Off to visit Fingrinhoe Wick today with RSPB group. This is an Essex Wildlife Trust reserve, south east of Colchester, on old quarry workings beside the River Colne. It has a mixture of habitats including the river and its marshes, a lake, woodland and heathland.
I had two main targets today – to hear Nightingale (rarely seen) and to photograph Green Hairstreak Butterfly. Both specialities of this reserve. Well it was clear from the outset that the weather was not favourable for the second as it was cold wet and windy and in fact I didn’t see a single butterfly all day long. It didn’t take long however to satisfy the first target as near the Lake hide a male was singing his characteristic song whilst hidden in the undergrowth. By the end of the day I reckon I had probably heard 8-10 singing males in different parts of the reserve and I did see one briefly as it flew into a bush and thenproceeded to sing at me. Whitethroat, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff were also present. On the River were a small number of waders and some Little Egrets.
The highlight of the day was definitely the number and song of the Nightingales as this bird is becoming scarcer in the UK every year and this is on of their remaining strongholds.
Common Pheasant [sp] (Phasianus colchicus)
Canada Goose [sp] (Branta canadensis)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Mallard [sp] (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Little Grebe [sp] (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested Grebe [sp] (Podiceps cristatus)
Little Egret [sp] (Egretta garzetta)
Great Cormorant [sp] (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Eurasian Coot [sp] (Fulica atra)
Eurasian Oystercatcher [sp] (Haematopus ostralegus)
Bar-tailed Godwit [sp] (Limosa lapponica)
Eurasian Curlew [sp] (Numenius arquata)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
European Herring Gull [sp] (Larus argentatus)
Lesser Black-backed Gull [sp] (Larus fuscus)
Common Tern [sp] (Sterna hirundo)
Common Wood Pigeon [sp] (Columba palumbus)
Eurasian Jay [sp] (Garrulus glandarius)
Eurasian Magpie [sp] (Pica pica)
Carrion Crow [sp] (Corvus corone)
Great Tit [sp] (Parus major)
Eurasian Blue Tit [sp] (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Barn Swallow [sp] (Hirundo rustica)
Willow Warbler [sp] (Phylloscopus trochilus)
Common Chiffchaff [sp] (Phylloscopus collybita)
Eurasian Blackcap [sp] (Sylvia atricapilla)
Common Whitethroat [sp] (Sylvia communis)
Eurasian Wren [sp] (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Common Starling [sp] (Sturnus vulgaris)
Common Blackbird [sp] (Turdus merula)
European Robin [sp] (Erithacus rubecula)
Common Nightingale [sp] (Luscinia megarhynchos)
House Sparrow [sp] (Passer domesticus)
Dunnock [sp] (Prunella modularis)
Common Chaffinch [sp] (Fringilla coelebs)
European Goldfinch [sp] (Carduelis carduelis)
Pete's Favourite Things 