Birding Braunie

Paglesham and the River Crouch I had it on good authority that a couple of Turtle Doves were to be seen around Paglesham Boatyard. I had never been to Paglesham even though it’s only a couple of miles from work but will now check it on a regular basis. Turtle Doves are a big deal. They have dropped in numbers across Europe by 62% and are a serious concern. The main reaseons are, as always, changes in farming and unsolicited shooting in some Mediterranean countries with Cyprus and Malta coming top of the list. Turtle Doves can be difficult to see. The first thing you get is the soft purring sound coming at regular intervals from dense foliage. The first sounds I got were from Whitethroats and Cuckoos. There were a couple of Cuckoos in the area and one quickly showing atop a line of trees close to the boatyard. Cuckoo The boatyard was busy with Swallows relaying back and forth to nest sites inside boat sheds. behind the sharp chattering of the swallows calls, t...

A quick update from the wilds of South Fambridge. Lots of noise coming from the bushes and trees this morning. Dunnocks, Robins, Blackbirds, Blackcaps and Common Whitethroats all acting out their own version of The Voice (only ten thousand times better). freaked out a couple of Shelduck that had settled down on some small hut by the river to enjoy the warming sunshine. Sorry. Now, left or right? Right takes me to the Grasshopper Warbler and left to buntings, wagtails et al. But it was the clamour of reed warblers that swung it and they were in to the left (try and keep up). The Reed Warblers were playing hard to see but a rather nice Yellowhammer unashamedly displayed in front of me and didn’t even fly off as I set my scope up. Yellowhammer Then, the Yellowhammer was knocked off its perch by a Yellow Wagtail to have its picture taken. If I’d known how popular I was going to be, I’d have sold tickets. I suppose it’s the same bird as the previous one I shot here. Yellow Wa...

A two centre trip today, starting with Five Oak Lane – a hidden-away area of scrub and grassland adjacent to Hainault Golf Club and then a short trip south east to Rainham Marshes in Essex beside the Thames. Five Oaks Lane is a hidden gem. I love it best for the almost guaranteed Cuckoos and Yellowhammers you will find here at this time. With heavy, leaden skies making it very dark and some seriously waterlogged paths making it foolhardy not to keep looking downat where you walked, looking for these birds was slightly hindered. A pair of Bullfinches  made it easy as they barrel-rolled past my head with the unmistakeable white rump flash easing identification.  Then that unique call of the Yellowhammer could be heard. 'A-little-bit-of-bread-and-no-cheeeeeeese' is what it sounds like but finding the yellow devil was less simple. Some careful scanning of the hawthorn bushes produced a fine male bird. Normally there are around ten birds at this site but this one was the o...

After rains of biblical proportions, it was nice to see a clear sky this morning coupled with a warmish air. This meant I could steal an hour at South Fambridge before beginning the working week. You sometimes get a good feeling about birds in terms of quality and quantity and this morning as I opened the car door I knew it would be good. The air was full of birdsong and small LBJs were hopping from tree to tree – difficult to know where to look as so much was happening. One hour is a long time if you’re stuck in a boring meeting or saddled with someone who just wants to tell you about their new ipad app (probably should point out that I possibly bore people in the same way about birding) But one hour with so much potential like this morning is like a nano second to me. Sunny South Fambridge About five minutes in and the quintessential sound of spring in the shape of a Cuckoo could be heard somewhere across the fields. A quick scan of the tops of the trees and bushes revealed...

My early morning starts really have been bearing fruit or rather, birds. This morning I took myself off to a decent patch of scrubland in Chigwell, just off Five Oaks Lane. As per usual, the air was filled with birdsong, notably at least seven song thrush and maybe four or five willow warblers. Parking is difficult at this site. The area consists of a wide area of scrub with young hawthorn and rosehip bushes the grass is high (and wet with dew) so walking through this before the sun has had a chance to dry it out is rather uncomfortable. The scrub is surrounded by mainly oaks but with some fir and some other stuff – don’t really do trees. To the east is Havering Park and to the north, Hainault Forest golf club. There were plenty of birds to be seen. There were Great spotted and green woodpeckers in the wooded areas along with 3-4 blackcaps and many song thrushes. Dunnock The scrub held linnets, greenfinches, dunnocks and a couple of reed buntings. The scrub also had a very s...