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

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…

So, do you want to know what we were up to today out on the marsh that caused so much disturbance? With breeding season approaching fast we realised that a sneaky Fox had somehow got into the huge fenced off area that is Aveley Marsh.  Not much good having an electric fence to keep the foxes outside when one is on the inside so today we mustered the troops and called in all the volunteers and some folks from DEFRA who…

The seem to be getting on quite well at the west end with quite probably two pairs of Black Redstart flitting between the foreshore and enclosed wasteland. And there were obviously more than one Sea Slater down there as another one has clearly bitten the dust!  And as for the Wheatear!  Still have not seen one down there!  I am probably just being a bit of a tart and not staying out long enough in the freezing conditions…

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

Although migrants were again notable in their absence it was still quite a productive day out on the marsh  in the end with 8 Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, 48 Redshank, 105 Dunlin, 37 Curlew, over the high tide. In addition there were about 60 Lapwing, 57 Golden Plover, 48 Snipe and 5 Ruff on the flashes on Wennington and Aveley. Five Great Crested Grebe bobbed around offshore but there were no seaduck today.

A Bittern was…

Sue Harvey was helping us out in the hides today and was lucky enough to snap this wonderfully stripy Snipe out infront of the Purfleet Hide.  How do they get to those difficult to reach places with such a long bill?.

30-3-13

I have only seen Sea Slaters a couple of times on the foreshore at Rainham. These huge coastal relatives of the Woodlouse are positively prehistoric when you get up close, with beady eyes, waving antenna and articulated armour. 

The latest record came this morning in a photo from Dave McGough of the Wheatear (which was still around yesterday). I would imagine that it would have taken a bit of bashing before it was able…

Pat Hart got some video of the two Scoter yesterday.  Nice that they came in quite close. Very cloudy here today and very cold and windy again.....  a Sand Martin would be nice!

www.youtube.com/watch

www.youtube.com/watch

He has even got the characteristic stretch up, head bob, wing flpa that this species does with some regularity.

30-3-13

Afternoon all... just a quick note to say that due to some essential reserve-wide work on Friday 22 March I have cancelled the Beginners Birdwatch Walk as there will be serious disturbance throughout the day to the whole of  Aveley Marsh within the fenceline.  Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

18-3-13

A very simple message.... please do not throw away your plastic carrier bags.  Reuse and Recycle otherwise this is something that you will encounter from time to time anywhere. It is distressing and potentially fatal for the bird as it causes drag and prevents proper flying, can fill with water when the bird is on the river, cuts off circulation to the legs and makes them an easier predator target.

(Dave McGough)

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

Not sure what Rattus norvegigicus live off of on the foreshore at the end of Ferry Lane but I suspect that it is not just Sea Slaters! There are several in the same area as the Black Redstarts and Wheatears and the chats have been observed by several people to follow the Brown Rats around waiting to see if they unearth anything interesting.

They are also what might be called 'robust' or 'chunky' but any comparisons to…

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…

Had to stay after hours today as we had a group of RSPB bods on a course till late.  Gave me the chance in the gorgeous evening light to scan the distant silts and despite the two miles between them and me I managed to scope two Barn Owls and three Short-eared Owls as they quartered the main lagoon bank.  This is the first time I have ever seen two Barn Owls out at the same time and only an hour after I told the delegates…

A quieter day today with just the usual Wheatear with his Black Redstart friends to be found. Not one Golden Plover or Ruff today but three Grey Plover that were just starting to come into breeding plumage with black faces and a few belly feathers.

Highlight for me was the 1st summer Kittiwake that careened up river behind a Cobelfret Ferry.  Any Kitties that we get, inevitably tailgate a large boat and are usually the…

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

Whilst topping up the feeders this morning I found loads of smashed snail shells around the base. I presume that our Song Thrushes have been head banging whilst we have not been looking!  David Dent got this nice shot earlier today.  I still reckon that this may be a continental bird as it appears very grey.....

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10-3-13

Just some quick bird news for today... Four Common Scoter and the male Goosander (first seen yesterday) werer on the Thames this morning. Tony Orwell even managed some shots...

Two pair of Scoter

Goosander

... and thanks Tony, for letting me pinch them off the RSPB Rainham Marshes Facebook page

24-3-13

A bit of warmth, some sunshine and the Lapwings start to get frisky... If the weather holds the bulk of our winterers will disappear magically one night leaving us with our twenty or so birds to breed on the marsh.

Some are already achieving high colour with extra glossy plumage, even longer head plumes and vibrant pink legs.  The tumbling and wheezing will surely follow before too long....

High stepping Lapwing…

And by that I mean that the sun came up, I saw it clear the horizon and illuminate the marsh in an amber early morning glow. There was no wind, the Skylarks were arising, Lapwings were displaying and for a short while it almost felt vaguely springlike (albeit still on the very chilly side).

Just to prove that there was some sun.... there is even my shadow!

I even found a posing Daf....

... and then the sun decided…

Not sure what it is like north of the Thames this morning but we are suffering persistent driving sleety snow at the moment. I pity any migrants that have made it in so far. Brenda has sent me some shots of the Fox Drive yesterday.  I think you will get some idea of just how cold it was...

and last but not least a wonderful foxy fella created by the school that was in yesterday in honour of the teams efforts or…

Unfortunately, as I expected the Black-necked Grebe trio from yesterday appear to have departed overnight. Got some more pics overnight from Nick Croft.

No Avocets yet either but the Black Redstarts are still at the southern end of Ferry Lane this morning

10-3-13