Crossness Winter Bird Walk

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by pressld2

That's good news Roy, thanks! Why don't you nip over and join us tomorrow?

I'll be on volunteer duty in the Bittern Hide in the River Lee Country Park, so no can do!

Hope you have a good day.
It might be worth a look at across the Thames while you are there, there are 2 juvenile Glaucous Gulls around at Rainham, + I found an adult Iceland Gull there yesterday (it doesn't look like that hung around). The gulls frequently get out on the river so it might be possible to pick them up from the Kent side.


Roy.

[Ukwildlifeo]

Have fun tommorow folks, think of me being dragged shopping
(im going to see a film too so I wont suffer too much )

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by RoyW

I'll be on volunteer duty in the Bittern Hide in the River Lee Country Park, so no can do!

Were you there last Sunday? I might have seen you and not known...

Thanks for the tip re the gulls - we'll keep our eyes peeled.

Neil, enjoy the shopping! Sorry, I just couldn't say that with a straight face!

Dave P.

[jerryh]

I spent a lovely couple of hours this morning with Dave and more than 20 other friends of Crossness.
It's a splendid little reserve, and though we didn't see any particularly remarkable birds (the Hen Harrier that has been seen several times lately didn't appear), I enjoyed the walk and company.

Thanks for inviting us, Dave

Jerry

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by jerryh

Thanks for inviting us, Dave

You're welcome Jerry! Nice to catch up with you again - Strumpshaw was such a long time ago now.

As Jerry says, it was the usual suspects today: teal, wigeon, gadwall, dunlin lapwing and redshank, plus a few reed buntings and a stonechat. All gave good views through the bins and scopes but a bit far for my 80-400mm. I may have a couple of cropped shots to post later on. But it was a very pleasant stroll and a good turnout. I counted 27 of us but I think another couple turned up after I counted.

Dave P.

[lol geoff]

Yup another pleasant stroll in and around Crossness nature reserve thanks for the heads up Dave, and what a great turnout. I always think of birdwatching like fishing, it's nice bagging something special but just being outside on a nice winter's morning, doing nothing in particular with good company is the best reward you can have.

[pressld2]

Couldn't agree more Lol.

As promised here's a few photos from the day, most quite heavily cropped...


A posing reed bunting.


A few teal on the wader scrape. There were hundreds of them on the Thames.


A pair of wigeon flying over.


And a mute swan doing likewise.


A small flock of dunlin on the Thames.


A male stonechat in Sea Wall Field.

Dave P.