I have continued with my attempts at a pre-work amble along the riverside path but the rain stymied my Monday morning attempt leaving effectively birding from inside the Centre for the day but it had its rewards with a surprise winter plumaged Guillemot bobbing out with the tide and avoiding the attentions of the larger gulls. Auks are always rare birds this far up river and this was my first for several years.  A glance…

A random installation art piece...

These are all taken from inside the building this evening, looking up inside one of the light cones where the Starlings were sunbathing on the warm plastic top and seemingly having fun picking up and dropping little berry seeds from past evacuations to make little rattling sounds to accompany their scratchy feet!

well it made me chuckle at the end of a long day...

oh and some sightings…

It has been a busy few days on the reserve with a beautiful evening for the last late night opening of the year.

The Bat Talk and Walk was fully booked and Ros was a star at once again captivating her audience of mainly first timers.  As the light dropped they were treated to a full on soundscape of bat noise with Leisler's, Soprano and Common Pipistrelles and Daubenton's echoing across the sonic airways.

Amazingly…

RSPB Rainham Marshes Autumn Craft Fair.

Sunday 1st September  from 9.30am to 5pm so  why not come along and join in...

All welcome including dogs on leads within this part of the reserve. Free entry.  And don’t forget the cafe and shop and wonderful walks!

Please read... A couple of nudges for the coming days and some travel advice.

Friday 30th August: Late Night Opening with some mothing till late. Cafe will be open…

Bank Holiday Monday and the weather forecast was for an even hotter day so I was once again on the river wall by 6.30.  It was cool and pleasant but the promise of some serious heat to come was lurking within an hours or two’s grasp.

The Thames was once again mirror calm as I walked west and like the other mornings I was accompanied by warblers the whole way with Common Whitethroats predominating. Up ahead in Aveley…

I arrived at just after 6.30 this morning for my pre-work amble. It was already warming up fast but was still cool enough to be enjoyable. The river was ternless today but a Golden Plover was the first of the season and five Ringed Plover and three Common Sandpipers were in the Bay with 63 Black-tailed Godwits, a Curlew and a single Avocet.

Godwits...

Curlew, Mallard and Black-headed Gulls

Common Sandpiper

Golden…

The Essex Birdwatching Society is celebrating Seventy Years of bird recording in the county next month and have organised a series of guided walks around the whole county between Friday 20^th and Monday 23rd September.

The RSPB has always worked closely with the EBS (I was the County Bird Recorder for nearly ten years!) and we are more than happy to be involved here at RSPB Rainham Marshes.

And so we are offering two…

Morning all

A pre-work riverside amble proved most productive with two flocks of terns of surprising species with 11 erikking Sandwich Terns being overtaken by an energetic flock of no less than 14 diminutive Little Terns.

Not a great shot but I was pleased to get something.  To put this in perspective, we usually get one or two Little Tern sightings in a whole year so 14 juveniles in one flock for three hours is unprecedented…

We are working with our friends over at National Trust Rainham Hall to give a joint special offer!

Hire a bicycle from the reserve in September and get 10% off entry to National Trust Rainham Hall.

Photo courtesy of the National Trust - Sophia Schorr-Kon

Rainham Hall - is a historic house with a difference. At the moment they are celebrating the life of Anthony Denney: a fashion photographer, interior designer, art connoisseur…

I managed another walk before work this morning and discovered my first dapper little Whinchat of the season flycatching from the dead Hogweed stems in the Enclosed Bay.

Just how she chose a single fly from the dancing masses swirling around the tops of the hawthorns, I do not know!

community.rspb.org.uk/.../MVI_5F00_9130.MP4

Just a quick summary of the day's sightings...

Over the last few years the Lucas family have become weekday regulars at the reserve and we have come to know them very well. Both Ben (11) and Noah (6) are the keenest of the five children and love to share their knowledge about the wildlife that they see.

Capturing these moments on a camera has always been part of the joy that they both get from the experience and they always love showing us what they have seen.  Last…

The Photographic Hide has had a spruce up and is now up and ready for the autumn and winter season.

The team have worked hard to improve the views and make sure the wonderful reflection pool is looking good.

A bean bag has been left down there for use in the hide but please do hang it back up after use.

When: hiring available during opening hours if area not in use with schools

Opening times: Full day (9.45 am-4.15…

After seeing (and smelling) some strange colouration in the water in some of our ditches, we have had it confirmed by the Environment Agency, that we do currently have some areas of the reserve with blue-green algae developing.

This organism develops in ditches and water bodies during high temperatures, and it can be toxic, especially to dogs.

As a precaution, please avoid any contact with any water out on the reserve…

Here at Rainham, we have been working with our local National Trust property - Rainham Hall. We wanted to tell you about this amazing place to visit.

 Photo courtesy of the National Trust - Sophia Schorr-Kon

Rainham Hall, built in 1729, opened to the public in 2015 following a major conservation and interpretation project. With engaging exhibitions, a stunning café and a nearly three-acre garden, there is something for all…

Morning all...

Due to the very high winds the woodland trails will be closed today for your own safety so a complete circuit will not be possible. There is still plenty to see out on the rest of the reserve though!

Pic by Tony O'Brien from yesterday

Yesterday I got into work just before seven and set out along the river wall. It was pleasantly cool at that time, with an autumnal feel. The Thames was quiet and calm and high tide was imminent precluding any waders to watch but the bushes and Brambles were full of life with parties of foraging Whitethroats working their way west in front of me.  Blue and Long-tailed Tits were their carrier species and four pristine …

Big Wild Sleep Out weekend is always a full on affair and as a busy Saturday drew to a close the participants started to arrive and after loading the trailer with all their camping gear we headed off on the trails around to our camping area near the Brick Building.

The kids were invited to stop off at the Woodland Discovery Zone for some early evening pond dipping while the vaguely grown-ups escaped down to the camp to…

Aveley Pool and the Butts Scrape are still the places to look as the rest of the marsh is still rather dry and high tide seems to be the best time to see these waders that are also feeding along the Thames...

A selection from today...

Friday 2nd August 2019

RSPB Rainham Marshes:- juv Cattle Egret, 12 Little Egret, Garganey, Marsh Harrier, Oystercatcher, 3 Avocet, Curlew, Whimbrel, 35 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Ruff, 2 Common…

A quick round up for the day...  sorry... time for my dinner!

Tallies for the day... Wednesday 31st July 2019

• RSPB Rainham Marshes: Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, 3 Curlew, 3 Ruff, 34 Black-tailed Godwits, Oystercatcher, 5 Avocet, Redshank, 2 Greenshank, Garganey, 37 Teal, 52 Yellow-legged Gulls, 47 Herring Gull, 8 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 22 Great Black-backed Gull, 200 Black-headed Gull, 10 Bearded…

Big Wild Sleepout at Rainham Marshes

Saturday 3 August

6 pm Saturday - 9 am Sunday

Price: £30 adult (£25 RSPB member), £15 children (£12.50 RSPB member)

Booking essential

Join us for a Big Wild Sleepout and camp in nature’s home at RSPB Rainham Marshes!

We are going to have a Big Wild Sleepout and camp at the reserve! Join us for an amazing opportunity that gives you the chance to experience…