Normandy Lagoon & RSPB Frampton Marsh :: 23 & 27 April 2024

I'd been on a week-long business trip and so was still in the air when Kev @kev07713 and our other birding friends all travelled to Lymington to see the marsh sandpiper at Normandy Marshes; it would be a lifer for almost every one of them as this species is often known as a 'one day' visitor. It is a migratory wading bird that only occasionally visits the UK, primarily during the spring and autumn migration seasons. Another bird I would dip due to a business trip I thought, just like the Wantage nighthawk.

So when I arrived at Normandy Marshes on Tuesday evening, I got a message from Kev "You are a little tinker, as you said you were busy ...". I'd slipped out of the office a little early with the marsh sandpiper reported several times through the day (showing well) and was now parked up and making my way round to the lagoon, joining a single watcher on the lower level path, camera trained. I inquired as to the bird's location only to be told that it had flown just under an hour before, and no one had been able to relocate it; although it was believed it had dropped somewhere on the other side of the lagoon. The chap I was talking to had already run a sortie and so I decided to try and see if I could locate it myself by walking the sea wall - I could see another birder on a scope scanning from halfway along the visible path. Through the scope and bins, I could see a curlew sandpiper on the tip of an island but as I considered a record shot it turned back and out of view.

I made my way round but couldn't pull out the bird. By the time I reached the turn at the far end I could see a handful of little terns fishing at distance, primarily due to the tide being out (but gradually turning). I stopped to admire these cracking birds - a year tick. The return of little terns to the UK in spring is a highly anticipated event for birders, arriving in late April to early May, marking the start of the breeding season. These birds undertake a remarkable migration from their wintering grounds in West Africa, traveling thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean to reach their breeding grounds in the UK. They follow a migratory route known as the "East Atlantic Flyway," which takes them along the coastlines of Portugal, Spain, and France before reaching us. Little terns prefer nesting sites on sandy beaches, shingle banks, and salt marshes near the coast, feeding on small fish, crustaceans, and other marine invertebrates, which they catch by plunge-diving into the water from flight, often hovering above before they dive.

The little terns were then ever present and I counted a dozen on the main island in the centre of the lagoon. As I searched, I found numbers of bar-tailed godwits, and a single greenshank. Try as I might, I couldn't locate a whimbrel which I thought would be nailed on given the exposed estuary basin. A couple of grey plovers flew by.

I reached the far end of the path that allowed me to look across the far extent of the lagoon and searched for the marsh sandpiper in vain. In the end I turned back and checked that the handful of birders on the opposite side weren’t on the bird - they weren't. I started back and continued scanning regularly across the lagoon and to my left as the sea continued to rise again.

I reached about halfway back when there seemed to be some coordination in scoping of the lagoon by birders on the far edge. When I looked out, I could see the marsh sandpiper feeding with redshanks in the middle of the pool, foraging for small invertebrates and aquatic insects in the mud and shallow water - phew! It was around 160m out, but I took photos regardless just as a record - not a frame filler unfortunately. The marsh sandpiper is similar in appearance to other wading birds in the Tringa genus, such as the common and spotted redshank. It has a long, slender bill, grey-brown plumage with white underparts, and distinctive greenish legs. In flight, it shows a prominent white wing bar and white rump.

I started back and found a group of dunlins with a single sanderling, feeding before the sun set. I started the journey home and a late dinner.

Saturday arrived with forecast of intermittent rain starting from late morning and so I asked Kev if we might visit RSPB Frampton Marsh - it has a number of hides where we could shelter if the rain got heavy, and it is easy to start early before the centre opens. Kev had been earlier in the week but had dipped the red-breasted goose so perhaps that might be a nice bird to see - not a year tick as we saw one down on the Kent coast earlier in the year when visiting for the water thrush. I hadn't visited to catch up with the lesser yellowlegs this year and the had been a wood sandpiper reported the day before.

Unusually we didn't stop for breakfast, really to save time and beat the potential rain. Breakfast is always available in the Visitor's Centre and so we planned to pop there part way through the morning. We set out along the main path and before long stopped, and Kev picked out a little gull feeding on a distant pool. Off to our left I spotted a single swift, a year tick for both Kev and I. As quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.

Four swans approached from our right and passed the Visitor's centre where we thought they'd landed beyond; checking they were nowhere to be seen. What had caught our eye was than one was a whooper swan and reminded us of an out of season bird here previously. Perhaps we'd catch up with them later. Overhead a couple of Mediterranean gulls called and passed through.

We made our way round to the 360 Hide and on the way a reed warbler flew across the path and was another year tick for me. I was surprised that the water had been drained from one pool by the hide, but I assume there is method in this madness. It does affect the number of waders seen but perhaps has benefits later. From the hide we quickly located the swans and our whooper, soon watching two depart and one of them our bird. Scanning the islands Kev pulled out two little gulls that preening on a distant island. While I took photos they gradually worked closer and entertained on the wing. A couple of Mediterranean gulls bobbed on the water at distance, probably those that we'd seen previously.

We moved on to the Reedbed Hide and where Kev had seen a black tern on his last visit. It wasn't showing and likely had left site but we did have two sandwich terns through, but they didn't stop for their photo session. A couple dropped in and announced that they had seen the red-breasted goose on the marsh - first thing it had been reported at Freiston but appeared to have returned to this site. A black-winged stilt flew from well off to our left and I managed to get Kev and the couple on it before it dropped up the track - immediately going to sleep.

We considered going for breakfast but as we'd got this far, we decided to go up onto the sea wall and look across the marsh for the goose. Passing the stilt, it woke for about 10 seconds and then settled back with beak under wing. Hopefully the male returns and we have another season where they breed here.

Along the path we were down at a nice level to watch the avocets as they congregated on the small islands, interacting with one another. I took a few photos but probably should have spent a bit more time to get some more behavioural shots. A kingfisher cut across the water.

We continued on up to the sea wall and overlooking the marsh we could see numbers of brent geese moving around but no sign of the red-breasted goose. We worked along and out into the marsh spotting my first whimbrel of the year plus a leucistic redshank. I walked along the path and looking down into a gully spotted two kingfishers, one departing almost immediately. We continued to watch and work through the brent geese in the air and on the ground, but our goose wasn't amongst them. Eventually we decided it was time for breakfast and made our way back.

Almost at the centre we came across a birder we'd talked to earlier who alerted us that the red-breasted goose was showing well up the main track towards the sea wall. Breakfast could wait. We set off and stepped aside to allow a car to pass - in my head I thought "I hope it doesn't flush the birds". Damn ... it did and when we got to the spot, the red-breasted goose had gone. We scanned through the brent geese that has relocated but weren't able to pick out our bird. A little ringed plover dropped in front of us. We spent quite a while searching but eventually talking to a passing birder, we discovered that the bird was in a flock at the very back of the pool and viewable from the sea wall. Off we went.

We moved quickly, and I got ahead of Kev anxious to make sure of seeing it this time. A few flocks left the field and I hoped we'd not lost our chance but needn't have worried as I found it out on the marsh. It fed with a couple of dozen brent geese and after almost five minutes it was up and off - eventually relocating well out of reach.

We scanned around but didn't find a lot more of note and so we made our way back to the Visitor’s Centre and lunch - so much time had passed that we couldn't call it breakfast anymore. Almost back we stopped to watch a couple of spoonbills feeding.

Fed we made our way across the car park where we added our first yellow wagtail of the day, and a rather nice black-tailed godwit. We weren't going to stop and made our way back out of the reserve to a path leading off left. Along we went eventually coming across the lesser yellowlegs, spotted redshank and two greenshanks amongst the redshanks, dunlins, and ruff. Eventually Kev spotted the wood sandpiper on the far bank and allowed an older couple to observe through his scope. They followed us round and got some better views from the bench, and then of the wood sandpiper in the far corner.

We helped the couple get better views of the wood sandpiper before it evaporated while we were searching for yellow wagtails. Once they'd gone, we walked further down the track seeing a rather attractive redshank and handfuls of yellow wagtails. Out in the fields a hare posed for its profile picture.

We strolled back and along the track hearing a few birds including a few blackcaps but didn't spend much time seeking views. We'd had a good day, and it was time to hit the road with 72 species seen and at least another 5 heard.

Year list: 191.

Heybridge & Bradwell-on-Sea :: 13 January 2024

Having returned from a short holiday in Scotland almost a week before, I was relieved to see that the Northern waterthrush had stayed at Heybridge, Maldon in Essex. It had been a very popular bird, primarily due to it being the eighth recorded in Britain - seven previous records between 1958 and 2019. This is a first for Essex, only the third mainland record, and the first British record since 2011.

It breeds in the northern part of North America, in Canada, and the northern United States. It is migratory, wintering in Central America, the West Indies and Florida. It is a very rare vagrant to other South American countries or to western Europe. It likes "swampy or wet woods" as habitats but is more commonly seen in tropical climates during the winter and actually resembles a large pipit rather than a "thrush" - maybe a dwarf redwing … without the red. Typically it feeds on insects and other small invertebrates on streams or pond edges.

Kev @kev07713 and I knew that visiting on a Saturday we'd encounter more people but there had been opportunities the previous weekend and over the sunsequent five weekdays - we left early to ensure that even after a stop for breakfast we'd be there by 7.00am, with sunrise scheduled for 07.59am. Kev had visited more than a week before while I was away but understood this was a bird I'd like to see - hopefully we'd be able to make later plans based on what else was reported in the area that morning.

We arrived to find hordes of people already in place - around 200 at a quick estimate, with more trying to view from the other end of the creek - mayhem. We joined on the lefthand edge only to discover that you couldn't see the creek at all from here and so pushed through and knelt in the mud in front of the line of scopes, and behind people sitting on the grass. I put down my gloves to try and limit the damage to my trousers - this turned out to be a futile exercise and simply resulted in more items to wash when I returned home. At least we had a view from here.

At 07.26am the crowd's attention was raised when the bird was spotted halfway down the creek - it took me a while to latch on but then I had my second life tick of the year. I used my camera to follow the bird as it was much brighter than the current conditions - I tried to take a few photos but my settings meant that the shutter speed was too slow. The bird fed up and down the channel eventually venturing right up to the sluice - the closest position it could be to us. Now I encountered a new issue - I had the camera set for crop instead of full frame and it was increasingly difficult to follow the bird as it walked, hopped and flew across the water and from perch to perch. I switched out and managed to fire off a few shots before the bird flew back along the creek and out of range. Shortly after it flew right out of the creek and into the reeds beyond. It was now 08.15am and we'd had good views so decided to move out to give those that had been less fortunate than ourselves a chance to view - a dozen or more people around us did the same.

As we left, we bumped into Penny @FegWitch and Ann, stopping briefly for a chat with them and two of their friends. They were going to Abberton Reservoir with hope of the canvasback (not been reported for a couple of days), the smews and a possible Slavonian grebe. We now looked on our phones and opted instead for a trip over to Bradwell-on-Sea to try for the red-breasted goose (another species I hadn't seen in 2023). We said our goodbyes and made the journey of just over half an hour.

We arrived, and Kev said that he'd been told that the bird was likely to be a 2-mile walk out to where the main brent geese flock were feeding. Our target was a first-winter bird but worth the visit. The red-breasted goose is native to Eurasia and is a relative of the brent goose, despite its appearance. It is threatened by habitat loss and has been in decline over the last few decades to the point it is classed as endangered. They breed in Arctic Siberia and usually spend their winters along the shores of the Black, Caspian, and Arial seas. They are typically found on riverbanks, flooded fields, wooded tundra, lakes, and marshes.

We set off down the track and saw a couple of birders down on the edge of the Saltmarsh - we'd likely be following them along - to our left was a flock of brent geese but it didn't contain our bird. With them were a handful of lapwings. When we got closer to the church (the Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall), we met the birders coming back up the track - apparently the walk had put them off and they were going to give it a miss (they'd heard it was 3½ miles to the bird while my maps suggested 2½) - Kev said he hoped it would be the latter. Looking out over the bay from the church we could see more brent geese, knot, dunlin, curlews and more. Kev piped up and said there was a short-eared owl perched on a post and when I got my bins on it, it was a gnome - oh he thinks he is very funny.

Walking along the path Kev called a harrier and as it was flying away from us, we couldn't be absolutely sure of the species - with the grey it may have been a male hen harrier - we will never know. We joined up with a few other birders that had been catching us up - one had just seen a male hen harrier ... we added views of both male and female marsh harriers. After around 1½ miles we came to a bend in the path and out in front of us was the main brent flock, feeding and swaying back and forth from left to right. It was quite difficult to pick out the red-breasted goose from the others, but easier on the scope. I considered taking a photo but away from the scope I always lost the bird. After a few minutes our bird made it to the front and I had much better views on the scope - this was my chance - I got a line and raised my camera as the flock took off, whirled around a couple of times, and landed a couple of fields away. Fortunately, Kev got some video and below is a screen grab from one of those.

Copyright and courtesy of Kevin Heath

There was a cold breeze and we realised we'd need to move on to stay warm. We started back and a couple of birders strode out, leaving us behind while we followed another and out into the Saltmarsh - much closer to the shore. Once at the closest point we could pick out many more of the species on the water and shore: dunlin, knot, bar-tailed godwits, oystercatchers, grey plovers, pintails, red-breasted mergansers, turnstones, and more. Quite a few year ticks amongst us.

Our companion said goodbye and made his way along the track at a fair pace while we took it steadier. We were watching the passing waders when a ringtail/female hen harrier came into view along the edge of the Saltmarsh and where it meets the shore. We watched it quarter the area but purposefully making progress from our left to right. We had excellent views and were warmed by the experience - the cold couldn't touch us now.

We joked that we would find a merlin on one of the posts dotted across the marsh but never did, although we had more views of marsh harriers. Eventually we made it back onto the main path and started back towards the church.

In the distance flocks of waders sparkled in the sky, as they often do in sunlight and when numbers are in the thousands. Movement at the edge of my field of view caught my attention and as I scanned there was a merlin acrobatically attempting to capture a small bird. Thankfully I managed to get Kev on it to see the action - wow, that was special. All distant but a feast for the eyes through our bins. We continued on and spotted the merlin perched in various bushes and scrub - at one point it took to the wing, flew along the shore and then up high, only to be lost right. With distance and the sun, it was hard to get any sort of record shot.

We continued and noted the flocks of knot and dunlin on the shore - part of the flock that we'd seen earlier no doubt. In the field to our right, we saw a dozen or so golden plover, and a pair of stonechats.

We stopped and visited the church to find out about its history. The Chapel is open during the day to visitors and in the summer, they hold a 09.00am Communion service on the last Thursday in the month and every Thursday during July and August. During the winter months services are less regular - the website provides details.

In AD 653 St. Cedd had sailed down the east coast of England from Lindisfarne and landed at Bradwell, finding the ruins of an old deserted Roman fort. The Chapel is said to be that of "Ythanceaster" (Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica), originally constructed as an Anglo-Celtic Church for the East Saxons in AD 654, astride the ruins of the abandoned Roman fort of Othona.

In June 1916 the Parker family who owned the chapel gave it to Chelmsford Cathedral. In 1920 it was restored and re-consecrated. Soon after this the annual pilgrimage started at the beginning of July each year. The day-to-day maintenance and care for the chapel has always been carried out by the parish church, whose Rector was Chaplain until 2010. In 1959 it gained the Grade I listed status.

The first altar was made from oak beams from Chelmsford Cathedral that was being restored at this time. This was replaced in the 1980s when a new stone altar was installed with stones from Iona, Lindisfarne and Lastingham.

On the track back up to the car we were stopped watching lapwings in the field, with pied wagtails over, when we heard a strange call - corn buntings. It took only seconds to locate two sitting atop some trees back down the path - one continued to call but all too soon they were gone. Kev insisted that I should have jumped on the scope for a better look - I had photos ...