Slim pickings on the Stour

The day dawned bright and clear - far better than the predicted strong winds in the 5-day forecast. A drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker greeted me as I left the house for Harwich and a barge trip along the Stour. Before that, a quick check of Alton Water was in order to see if the Black-throated Diver was still present. It was.

I took the camera more in hope than expectation, my priority had to be with the passengers (further insurance for the appalling photographs you are about to suffer).

The Great Northern Diver that had been lingering off Erwarton Ness had done a bunk, but was ably substituted by an (un-Brunnich's) Guillemot. Only the third time I have seen one on the estuary in 11 years. Parking would be chaos if one did turn up off Erwarton. Despite it being a four-hour trip over low water, the estuary never seemed to empty, so exposed mud was at a premium. In addition, numbers of Great Crested Grebe and Goldeneye were disappointingly low. Sixty-odd Red-breasted Merganser were adequate compensation (including one group of 48 off Wrabness). One Common Scoter allowed several views on and off, but this was the only shot I got of it.

The Dark-bellied Brent Geese did us all the favour of flying in off the winter cereals in Bradfield to have a wash and brush up off Stutton Mill.

An adult Shag also stood up on one of the cardinal markers with a Cormorant. A call to my patch-birding neighbour in Holbrook ensued, but by the time he got down to the shore it had flown off.

As we headed back to Harwich there was plenty of wader activity in Erwarton Bay and as hoped, a Peregrine was sat up on the lightship moored mid-channel. Clearly!

Peregrine just to the right of the light on the hand-rail.