Related
Recommended
Elliott
A pretty cold morning with an average temperature of -2c to 1c, but thankfully no wind to speak of, so no chill factor to add.High tide at Tilbury :- 17:37.From the car-park the Black-necked Grebe was still in plain view amongst it's smaller cousins ( 15 Dabchick ) and a couple of dozen Tufted Duck, a heron huddled against the cold on the western bank, 25,Pochard, 8 Teal, 30 Coot,  a Moorhen, 7 Redshank and a Green Sandpiper flew overhead. On to Ski Pool and a noticeable lack of the smaller birds usually encountered in the undergrowth and shrubbery along the way to Creek Road ( Centre Track ). On Ski Pool looking across towards Radar Pool, scanning left to right I counted an additional 121 Little Grebe, 125 Coot, 45 Tufted Duck. I was told about ten minutes before my arrival there had been a Common Scoter there but I couldn't find it! 12 Great Crested Grebe, 17 Pintail drakes and ducks and large numbers of Mallard, Pochard and Wigeon. Lovely to see were a dozen or so Gadwall and half a dozen Goldeneye. My best bird of the day was a kingfisher that peeped and landed on a rusting cars axle just over to my right, as I scoped it there was a second sitting almost next to it, then a third flew from my left and all three flew off across to Radar Pool. I count it a good day whenever I see a Kingfisher, so three at the same time is pretty special. A Marsh Harrier quartered in the distance being seriously mobbed by a very persistant cro, they must get really annoyed with them.Then I bumped into Julian, the Site Manager for an exchange of info, always a pleasure to speak to one so informed ! Nothing much to speak of on the top end of Flamingo, but I did meet three new learner birders with a pair of antique binos so it was with great pleasure that I enthused them with a good view through the scope of Avocet, Redshank and a beautiful Greenshank darting in the shallows, as well as Grey Plover. At the Thames view point with the high tide still a few hours away, good numbers of Dunlin and Redshank were feeding. A fairly uninteresting trek to the Black Barns with only  a couple of Little Egret and a Green Sandpipers as company. Thank you to Dave Saunders for this account.