3rd January 2019 - Coalhouse Fort, Essex

Today saw the next instalment of wintering bird surveys on the River Thames in Essex, I was greatly looking forward to this and seeing the large numbers of waders on the mudflats.

Due to it being a rising tide the mudflats were absolutely rife with waders with counts including 1713 Avocet, 676 Black-tailed Godwit and 4533 Dunlin, 126 Grey Plover, 38 Curlew and 13 Redshank. As well as 154 Shelduck, 224 Teal and 10 Pintail.

Perhaps most interesting of the near 7000+ birds on the mudflats was a colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit (GO right leg and RW left leg) frequenting the eastern end of the mudflats right on the boundary of my survey section. Anyhow it turned out the bird had been rung in Iceland which I suspected and has been recorded in the UK 30 times since 03/08/2011. 

Colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit - Coalhouse Fort, Essex

Other birds seen whilst visiting here included a male Marsh Harrier quartering up and down the saltings, a female Merlin which shot over the saltings and flushing all the waders creating an amazing sight and sound! Also a healthy flock of 37 Corn Bunting the most I've seen together for a long time. Around the car park was the usual Mistle Thrush and also my first Ring-necked Parakeets of the year which were heard before they were seen and shortly after touched down in the trees around the fort for a short period of time before heading off South towards East Tilbury village. The moat around the fort was quiet again just holding 8 Little Grebes, 16 Coots, 4 Mallards and a single Tufted Duck. An enjoyable survey with 46 species recorded!

On the way home I quickly called into Hedgecourt Lake in Surrey to look for the Ferruginous Duck sadly there was no sign but other sightings on the lake included a single Pochard, Greylag Goose, Moorhen and Great Crested Grebe. Also a few Canada Geese, Mallards, Black-headed Gulls and Coots.

A nice day outside of Sussex and I look forward to the next survey!