Bowers Marsh had an excellent run of records at the start of the year
beginning with a flock of 18 White-fronted
Geese which pitched down there on the 1st where they remained
until the end of the month. A flock of eight Bewick’s Swans flew over calling on the 2nd when the
single adult present in the area for a week lifted off to encourage them down.
There were then three Bewick’s present
on the 3rd, two on the 4th, and one through to the 10th.
Bowers Marsh also attracted a Pink-footed
Goose and hosted two Water Pipits
on the 2nd and an immature Iceland
Gull which remained until the 19th and best of all, a smart
drake Smew on the 3rd
only. The Glossy Ibis visited Wat
Tyler CP again on the 2nd but not subsequently. A mini-influx of Shags on the 4th resulted in
five along the Crouch, predominantly at Fambridge, and singles off Gunners Park
and Westcliff where two Eider were
also seen and an obliging female Long-tailed
Duck took up residence through to mid-February. Twenty Gannets, two Great Northern
Divers, and a piratical Great Skua
were all logged off Gunners Park on the 4th. Just two Chiffchaffs were seen this month with
one in a Leigh garden on the 4th and another at Magnolia NR the
following day. A superb Mealy Redpoll
was an unexpected find in atypical habitat on Wallasea on the 6th; it
occasionally kept company with the four Twite
which remained there all month. A prodigious immature Glaucous Gull was found on the 6th at Bowers Marsh where
it stayed all month and up to nine Barnacle
Geese were also present there from the 6th through to mid-March
and a female Red-crested Pochard put
in a brief appearance the following day. Waxwings
arrived at their traditional haunt in Pitsea on the 7th with 22, rising
rapidly to 70 on the 10th. The Velvet
Scoters on the Roach were seen for the last time on the 8th. At
Shoebury Park the pair of Egyptian Geese
which now seem to be permanently resident were already nesting on the 9th;
of even more questionable origin though was the Ring-necked Parakeet flying around the gardens bordering Magnolia
NR on the 9th. A Purple
Sandpiper at Wallasea on the 10th was a very good site record
and the three Hen Harriers and six Short-eared Owls remained there all
month. A total of seven Short-eared Owls,
including a group of five together, were further along the Crouch at South
Fambridge on the 10th where a Great
Northern Diver could also be found along with last month’s female Eider. The flock of four or five Waxwings at Rayleigh were seen for the
last time early on the 11th and coincidentally a flock of four was
found at Shoebury later the same day. The only record of Hen Harrier away from Wallasea this month was a ringtail at
Paglesham Lagoon on the 14th, the same day that a female Blackcap was logged in a South Benfleet
garden where it remained an infrequent visitor over the next two weeks. A Short-eared Owl at Vange Marsh on the
17th was a very good site record. A Peacock butterfly successfully
evaded a hungry Stonechat at Bowers
Marsh on the 19th. A male Bullfinch
at Bowers Marsh on the 20th was the first for the site in recent
years and a pair was also seen intermittently at Magnolia NR mid-month. Up to
14 Yellowhammers frequented a weedy
field in Canewdon from the 20th to the 27th. The final
three Waxwings at Pitsea were last
seen on the 21st when coincidentally again, a flock of four visited
a Daws Heath garden. The infrequent and often elusive Glossy Ibis put in a final appearance on the 22nd, this
time at Vange Marsh, the same day a Jack
Snipe was flushed from a ditch in Southchurch East Park. The Purple Sandpiper on Canvey gave itself
up at high tide on the 27th, 28th, and 29th
when it roosted on the Point, whilst offshore, one of only two Guillemots this month was present on
the 27th. The relatively small flock of 200 Dark-bellied Brent Geese on Wallasea hosted a fine Black Brant on the 28th and
29th, whereas the Barnacle
Goose there on the 28th did itself no favours by hanging out
with the Canada Geese.
FEBRUARY 2017
A flock of 50 Waxwings was seen circling over Benfleet
on the 3rd but was not seen to land and so were not relocated and
the only Brambling in the first half
of the year flew over Barling. Similarly the only Razorbill records of the first half of the year were a group of
three off Gunners Park from the 4th to the 6th along with
a single Guillemot, a Black-throated Diver, and a Great Northern Diver. The pair of Egyptian Geese in Shoebury Park hatched
three youngsters on the 4th although they appear to have been
predated shortly afterwards. Up to three Long-eared
Owls were found at a daytime roost in the south-west from the 4th
to the 19th and Short-eared
Owl numbers remained high around Wallasea with eight there on the 4th
with the Black Brant also continuing
its stay, being reported from the 5th to the 14th.
Searches for Woodcock along Hadleigh
Downs on the 6th and 7th were successful with three on
the former date and four on the latter. There were still two Water Pipits at Bowers Marsh on the 7th
with one remaining until the 16th; other singles were at Canvey
Heights and Barling mid-month. The popular flock of four Twite on Wallasea were logged for the final time on the 10th,
and the three Hen Harriers were all
still present and correct the following day. A drake Eider was an all too rare sighting at Canvey Point on the 11th
where the Purple Sandpiper put in
another series of visits through to the 21st. A Red Kite over Two Tree Island on the 12th was the only
record this month. A different immature Glaucous
Gull from last month commuted between Bowers Marsh and Wat Tyler CP from
the 12th to the 18th. Seawatching at Canvey on the 13th
was remarkably productive with 23 Red-throated
Divers, two Black-throated Divers,
two Great Northern Divers, a Guillemot, and three Kittiwakes all making their way into
the notebook. Last month’s adult Bewick’s
Swan made an unexpected return visit to Vange Marsh from the 13th
to the 16th. A single Long-eared
Owl was seen at dusk at a traditional site in the south on the 14th.
A flock of scoter off Canvey on the 15th comprised of 14 Common and two Velvet Scoters. On the 19th the over-wintering female Blackcap at Benfleet was joined briefly
by a male. The first pulse of sunshine on the 20th resulted in Red
Admiral, Brimstone, Comma, and the first Adder of the year all being recorded.
It’s not often the ‘Mega Alert’ goes off and you find the bird in question is
on your local patch, so there was much excitement on the morning of the 26th
when the Lesser White-fronted Goose
which has been wintering on Foulness moved across the Roach to Wallasea along
with 29 White-fronted Geese.
Unfortunately for everyone its sojourn away from Foulness was all to brief and
it soon returned from whence it came, frustratingly out of bounds to all and
out of view from the surrounding viewpoints. A flock of 37 wary and flighty Barnacle Geese there on the 26th
and 27th were interesting but scant consolation. The month closed
with two Firecrests but very little
else of note in Hockley Woods on the 28th.
MARCH 2017
Only two Short-eared Owls remained
on Wallasea on the 3rd reducing to just a single on the 8th.
The continuing local decline of Red-breasted
Merganser was evident with a pair on the Roach on the 4th being the
only sighting in the first-winter period since a couple of records off Two Tree
Island in mid-January. The Water Pipit
along the Roach at Barling was seen again for the final time on the 4th
when a male Bullfinch was reported
from its former stronghold at Wat Tyler CP. Nuthatch remains extirpated from Hockley Woods so it was pleasing
to find the Belfairs pair back on territory from the 6th to the 19th
along with up to five Treecreepers.
Single Red Kites were noted over
Leigh and Coombe Wood on the 6th and Daws Heath on the 9th.
The 11th produced a remarkable record of a Stoat in full ermine on
Wallasea, one of only a handful of Essex records ever. The last Goldeneyes were on Paglesham Lagoon on
the 16th and the first Sand
Martin arrived at Bowers Marsh the following day. A Great Skua was typically harassing the gulls off Gunners Park on
the 19th. The Egyptian Geese
pair in Shoebury Park were incubating again on the 21st. There were
still two Hen Harriers on Wallasea
on the 21st but only one subsequently through to the 30th.
Wallasea also laid claim to the first Wheatear
of the spring with a smart male on the 21st. The first Sandwich Terns was a party of three
which moved upriver on the 23rd from Gunners Park to Canvey.
Unusually the only diver record all month, and indeed the last of the
first-winter period was a Red-throated
Diver past Canvey on the 24th. What was probably last month’s
immature Glaucous Gull put in
another couple of appearances between the 24th and 29th
when it commuted between Bowers Marsh in the daytime and Hole Haven Creek in
the evening. A melanistic Adder, the archetypal ‘Black Adder’, was an excellent
find on Belton Hills on the 25th. The first Swallow of the summer zipped through West Canvey Marsh on the 25th
where a summer plumaged Water Pipit
was seen from the 27th to the 31st. The last two Shags of the mini-influx lingered at South
Fambridge from the 16th to the 28th and included a
colour-ringed bird from the Isle of May. The first Little Gull of the year was an immature over Bowers Marsh on the 29th.
Remarkably, for the fourth consecutive spring, Black-winged Stilts chose to visit the area, beginning with a pair
on Bowers Marsh on the rather early date of the 30th. A male White Wagtail stopped by at West Canvey
Marsh on the 30th for a week, the same day that the first Yellow Wagtail arrived on Wallasea. Little Ringed Plovers arrived in the
closing days of the month with a pair on Wallasea on the 30th and a
pair on West Canvey Marsh the following day. The first Reed Warbler of the spring on Two Tree Island on the 31st
brought the month to a close.
APRIL 2017
A Red Kite flew low over
Hockley on the 1st when a solitary Black-winged Stilt arrived at Vange Marsh before disappearing
overnight. Vange Marsh also held a female Red-crested
Pochard on the 2nd and a Jack
Snipe which could be observed ‘bobbing’ in the margins each day through to
the 8th. Single Egyptian
Geese were at Bowers Marsh and West Canvey Marsh on the 2nd and
two Short-eared Owls on Wallasea
proved to be the last of the winter. The pair of Nuthatch in Belfairs were photographed on the 2nd and
were seen on two more occasions mid-month. A second-winter Caspian Gull was photographed on the Pier on the 4th
when last month’s immature Glaucous Gull
again commuted between Bowers Marsh and Hole Haven Creek, and continued to do
so until the 7th. Three Siskins
flying over Gunners Park on the 5th were remarkably the first of the
year. Little Ringed Plover numbers
doubled to four on the 7th on Wallasea where they remained all
month. The 8th saw four Black-winged
Stilts arrive at Vange Marsh, seemingly two pairs, with one of the pairs
remaining all month and visited by a lone male on the 17th. A pair
of Garganey at Fleet Head on the 9th
was a good find with the female typically not seen subsequently, although the
drake remained until the 14th before possibly relocating to
Wallasea. The second and final Red Kite
of the month drifted over Two Tree Island on the 9th when four Bullfinch were counted at their
favoured site near Rayleigh. A first-summer Little Gull hawked insects over Vange Marsh from the 10th
to the 17th. A Ring-necked Parakeet
was on Benfleet Downs on the 11th with it or another in Shoebury
High Street on the 14th. More Little
Ringed Plovers arrived on the 11th with a pair at Vange Marsh
which remained all month and another pair at Bowers Marsh which also stayed the
month. Similarly Nightingales
arrived in numbers from the 11th to the 17th with ten
singing males back on territory. A group of three male Ring Ouzels at Wakering Stairs on the evening of the 13th
was a good spring record; they did the decent thing and remained on site
through to the 17th. Grasshopper
Warblers arrived back on the 14th with reeling males at Benfleet
Creek, Wakering Stairs, and Two Tree Island. Bowers Marsh attracted a number of
White Wagtails from the 14th
to the 21st with up to six present together. A drake Garganey, quite possibly the Fleet Head
bird, dropped in at Wallasea on the afternoon of the 14th and
remained until the 21st after being joined by a second drake from
the 17th. A Dotterel on
Wallasea on the 17th was almost expected, but frustratingly it only
spent ten minutes on site whilst the Yellow
Wagtail flock there now numbered thirty. Grey Partridge is now barely annual with no records at all last
year so a single male which remained faithful to a field at Bowers Marsh from
the 17th to the 23rd proved popular. A new pair of Black-winged Stilts arrived at Bowers
Marsh on the 20th and remained until the 23rd whilst the
Vange Marsh pair continued to remain on site all month. A Painted Lady on
Canvey Wick on the 20th was a good early spring record and the first
of the year. A Jack Snipe flushed on
Wallasea on the 21st was the first record there this century. White Wagtails continued to pass
through with a single at Gunners Park on the 21st and 29th.
Spring records of Osprey are few and
far between so one feeding off Canvey Point early on the 22nd was
appreciated and was almost certainly the bird which roosted at Northward Hill,
Kent the previous evening. Another male Ring
Ouzel was observed flying in-off the sea at Wakering Stairs on the 23rd.
The first returning Hobby was
reported over Wat Tyler CP on the 24th. A Jack Snipe was seen again at Vange Marsh from the 28th
to the 30th. Wheatear
passage peaked at the end of the month with five at Fleet Head on the 29th
the best count along with three at Gunners Park and smaller numbers at five
other sites resulting in 22 individuals across the area this month. Wallasea
hosted a Spoonbill and two Blue-headed Wagtails on the 30th
and a Little Tern was off Gunners
Park and was the only record this month. Yet another new pair of Black-winged Stilts arrived at Vange
Marsh on the 30th to join up with the long-staying pair. It is
considered that at least eight and possibly nine birds visited the area this
spring!
MAY 2017
There were still a few Wheatears
moving through at the beginning of the month with six at Bowers Marsh and two
at Fleet Head on the 1st, with the last of the spring in Gunners
Park on the 5th. The adult Spoonbill
on Wallasea was joined by an immature on the 2nd through to the 5th
when the adult departed and the immature Spoonbill
remained until the 15th. Tern passage was noted off Canvey on the 3rd
with 28 Sandwich Terns, 120 Common Terns, four Arctic Terns, three Little Terns,
and 200 ‘Commic’ Terns all heading out of the Thames estuary. The first of only
two Fulmar sightings all year was
off Canvey on the 4th when two Wood
Sandpipers dropped in at Vange Marsh building to four on the 6th
with one remaining until the 7th. Three Black Terns off Gunners Park on the 5th were the only
record of the spring. Little Ringed
Plovers remained on suitable habitat with four at Vange Marsh on the 7th
and groups of three at Wallasea and at Bowers Marsh. A Wood Sandpiper was at West Canvey Marsh on the 9th only
when a Temminck’s Stint was
photographed on Wallasea. There was a series of Red Kite sightings from the 9th to the 20th
which could have been one wide-ranging individual or more probably a number of
different birds. The Black-winged Stilts
at Vange Marsh were seen for the last time on the 10th after their
nesting attempt failed. A Turtle Dove
was present intermittently at Butts Hill NR from the 10th to the 21st.
A single Green Hairstreak was at the
regular site on Canvey Wick from the 11th to the 24th and
a Quail was heard calling at nearby
West Canvey Marsh in the evening of the 12th, the same day that another
Wood Sandpiper was reported at Vange
Marsh. A Shag at South Fambridge on
the 13th was most likely a lingering bird from the January influx. Turtle Doves were just about still
clinging on at their stronghold at Wakering Stairs with a solitary bird purring
from the 18th to the 21st. Equally as scarce these days
are Spotted Flycatchers,
particularly in the spring, so singles at Fleet Head on the 15th and
Gunners Park on the 23rd were particularly noteworthy. A Little Gull at Bowers Marsh on the 20th
was the last of the spring. Garganey
and Wood Sandpiper were both
reported again at Vange Marsh on the 22nd. A Garden Warbler seen and heard near Rayleigh on the 28th
was sadly the only one of the summer. Long-eared
Owls were proved to have bred again when two juveniles were found in the
south-west on the 30th. Three distant darters at West Canvey Marsh
on the 30th were seen much better the next day when they were
identified as Red-veined Darters.
JUNE 2017
The Grasshopper Warbler at
Wakering Stairs was still reeling on the 1st and up to four Turtle Doves were now present and
stayed all month. The three Red-veined
Darters at West Canvey Marsh were seen each day through to the 4th
which saw the beginning of a good passage of Red Kites, starting with three together over Great Wakering and a
single at Hullbridge, followed by another eight singles through to the 22nd.
A drake Garganey was reported at
Vange Marsh on the 5th and 9th, it also visited Bowers
Marsh on the latter date. The Heath
Fritillaries which had been on the wing in Hockley Woods since the end of
May reached a peak of 42 there on the 10th. The White-letter Hairstreaks on Benfleet Downs were flying from the 10th
onwards and reached an impressive peak of 37 on the 15th. The
Southend Peregrines were finally
proved to have bred successfully on the 12th when a pair was seen
with two noisy well grown youngsters begging their parents for food. White Admirals were noted from the 14th
onwards with up to seven at five sites this month. A tatty Green Hairstreak was an unusual find on Benfleet Downs on the 14th.
The 17th produced a couple of interesting garden records with a Honey Buzzard viewed from Eastwood
flying west over Southend and a bizarre record of four Cattle Egrets viewed from Rochford. The drake Garganey appeared again on the 19th, this time at Bowers
Marsh, and a Ring-necked Parakeet
was an unexpected find near Rayleigh Mount on the 20th. A female Black-winged Stilt visited Wallasea on
the 21st when Purple
Hairstreaks were first noted across six oak woodlands including an
impressive count of 76 in Belfairs on the 26th. The second Honey Buzzard within a week passed low
over Belfairs on the 23rd and three Nightingales were noted on Canvey Wick on the 25th. An
adult Long-eared Owl with two
juveniles continued to be seen in the south-west this month.
JULY 2017
The month started
predictably quiet. A Dark-bellied Brent
Goose and two Little Terns were
welcome sightings along the Roach on the 2nd. A Silver-washed Fritillary frequented buddleia at Wat Tyler CP on the
4th with another the following day in Belfairs. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was seen in
Shoebury on the 4th which was followed by an unconfirmed report of a
female Redstart at Barling on the 5th.
The formerly scarce and recent colonist, Southern
Migrant Hawker was recorded at six sites from the 7th onwards
and included 22 along just one ditch network on Canvey. Little Ringed Plovers were present in good numbers on Bowers Marsh
with 12 there on the 12th. Vange Marsh hosted two Spoonbills on the 15th and
the month’s peak of six Green Sandpipers
on the 18th. There was a sprinkling of Clouded Yellows from the 21st to the 27th.
Bowers Marsh held three Little Stints
and the month’s highest count of six Common
Sandpipers on the 22nd. A Nightingale
was ringed on Two Tree Island on the 24th and a Red Kite was over Benfleet on the 25th with another at
Wakering on the 29th. Five Dark-bellied
Brent Geese were off Canvey Point on the 31st.
AUGUST 2017
The biggest local
news of the month, if not the year, was the discovery of a Marsh Tit visiting garden bird feeders near Hockley Woods from the
2nd until the 27th. With the nearest population many
miles away in north-west Essex, one can only wonder as to where it came from.
This represented the first local sighting in twenty six years! Also visiting
the feeders throughout were two Coal
Tits with a single in Coombe Wood. After the disappointment at Vange Marsh
in the spring it was great to have a family party of five Black-winged Stilts visit Bowers Marsh on the 4th. The
adult pair with their three well grown young were possibly one of the families
from nearby Cliffe Pools. They stayed loyal to Bowers Marsh until the 16th.
A smart Wood Sandpiper joined them
on the 5th and remained until the 10th with the first Whinchats noted there from the 6th.
Hummingbird Hawkmoths visited
gardens in Rayleigh on the 8th and Shoebury on the 13th.
Calm sea conditions on the 9th produced little of note off Canvey
but did reveal good numbers of Porpoise
with at least eight present. The first of only two Long-tailed Skuas during this poor autumn for seawatching was off
Canvey on the early date of the 10th whilst a Purple Sandpiper there the same day was equally early. A migrant Garden Warbler was found in Gunners Park on the 10th
where it remained until the 16th. There was a small fall of Spotted Flycatchers on the 13th
with four together on Canvey Wick and singles in Gunners Park and on Hadleigh
Downs. Two Tree Pipits flew through
Gunners Park on the 16th when Whinchat
numbers began to increase with three at Bowers Marsh and one in Gunners Park.
Two Temminck’s Stints on West Canvey
Marsh on the 18th were an excellent find of this less than annual
wader. Three Wood Sandpipers dropped
in at Lower Raypits on the 18th where one remained through to the 21st.
A single Black-winged Stilt on the
scrape at Wat Tyler CP on the 19th brought to a close an excellent
year of sightings of this striking and increasing visitor. A Honey Buzzard, the third and final one
of the year, was seen over Wakering on the 20th. In a dreadful year
for skua passage, two Pomarine Skuas
past Canvey on the 21st constituted all bar two of the autumn
records for this species. Up to three Garganey
were present on Vange Marsh from the 22nd through to mid-September.
The only Curlew Sandpiper of the
month was reported from Two Tree Island on the 2nd. A Cory’s Shearwater viewed from Canvey and
lingering in the estuary on the 23rd was a phenomenal record and is
the ‘stuff of dreams’ for local seawatchers. Of the two large shearwaters this
is the commonest locally with two confirmed records now since the turn of the
century. Also present on the 23rd was an impressive 88 Black Terns. A very early Merlin was at Wallasea on the 25th
where three Whinchat were also
present. An adult male Redstart was
a good record at Bowers Marsh on the 25th with another male reported
the following day on Two Tree Island. The first Willow Emerald Damselfly of the year was at Star Lane Pits, Great
Wakering on the 26th. A Little
Stint visited Bowers Marsh on the 26th where it remained until
the 2nd September. Another Garden
Warbler turned up in Gunners Park on the 27th and remained loyal
to a small area of bushes through to mid-September. The 28th
produced some good records with the first four Tree Sparrows of the autumn briefly in Gunners Park in the morning,
a Red Kite over Benfleet, and a Cattle Egret in the evening on Vange
Marsh. An Osprey flew past Canvey
Point on the 30th where there were also 15 Arctic Skuas, three Great
Skuas, and 40 Black Terns moving
upriver. By the 31st the Whinchats
had increased to five at Bowers Marsh with one lingering in Gunners Park.
SEPTEMBER 2017
The first of four Ospreys this month passed over Potton
Creek on the 1st. In what has now become an expected autumn event,
eight Tree Sparrows dropped in to
Gunners Park on the 1st with smaller numbers on several days through
to the 10th. Long-eared Owls
were a surprise find at a different site in the south-west from the 2nd
to the 16th although only one bird was ever seen each day,
photographs showed there were two individuals involved in the sightings. A Redstart in Gunners Park on the 2nd
proved popular. Skua passage peaked on the 3rd with a lowly 19 Arctic Skuas off Canvey and up to three
Great Skuas on several dates early
in the month. A Cattle Egret,
possibly the same as last week’s bird at Vange Marsh, arrived on the saltmarsh
at Wat Tyler CP on the 4th where it remained until at least the end
of October. A Wryneck was reported
on Two Tree Island on the 6th with it or another reported there
again on the 18th. Curlew
Sandpipers have become much scarcer in recent years with Potton Creek
holding just one all autumn on the 7th; in past years they were
almost guaranteed from here in September. One of only two Spotted Flycatchers this month was predictably in Gunners Park from
the 7th to the 9th. The second Osprey of the month was seen over Rochford golf course on the 8th.
Bowers Marsh continued to prove attractive to Whinchats with numbers building here to seven on the 10th
with one or two present most days throughout the month. There was an obvious
movement of Manx Shearwaters from
the 13th to the 15th with up to three birds seen each day
in the Thames yet none were seen on any other dates all year. A Sabine’s Gull, the only one of the year,
was also seen on the 15th at Canvey with the month’s only Guillemot there the next day. The first
Short-eared Owl of the autumn was
reported from Wallasea on the 16th but was not seen subsequently.
Wildfowl of dubious origin were plentiful from the 15th to the 17th
when there was a Mandarin at Great Wakering,
five Egyptian Geese in Shoebury
Park, and six Ruddy Shelduck at
Bowers Marsh; a Garganey also at
Bowers Marsh on the 16th and 17th restored some decorum
to the sightings page. Another Osprey
headed over Two Tree Island on the 18th, the same day that the
second and last Long-tailed Skua was
reported from Canvey. The last Swift
of the year was at Bowers Marsh on the 19th and the last of just
four Redstarts this autumn was in
Gunners Park on the 19th and 20th. Two Curlew Sandpipers roosted over high
tide at Two Tree Island on the 20th when a Lapland Bunting dropped in briefly on Canvey Point where it was
photographed. This is the first record of this species locally for five years.
The only Pied Flycatcher of a poor
autumn was in Gunners Park on the 21st and 22nd. Little Stint numbers increased
noticeably from the 21st when there were six at Bowers Marsh and up
to four at Vange Marsh through to the end of the month. White Wagtail passage occurred from the 22nd to the 28th
and included five at Vange Marsh and five in Gunners Park. A Ring-necked Parakeet was flying around
close to Rayleigh Mount on the 22nd and was probably the same bird that
was seen here in May. A pair of Bullfinch
at Wat Tyler CP on the 24th were notable for the location where
hopefully a few pairs still persist. The Thames at Canvey provided a few
interesting records on the 25th with the only Sooty Shearwater to date, only the second Pomarine Skua of the year, and a Hen Harrier crossing south across the river. A Tree Pipit at Gunners Park on the 26th was the second
and last record of the year. A Turtle
Dove at Bowers Marsh on the 27th was an excellent site record
and the first from there in recent years; a Little Gull was also lingering over the lagoon. The first and only Firecrest of the autumn was in Gunners
Park on the 27th whilst the second and last Spotted Flycatcher of the month was reported from Wat Tyler CP. A Yellow-necked Mouse live trapped in
woods at Daws Heath on the 29th was only the third ever confirmed
local record. The fourth Osprey of
the month was seen over Wallasea on the 30th where it lingered,
albeit irregularly, through to mid-October.
OCTOBER 2017
The last Hummingbird Hawkmoth of the year was
seen in a garden in Thorpe Bay on the 2nd, the same day that the
last Hobby and Common Sandpiper of the autumn were at Wat Tyler CP. Little Stint numbers remained high
early in the month with four at Vange Marsh and three at Bowers Marsh on the 3rd
with one remaining at Vange Marsh until the 11th. Wheatears put in a final appearance on
the 3rd when there were two at Bowers Marsh and one in Gunners Park;
Whinchat followed soon after with a
single at Bowers Marsh on the 4th the last record. A Short-eared Owl was seen briefly at
Wallasea on the 8th where there were also two Barnacle Geese present. The first Redwings of the autumn began trickling through from the 10th.
A ‘lutino’ Ring-necked Parakeet in
Southend on the 11th pushed the boundaries of ‘tickability’ with
most yearlisters refraining, whilst the California
Quail on Two Tree Island the same day presented less of a dilemma. The Osprey lingering around the Wallasea
area was seen for the final time on the 14th. The first of three Ring Ouzels this month was seen on
Canvey Wick on the 15th. Two Spoonbills
flying north-east over Hullbridge on the 18th were unexpected.
Canvey produced a Puffin and a Guillemot on the 18th with a
Short-eared Owl there the following
day crossing the Thames. A passage Purple
Sandpiper was an excellent find on the seawall at Gunners Park on the 20th
and 21st. Seawatching from Canvey Point on the 21st was
unusually slow but did produce a bonus Glossy
Ibis distantly towards north Kent. The last Little Stint of the autumn was on nearby West Canvey Marsh the same
day. Several Swallows, a House Martin, and a Sand Martin were all still present over
Bowers Marsh on the 23rd when the finch passage which first began
over Gunners Park on the 17th reached a peak with up to 1730 Goldfinches, 200 Linnets, 86 Lesser Redpolls,
30 Siskins, 21 Greenfinches, and two Bramblings
seen each day between those dates. A Short-eared
Owl was seen again on Wallasea on the 25th for only the second
time this month, the same day a Coal Tit
was seen in a Rayleigh garden whilst the regular two continued to visit a
Hockley garden with a further two in a Coombe Wood garden and a single in
Leigh. The local woodlands came up trumps on the 27th with a Hawfinch in Thundersley Glen on the 27th
and the first Nuthatch in Hockley
Woods since February 2016. The first Fieldfares
were noted passing through on the 27th and two Willow Emerald Damselflies were seen at Mucking Hall Lake. The
second Ring Ouzel of the month was
reported from Wakering Stairs on the 28th. After a dismal autumn
seawatching season, northerly winds on the 29th finally produced a
modicum of interest off Canvey with a Fulmar,
a Manx Shearwater, 650 Gannets, three Red-breasted Mergansers, four Pomarine
Skuas, two Great Skuas, an Arctic Skua, 120 large auks, of which
most were considered Razorbills, and
a Painted Lady. Two Woodcocks were found away from their
traditional haunts on the 30th, one of which was in a suburban
garden in Westcliff. A morning of vis-mig at Hockley Woods on the 31st
produced a number of interesting fly-over sightings including three Hawfinch, two Bullfinch, and a Ring Ouzel.
NOVEMBER 2017
There was an
obvious influx of Clouded Yellows
across the area from the 2nd to the 5th with up to four
seen at several sites. A Brambling
dropped in briefly to feed with Chaffinches
in Gunners Park on the 2nd. A seawatch from Gunners Park the next
day produced a female Eider which
lingered until the 9th and a Short-eared
Owl which tried unsuccessfully to cross the Thames from Kent, but was
thwarted by repeated mobbing by gulls. The family party of four Egyptian Geese visited Gunners Park on
the 4th and 8th. A wintering flock of 100 Chaffinches at Bowers Marsh pulled in
the first of three Bramblings on the
4th with at least one remaining into 2018. Canvey Point was the
place to be on the 5th when the unusual array of species present
included Razorbill, Ring-necked Parakeet, White Wagtail, and a Black Redstart, the first of the year.
Adding further to the excitement of the 5th was the discovery of a Marsh Tit in a private woodland near
Canewdon, and a Firecrest in a
Canewdon garden. The second Black
Redstart of the year closely followed the first when a female was found at
South Fambridge on the 6th, the same day that two Little Stints were reported at Vange
Marsh. Goosander are less than
annual in the area so news and video of a redhead on the lake in Gunners Park
on the 6th caused much excitement, although its stay was all too
brief and it soon departed. Their congener, the Red-breasted Merganser, is becoming increasingly scarce around the
tidal waterways now so three off Canvey Point on the 8th were
notable. Wallasea hosted a Short-eared
Owl on the 10th and a Merlin
on the 10th and 11th only. A Little Stint was noted at Bowers Marsh on the 11th where
unusually it chose to overwinter, being seen through into 2018. A redhead Goosander at Canvey Point on the 12th
may well have been the Gunners Park individual. Two Hawfinch dropped in briefly to Coombe Wood on the 12th
but the invasion which other areas were enjoying was still yet to materialise
in our area with no further records this month. A Red Kite was watched drifting over Bowers Marsh to Coombe Wood on
the 13th. There were now four Red-breasted
Mergansers stationed off Canvey Point on the 14th whilst a Shag was favouring the Pier on the 15th.
An influx of scoter into the Thames on the 16th saw an impressive
110 Common Scoter and two Velvet Scoter off Canvey Point. There
was an unconfirmed report of a Bittern
at Wat Tyler CP on the 17th whilst at adjacent Bowers Marsh a pair
of Egyptian Geese could be found. A
redhead Goosander, potentially the
same as the Thames bird, took up station on the Crouch at Hullbridge from the
17th through to early December where it afforded very close views
swimming among the Mute Swan herd
there. Hen Harriers were very scarce
this winter and along with Short-eared
Owl were seen on Wallasea only twice this month and once in December with
the 18th being one of the dates that the Hen Harrier was seen. A Common
Sandpiper at Hullbridge on the 19th was an interesting record
although it was not seen subsequently. The two Barnacle Geese which flew onto Paglesham Lagoon on the 23rd
were probably the feral duo which have been around the Roach for several months.
A Black-throated Diver was a good
find off Gunners Park on 24th particularly as it showed well in flat
calm conditions. There was some evidence of Short-eared Owl passage in the final week of the month with singles
at South Fambridge on the 24th, Benfleet on the 26th, and
Two Tree Island on the 29th. The Hen Harrier put in its second and last appearance of the month on
Wallasea on the 26th. Encouragingly, Coal Tits were reported from six gardens in the last half of the
month ranging from Thundersley to Hockley and Rayleigh. A seawatch from Canvey
Point on the 29th produced 85 Gannets,
a Pomarine Skua, and last week’s Black-throated Diver which went on to
overwinter on the Thames.
DECEMBER 2017
The month started
well with a seawatch from Canvey Point where a record 140 Red-throated Divers were counted along with the year’s only Little Auk, and singles of Eider, Guillemot, Razorbill,
and Great Skua. On the 3rd,
Shags were seen at Hullbridge and
the Pier whilst Woodcock were noted
at Canvey Wick and Bowers Marsh. Also on the 3rd a Bullfinch was reported from its former
stronghold at Magnolia NR. The Black-throated
Diver was again offshore from Gunners Park on the 4th when the
pair of Egyptian Geese were
favouring the Wat Tyler CP scrape. The Goosander
at Hullbridge was reported for the last time on the 6th and a single
Hawfinch was seen in Pound Wood on
the 8th. Another Canvey seawatch on the 11th produced two
Shags, nine Great Skuas, three Little
Gulls, and 40 Kittiwakes.
Wallasea hosted a Short-eared Owl and
Merlin on the 12th with
the Merlin putting in another
appearance on the 19th. Following a recent and rapid increase in
records, a Great White Egret over
Bowers Marsh on the 14th was surprisingly the first of the year. A Great Northern Diver was reported off
Canvey Point on the 14th and again on the 20th and 24th.
Three Hawfinch were found in Pound
Wood on the 16th but still eluded all but the finder. In the
adjacent Tile Wood, two Nuthatches
were found the same day with another confiding Nuthatch showing regularly in Pound Wood from the 18th
through to 2018. A Slavonian Grebe
reported from the Pier on the 20th was surprisingly the first record
of the year. A flock of 16 Lesser
Redpolls settled briefly on Two Tree Island on the 21st. The
only Blackcap of the month visited a
South Benfleet garden on the 23rd. Yellowhammers continue to decline locally with a flock of 11 at
Lower Raypits on the 26th one of the highest counts this year. The Black-throated Diver was noted off
Canvey Point again on the 30th, the same day that a Pygmy Shrew was found sheltering under
a reptile mat on Canvey Wick. The year ended with a flourish with Slavonian Grebe, four Guillemots, a Razorbill and two Merlins
seen from Canvey Point, and Great White
Egret, Hen Harrier, and a (or
the) redhead Goosander at Wallasea
on the 31st.
In
summary there were 215 species reliably reported this year which represents an
average year and matching last year’s total exactly which is surprising
considering both passage periods felt relatively slow. Highlights included Black-winged Stilts, Temminck’s Stints, and Cory’s Shearwater although only the
Stilts were widely available. The same can be said of the Lesser White-fronted Goose, a first for the area, and a clear
contender for bird of the decade had it lingered for any more than twenty
minutes on Wallasea. Therefore, given that most local birders were able to
connect with it, and there has not been a local record for over twenty-five
years, the bird of the year was arguably the Marsh Tit in Hockley.