Friday 13th January 2023: Essex family birding

 Andy, John, Jen and Tim all met up for the first family bird outing of the year. Andy’s car was booked in at a garage in Basildon, so we decided to make this area a base for our activities instead of our regular Abberton and Fingringhoe haunts.

We started at Bower’s Marsh, in unexpectedly cold and windy conditions. The regular ensemble of winter ducks were present, with a Pintail especially admired by John, who has not regularly seen this beautiful bird to fully appreciate its clean markings.

Pintail (not taken today)

Alongside the ducks, Lapwings and Shelduck were plentiful, and distant Greylag and Canada Geese were grazing on the fields. Unfortunately we were unaware that White-fronted and Barnacle Geese had been reported the previous day, otherwise we might have bothered to get the scopes off our backs to scan though these flocks, but the cold conditions did not encourage speculative searching!

A few Linnets and Goldfinches buzzed around the reserve but there was little else of note.

We moved on from here to nearby Wat Tyler country park. At Timberman’s Creek a smattering of waders included Redshank, Curlew, Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwits, offering at least one new tick for all of us. However, we were again left feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

A late call from Andy suggested Two Tree Island at Leigh-on-Sea as a final stop, and here things improved significantly. We had timed it right with a rising tide and plenty of wader activity on the mudflats. There were good numbers of Knot and also Dunlin, with a few Oystercatcher, Grey Plover and Ringed Plover scattered amongst them. This allowed for good comparative views of the different species, and alongside the individual plumage features we were able to note differences in ‘jizz’ and feeding actions. Common gulls loafed on the mud amongst the usual Black-headed and Herring Gulls too. As the tide rose, the spectacle of the birds wheeling upwards and filling the air like a grey snowstorm was a rewarding sight.

At the hide, Avocets and Snipe were new additions and we spent some time closely observing the different wader species through the scopes as they gradually flew in from the river as the tide flowed in. We walked beside the creek, hoping for a Little Egret tick,  it no luck. The best we could muster were a few Long-tailed Tits and a Chaffinch!

Despite a slow start, we had ended on a high, and had a satisfying days birding, with new ticks for all!