Birdwatching can often be a tale of what you miss rather than what you see. So when a Wryneck rocked up to Rainham Marshes whilst I was on holiday in Spain I was certainly frustrated - the Red-rumped Swallows by the pool softened the blow though!
Anyway, on return to England the weather forecast appeared to be hotting up with easterly winds predicted for a week or so. However, painting various parts of the house and teaching guitar lessons meant that I had to read the many reports of Pied Flycatchers with envy. Finally, on the 31st August I managed to set some spare time aside for a bit of post-birthday birdwatching - with strong easterlies forecasted it was certainly promising.
Having set my alarm for 7:30 to go seawtaching at Canvey, things didn't quite go to plan when instead of getting up, I rolled over and turned the alarm off... Lazy git. However, I was up and ready to walk out the door at 11ish. With nothing mind-blowing being reported, the plan was to head down to Cliffe Pools for a look at the Stone Curlews present there as well as the chance of a Pectoral Sandpiper that had been gracing the reserve. However, as I was literally just about to walk out the door, the report of a Sabine's Gull on Birdguides caught my attention. With Sabine's Gull being my favourite bird species that graces the UK shores, it would have been rude not to twitch an inland bird in my own county! So a spontaneous trip to Holland Haven was instead on the cards - a reserve I had never previously been to.
After buying some slightly-cheaper-than-before petrol and an hour and fifteen minute drive, I found myself by the sea. After figuring out the location of the bird hide and the 'scrape' which the bird was frequenting, I made it. Gladly, I was informed that the bird was showing and I swiftly got my scope onto it. The juvenile Sabine's Gull showed fairly well albeit in a slight heat haze. With many happy locals connecting with the bird, the atmosphere was one of excitement. I was delighted and somewhat relieved to connect with the gull as I really thought it wouldn't settle like it did, but the bird looked content feeding amongst the many Black-headed Gulls present. It even did the right thing and made a couple of flights - displaying those glorious patterns. Fantastic!
Having succeeded in the mission of connecting with what I thought was the star bird, my attention then turned to the other birds present on the scrape. Whilst very few waders were present, a few Curlew were a pleasant sight. One of the other birders in the hide also pointed out a distant Dunlin - another good species to add to the day's tally. However, it was a movement next to the Dunlin that caught my eye. A tiny wader was feeding next to the it - I'd found a Stint species. The bird in question diverted everyone's attention and scrutiny with the Sabine's Gull seemingly fading into the background! Whatever species of Stint the bird turned out to be, it was one of my best finds either way - but it was fair to say that the birders in the hide were hoping it to be the rarer Temminck's Stint rather than a Little Stint. However, the distance and the heat haze was a problem in identifying the birds obvious features. The mysterious Stint proved to be highly educational for me as both species features were compared by all: including underbelly and leg colour, breast band, tail and beak length etc. With the Stint not feeding nearly as manically as a Little Stint would, demonstrating a long bill, longer tail, a Common Sandpiper type jizz, a breast band, white tail feathers and no flecks in it's plumage; it was safe to say that the bird in question was a Temminck's Stint! With all seven people in the hide agreeing with this conclusion. Not only was this wader a lifer but it was also my first ever self-found scarcity! A really big milestone and an achievement that I had been long hoping for. The easterly winds had really delivered in style and I was reaping the rewards. A Greenshank also sat amongst the the Curlew but was quickly ignored in the excitement.
Content with the eventful three and a half hours spent in the hide, I eventually headed to have a look at the sea where an Arctic Skua had been reported down the road at St Osyth. When a brief look was fruitless and the time on my parking ticket was running out, I decided to call it a day having seen my favourite species and having found a scarcity! A Stonechat perched up nicely on the way to the car park.
With just 5% left on my phone battery I just about made it to the A12 before it died on me - driving home in high spirits.
Essex birding really does deliver every now and then!
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