onionbagblog

Image copyright: Richard Allen.

There’s been a bit of a birding break around these North Essex estuary parts of late.

Pfft. Part-timers (the birds, not the charming birders.)

But yep, just as the leaves start to turn on the wisteria, the muddy banks of the Colne lose their seasonal cake layered crust, and the cat stops taking a crap outside (cripes) - it’s a sure sign that these golden days of summer are slowly, slowly coming towards a close.

Which all must mean that Richard Allen, Wivenhoe’s bird watcher extraordinaire, is polishing up his bi-focals and preparing for a winter of weekends wading around and making notes all about the migrants that are about to come our way.

The Daily Mail would descend into a fit of unwanted moral outrage if it got a whiff of any of this.

A few notes from Richard’s most recent walk:

“A lovely sunny morning with a brisk breeze. There were not too many waders to be seen, most having departed for their northern nesting grounds, but we did manage to find a Curlew two Redshanks and a few Oystercatchers and Lapwings. Lots of Shelduck were feeding out on the mud along with Black-headed Gulls, and a couple of Cormorants vied for the best wing drying perch.

The wind made viewing small birds tricky, but we did obtain good views of Linnets, and heard a variety of warblers singing from cover. In the shelter of the wood we found a group of recently fledged young Chiffchaffs, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits foraging together. Kestrels were actively hunting, obviously with young to feed somewhere, likewise a Marsh Harrier.

More unexpected was a large dark bird of prey circling over the wood, it had me totally confused until it banked in flight to reveal a gleaming white rump patch and chestnut wings, a Harris Hawk. This is an American species commonly used in falconry and quite a frequent escapee.

Perhaps the best bird however was a rather inconspicuous grey brown bird singing its jangly song from a bramble bush, a Corn Bunting, a good summer record for the area.

Recent sightings: Two broods of Shelduck appeared from their burrow nest sites, one of twelve the other four. From late July wader number have increased and there are now lots of Godwits and Redshank, a few Greenshank and Avocets, and a scattering of Curlew and Whimbrel. Common Terns now have squeaky young following them, and it’s a good time of year to spot an Osprey passing through.

If that has whetted your appetite for wading around Wivenhoe and beyond, then Richard is running a series of guided birding walks on the following dates:

10th September, 8th November, 12th November and 10th December. All walks start at 10am outside the Sailing Club, £8 per person. Booking is required.

Meanwhile, a spectacular find of late has been George Mac’s Wivenhoe Country Diary on Radio Wivenhoe. The premise is simply to walk around the rolling fields and estuary openings, and to record all the green and good that comes the way of George.

It works on every level for what I want from a hyperlocal broadcast - genuinely local knowledge about areas and observations of which I know little, all delivered in a style that suggests that you are actually out walking with George.

There is even a listen again feature for the fledgling station, allowing for the possibility to perhaps download Country Diary, put it on your iPod, and then walk with George for real.

Woh.

In true Partridge style - possible idea for a programme: George Mac walks around with Richard Allen on a birding tour, and records the feathery friends they encounter along the way. If it is an overcast day then you could always play paper, rock, scissors.

Nope, that wouldn’t work on the radio.

I’m off to a BP Garage for a mushroom slice.