• Treasures of the Thames: A Victorian Day Out!

    Just a quick plug for our big event on this coming Wednesday

    Treasures of the Thames:

    A Victorian Day Out!

    Join the Thames Discovery Programme and friends for a day of interactive family fun. Free activities based around the history and archaeology of the River Thames. 

    Wednesday June 1, 11am– 3pm.  

    Guided walks

    11.30am:   Focusing on the history of the local area, River Thames and military history.

    2pm:

  • Always more to see than you think...

    I took this picture last week of a single Field Bindweed flower. It was not till I put it on the pc that I realised that it was covered in tiny furry, velvet Red Spider Mites! they are all feasting on the pollen. It is all about scale!

  • Early start

    It is 4.14 in the morning and the third dawn chorus walk has just gone out led by our ever dedicated volunteers. It is still pretty dark but the sky is brightening to the east and the wind is moving the grey clouds along. The Reed Warblers and Skylarks were already in song when I got here about 2.30 and in the last ten minutes Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens and Reed Buntings have all joined in.

    I have not been in since Thursday…

  • mmm... flies!

    There have been lots of good flies buzzing round the reserve at the moment. Many are predatory and are on the look out for another unsuspecting insect or bug to devour. Thankfully only a few have a taste for us humans!

    This pretty little thing is Poecilobothrus nobilitatus and like many insects it only has a scientific name. It can be quite easy to see in the cordite woodland, as it waits for prey to pass it by.

  • Fat Lizards!

    By the look of these two plump ladies we shall soon by seeing lots of scurrying tiny lizards sunning itself on the boardwalk!  Just need to warm up a bit more to see them at their best! Images by Craig Burnett

     

  • Babybird!

    It's that time of year when nearly everywhere you look there are baby birds being fed or chasing around after their parents looking for a snack!

    Starling, Sparrows and finches all have you around the centre now and the ever clever Magpies have been picking off those who have not got street wise quick enough!

     Five baby Goldfinches just prior to fledging (Brenda Clayton)

    Baby Great Tit (Brenda Clayton)

    'Feed…

  • And on this week...

    Just a very quick plug for the first Dusk Walk of the year on Thursday evening (26th) and 7pm.  This is a pre-pay evant so please ring 01708 899850 to book on.

    Alternatively you can just turn up for a walk at any stage during the evening as we will not be closing. However the cafe and shop will still be shutting at the usual time.

    Hope to see some of you there.!

    H ;o)

  • Sid is back

    Remember Ron Weasel from his winter hunting session on the foreshore? Well Sid the Stoat has managed to go one better than his miniature mate and has actually caught something that was alive to start with...

    Sid by Chris Lowe. Click on the link to reveal the whole story... Just checked and you have to open up the individual post to see the link to the Sid the Stoat pdf

  • River wall flowers

    Yesterday saw the first rain on the reserve since the middle of February. By now the riverwall is usually awash with the purple of Tufted Vetch, Poppies and Campion but with the excessive dry spell things have been struggling and the lower part of the wall is all brown and crispy like it would normally be in late July or August. However, I did mange to get some nice shots of some of the flora currently on show and it…

  • Boisterous buntings

    Our Reed Buntings are still singing away and some of the males pose very nicely atop the reedmace and phragmites. I reckon that the first youngsters should be off very soon!

    Image by Barry Jackson

  • And some more...

    We had our first Insect Afternoon Walk yesterday and found some interesting critters including scary looking Horned Treehoppers (which Annie thought were ultra cool!), a Tree Bumblebee, some groovy flies including one that preys on snails called Tetanocera elata, lots of Dock Leatherbugs, some miniscule baby shieldbugs just hatching from their pinhead sized eggs and one of the best Longhorn beetles going, with the amazing…

  • that seemed to work!

    Ok.. looks like I might be getting my head around the new system but it seems like all the old images on blog posts are currently not visible.  Hopefully IS will sort out this little glitch.

    Been here since 0245 this morning for our second Dawn Chorus walk. Well attended but some stuff fell from the sky half way round and the punters came back all damp. We have sent away the clear liquid for scientific anaylsis although…

  • Fingers crossed

    Afternoon all.

    Just a quick test to see if this works as the community pages have had a facelift this week...

     

     

  • Up with the lark!

    Morning all

    Back from a cracking week on Corsica and straight into a Dawn Chorus!  Got here a little before three this morning and even then the first Skylarks were singing away in the darkness along with Reed and Sedge Warblers and a couple of 'tewing' Redshanks. The guys are still out with the visitors on the walk and the smell of sausages and bacon is keeping me awake!

    It is a bit breezy today but the sky…

  • Last post for a week... there be dragons!

    Just thought I would finish up this evening with some stunning dragon shots from this week.

    Magnificent! we have lots of insecty things to do over the summer from drop in self-led mini-beast hunting, the Annual Bug Hunt in July, Insect Afternoon on Saturday a month and Dragonfly Walks in June and July.  Come grubbing!

    Four Spot Chaser - (Alex Blackman)

    Hairy Hawker (Mark Hart)

    Hairy Hawker ovipositing (Jerry…

  • Real Quality!

    It is with great sadness that Tez Morris leaves us after a 'quality' stint as our Warden at RSPB Rainham Marshes.  He is currently still uncovering his desk and looking for homes for miscellaneaous stuff that has accreted there over the last 18 months, so if anyone has a home for a defunct hydraulic strut, a knackered motorola phone charger, a tennis ball, an old brown bootlace and a picture of King Goerge V, four…

  • Waders still on the move

    The last few days has seen the continued movement of Arctic bound waders with Knot, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderling, Greenshank and Whimbrels along the foreshore. Common Terns (which breed locally) have been quite scarce but small parties of graceful Black Terns and bouyant Arctics have been seen. The latter on their way up the English east coast and beyond and the former back off east to the lakes of middle…

  • Events plug!

     

     Morning allThere are loads of fantastic events going on at RSPB Rainham Marshes in the next two months.For more information on any of them just click back onto the Rainham Homepage and click on the events tab. Everything you could want to know is there for you.

    ¨ Military Walk Sunday May 8
    ¨ Dawn Chorus Walks Sunday May 15, 22 and 29.
    ¨ Dusk Walk Thursday May 26 & Thursday June 23
    ¨ A Victorian…
  • Wedding Fever...

    Now, on Friday we did not want to be left out of the Royal Wedding fervor and made some bunting (well, at least we thought that that was vaguely bird related) and waved a few flags. There may have even been some chap in an interesting shirt (again...)