Birding Braunie

With a few spare hours before tripping over to Brentwood for my daughter’s birthday, I could have easily tried to pick up a few more of the ‘easy’ species I’m missing. These include believe it or not, Common Treecreeper, Common Sandpiper or even, a Siskin or a Med Gull. I know it’s pretty pathetic to have these missing by mid November but there you go. So instead of using these few hours selfishly, I used them wisely. In a moment of madness, I signed myself up to be the WeBS counter through the Lee Valley Park for the BTO. My own little area is Nazeing Meads, used primarily by fishermen and sailing enthusiasts and it comprises of four large expanses of water. Nazeing Meads There’s a knack to counting birds. It’s not as simple as just counting each bird while pointing your finger at them. No, they move a lot which is quite inconsiderate of them. After all, the BTO and their surveys are really for their benefit but there’s no telling them I’m afraid. Counting each indi...

...because you’re about to be bombarded. The RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes has worked hard over the past couple of years to encourage Kingfishers to nest in artificial banks. This year things have worked really well. With electric fencing deterring predators, the birds have been able to nest safely and have now produced young. This means constant trips back and forth with food carried out by both parents. And being creatures of habit, they generally rest up (briefly) on the same perches. But photographing them isn’t as easy as it seems. The hide has a glass front and to keep the birds undisturbed, camouflaged netting has been draped over the glass to hide all the commotion we make when we see these little gems. Enough. In other news, a Grasshopper Warbler reeled away near the Serin Mound and even gave good if distant views early morning. Grasshopper Warbler Female Wheatear Speckled Wood