Sunday 14th May: A tour of Essex birding hotspots

 We enjoyed a day out with Andy, starting at Wrabness, where we encountered several Turtle Doves purring loudly, but the views were not brilliant, with poor light and cool conditions probably preventing them from showing as well as in previous years. Also disappointing, was the discovery that the Sand Martin colony here appears to have been abandoned. There was some damage to the sea wall, and the sandy bank possibly looked rather damp, so these may have contributed to the situation. We heard a glorious Nightingale belting out its impressive vocals at close range, and being mimicked by a nearby Song Thrush. Frustratingly though, we were unable to locate the bird singing from deep in the bush.

Our next stop was Fingringhoe Wick, a hotspot for Nightingales, and as a bonus, on our way in we found good numbers of Sand Martins swooping above a scrape, with two obligingly landing to pose on the wire alongside the road. As it happened, the reserve was also a good spot for Turtle Doves, and perhaps helped by the increasing warmth of the sun, we managed several excellent views, including through the scope. We sat at a bench to eat our lunch serenaded by Nightingales, and when we had finished eating we crept round the back of a hut and after extensive peering into the bushes we all managed a decent view of the bird perched on a dead branch. Wandering on, we reached a reed lined pond, where we could hear Reed Warblers chuntering away, and eventually managed to locate one perched on a bush, then another singing from the reedbed.  A Cuckoo flew overhead and Andy then heard a Lesser Whitethroat singing from a tree, which gave fleeting views as it flew off. 

From here, we continued on to Abberton Reservoir, rather bereft of birds in comparison to the abundance of winter wildfowl. Nevertheless it was a worthwhile destination with Common Terns calling and diving over the water. At the shingle margins a pair of Little Ringed Plover were observed mating and a gorgeous Yellow Wagtail in sunny summer plumage was an unexpected find.

Little Ringed Plover

Yellow Wagtail

Transferring to the other causeway, amongst the colony of Little Egrets, a Spoonbill was perched at the top of a tree, later giving some nice flight views. 

Our final stop was at Great Totham, where we have previously found Little Owls on  several occasions. Sadly no luck today though, but overall it had been an enjoyable day in good company.