27th December

Spent a couple of hours over Rainham Marshes this morning with the highlights being: 2 Short-eared Owls, 3 Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Kestrel, 500 Dunlin, 12 Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Snipe, 50 Redshank.

Short-eared Owl from the Serin mound

Yellow-browed Warbler

It's been a fantastic year for Yellow-browed Warblers being recorded up and down the country and with a few records locally  it was the best chance for me to finally add it to my Essex and London lists. So Sunday morning I finally went to twitch one in Wanstead -first one I've gone for, and all I had to do was get off my lazy arse and enjoy the little Siberian gem from the east that Nick Croft found in the week. And being the gent he is he waited for me to arrive and show exactly where to find it- cheers Nick.

With the bird calling on arrival it didn't take to long either for cracking views of it on the island at Alexander lake and with just four birders in total on a sunny morning  it was more than pleasurable and with the other Wanstead birders all putting a good shift in, no doubt I'll be back watching another good bird. Or I might even find one myself having enjoyed their patch so much!

Not great shots but to just hear and even glimpse one in London/Essex I'm more than happy, so these record shots are a extra bonus.