The sun is shining! It is still very cold though with temperatures well below freezing first thing. Most of the pools are frozen again and even the foreshore has iced up overnight!

Lots of bird song this morning including this smart male Reed Bunting just outside the centre.

Shots by me...

Our Easter Trail may be a bit more hospitable today and with any luck the sun will hang on in there for us and you!

31-3…

Yesterday afternoon we experienced a huge blizzardy hail storm for ten minutes that swept east across the marsh obliterating the view and enveloping London in a white wall of weather. It passed and amazingly the sun attempted to peak out spurring Reed Buntings and Chaffinches to start singing and for the Skylarks to give it one more go.  Wrens and Robins joined and and for a brief few minutes you could actually believe…

Wheatear and Black Redstarts are still at the west end and and adult Med Gull has flown over. Out on the trails a female Bearded Tit put in a brief appearance which is encouraging.  Oh and got this nice shot from Tony Shaw of the male Marsh Harrier from earlier in the week. Curlews are now in and up to 42 I believe and the Ruff are still out on Wennington.

31-3-13

Still showing very well today....

Black Redstart (Basil Thornton)

18-3-13

The early evening hunting by the Wennington Barn Owls is amazing and completely against the grain. Shaun is still trying for that killer shot and is getting there!

19-3-13

Today is the 19th March and on this date in 2006 we were lucky enough to have a White Stork on the marsh. It should have been a great evening on the reserve but many of us remember it as the evening that Ken Barrett suffered a fatal heart attack whilst attempting to see the bird. Despite our best efforts he could not be saved.

Ken was a integral part of the initial movement to save the marshes long before the RSPB became…

Just a quick reminder that the shop will be closed all day today for Stocktake...

20-3-13

Those rubble mounds are perfect for Black Redstarts and today they drew in another chat in the form of a fine first-summer male Wheatear (brown worn wings age it in case you were wondering!).

Unfortunately, no more were seen out on the trails in appalling murk, rain, drizzle, hail, mist and increasing wind and cold... The Grey Plover was still with the Golden crowd but over 300 Lapwing have gone overnight. A male Me…

At least one Chiffchaff is now singing in the Cordite woodland despite the dreary weather and I reckon that there are about eight others on site with up to five at the west end and a couple on the foreshore. Russ caught this one in a buddhlia near the centre while Basil Thornton had one facing onto the wind on the river wall!

(BT)

(RSh)

(RSh)

21-3-13

If you creep into the Ken Barrett Hide quietly you may be lucky enough to catch up with one of our Water Rails. It seems to have taken to feeding just outside so you may have to look down to see it!

Steve Swinney got some great shots last week and others have still been seen in the cuttings on the Northern Trail.

21-3-13

We see our female Sparrowhawk on a regular basis as she is very adept at taking prey from around the centre feeding station but the male is little more furtive in his hunting technique and is often just seen dashing through. This makes this beautiful shot of him, taken today by Jerry Hoare even better.  What a beautiful bird!

Two Black Redstarts and the male Wheatear seen again today while there are now 341 Golden …

After a quiet spell photographically with our Kestrels, Bob Cooper got these stunning shot recently as she almost hovered over his head. 

22-3-13

It is not just the traditional wintering species such as waders and wildfowl that will soon be off.  Most of our Redwings and Fieldfares have already gone with only singles on the marsh in recent weeks and the number of ticking reedbed Robins had suddenly dropped as they too head off towards northern Europe for the summer. Russ Sherriff caught this nicely orange breasted bird on the foreshore earlier in the week. Such…

At last someone has got a good shot of one of the two female Black Redstarts at the end of Ferry Lane. Basil Thornton took these in the glorious sunshine yesterday afternoon. A lot more subtle than the striking male but still with that fiery red shimmering tail.

.

13-3-13

We have all spent a lot of time in the last two weeks drawing little maps of the west end to help people to find the Black Redstarts.... so here is a map to help you out!

Thanks to David Dent for the shot!

11-3-13

Anything out there today sticking a bill in the water must be hungry! It is freezing with blowing snow and a howling north easterly...  However, I am not at work today and therefore there is a Spoonbill doing just that right in front of the centre on the Purleet Scrape... Hope it stays till tomorrow!

(Brenda Clayton)

11-3-13

The adult Spoonbill lasted until 3pm before it decided that enough was enough and headed south across the Thames. Hope Kev got it! In the strong winds there were a few bits on the river including 4 Kittiwakes, Little and Med Gulls... just hope the blizzard lets up here in North Kent and I can get in tomorrow!

And some slightly better shots from Brenda from this afternoon!

11-3-13

Morning all...  Having a few problems getting into today as North Kent seems to be experiencing it own little wintry micro-climate and I currently have driving snow billowing horizontally past my window. I did try and drive in but the A2 and side roads seem to have been missed by the gritters....

Anyway, enough of my griping... found this request that has been circulating amongst various birding email groups and thought…

We have a double exhibition starting this Saturday in the Purfleet Hide featuring superb paintings by David James and wooden bird carvings by Maureen Gibson. David will be in attendance most days and will quick likely be wielding a brush or two!

12-3-13

Mr P is still a welcome sight in the mornings and he now has three ladies around the feeders (and the two in the shop!) to look after on his morning rounds. The other day he walked almost up to the counter and clucked until he was taken notice of and some breakfast provided.

Dawn Cowan encountered him today out in et woodland where he trotted towards her on the boardwalk in the hope that she was carrying food! do not…

At high tide today there were about 400 Dunlin out on the pools along with about 300 each of Lapwing and Golden Plover. Plenty of Lapwing song and tumbling in the sunshine first thing too! Only two Curlew seem to be left now but Snipe are everywhere and the four Ruff were out on Wennington again. A few Redshank came in too along with four dozing Grey Plovers.  I had high hopes of a Wheatear today and spent the day scanning…

The first Pussy Willow buds are out and looking for all the world like the tips of cotton wool buds at the moment but with a bit of warmth (if we ever get it back!) they will bust out into vibrant  pom-poms of yellow laden with pollen like giant mascara brushes!  Bees and butterflies be ready!

(Tony Houston)

15-3-13

Shaun Harvey got some shots of the Short-eared Owls last night.  I suspect that they were in the same area as I saw them on Tuesday night so I reckon viewing from the tarmac cycle path just before the point where the south-west corner of the Silt Lagoons meets the open expanse of Wennington Marsh. The Barn Owls were in the same area.  Good luck...

Thanks Shaun!

15-3-13

The pair of Mute Swans that have been residing in front of the Purfleet Hide have been getting more and more amorous in recent days with much synchronised preening, bathing and neck entwining... oh and a little bit of how's ya father....

(Chris Lowe)

The Cob did eventually let her up for air..... (Clive Watts)

I am not sure which pair this is from the site but suspect that that it is the same couple who attempted…