a Curlew calling just off near the beach so we packed up and moved on there, photographing a lone Brent Goose that was striding across the beach. Looking out to the estuary I could see a Little Egret standing hunched on the mud, more Godwits and a Curlew beyond and more Brent Geese out in the distance, perhaps not the thousands some had seen recently but plenty for my tastes.

We headed back to the car and after a bite to eat drove on past Leigh train station to Two Tree Island. Leaving the car we could see lots of small birds in the scrub around us, Robins and Wrens and more, and we struck off west towards the lagoon at the far side of the island. We passed a group of trees full of Chaffinches and Linnets and watched some Teal and a Curlew down in the creek to our right, closer than the others we'd seen so I paused to photograph it but retreated carefully when it looked like it was uncomfortable with my presence. At the lagoon we could see a good sized gathering of Wigeon and nearby Teal and Avocets scattered amongst the islands. We headed for the hide and settled down inside as a light shower began.

We sat for a while watching the birds and saw a few Redshank amongst the Teal, another solitary Little Egret at the far end of the lagoon and a male Shoveler asleep in the shallows. A Curlew called out beyond the sea wall the Avocets filled the air with their piping calls as they fed nearby. The rain became heavier for a time and then as it eased Dave suggested I might want to check out the other hide nearby looking out over the estuary, so I gathered up my binoculars and camera and headed along the path there. I stopped as a small dark animal crept out from the undergrowth ahead, paused on the path and then disappeared into a thicket on the other side of the track. I was too far away to be sure but it seems likely it was an American Mink, watching some videos on the internet their movements certainly appears consistent with what I saw.

I entered the other hide and lifted the flap, immediately seeing a flicker of movement in the marshy plants as 'something' disappeared along an overgrown channel. I thought it probably was another Redhank as when I sat down and looked about I could see a Redshank feeding nearby, a few Shelduck out on the estuary and off in the far distance groups of more birds, way too distant to make out. I watched a Robin hopping around the weeds nearby and then saw the movement in that channel again. I got my binoculars on it and slowly, very gingerly into view crept a Water Rail! I quickly grabbed my camera and took some photos, struggling at such a distance in the dingy light but managed somehow to get some shots. I rang Dave in the other hide (we were the only ones there and he asked me to if I saw anything good) to let him know and he was really pleased but since he had only the other day seen one well at another reserve (I'd seen the pics, it was a great view he got!) he stayed where he was to carry on counting the birds at the lagoon.

After a minute or two the Rail moved back into the channel and disappeared, and after a few more minutes I did so too, heading back to the lagoon hide. I could see a Blackbird and a Dunnock on the path ahead and as I went to raise my binoculars a Sparrowhawk swooped down over my shoulder and flew really low along the path, scattering the terrified birds and then banking around the lagoon hide and out of sight. Dashing to the hide Dave said he'd seen it come in fast and low, buzzing across the water before disappearing over the bank. Pretty cool!

We chatted with another birdwatcher that came to the hide as we packed up and then headed back to the carpark before Dave very kindly gave me a lift back to Chelmsford. Dave was rather miffed that we'd not seen the Turnstones on the pier (which are very tame!) and the big flocks of plovers that would have been at the lagoon at high tide but coming away having seen at least four species of bird I'd not seen before and with photos of a Water Rail I was really pleased! Even without those it was a great trip to scout out the area and see what was around, I'll certainly be back another day when the weather is better, hopefully catching the high tide and those flocks!

Brent Goose at Leigh-on-sea

Stonechats and Divers

I walked into Chelmsford town centre to try to see the Red-throated Diver again yesterday, was a sunny morning this time and I walked across the Baddow Meads water-meadow and along the river Chelmer. I saw some Reed Buntings and some unidentified small birds flying overhead (just silhouettes), then I spotted a group of little birds fly across from the other side of the river to some reeds on the near bank. I assumed they were more Buntings but when I got my bins on them I found they were Stonechats! I was thrilled when I saw one the other week so to see three or four was brilliant. I couldn't get very close to them but I stalked as close as possible and took some very distant photos, pretty low detail but considering how far I was one or two were surprisingly good.

Just past the Stonechats I disturbed a small group of Little Grebes, which I watched for a bit after I'd moved off a little way, then at the road bridge a group of Mute Swans came flying downstream, flying really close to where I stood. It was very impressive as you certainly get a better idea of the sheer size of these birds when they fly close to you!

Past the bridge I found another small group of Little Grebes and a Cormorant fishing in the river, then off in the meadow a fair sized group of Magpies feeding on the ground, seven or eight that I could see. Lots of little birds in the trees as I approached the town, Robins and Dunnocks and Wrens, and in the water the Moorhens and Coots with a good crop of young Moorhens there. I went through town to Central Park and at the lake saw the Grey Wagtail bobbing around the bank, then at the far end spotted the Red-throated Diver still here, accompanied by a small group of birders.

I took some photos of the Diver as it moved around the lake before resting near the large paved bank section, where it stopped and had a little preen before taking a nap right in front of us! Very cool. I chatted with the birders a little and then packed my gear and headed off to do some shopping but then decided to head back along the river again, passing the Little Grebes and then past the road bridge watching a Kestrel hunting for some time, hovering over the meadow and perching in a dead tree before zooming off and landing some way off. I didn't see it come back up although I watched for a little while, I assume it caught something or flew off when I glanced away and I missed it so I picked up my shopping bag and tromped along the meadow path home.

Stonechat beside the Chelmer

Diving with a red throat

A tip-off from a friend on flickr led me to walk to Central Park in Chelmsford this morning where a Red-throated Diver had been seen at the weekend. Initially I thought it was not here and had already prepared myself that it was unlikely to still be around but when I reached the paved bank section I found the bird was there, and only a few metres away calmly preening! I set up my camera and tripod and spent some time photographing the Diver and when it moved on I followed it and bumped into snapper1966, the guy that had told me about the bird. We followed it around the lake, spotting a Kingfisher along the way and taking a few photos of it as it hid in the depths of a Willow. We also met another birdwatcher who'd come to see the Diver and chatted for a while before parting, when I headed off home to check out the photos.

Red-throated Diver