Sure I will get some more later but thanks to Shaun Harvey for the Black-necked Grebe and Short-eared owl photos from today...

9-3-13

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

The Vagrant Crew found a Sand Martin over Aveley Pool late on but it did not linger and was soon on its way west. The two female Marsh Harriers and at least one Short-eared Owl have been seen while four more Brents made it a round 100 and a second flock of six Avocets rounded thta total up to 30! 

It is now very cold and the wind has got up as the visibility has improved so tomorrow may be interesting....

9-3-13

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

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

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

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

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

No photos today as very very gloomy and wet but two Avocet on the foreshore, ten engaging Oystercatchers on the Marshland Discovery Zone Scrape, four adult Little Gulls over the centre and up the Mardyke Valley, and adult Med Gull on Aveley Pools and two very lost Brent Geese flying around in circles....

:o)

8-3-13

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 …

Our Short-eared Owls have been quite difficult this winter but in recent days seem to have become a bit more visible especially if the Hen or Marsh Harriers overfly the Silt Lagoons late in the day. They get up and get stroppy and will tend to give the larger birds some grief to send them on their way. Jonathan Wasse got these shots on earlier today and three birds were involved so I reckon that there is a good chance…

And no, it is not nice and sunny... it is gloomy, dank and overcast... but we do have a superb flock of 24 Avocets out on the pools. They are obviously fresh in as they are communal feedin in a tight bunch and following this up with a quick doze in a huddle. Very difficult to count... lots of legs...

and there are eight Oystercatchers on the Marshland Discovery Zone scrape again as we speak...

Oiks... images by…

Still gloomy but the birding is great.  Angie and my KBC kids found a winter plumaged Black-necked Grebe on Aveley Pool and by the time others got round there two summer plumaged adults in full tufty refinery had popped out of the sedges to join it!  Hopefully there will be some photos later albeit in poor light.

Brents were also obviously on the move with a total of 96 so far heading out of the Thames.  Grey Plover and…

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…

Our little party of four Lesser Redpolls are still around and can usually be found somewhere between the end of the exit ramp and the loop trail in the Cordite woodland.  I even saw them myself on a brief sojourn last week and both Brenda Clayton and Wendy Marks got some great shots over the weekend.

(Brenda)

(Wendy)

Great stuff and it is so nice to have had this small party wintering on site for the past few…

The Black Redstarts continue to be seen on a daily basis at the southern end of Ferry Lane and there seem to be seven pairs of Oystercatcher on our stretch of the river at the moment. Grey Wagtail and Common Sandpiper also continue to be seen on the foreshore there with up to five Chiffchaffs in the surrounding bushes (where they have probably been all winter but we just never looked!)

Mrs B Red (Basil Thornton)

Still showing very well today....

Black Redstart (Basil Thornton)

18-3-13

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…

Now, I know that during the winter I put on loads of Stonechat images but they have already started to disappear and head back to where ever they choose to breed. Remember one of ours went back to where it bred on the Norfolk coast?

Jonathan Wasse got this nice shot at the weekend.  A pair or two are likely to breed so still plenty of time to get out there and find them.

4-3-13

Sorry, forgot to post this the other day....

The reserve was still looking great with plenty of water around but the weather kept it much the same as January with stable wader and wildfowl numbers. A Goosander (13^th) and two male Goldeneye (21^st) were the only river notables although two Great White Egrets were seen flying through on both the 6^th and 11^th. Who knows where they had been? Singles of Turnstone, Avocet and…

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

20-3-13

Our three Black Redstarts are still at the west end and are ranging from the foreshore at the west end of the footpath to the new footpath that cuts through the industrial area.  This is ideal breeding habitat and it would be great if they set up territory and that smart male with his fiery tail started singing....

(Dave McGough)

2-3-13

I have no other news from the reserve today other to say that  a fine male Wheatear was seen out on the trails this afternoon.....  woooo! hooooo!

17-3-13

There have been a few Buzzard sightings in the last week after a paucity of records over the winter.  Are these local birds having a wander or continental immigrants?

Eyes to the skies....!  We are due a Red Kite!

(Dave McGough)

(Russ Sherriff)

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…