Thurs 30th Jan 25
Reports from today
Richard Jeffree
15:06 Haven this morning, Whitefronts still present didn't look long for the Bean Goose, 3 Purple Sands south of French Pt, nothing of note between there and raised tee except a couple of prs of Stonechats, 39 Curlew on the flood from the hide all the usual duck and lapwings plus 14 Blackwits and 1 Avocet.
Wed 29th Jan 25
A nice morning for a walk, a pair of Stonechat along the front, 5 Purple Sands and a Rock Pipit around French Point was a good start.
From the hide: Lots of Wigeon & Teal, 22 Shoveler, 7 Shelduck, c100 Lapwing, 6 Blk T Godwit, 1 Snipe, 3 Bearded Tits (on the island), 1 Peregrine, 1 Buzzard. RJ/MO'H/BH/MR et.al.
Greylag and White-fronted Geese still below the raised platform.
Laurence Drumond
08:26 Bean Goose flew in with Greylags but not viewable from the platform, 20+ Whitefronts too.
08:36 Now visible close from the platform now.
08:50 1 Purp at the sluice.
Tues 28th Jan 25
I had a short seawatch late morning, just 30+ Cormorant heading south and a few gulls. When the rain stopped and the sun came out a walk to the raised platform showed that the Tundra Bean goose was still with us, in with the Greylags and c30 White-fronted Geese plus several hundred Wigeon & Teal, Shoveler & Shelduck, 14 Blk T Godwit and a load of Curlew. A Song Thrush singing from the orchard and the sunshine was a nice change but it didn't last long.
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Mon 27th Jan 25
I managed to catch up with the Tundra Bean this morning (thank's Steve) and a short seawatch added Eider to the site year list, a drake heading north close offshore, plus a lot of Cormorant heading south and a few Wigeon. SE/MO'H/PNt/MR
Reports from today
Brian Combes
09:15 The White-fronts (20+) flew in from the west with Greylags at 8:30 from raised platform, Bean Goose still with them but flock tricky behind vegetation, just flown and landed further north.
10:10 Snow Bunting by raised tee, then flew west before heading back seaward and appeared to land south of northern pillbox
16:33 Walk from Frinton to Haven and back this morning included: 1 Tundra Bean Goose with 20+ Russian White-fronted Goose (flock appeared from the west first thing with some of the greylag so not sure where they are roosting), 1 Snow Bunting (female type), 7 Purple Sandpiper (together, just south of French point first thing), 250+ Starling (golf course first thing), 150+ Black-headed Gull (golf course first thing), 1 Reed Bunting, 2 Cetti’s (singing), 12 Curlew (south first thing), 1 Redwing (over), 1 Hare (from raised platform), 1 Snipe, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Buzzard, 3 Stonechat (1 Haven end, pair Frinton end).
Steve Entwistle
11:09 Tundra Bean still seen from path down to viewing platform, very hard as bushes in way, seen it three times in 2 hours.
Sun 26th Jan 25
Richard Jeffree
09:45 20+ White-fronts. and a Tundra Bean Goose from raised platform.
15:45 5 Purple Sands, 7 Turnstone along the front.
Simon Cox
11:08 Heavy R-T Diver passage. Over 200 so far.
13:32 Sea watch 1025-1145: Red-t Diver 350 S, 10 N, G N Diver 1 N, G C Grebe 1 S, Wigeon 40 (may have come off the marsh). Otherwise just a few GBBs & regular gull
Pete Loud
14:18 Tundra Bean Goose, still in with the White-fronts behind the Raised Platform, but very difficult to see and ended up close in behind the sewage farm a very difficult area to get a view of. Hour seawatch from 12:30pm 30+ Red-throats all south,1 Great crested Grebe south and north, 1 adult Gannet & 4 Common Scoter.
Fri 24th Jan 25
Three new additions to the Site Year List today with Linnet, Snow Bunting and White-fronted Goose
Reports from today
Richard Jeffree
11:43 Snow Bunting French Pt.
Mike O'Hanlon
11:49 5 Purple Sands spread out north from French Point.
11:51 Make that 7
Matt Lonsdale
14:29 16+ White-fronted Geese raised platform.
14:41 In fact 20 birds Inc several juvs. With Greylags behind raised platform.
Thurs 23rd Jan 25
Reports from today
Richard Jeffree
13:41 Walk to the raised tee this morning produced 1 Purple Sand, female Marsh Harrier up to 5 Stonechats and a Oystercatcher flying south (ffy), from the hide it was business as usual with Widgeon, Teal and Shoveller plus the usual flock of Lapwing and Curlew lot's of Brent Geese over and lastly the male Kingfisher put in a brief appearance on the perch, home before the weather turned RJ and PL.
Sun 19th Jan 25
Reports from today
Pete Loud
13:40 Pretty dire out there at the moment, nothing happening offshore now for a few days, just the one Purple Sandpiper just north of French point, usual Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler and couple of Shelduck from the Scrape hide, still good flock of Lapwing ,35 Curlew and a few more Canada Geese as of late.(PL,RJ).
Thurs 16th Jan 25
An afternoon visit to the chippings lay-by paid dividends with 2 Egyptian Geese on the arable to the right, a minimum of 43 Corn Bunting feeding on the set-aside and a Barn Owl hunting along the bottom hedge as the light was fading, along with Reed Bunting, Linnet, Greylag, Canada Geese, 6+ Grey Heron and 2 Buzzard plus lots of corvid, not a bad couple of hours. Also seen 1 Red Fox, 1 Muntjac & 1 Chinese Water Deer. RJ/MR
Reports from today
Simon Cox
11:56 Red-throated Diver fairly close off French Point.
Wed 15th Jan 25
I spent a few minutes looking out to sea from the sluice this morning, it was flat calm if a bit misty but quiet just 10+ Red-throated Divers sitting on the see a few Cormorant and Gulls and 2 Purple Sands on the rocks south of French Point.
Reports from today
Richard Jeffree
09:44 Now 24 Corn Bunting and a Chiffchaff chippings layby.
Tues 14th Jan 25
Reports from today
Pete Loud
13:32 Deadly quiet at the Haven at the moment, nothing on the Scrape, still partly frozen, 10 Curlew, 1 Blackwit and still 300 Lapwing behind raised Platform, 2 Purple Sands on the Sluice, in set aside field behind chippings lay-by 10 Corn Bunting, 8 Reed Bunting and a few Greylag, Canada and Brent out on the marsh.
Brian Combes
Agreed! Walk from Frinton to Haven and back via farm this morning included: 2 purple sand (sea defences south of raised tee), 100+ black-headed gull (on golf course first thing), 90+ starling (golf course), 12 blackbird, 3 song thrush, 19 curlew (south first thing), 240+ lapwing, 2 Cetti’s (singing), 1 buzzard, 40+ Canada goose (flew over scrape), 50+ skylark (on stubble field south of footpath), 1 stonechat, 4 mipit, 1 reed bunting
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| 2 purple sandpiper this morning. Brian Combes© |
Thurs 9th Jan 25
Reports from today.
Pete Loud
13:52 Very quiet at Haven this morning. Scrape 1 Avocet and that’s it, Goldcrest in conifers at sewage farm, 7 Curlew behind raised platform, still large Lapwing flock (200+), Great spotted Woodpecker up at the Farm.
Simon Cox
16:16 Late morning visit likewise quiet: additions to PL’s list were Cetti’s W from hide, pair Stonechats sluice area, and Lapwing flock counted from lay-by was 310.
Mon 6th Jan 25
I had a lunchtime walk down to the hide this afternoon and picked up a site year tick with a Ringed Plover on the beach south of the sluice. A pair of Stonechat were on the front toward the pillbox.
From the hide: c300 Teal, c150 Wigeon, 8 Shoveler, 1 Shelduck, c350 Lapwing (up on the arable), 1 Avocet, otherwise pretty quiet.
Thurs 2nd Jan 25
Our 1st of Jan walk down from the farm was delayed until today, a much nicer day when the sun was out. The site year list now stands at 56 (see Site Year List) although may be modified over the next few days as other reports come in. Birds of the day were probably Purple Sands (5) Bearded Tit (3), Grey Wag (1), and Fieldfare (3). PL/RJ/DC/MO'H/LH/MR.
Wed 1st Jan 25
Reports from today
Pete Loud
16:06 Did get out for a couple of hours this morning before the rain, spent 1 1/2 hours watching from the shelter out of the wind but it was absolutely dead offshore, best was a drake Pintail flying past south, nothing else bar a few Herring Gulls, couple of Cormorant and a few Brent. A walk along the entrance road added a couple of Jay and a Tit flock with Great Tit, Blue Tit and a couple of Long-tailed Tit.
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