Birding Braunie

Tomorrow we hit the Spring Equinox when we can all spend hours staring at the oven clock trying to remember how the damn thing works so that we can move forward with our lives. Lee Valley is a bit like my oven clock to some extent. Today I stared at it trying to will it forward into spring so that I could get out of the chilling wind and see the clouds part bringing down rays of warming ultra violet. It didn’t start well as rain sprinkled down from a flat concrete sky. I probably should have stayed in bed for an extra hour so as to balance the one I will lose tomorrow. Still, you know me... I took my car to the Hooks Marsh car park and walked along Walton’s Walk getting a small blast of spring from a couple of enthusiastic Chiffchaffs. All the regular chaps were about; Chaffinches, Robins, Goldfinches, Song Thrushes and a bucket of Blackbirds that threw themselves at me. I ignored most of these and made my way to Friday Lake. There had been a Redhead Smew here for some while and if...

Where I work, you get a day off on your birthday. Yippee! My plans were all over the place. Should I go to Kent or Rainham again or somewhere else? The weather was looking dull as dishwater everywhere; there was no escape. I opted for Norfolk, don’t know why really, the car just veered off up the M11 and that was that. I had been to Lynford Arboretum a few weeks ago as part of my weekend with my mate Ed and like it a lot. We only spent a hour or so there so this time I decided to do a whole day. Surely a Hawfinch would show for me this time? My word it was dark. I thought the solar eclipse had arrived early in Norfolk as i adjusted the settings on my camera to the 'show me anything' mode. Nuthatch looking like it’s just noticed there’s a gate. A very popular place within the Arboretum is 'The Gate'. Now, gates aren’t that exciting except for the one to Buck House or even the one in Stargate which I have to say is a bit clever. No, this one is just a wooden g...

Still basking in my Serin glory, I warmed down by heading straight for the familiar surroundings of Rainham Marshes. After Lee Valley, this is my home. I love it; I love the warm welcome and I love the diversity of the birds that come here. It’s a true barometer for spring migration and frankly, anything is possible – any time. I headed straight for the Cordite area and quickly picked up a singing Chiffchaff. At the feeders, the Brown rats were putting on a show (funny how in a totally natural setting, these rodents retain a certain ahhh factor as they busied themselves picking up seed and chaff from the feeders. This area is a hotbed of action. Great Tits, Blue Tits, Chaffinches, Collared Doves and Reed Buntings all commute in to the feeders, taking turns and jumping away when the next bird is due. If I did’t know better, I would think they have a ticket system like you see at the deli counter at Tesco. I made my way round the circuit not seeing too much ...

As is often the case with me, I watch a report of a 'good' bird and then um and ah about whether I should go for it or not. Often it’s not because the twitching thing although exciting, just doesn’t lie in my blood. I like my birding to be a release, a relaxation away from the stresses of work and and well, work. This doesn’t mean of course I don’t imagine getting a first for the UK or even a second. I have dipped plenty in my time, not least those jokers in the shape of Parrot Crossbills at Gunners Park even though I only worked down the road. So you can imagine when the pair of Serins turned up at the same said Park, I wondered should I? But left it. Then I get a day off. I get to thinking and I get to going up the A127 to haunts of old. The weather was shit. Low grey swirls of mist descended on the Essex east side and even arriving at the spot my brain went into panic mode. I convinced myself I had made a bad choice; the birds had been here for a couple of months and w...

Normally I take an early morning walk around the Lee Valley at Fisher’s Green on my own, before going on duty. Today was different. Today was special. The powers at LVP are always looking for new volunteers and are always asking how and why we (volunteers) do it in order to get an insight on how they can persuade others to join the team. well, the answer is simple; volunteers form close friendships with other volunteers and this means days like this. Instead of my normal insular walk, I was joined by my good and generous friends Brenda and Jo. We met at Fisher’s Green before most people are even awake and enjoyed a bracing 3 hour walk around the park pretty much to ourselves before taking up duties at the Bittern information Point. 50 shades of Grey Wagtail. We made our to the Grebe hide, a trail I often take and stopped at the vantage point that look across the Grand Weir. Now, I have only ever seen a Grey Wagtail once in this park...back in some forgotten year but we were luc...