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Great shots Essex, I've been practicing my Wader ID skills down your way this winter on Two Tree Island. I have many many shots similar to yours now

Two Tree Island is a great place for winter waders, especially near high tide. And it’s only a short walk from Leigh station!

Avocets can be found at Two Tree Island, and are even more abundant near Tilbury, Redshanks are usually seen by the dozen, rather than in hundreds, I have yet to see a grey plover in its smart breeding plumage, but the speckled winter dress is attractive enough. These cute little sanderlings were at Southend sea front, here with a few turnstones, Increasing numbers of Mediterranean gulls are breeding in Essex. They are a mixed blessing, for while they are an attractive addition to the country, they are also predators of tern chicks.

Of the ducks, shelducks are easy to identify, as males and females are the same colour, The smallest ducks are the teal, again very common on the mud, Wigeon are one of my favourite ducks, and are just as likely to be grazing the grass as on the estuaries,here with a black tailed godwit. The shovel-duck tends to be found on the shallow tidal pools, but also turns up inland. It’s huge beak is well adapted to sifting through the muddy water.

Cracking shots of the waders and Med Gull Essex, you can really see the colourful tip to the bill

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel. The most distinctive thing about the med gull are the white wingtips.

At Abberton Reservoir, near Colchester, the smews have been showing well, and they did so again today. At least seven were present, including three males, A black neck grebe was also present. I saw it’s relative, the slavonian grebe, here earlier in the winter, but this is my first ever sighting of its relative. While I was watching it, a Small Tortoiseshell flew past,but for once it had to take second fiddle to the grebe. Goosanders were present, too. This male has just caught a fish. Plenty of people were enjoying birds , and the late winter sunshine.

Some fantastic sights and shots recently Essex, I particularly like the Sanderling group and the Goosander. Great stuff.

Seeing a Tort is great essex even if you didn't get a shot Goldie

Great shots of the Smew, cracking birds there are I've not seen one for a good few years now

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely image of the avocet, Mark. We get hundreds of oystercatchers in Swansea, but I’ve yet to see an avocet, even though I keep looking out for them! I expect before much longer your lens will naturally turn towards butterflies.

Hi Mark,

I love that photo of the Avocet with its reflection in the water

Cheers,

Neil.

Coming soon-wild Japan in winter!

So, I arrived at Haneda airport in Tokyo, and soon met the rest of our Naturetrek group. After checking our bags into the hotel, we then headed to a city park for afternoon. Despite the cold and persistent sleet, this was most enjoyable, and I soon clocked up many new birds. Here is my first dusky thrush, which were common in the area. The large bill crow is the size of a crow, with the beak of a raven. Oriental turtle doves were also plentiful. Unlike turtle doves in Europe, here they are present all year. The Japanese pygmy woodpecker is endemic to Japan. Several were in the park. Here is a brown eared bulbul. They were common not only in the parks, but throughout Tokyo.

The odd starling turns up here, but mush more common is the white cheek starling. They look different, but behave much like ours. Here with tree sparrows.. Ospreys are found in many parts of the world, and Japan is no exception. The buzzards here behave exactly the same as our buzzards, but are much lighter, with a uniform white breast. Sometimes considered a separate species, the eastern buzzard. I’ll sign off for now with this rather lovely black-faced bunting, part of a small flock roaming the park.

Next morning,we had an early flight up to the northern island of Hokkaido. Here we arrived to a far more wintry landscape, with deep snow, but also welcome, clear bright conditions. On our morning travels, we saw our first Japanese red-crowned cranes. One field had a good number of cranes present, so we stoped for some views and pictures. Standing 5 feet /1.5 m tall, with a wingspan of 8 feet/2.5m, they provided a fine spectacle against the snow. Here is an adult, showing it’s red crown. And this is one of last years’ juveniles. We also saw our first white-tailed sea eagles, these were to become a familiar sight on Hokkaido.

A fantastic array of species Essex I'm surprised that the Tree Sparrows haven't been give sub-specific or race status as birders do love their 'splitting' The Bunting is particularly fine looking bird

Have a goodun

Wurzel

After lunch, we headed off to a known site for ural owl. This is the first one I have ever seen in the wild. Then we drove a short way to a nearby crane sanctuary, arriving in time for the afternoon feeding. The Japanese crane was thought to have been hunted to extinction. Then, in 1926, twenty were discovered in a marshy field near Kushiro. Conservation has helped the species recover, and there are around 1000 today. The sheer number at the sanctuary made a spectacular sight, and drew in many admirers. A single common crane was amongst the flock, a rare bird in Hokkaido. We then made our way to the hotel, but there was still time to stop at lake Kussharo. Here, whooper swans from Siberia had gathered.This is hot spring country-a bath with a view! This is a spot bill duck. And here are some whoopers, gathered where the hot springs had melted the frozen lake. There were even some in the woods, a strange setting for the swans.

Fantastic shots essex , keep them coming, love the Owl, it looks so cosy in the tree Goldie

Thanks Goldie, much more to come!

The next day dawned fine and clear. So we headed off at dawn to Otowa Bridge, a known roost site for the cranes. Black kites were seen here, and elsewhere. Unlike black kites in Europe, here they are resident all year. As Wurzel says, lots of bird species have been split in recent years. Some now believe these kites are different, and have called it the black eared kite, but it is probably just a form of black kite. Next, we headed back to the crane sanctuary. Feeding the bird here does two things. It supplements their diet, helping them through the herd Hokkaido winter, and it also keeps the cranes here where they are safe, reducing the conflict with landowners elsewhere. With temperatures well below freezing, snow sparkling in winter sunshine, and the sky the purest brightest blue, this made for a magical setting. At a time when Britain is even more sun-starved than usual, such conditions are even more welcome. Some of the cranes were starting to display, flying upwards, kicking their feet foreword and floating down, as well as various head and bill postures, all while giving their wonderful haunting calls. After lunch we visited Masshu, known for its volcanic crater lake. A Fox was present here. And lastly for the day, we visited a volcanic mountain, where the sight, and smell, of sulphur vents were much in evidence.

Fantastic shots again essex, it must have been a real treat watching those Cranes display and what a remarkable sight seeing the Volcano against the back ground of all the Snow, I envy your experience Goldie

Some beautiful sights essex. The Cranes look amazing, great shots.