Turtle Doves and Spoonbills in Essex

9th June 2023

One of the best places in Essex to see Turtle Doves is Wrabness on the south bank of the River Stour. For the last few years there has also been a thriving Sand Martin colony with probably 50+ pairs but for whatever reason this year the sandy cliff has been abandoned.

In the car park a Sedge warbler was singing its heart out and showing very well but a male Blackcap nearer the river was playing much harder to get.

And always nice to hear the cheese sandwich song of the Yellowhammer.

I managed to find four purring Turtle Doves but unlike previous years they were keeping well hidden. Last year they were posing nicely on the branches of a dead tree but this year I had to make do with a couple of flight shots. Just love that white terminal band on the tail.

Now on to Abberton for the Spoonbills. Spoonbills first bred at Abbertom in 2021, a first for Essex. They bred again last year but this year there are two pairs on nests. While waiting for them to put in an appearance I managed to find a find a Grey Heron and just one Great White Egret compared to the 12 or so in the winter months and the 30+ that have been recorded at roost.

One of the Spoonbill nests is visible from the causeway and the other is nearby but concealed. Both birds could be seen on the visible nest. 

On the assumptiom that it is the female that mainly stays at the nest and incubated the eggs when they arrive, the male often flies off to feed, gather some more nest material or have a bath.

Here he is preparing to take a bath and then sitting in the sun in a tree to dry off.

But the one thing I witnessed today which I didn't see in the two previous years was both birds standing in the large willow where the nest is and breaking off twigs to take to the nest. In the two previous years twigs were collected from the shores.

Still a long way to go so WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!!!