Male Scaup Still hanging around OPC

Male Sparrowhawk in my garden

Just got home this afternoon and found this pretty little thing sitting in the tree.  It made up for going to Harrow Lodge park this morning without camera and having a Stoat sitting 10 feet in front of me posing with a with a large rat in it's mouth.

Can you see the three heads

Ditto

Shoebury and Two-tree Island Friday 24th feb 2012

Russ and I thought we would have another go at Southend Pier,  so we put £4 in the parking machine and were told once again the Pier was closed due to another boat ramming it.   Whats going on!    Are these boats coming from the other side of the world and they don't know the pier is there?   It's one and a quarter miles long,   but there is still 3 miles for them to miss it.  Are they all drunk?   Two weeks ago I put a fiver in the Parking and it was shut because of ice.   " Stop moaning McGough".    Anyway we did catch up with the Snow buntings at Shoebury and plenty of waders also.   After that we made our way to Two-Tree and being hightide you can't go wrong there.   Alls well that ends well.    The Pier will be shut for at least 5 weeks because of captain Pugwash.

Snow Buntings in trees?

Knot

Redshank

Avocets

Grey Plover

Dunlin

Black-Tailed Godwit

Knot

Snakes alive Thursday 23rd Feb 2012

Yesterday I was trying to shelter from the cold wind ,  today I was trying to shelter from the sun.   What a glorious feeling to feel the warmth of the sun,  I know how these creatures feel.     Will somebody hear a Chiffchaff in the next few days?

Pipits

Although I have already shown some of these Pipits I have now got all three waterside birds this last few days,   so here they are together.   What a thrill to watch or photograph birds,   hard work sometimes but pleasurable.

Meadow Pipit

Water Pipit

Water pipit

Rock Pipit

Rock Pipit

Monday the 20th feb 2012

A few local birds

The very colourful Fieldfare

The not so colourful Water Pipit

The nearly colourful Black-Tailed Godwits

Friday 17th feb 2012

Was watching the Redheads at the OPC when I suddenly noticed a raptor circle above the lake,  it was an immature male Marsh Harrier and appears to be (our) bird,  hope he scores.  The 3 Redheads are still there and while i stood watching from the west bank because there is no point chasing round trying to get nearer,  a couple of joggers put them up which enabled me to get some airial shots.  They did infact end up on the other lake,  plenty of room.   Although I looked I did not see the scaup,  could still be there.

Rock Pipit, Rainham.

Local birds in the last week.

Buzzard and Crows Ingrebourne Valley

Redheads Stubbers

Goldeneye Stubbers

Goldeneye

Scaup stubbers

Pied Wagtail displaying Harrow Lodge Park

Grey Wagtail Harrow Lodge.  Nice to see a Kingfisher chasing another one off his patch along the river.