Mid week birding

Myself and Mo travel to the other end of Essex today to catch up with a couple of tart ticks for Mo (though he claims not to be a twitcher!).

First stop Abberton Reservoir, a scour around we pick up 2 redhead Smew, 2 drake Goosander, Teal and Wigeon as far as the eye can see, and smaller numbers of Gadwall, Pintail and Goldeneye all viewable from the Layer-Breton causeway.

A Quick stop by the visitor centre produces 4 Green Sandpiper on the pit by the entrance gate.

Next onto Fingerinhoe Wick nature reserve, a site Ive not visited for probably the best part of fifteen years, renowned for its famous Nightingale's we were probably a little to early for these! but a fine juvenile GLOSSY IBIS more than made up for this (although a tad distant!).

a view from the hide

No sign of the recent G G Shrike but superb views of Bullfinch at this site with probably ten birds being seen and by far the easiest place ive been to see this species.

some digiscoped Avocets

Next stop East Mersea, as well as all the common waders you would want too see we picked up Common Scoter at least half a dozen Mergs and no fewer than 19 Slav grebes.

Then onto Tollesbury wick for our second target the day, walking out from the marina we head east (thanks bradders) we stumble across a female Merlin carrying prey, further along no sign of any Brents on the adjacent fields, but a scan across the saltings looking towards Old hall we discover the brents feeding and pick out the RED-BREASTED GOOSE amongst them, a flybye drake Smew was a nice surprise before some wild fowlers guns flushed the whole lot off.

A great days birding where we saw only one other birder all day was ended at Gt Braxted for Hawfinch but our luck had finaly run out.