A Trip Down Ferry Lane

Another visit to Rainham with Stuart, but this time a slight diversion to Ferry Lane. Ferry lane is an industrial estate to the west of Rainham and at one point the road through the estate runs parallel to the sea wall. Once at the wall we started to scan the rocks of the sea defences and it wasn't long before we connected with a cracking male Wheatear. It was a bit flighty but eventually it was possible to get a couple of shots in the sun.

Another search of the entire length of the wall revealed a little brown job flitting amongst the rocks. Again very flighty and sometimes flying long distances, but I was soon able to get quite close for some shots. This time a female Black Redstart, probably one of the dullest bird that I have ever photographed, at least until it flicked its orangey-red tail which unfortunately is not captured in the photos.

But then the moment I had been waiting for. Further along the road by a storage yard someone spotted a bird sitting on a fence which was the main quarry of the day, a male Black Redstart. It then flew down onto the ground and I was able to get a shot of it on the concrete wall of a culvert. However, the best was yet to come as it then flew onto a post supporting a newly planted Monkey Puzzle Tree affording a great opportunity for a shot.

Now on to Rainham itself and a walk along the sea wall produced a male Stonechat out near the saltmarsh. Not the best light and rather obscured, but Stonechats are always a pleasure to see and never cease to amaze me how they can appear from nowhere and disappear just as quickly.

The reserve was still quiet with high water levels and no migrants, but as we were walking along the boardwalk on the northern side there was some rustling in the reeds. Nothing was visible but you could track its presence by following the movement of the reeds around the reed bed. Then curiosity got the better of it and it couldn't resist a little peek to see what all the fuss was about. This is the first time I have played peek-a-boo with a Cetti's Warbler.

Wits and Shanks

Do you know your wits from your shanks or, more importantly, do you know your wits from your wits and your shanks from your shanks? Well, Titchwell is an ideal place to find out as you can get such close views. Let's start with the wits.

The easiest way to tell Bar-tailed Godwits from Black-tailed is that Bar-tailed do not have a wing bar, but this is only of any use when they are in flight. The rest of the criteria are all rather subjective, but collectively should lead you to the right conclusion. The bill is very slightly up-turned and the legs are shorter than Black-tailed, especially the part of the leg between the knee and the body (tibia). In winter plumage they tend to be greyer and more scaly on the back than Black-tailed.

Black-tailed Godwits, on the other hand, have a wing stripe, a white rump and a black and white tail, longer legs (especially the tibia) and a straight bill. In winter plumage they tend be be of a warmer more uniform colouration, and this one is just starting to moult into it's summer plumage.

As for the shanks, the Redshank is brown with red shanks or legs, hence the name, and a relatively short red bill. On the coast it is present all the year round.

Its cousin is the rather more stunning Spotted Redshank, which is mainly a spring and autumn migrant, although one or two usually overwinter at Titchwell each year. In winter plumage they are much greyer with a much longer bill and a distinct eye-stripe.

In summer, they moult into a stunning black plumage with white spots. This one is in a transitional plumage.

For better reproduction of my photos, see my photo gallery at flickr.com/photos/seymourbirdies

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A Stroll to the Beach

Titchwell in Spring should be quite lively but with the current mini Ice Age no migrants had arrived. Still Titchwell never disappoints, so we left the feeders and started the walk down to the beach.

There were still good numbers of wildfowl around and while we were sitting in the Titchwell Hilton, a female Teal strayed quite close. OK they may be predominantly brown, but here you can just see the green speculum showing through.

On the salt marsh side of the hide Shelduck were pairing up and were looking resplendent, apart from the male which had obviously been skidding in mud. These were one of the first "rare" ducks that I managed to identify from my Observers Book of Birds and are still one of my favourites.

Further along the path were enormous numbers of Brent Geese, which make that superb guttural gurgling sound when they fly. These ones were going nowhere in a hurry and were quite content to just stand in the shallows and watch the people go by.

Along the channel next to the path were a number of waders including godwits, shanks and Avocets. For more on the wits and shanks there will be another blog along in three days. Avocet numbers are now building up for the breeding season, but this particular individual was more intent on feeding than rushing around after a mate. It is hard to remember that in the 1960s Avocets were very rare birds, only breeding on Havergate Island.

And finally on to the beach itself. Not much around as the tide was right in so very few waders, but even the sea was quiet with just a handful of Common Scoter and half a dozen Eider. But it wasn't necessary to rush of in search of a subject, as the Titchwell Black-headed Gull always homes in on visitors and comes even closer if you pretend to have food. I had to shoo this one back a couple of feet to get it all in.

Who's Been Eating My Seed?

Another day at Titchwell with Stuart and after a quick look at the scoreboard in the visitor centre we made our way to the feeders on the way to the Meadow Trail. Not a single Blue Tit or Great Tit in sight, just a sprinkling of finches including this cracking male Brambling. Now, as a rule, I never bother with photographing birds on feeders, but this was too good an opportunity to miss.

When male Bramblings have their body moult in the autumn, the new black head feathers are fringed with brown, and as they lay over each other they give the impression of a brown head. However, during the winter months, the brown edges abrade revealing the black underneath and on this bird you can see the black just starting to appear.

But what was the unexpected intruder.........a WATER RAIL!!!

This bird spent its time scurrying back and forth under the feeders picking up all the dropped seed. This was one Water Rail that had obviously turned vegetarian.

Muntjac at Tewinbury

I had gone to Tewinbury to get some better shots of the Jack Snipe. I found the snipe almost immediately, but it was deep in cover and impossible to photograph. I am not sure why Jack Snipe bob up and down, but if it hadn't been bobbing I would never have been able to pick it out.

While I was waiting for it to hopefully come out into the open, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. There, moving stealthily through the tall vegetation on the west side of the lake was a doe Muntjac. Unfortunately, it was partially obscured for most of the time but did eventually move into a clearing for a couple of shots.

Jack Snipe at Tewinbury

It has been a fairly poor winter for Jack Snipe. The traditional sites have drawn a blank and it is only recently that Jacks have started to appear with one at Lemsford Springs and another two at Tewinbury. The latter site has had the more consistent sightings and there I set off on a rather dull day to try my luck.

I immediately found the bird right in front of me, bobbing up and down but largely obscured by reedmace. I picked up my camera to get set up, but when I looked back it had gone. Apparently, in this short time, it had swam across to the side of the pool and, whilst visible, still heavily obscured by overhanging vegetation. It is a fact that if Jack Snipe didn't bob up and down, they would be virtually impossible to see.

Eventually, the bird moved into a gap and I was able to get some shots. Note the dark crown. A common Snipe would have a golden stripe down the centre.

Fancy a Shag?

Oh how that made us young birders laugh and, to be perfectly honest, it still makes me chuckle today. We are, of course, very familiar with Cormorants as they are not only common around our coasts, but now also breed inland at our reservoirs and gravel pits. The Shag, however, is virtually absent from the whole of eastern and south-eastern England ie from Newcastle right round to the Isle of Wight, so I was therefore somewhat surprised to hear of a couple of sightings on my old stomping ground on Mersea.

Stuart and I had been on the beach by Mersea Quarters a few weeks ago and had noticed a Cormorant diving close to the shore by a moored yacht, but neither of us had taken much notice. When we got home I saw that a Shag had been reported from this area. I did go back and have a look a week later but with no luck, and went back again this week with Bill Marsh for a second attempt.

As we approached the beach I immediately looked over to the moored yacht and there, just three yards from where we had previously seen the "Cormorant", was an adult Shag diving for fish. Absolutely amazing!! The moral of this story is never take anything for granted.