DAVID'S NATURE BLOG

9 JANUARY 2025 – ABBERTON RESERVOIR and COPT HALL

This was my first proper trip with John and Mike since late October 2024, so was looking forward to seeing some birds and getting my 2025 list off to a good start.

The weather was very cold, crisp and sunny and the light truly beautiful. Arriving at the Layer de-la Haye causeway (near to the RSPB visitor centre) shortly after 10.15 am (there really was no need for a very early start) it was obvious from the beginning that whilst bird numbers were reasonable for winter, the birds were spread more ‘evenly’ over the reservoir, with the consequence that some of the larger concentrations of gulls; wildfowl and waders were quite distant. Nevertheless, there was a reasonably large group of Coot, and amongst them a lone Slavonian Grebe which was giving closer views than one might usually expect for the species, with some Tufted Duck, Goldeneye and both male and female Goosander present too. Nearby, at the edges a Redshank; a Great Egret and a lovely Grey Wagtail could also be seen, and a little further away at least five Black-necked Grebes, and a sprinkling of other species, such as Great Crested Grebes; Pochard and Wigeon. John also picked up a distant singleton Bewick’s Swan.

After a welcome coffee in the visitor centre café, we made our way round to Gwen’s Hide where a Bewick’s Swan was much closer in company with three Mute Swans for a while. A male Stonechat; a Turnstone; Meadow Pipit; Pied Wagtail; Song Thrush; a mixed flock of about 100 or so Goldfinches and Linnets, and a Wren were also seen here. Further round the Island Bird Hide produced two Bewick’s Swans with more Mutes, and a Ruff. John also spotted up to eight very distant, Black-necked Grebes. A couple of Great Egrets were on the far banks but strangely, no Little Egrets were recorded throughout the day.

Round at the Hide Bay Hide (such a strange name) gulls were prolific with many Herring Gulls; Lesser Black-backed Gulls; a few Great Black-backed Gulls; good numbers of Common Gulls, and at least one Yellow-legged Gull (courtesy of John’s scope) – though surely there were more; Common Teal; Wigeon; two more Goosanders; a couple of Northern Shoveler; a large contingent of Black-tailed Godwits on the distant edge (possibly 150 or so) and a sprinkling of Lapwings. Overhead, a couple of Kestrels were the only raptors seen here.

Then, after consuming our lunches in John’s Landrover Discovery, it on to Copt Hall, missing out on Layer Breton causeway as information about different species present was in the negative - in particular, recent Smew; Scaup; a Ring-necked Duck, and a Spoonbill hadn’t been seen by anyone today.

Copt Hall Marshes – bordering the Blackwater Estuary was only a few miles for Abberton, so it didn’t take too long to get there. A couple of Stock Doves, a Eurasian Buzzard and a Red Kite greeted us initially and Mike picked up a Harrier Sp, which was soon lost before it could be identified. Along the track, and a scan of a field towards a large caravan park (on Mersea?) revealed several Mediterranean Gulls which were a bonus sighting we hadn’t expected. On the marsh I picked up a female Merlin which John and Mike missed, but other than distant Marsh Harriers, we failed to pick up anything of note; although it has to be said that as the afternoon progressed more birders arrived with the consequence that eyes soon picked up a Ring-tail Harrier and a Barn Owl, both of which most missed completely due to failing light and the distant involved. We left Copt Hall approaching 4.00 pm. After an interesting and rewarding day.