Wilson's Phalarope at Vange Marsh, Essex

With a potential first for Britain in the form of an Acadian Flycatcher at Dungeness last week sadly out of reach due to work commitments, me and Alex decided to make up for the loss by travelling to Essex for the reliable Wilson’s Phalarope that had settled at Vange Marsh RSPB.

Being a little further away than we would normally travel for anything outside of mega status, we were glad for the change of scene and being a species we were both still in need of, Alex drove us both down to the south east, having only been to Essex one before for the Serins back in March. Arriving nearly 4 hours later, we made the short treck under the A13 and over the railway line, before following the trail through the meadows to view the water.

A marauding Marsh Harrier flushing all the birds as soon as we arrived was a little concerning (4 hours for nothing?!), but Alex soon expertly picked the Wilson’s up in flight and thankfully tracked it through the scope until it landed.

A (very) record shot of the Wilson's Phal

Present on the flash now for over a week, despite the distance (a factor that had been putting me off) we still got good scope views of this American Phalarope as it fed and span around in the water, dainty in comparison to the nearby Ruffs and Redshank, but still evidently larger than our more familiar Grey or Red-necked Phalaropes.

It could be anything.... it is a Wilson's Phalarope.... honest!

With a much greyer head lacking a distinct mask, as well as an elongated slender neck and long needle fine pointed bill, we could still pick up the subtle key features even at a distance, Alex even observing the yellow legs in flight. Now advancing in to winter plumage, there was still just the faint hint of colour visible along the neck.

Whilst not as close as previous birds in recent times in terms of both views and distance travelled, and nowhere near as spectacular as the gorgeous female summer plumaged stunner on the Isle of Wight a couple of years ago, it was still great to see what is an almost annual rarity to the British Isles and a species I have been hoping to catch up with after deciding the Cleveland bird back in 2011 was a touch too far (despite probably being an hour less than what we travelled last weekend!)

With a fine supporting cast of waders including Spotted Redshank, Ruff, a Little Stint and both a Green and Wood Sandpiper, it is a shame that the water is so far away for viewing – a small bridge and hide provided by the RSPB could really open up the potential for this clear wader magnet, perhaps even allowing the UK’s next Red-necked or Long-toed Stint to be unearthed….

To visit: Park at end of Chestnut Road (TQ733876, SS16 4XJ), walk under the A13 and over the railway crossing, then walk right along the meadow path and left to view the water.

View of the flash - very distant!

Serins at Gunner's Park - Essex

With the Lady Amherst’s Pheasants wrapped up by half 10 and the Essex Serins at Gunner’s Park being just an hour and a half away from Bedford, after a quick pit stop back at the hotel we were soon on our way!

Arriving at Gunner’s Park car park, I immediately clocked on to a group of birders with scopes and cameras  at the far end – clearly the Serins were nearby. Joining the group, they told us the pair had just flown in to a weedy scrubby patch of grass and were still presumably in there – they hadn’t been seen to fly away so it was just a matter or waiting and watching for them to appear.

Looking desperately for a few minutes, the birds remained hidden in the grass – were they still there even? Then, suddenly, one popped up on a dead plant in front of us, actively foraging amongst the seed. 

It gave good views before taking off high and flying round in a circle, later relocated in one of the alder trees surrounding the large pond. We followed the Serins for a good hour in the early afternoon sunshine, the birds returning to their favoured patch of grass at the far end of the car park by the houses, feeding amongst the grass and weeds and happily tolerating their many admirers.

It was great to catch up with these two birds, the 4 hour journey from Cheshire was just a little bit too far for me, but with the time cut down to under 2 hours from Bedfordshire, it was the ideal opportunity. Serins are always a bird that I’ve struggled to catch up with nearby – a brief report of one from the Wirral a couple of years ago was the closest near me, and the vast majority reported are often flyovers. It’s really unusual to get such a twitcher-friendly bird providing such great views, especially a gorgeous male – let alone two! I’ve seen Serins before whilst in Spain, but even then we didn’t have as good views as the two in Essex provided.

Overshooting from Europe, we get a scattering of records a year, and it was great to seize the opportunity to finally see these two at Gunner’s Park. Present for over a month now, originally they proved difficult to catch up with when they first arrived, elusive and only present briefly before disappearing for hours at a time as they presumably headed off over the adjacent houses. However, they seem to have settled in to a reliable pattern now, favouring their little scrubby grass patch on the car park opposite the row of houses, as well as the trees surrounding the large pond at the far end. Easily identified by their bright yellow colouration and characteristic yellow rump, it would be well worth learning the call to latch on to any flyovers that might occur in the future!

The Serins were busy feeding the whole time

This was a great opportunity to really admire these birds up close and they seemed totally unfased by our presence – I’m really glad I made the journey down! 

A map showing the locations the Serins favour near the car park at Gunner's Park