Fri 23rd Oct 26

Reports from today

Richard Jeffree

07:45 Yellowlegs still present.

09:23 Sooty shearwater north.

12:52 2 Purple Sands, 1 Turnstone sluice.

Matt Lonsdale

08:37 Yellowlegs still showing 08:15-30

Dave Cummings

09:16 Yellowlegs still showing 09.15

Simon Cox

15:11 Seawatch from shelter 07:15-11:15: Sooty Shearwater N at 0923  then it or another S at 0930, Gannet 8 N (all adults), Red-t Diver 3 N, 1 S, C  Scoter 3, Brent 10, Shelduck 4, Wigeon 4+, Tern sp 1 (SC, PL, RJ, MR & latterly MO’H, DC).

 

Thurs 22nd Oct 26

A break from seawatching today meant time for a walk round the site, I started at the chippings lay-by, no sign of any whitefronts but 100+ Lapwing on the field and a Redwing on the bottom hedge was a good start, along the approach road a Goldcrest was in exactly the same place as yesterday and another a bit further along, a large tit flock moved through too quickly for me to pick anything different out of it. The rest of the bushes and the dell were windy and uneventful.

On a walk along the front a single juvenile goose was seen on the front of the scrape which looked a bit interesting so I went to the hide for a closer look, as I set up on the goose a wader walked through the back of my view and re-focusing on what I initially thought was a Greenshank turned out to be a Lesser Yellowlegs. The bird spent a lot of time behind the island out of view but during the next hour of searching a Jack Snipe and a Water Rail were located.

Photo Mick Rodwell©

 Reports from today

Pete Loud

14:44 Merlin south past sluice, still no sign of Yellowlegs, going for a walk and will have a look later.

15:44 Yellowlegs is now showing to the left on the Island.

16:29 Lesser Yellowlegs is being very elusive, went missing behind the island for over 2 hours, then showed for a couple of minutes and then disappeared behind the island again, so anybody looking for it will have to be patient.

Brian Combes

16:33 Yellowlegs again showing to right of island.

16:39 Has just walked back behind island.

17:53 Walk from Frinton to Haven and back along seawall this morning,  plus hide from 13:00-14:30 (unsuccessfully waiting for the yellowlegs) and 16:30-16:45 (successfully), included:

1 lesser yellowlegs (a dainty delight worth waiting for), 1 jack snipe, 2+ firecrest (2 approach road, 1 east end of carpark), 1 white-fronted goose (juv), 7 goldcrest, 2 brambling, 84 goldfinch (south in small groups through the morning), 24 skylark (south), 19 mipit (south), 3 stonechat, 1 great spotted woodpecker, 3 turnstone, 2 greenfinch, 14 chaffinch, 1 sparrowhawk, 7 Cetti’s (singing), 4 reed bunting, 1 rock pipit, 2 green woodpecker, 4 song thrush, 9 blackbird.

 

Wed 21st Oct 26

Pete and I had another quite productive seawatch this morning (see below) followed by a short walk and visit to the hide, apart from the Firecrest & Goldcrest that gave us some superb views it was very quiet.

From the hide: 24 Teal, 6 Wigeon, 4 Cormorant, 1 Blk T Godwit, 15 Blk H Gulls, 1 Common Gull, 3 Stonechat.

Reports from today

John Sawyer

13:37 2 Firecrest approach road.

Pete Loud

13:52 Seawatch from the shelter (8-11Am) 6 Little Gull, 1 kittiwake, 25+ Gannet, 1 Gt cr. Grebe, 2 Red thr Diver, 20+ Common Scoter and a few Wigeon, Brent & Teal, walk along the approach road late morning revealed, 1 Firecrest & 1 Goldcrest, no sign of Whitefronts, they appear to have moved on.

 

Tues 20th Oct 26

Reports from today

Laurence Drumond

07:23 Eared Owl sp. Haven shelter but blown away!

Matt Lonsdale

07:27 35/40 whitefronts sw over slade road. Holland on sea @ 07:18.

09:10 Shag on sea off sluice. Firecrest sewage farm gate. 5 whitefronts in/off. 3 behind raised platform then other road. 30 grey geese on arable flushed by farmer and landed over the road.

09:22 At least 10 whitefronts from chippings lay-by but obscured + male Merlin.

09:42 Another 15 whitefronts SW Slade road + mistle thrush on deck then flew N towards haven.

20:13 Haven this afternoon- The shelter redstart inspired a brief bush bash at haven late afternoon (only car park and approach road covered) 

A flock of 35 fieldfares in the car park the highlight. 15 goldcrest, 1 chiff, 1 blackcap, 20 cont blackbird, 2 redwing, 5 song thrush, robins all over the place. 6 whitefronts from chippings lay-by

Simon Cox

13:21 Haven Seawatch 0710-1140 Brent 700+, Barnacle Goose 2, Shelduck 21, Pintail 1, Tufted Duck 1, Wigeon 43+, Teal 12+, R-b Merganser 7, Red-t Diver 7, Little Gull 1, Grey Heron 1, eared Owl 1 (distant at sea), Guillemot 1 (close offshore, attacked by GBBG ? Killed), Auk sp 1, Skylark 16, C Scoter 50+, Kittiwake  2 (ad & juv at 1130)  SC, LD, PL,MR.

20:12 Omitted Gannet 10 from earlier report.

Pete Loud

15:39 Leach’s Petrel just passed the shelter half way out north.

15:50 2 1st winter Kittiwake north.

16:10 Redstart on the grass behind the seawatching shelter

16:30 3 more Kittiwake close north.

 

Mon 19th Oct 26

Pete and I started the morning with a sea-watch 08:00 - 10:30 (see below).

4 Cormorant, 20+ Herring Gulls and a Turnstone  were on the sluice rocks and a Med Gull was sitting on the sea just offshore. 

From the hide: 37 Greylags, 8 Teal, 6 Shoveler, 4 Cormorant, 20+ Lapwing, 2 Blk T Godwit, 7 Blk H Gulls, 5+ Stonechat, 2 Song Thrush, Meadow Pipits and lots of Starling. PL/MR

Reports from today

Pete Loud

13:04 Seawatch from the shelter this morning for couple of hours,1 Goldeneye south, 1 Guillemot &1 Red throated Diver north, otherwise fairly quiet, just a few wigeon, teal and Brent. Yesterday’s seawatch before the heavy rain, highlights, 7 Eider, 6 Merganser and Short-eared Owl. See what tomorrow brings, nothing of note, on the scrape or around the bushes.(MR,PL).

Simon Cox

13:08 Minimal passage evident in reedbed area this morning. Water Rail & Bearded Tit still in the area, 3 Swallows N!

Just 5 ringed: Goldcrest, Cetti’s Warbler, Wren, Great Tit & Blue Tit.

 

Sun 18th Oct 26

I joined PL for a seawatch this morning and ended up with a nice selection of birds, 97 Brent Geese (70s 27n), 7 Shelduck (n), 7 Eider (n), 1 Common Scoter (n), 1 R B Merganser (n), 5 Pintail (s), 12 Wigeon, 1 Teal, 7 Gannet, 5 Cormorant plus several groups of duck and a couple of waders too distant for positive id.

Then a quick visit to the hide before a good soaking on the way back, was it really worth it

From the hide: 13 Shoveler, 9 Teal, 3 Blk T Godwit, 1 Lapwing, 20 Blk H Gulls, 1 LBB Gull. PL/MR

 

Sat 17th Oct 26

A bit cooler out today with a brisk northerly wind.

From the Hide: 29 Greylag, 8 Teal, 5 Shoveler, 2 Cormorant, 3 Blk T Godwits, 2 Curlew, 1 Redshank, 23 Blk H Gulls, 5 Herring Gulls, 2 Common Gulls, 1 Marsh Harrier, 3 Swallows, 2 Stonechat, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Pied Wags, Meadow Pipit & Goldfinch. PL/MR et.al. 

Things picked up a bit on the way back with a Water Rail on the brook behind the sluice, 7 Teal sitting on the sea and 2 R B Mergansers heading north offshore PL/MR.

Reports from today

Pete Loud

17:59 Short seawatch from the shelter at 16:45 for 1/2 hour,1 drake Eider north, 2 Arctic skua south & 2 other Skuas south too far out to safely identify.