#indoorstoomuch

More digi scoping practice with some pretty horific results, i was pleased with this as it was about 50ft away and has just landed, it was a find target and shoot type of shot. Although i did take about 180 and only got this one :) keep trying i spose

or does the area around the Stone Barges smell of burnt Peanut Butter at the minute?   I spent about an hour and half this morning looking for the recently sighted Bittern over at the Members Only, No Public Access fishery at Ingrebourne but no joy.   (I have just been informed that i loose things, ie the last half hour has just been spent looking for a car key, she, being Mrs B, has looked everywhere, my coats, my jeans, my everything. After the "well what have you done with them" speach and just as she was about to launch into "this is ridiculous......" we located them; where? and you know whats coming...her coat)   Then this afternoon i decided to go to the Stone Barges for a brief spell of Digi Scoping. This is only the second time i have tried this, the first time i was in the back garden; no digiscope attachment yet so this is all just holding the camera up to the scope. As well it was getting a little dark but i think they are not to bad. 41 shot...

  I tried digiscoping it, too close. The old compact is not doing so well these days but im glad i went    

A London first apparently; it would also be a first on every list for me; subject to getting there in one piece.   Hell took its alternate name today, it called its self the M25. Tailbacks and crashes pretty much all the way round, the most favourable route seemed to be via the major crash at the Dartford Tunnel. The tunnell anti clockwise was shut and the queues were imense, i certainly wouldnt have wanted to be in that pile up, it was awful, i hope all are alive, it looked that bad.   It put things in a bit of perspective really, there i am on a jounrey to look at a bird when some of those families Christmas and maybe lives have just been ruined.   Should i have tunred back knowing what the rest of the journey was to be like, oh yes....did i? no, today i was a twicher, a low low lister but a twitcher.   Three tailbacks, crashes later and i had safely negotiated my through Hell and was in the safe surroundings of the Queen Mum.   ...

I managed to fit a couple of hours in this after noon starting at the Stone Barges in hope of a Water Pipit, it didnt happen but some good numbers of varying gulls to wade through and an obliging Grey Wagtail.   Shortly after i decided to head for Mucking, just to see what it was like as ive heard good things, bad timing for me as although the Thames hide was empty the tide was way out and still going, i did manage Curlew x20 and a swirling mass of Avocet , after they settled i started a count c315.   Waxwings have been over at the Valley for three days now so i headed on over to Albyns Farm, nobody or no waxwings about so i spent the some time looking and listeneing for that trill.   Just about to give up when i bumped into Dmc who said those words.."you just missed one" but then on a tree to out left it was back and we spent easily half an hour on it, with Dave getting some cracking shots .    

I managed to get a couple of hours this afternoon and was heading over to the Stone Barges, however i decided that as i hadnt actually been in Rainham RSPB for a while (Bailons being the last time and even then the walk round to Butts was in the dark) it would be something different.   As i was heading up the old A13 news came in for Bewicks Swan x3, 2 adults and 1 juvenile, this was good news, not only a patch first but a life first and 2012, a London first and Essex first...oh the lists......   Upon leaving the center and heading down the ramp it was looking promising, two swans on purfleet scrape. One head later and my attention shifted form the Mutes and was draw to a guy digiscoping at the end of the ramp. Maybe he could help, no he hadnt seen them and at the moment a guy passing us heard the conversation and pointed them out over the far side near the Canada Goose flock.   courtey of www.natureconservationimages.com   After some goo...

Information from Pablo Hawkins found me this morning jumping in the car and heading off to Grange Waters, South Ockendon for a supposedly easy first sighting for me of a Long Tailed Duck. Arriving about 10.15ish i found the gates closed and parked up just outside; taking a wander down to the main center also found this closed. A quick call and directions received i found myself squelching trough a recently ploughed field, walking through a gap in fencing and then pushing my way passed some rather spiky Hawthorn. Myself and two others @debbiejay and Russ Sherriff found ourselves with the bird on the far side of the waters: Slowly after about and hour the bird started heading our way, rather aggressively having goes at both Tufted Duck and any Black Headed Gulls that came in its path. After a little while i took a walk further along and found us all a better vanatage point with the bird now closer to us than the other bank, Russ at the front getting his shots, Debbie with h...