Happy New Year!!

A couple more to add to the Bird Bird Race list, have been fortunate enough to have 6 Yellowhammer frequenting my garden boundary over the Xmas break, always nice to see. I've started my 2014 year list now but this does not affect the Big Bird Race as this does not finish until the end of February 2014. I haven't been out birding yet as I have a week away on a round Britain tour so didn't want to test the patience of the misses, even is she is a saint......!

So only two more to add to the Big Bird Race list but have added a pic of a Meadow Pipit as I quite liked it and it's better than the one I added for the Race.

74. Yellowhammer

75. Collard Dove

Meadow Pipit

Saafend...! 30th November 2013

So, I had a weekend away in Southend and although I knew Southend was a Mecca for Mediterranean Gull, this was not my primary reason for visiting...........

Having been with my girlfriend for a little over 5 years now, I thought it was about time I attempted to make an honest women of her before she decided that I was dragging it out a bit! We went for a long weekend (took Friday and Monday off work), travelled down on the Friday during which I felt rather calm. We stayed at a fabulous B&B which if you visit Southend I HIGHLY recommend, it was Suenos Guesthouse, both Teresa and Neil were extremely nice.  Saturday was the big day and I normally being extremely (some would say over..) confident, I preceded to degrade into an absolute jibbering nervous wreck when it came to the proposal on the pier (I know it doesn't sound romantic but it was on one knee and there's history behind it so say ahhh...) I'm pleased to say she didn't tell me I'd left it too late and we are currently planning our wedding for 2014 = a very happy me... :)

Anyway, this is a birding blog and you are not interested in my soppy goings-on, needless to say I was at the coast so saw a few new species for the year but managed to photograph quite a few for the blog list. I'm sure it goes without saying by now that these photos are your usual amateur 'I'm new to this' type quality.  I'll just list them in order without boring commentary, 1. because you are not interested and 2. because it's late and I'm reasonably merry (#drunk):

 57. Ringed Plover

 

 58. Starling

 

 59. Turnstone

 

59. Turnstone

 

 60. Mediterranean Gull

 

 60. Mediterranean Gull

 

 60. Mediterranean Gull

 

61. Great Black-backed Gull

 

Ok so I lied about the additional commentary, this first group of birds were seen along the Southend seafront with the Mediterranean Gulls seeming to like being in close proximity to the pier, the photo with two in actually had four together on a small wooden frame alongside the pier. The following photos were taken along the seafront at Leigh-on-Sea.

 62. Dark-bellied Brent Goose

 

 62. Dark-bellied Brent Goose

 

 62. Dark-bellied Brent Goose

 

62. Dark-bellied Brent Goose

 

63. Oystercatcher

 

64. Redshank

 

On our last day we couldn't tear ourselves away so we went for a walk around Three Tree NR which is actually more of a dog walking circuit but happens to have a hide overlooking the estuary, these next photos were taken from that hide.

  

 64. Redshank

 

 65. Dunlin

 

 66. Little Egret

 

 67. Avocet

 

 68. Shelduck
 



69. Teal (in the foreground)

 

Actually the Little Egret was also taken at Leigh-on-Sea but I'd numbered it in the wrong order so it's staying there, the next lot were also from the hide.

 

 70. Curlew

 

 70. Curlew

 

 71. Widgeon

 

This last lot were then seen back along the Southend seafront.

 

 72. Sanderling

 

 72. Sanderling

 

 72. Sanderling
 

73. House Sparrow

 

Can't believe I didn't already have House Sparrow, I have a troop of them living in the hedge outside my kitchen window...