This was my first visit to EWT Blue House Farm since before the Covid-19 pandemic restricted travel. It is one of favourite nature reserves in Essex and one of the few places that you can enjoy a wilderness experience. Very often you can walk for miles without seeing another person and appreciate some wonderful wildlife.
In winter, it is excellent with a huge flock of Dark-bellied Brent Geese grazing the marshes plus large numbers of ducks and waders.
At this time of year (autumn in the world of birds following their breeding seasons), it is particularly good for passage migrants including waders returning south from their breeding ranges in the uplands of the UK and much further afield in Arctic Europe and Arctic Russia.
On this trip, I was particularly keen to see a Pectoral Sandpiper which had been reported recently. This species is a rare visitor from north America which I have seen in the UK on 10 occasions since 1990 (5 occasions in Essex including at EWT Blue House Farm in September 2016).
In addition, I hoped to see a Wood Sandpiper that had also been reported at the site over the last few days. This is a rare breeding bird in the UK with just a few pairs in the Scottish Highlands but it is a regular passage migrant in spring and autumn although sometimes difficult to locate.
Unfortunately, I failed to find the Pectoral Sandpiper despite much scanning of the scrape and fleet with my telescope for around 2 hours. There were 2 other birders in the hide when I arrived and they had not found it either although we were able to share news and views and a bit of banter (is that the Pectoral Sandpiper? .... no, it's a Starling).
However, I did find the Wood Sandpiper almost immediately and this species, plus a Common Snipe, took my 2021 UK year list to 154 species. This is still well down on the number that I would normally have expected to see by this time of the year had there not been Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions. For the second year running, I don't expect to record over 200 species for the year (normally, I would expect to see between 220 and 230 species).
In addition to these 2 species of wader, I also saw the following from the hide: Greenshank (1), Green Sandpiper (c.5), Common Sandpiper (2), Black-tailed Godwit (c.100), Lapwing (c.100), Dunlin (c.5), Ringed Plover (c.5) and Avocet (1).
The scrape and fleet also produced sightings of Little Egret (1), Common Tern (3), Shoveler (1 female), Common Pochard (1 female) and a few Mallard and Teal.
From the hide, I had distant sightings of Common Buzzard (1) and Kestrel (1) and fly-through Swallow (c.10) and Sand Martin (c.10).
Whilst walking down the lane to the car park, I heard both calling Chiffchaff (2) and calling Blackcap (1).
The walk from the car park to the hide produced a brief glimpse of a Reed Warbler but unfortunately no sightings of the summer resident Yellow Wagtails or passage migrant Whinchats or Wheatears.
A visit to EWT Blue House Farm is always enjoyable in its own right but even better when topped off with a beer and something to eat in the nearby Ferry Boat Inn. This pub, which has been recorded since the 16th century, had been closed for a lengthy period due to refurbishment and Covid-19 lockdowns but it is now open again.
I have to say that I was slightly disappointed that the previous rustic interior with a roaring open fire in winter (just what you need after hours out on a cold nature reserve!) had been replaced with a more "modern" feel. Nonetheless, the beer and particularly the food were very good .... plus I heard another calling Chiffchaff whilst sat in the garden.
💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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