Subalpine Warbler

For the last couple of days i have been debating on if to go to Clacton and see the Subalpine Warbler at Holland Haven Country Park and yesterday i finally made my mind up. I was going.

At 4pm yesterday (Monday) i was just about to walk out the door when i hear "what about your back?" Now for those who dont know part of it is presently it is being held together by some string after a minor op.

Apparently driving for two and a bit hours will no do it any favours; besides on Tuesday morning there coming out so much better to go then.

So this morning i packed my gear and headed off for Harold Wood Polly Clinic for them to be removed and then onto Clacton.

After being made wait at the clinic, held up in traffic on the A12 while they cut the grass and then stuck behind a wide load (static caravan on way to a site in Clacton) i finally ended up at Holland Haven standing next to LGRE to be told those words i really wanted to hear "you just missed it". So there we stood about 15 to 20 of us on and off for quite some time. Most walked off to the hide leaving about 8 looking for the Warbler.

Finally after a very long wait just as we were all about to give up hope...................you'll never guess........just try...............a family deiced to set up at the picnic table in front of the bushes that it had been seen in. They looked sat down and then got on with their lunch!

Mumbles and groans from all around but they were not going anywhere and to be fair to them if you looked at the other picnic tables in the area the seats had had the seating bit removed leaving table and stumps; this was the only one with seats.

So i came home with no new life tick; a quarter tank of petrol down and you guessed it; a sore back.

So this is what i could have seen if i had gone Monday, i know this as two of the local blogs i follow managed it: Valley Birding & Hawkys Blog.