Grey Phalarope at Shingle Street

On Saturday 26th September, a Ring- necked Parakeet flew across the road from a park on the 30 m inutes walk from Ilford Tube to Gants Hill Travel Lodge. On the walk back on the 27th September, another Ring- necked Parakeet flew back across to the park. On the train just past and before M5, a flock of Fallow Deer were seen in a field. On the way down to Shingle Street, my first trip here since a Pied Wheatear was here on 19 October 2009 [see blogpost 20 Oct 2009!]. It's been too long since I last visited and I did an unecessary loop around Butley but I eventually arrived and parked up by the Shingle Street parking sign. Immediately ahead were the Battery Cottages and Coastguards cottage but I was very unsure where to go to locate the Pool where the Phalarope was, I am grtaeful to Jane F. and a local lady who gave precise direcxtions where to find it. The pool was not on the beach but heading south up to a Martello tower type home just before that was a wooded copse area and a public footpath was to the right marked going straight through the wooded copse, you were walking down and then turned left along the path, a raised bank and walking around 3/4 of a mile from where I parked the car I arrived at the Pool and instantly saw an immature Grey Phalarope. It was down a dyke and actively feeding barely 10-12 metres away.