Paul Wood

Always nice when a hunch pays off… Bittern on the patch this morning (in the reeds at the west end of Golden Gates). #EssexBirding #ETilburyBirding

Spoonbill on the scrape at E Tilbury this morning (+ 3 Greenshanks, 2 Green Sands) #EssexBirding

Wood Sandpiper on the scrape at East Tilbury this morning. Also two Green Sands, 21 Redshank, five Blackwits, one Dunlin, 11 LRPs. Autumn is here… #EssexBirding

Grasshopper Warbler reeling at East Tilbury this morning #EssexBirding

2nd CY Little Gull on the scrape at East Tilbury this morning #EssexBirding

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E Tilbury: Quail singing in the meadow between the scrape and the fleet until at least 06:45 this morning (heard only). #EssexBirding

A presumed escape (although it appears to be unringed) male Ruddy Shelduck at E Tilbury this morning, on the tidal mud viewed from the seawall at the N end of the scrape #EssexBirding

A (presumably migrant) flock of five breeding plumage Black-necked Grebes on the Thames at East Tilbury was a bit of a surprise this morning (poor quality video due to distance and murky weather) #EssexBirding

A couple of record shots from East Tilbury on Saturday (12th April): a Grasshopper Warbler reeling in the SSSI and a Wheatear in the paddocks #EssexBirding

Cheers Paul

E Tilbury remained fog-bound for most of this morning, with just the two long-staying Cattle Egrets of note. A return visit for c95 mins up to sunset this afternoon somewhat better, with a male Hen Harrier, SE Owl, Barn Owl, 59 Corn Bunting #essexbirding

I assume pingers are scarce in Italy? I’ll swap you a couple for the Fudge Duck… 😉

East Tilbury this morning: the two long-staying Cattle Egrets (paddocks at Coalhouse Fort), a superb male Hen Harrier, two Kingfishers and four Bearded Tits were the highlights of a quiet WeBS count #essexbirding

Believe it or not, I went to Vange yesterday deliberately to look for the bird about 45 mins before high tide and located it within a few mins. I’ve noticed this behaviour with the larger tringas before, which is what prompted me to try

Paul, my guess is in the area the whole time; tidal creeks feeding when the tide is out; on Vange when the tide is in. I looked 15 Sep, tide out, no sign. 22 Sep, tide in, present, 6 Oct, tide in, present. This behaviour holds true for the C Redshanks and Spotshanks too…

A quick visit to Vange Marsh RSPB over high tide this afternoon: long-staying Lesser Yellowlegs still, plus 5 Spotshank, 4 Green Sand, 4 Ruff #essexbirding

Surprisingly the juv Wood Sandpiper was still on the scrape at East Tilbury this morning. (Also 2 juv Gannets flew upriver, 2 Green Sands and a juv Little Stint on the mudflats north of the scrape with Dunlin.) #essexbirding

A brief visit to Bowers Marsh RSPB this afternoon produced a “sign of the times”: GW Egret (7) outnumbered the combined total of Little Egret (2) and Grey Heron (4)… Also 3 Spoonbill, 138 Wigeon, 7 Pintail, 241 Blackwit and a single Ruff #essexbirding

A rather late juv Wood Sand on the scrape at East Tilbury this morning, plus singles of Green and Common Sand, Greenshank and Golden Plover; steady trickle of Swallows, House Martins, Meadow Pipits and three Yellow Wags over heading south #essexbirding

After no reports for several days, the Lesser Yellowlegs put in an appearance at Vange Marsh over high tide this afternoon #essexbirding