Spotted Crake Twitch at the Oare marshes

6am start this morning with Russell.   We got to the Oare marshes not long after 7. 15.  We parked at the end near the slipway and spent the next hour walking round until we came to the East hide.   There was one guy there already keeping a close watch on the small area where the Spotted Crake has been seen for the last 3 weeks almost.   He had been there for an hour without seeing it, although another guy had glimpsed it fly across the ditch.   We patiently waited with him for another hour until he went, no sooner had he gone when the bird made a silent appearance,  creeping along the back and eventually coming right out into the open where we watched it for an hour and half.  Later after doing another circuit we had better views further along in the ditch where it pruned and sunned itself as if we weren't there.  Great day.   Other birds,  Godwits, Ruff, Greenshanks, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Green Plover, Redshank, Spotted Redsank, Sandwich Terns, Common Terns, Bearded Tits,  Egrets, Meadow Pipits, Tawny Owl Calling form Trees.

Spotted Crake

Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Barn Owls

Boston Ma

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sanpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Purple Heron

Swamp Sparrow

Lesser Yellowlegs

Bluebird

Juv Bluebird

Eider

Sanderling

Cedar Waxwing

Ring-Billed Gull

Terrapin

Carolina Wren

Sulphur

Black Swallowtail

Great-Spangled Frittilary

Lesser Yellowlegs West Canvey Marsh

Turned up at West Canvey to be the last person to see the Red-Backed Shrike but it never turned up,  but as I arrived there at 9am I was told there was a Lesser Yellowlegs from the roadside Hide and sure enough there it was.  I travelled 4,000 miles last week to see some so this was a pleasant surprise.

It's not a Greenshank Jonathon.

Birds in Massachusetts and things

Plum Island is a great birding area with nearly every habitat you could want,  costs $4 to drive on to and park almost anywhere.   Probably the most important site for migrating birds along the east coast,  (look it up).  Everytime I go to Boston I have to give it a go,  it's about 45 minutes from Andrew and Michelles place  in Lexington to the (island).  It's really a long strip of coastal land reached by one road where you pay at the start then drive along and stop almost where you want.   There are freshwater and brackish pans along the route.  Just as we got onto the Island there was a notice indicating Tree Swallows on the road, Take care!  and they were.   34,000 were counted that day going through,  what a sight!   The downside was cloudy weather.

  They soon moved, don't know why they did this

Some of the 34,000 Tree Swallows

Great Egret

Kingbird

Juv Cedar Waxwing

Northern Harrier

Waders

Semi-Palmated Sandpipers

Greater Yellowlegs

Semi-Palmated Plover

S P Sandpipers

American Plover

American Goldfinch from Andy and Michelles Balcony

Same Again

Yellow Warbler From the balcony again

Nuthatch on the balcony

Not on the balcony,  Conservation area, Lexington,  Little Green Heron

Watched it catch a Frog.

Wood Snake, common.

Look where you're walking.