How about an East Coast Bird Post?

[tillergirl]

Not about Essex Girls - the feathered kind. Crossing the Strood this morning on the way to winterise the engine (to keep it boaty), three black swans were taking off towards the north over the Strood, trying to gain lift against the brisk northerly - always a tad worrying for us soft top owners.

Still some Egrets around as well as the regulars - mind you Egrets are regular now.

What else is about?

 

[johnalison]

Just seen a little grebe in the Colne.

 

[pyrojames]

My wife saw a Little Auk on the Orwell three weeks ago, just near Downham bouy.

 

[DanTribe]

I had a classic bit of misunderstanding with wifey tonight. She was telling me a storey about little auks being sighted in E Anglia.
I said they were probably sparrow 'awks, they are quite small.

 

[ex-Gladys]

... I saw a Shite auk this weekend....

 

[alec]

Lucky to have been sailing two days this week.

The volume and number of birds flying about are just breathtaking at this time of year.

Is it better being freezing cold on a boat or freezing cold on the shore looking at them ?

I'll take both.

 

[tillergirl]

Snipe, Turnstone and Sanderlings on the mudflats today. At least I think they are Sanderlings - thousands of them

 

[MoodySabre]

We can see 4000 Brent geese from the house enjoying the eel grass. Quite a noise at night, honking away!

The other night I stood by the sea wall on the way back from the Crooked Billet. The tide was up, the night was quite bright, boats bobbing and the geese and peewits were having a shouting match. It was magical.

 

[tillergirl]

Yes, stacks of Brent's here as well. Handy being inedible.

 

[johnalison]

Not sure about your sanderlings; I've usually seen them in groups of a dozen or so, mostly at Stone Point.

 

[mitchc]

Had these in the marina for the last few days:

 

[tillergirl]

Ah, an Avocet. Lucky chap. Never seen one although I've been told they are around. Plenty of Egrets though.

As to Sanderlings, they could have be Dunlin I suppose. I working on the edge of my knowledge here.

 

[mitchc]

We've got a regular "flock" of Egrets that feed along the waterline just in front of the boat.
The Avocets have never come that close, but there were about 10 grouped together on Sunday.
I think I'm turning into a twitcher! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MoodySabre]

Plenty of avocets on Two Tree Island.

 

[moondancer]

[ QUOTE ]
Plenty of avocets on Two Tree Island.

[/ QUOTE ]

Apparently it attracts people who claim to be dog walkers as well. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[johnalison]

Small waders in winter dress are pretty hard. Certainly, dunlin, but often a lot of knots mixed with ringed plover and usually a lot of redshank around. Just seen a billion lapwings and LBWs (little brown waders) take off behind Titchmarsh in the sunshine. I didn't actually count them.