Good morning everyone!

How are you today?

We spent last night in natures home! Last night we slept on the reserve, celebrating the RSPB's Big Wild Sleepout.

We had been getting ready throughout the day -
 

40 brave adventurers (there was about 60 of us with the staff and volunteers too) met at 7pm at the visitor centre. Andrew (Site Manager) and Nicole (Warden) had a plan - between 60 of us, thats a lot of stuff…

Glance up in the corner or any room (except probably my Mum's....) and you may see a dangling cobweb belonging to a very familiar denizen of the indoor world....

The Daddy Long Legs spider (Pholcus phalangioides) is an expert at just hanging around waiting for something to blunder into its sticky ineffectual looking silk strands.  This goes for all other house spiders including the big Tegenarias which it kills stone…

....but there arn't any sharks!  However, the wonderful variety of fish that are once again using the tidal Thames do attract more than just a few anglers and Cormorants!

Common Seal is quite regular during the winter months and often haul themselves out on the Kentish side while 'Bob' the bull Grey Seal reappeared last week and is now back into his old habit of drifting up river with the tide with his nose…

July Monthly Summary

With water levels still good it was not surprising that the waders continued to drop in and included up to 27 Black-tailed Godwits (3^rd), ten Greenshank (17^th), Ruff, Spot Shank, Wood Sandpiper, Turnstone and a fine adult Pectoral Sandpiper from 11^th -19^th. Two Spoonbills spent from the 22^nd to 26^th on Aveley Pools with one till the 29^th while Little Egret peaked at 53. The first Garganey (28^th)…

The second Bearded Tit brood is still doing well and has been seen most days down at the Dragonfly Pool, usually from the end nearest the Shooting Butts. Listen for that softing pinging from the reeds and then wait to see if the reeds start to move as they clamber up a stem.  Good luck!

Two great shots from Brenda Clayton

10-8-13

After seeing how much stuff Martin had, Andrew (the Site Manager) took drastic measures...

Hi everyone,

Just thought I would share -

This is Martin (our Visitor Services Manager) preparing for the Big Wild Sleepout... A little bit over excessive, but you never know what might happen out there...

Water Voles have been almost 'easy' around the trails in recent weeks with many people seeing them going about their daily lives of feeding, swimming, feeding, scratching, feeding, more feeding, grooming... oh and some feeding. Almost any vantage point is worth a look although the bridge to the river wall turnstile is prett reliable.

Bill Crooks caught this little chap mid itch!

The look of pure joy on his…

On Thursday a very young Wheatear was seen along the river wall.  This is not our earliest ever but the downy plumage suggests that it has possibly only travelled from somewhere like the Brecks in Suffolk / Norfolk. This one was quite obliging and allowed Brenda a close approach.

The first Whinchats have also been seen locally today along with a couple more Wheatears so keep your eyes open if you are on the reserve…

Morning everyone!

It's Rainham's Big Wild Sleepout tonight and we're getting ready....

Tent - check

Sleeping bag - check

Midnight snacks - check

I think I'm ready! Are you?

Are you taking part in the Big Wild Sleepout? What are you doing - we would love to know!

If you want more information about the RSPB s Big Wild Sleepout click here

I will let you know how it goes!
See you soon, Louise

Afternoon all... just a quick plug for the latest art exhibition in the Purfleet Hide... Barry Jackson has a selection of his stunning wildlife images on display until Bank Holiday Monday so why not pop in and have a look on your way round.

9-8-13

Yesterday was hot once again and I had voluteered my services to help with the massive job of trying to clear the poisonous Ragwort from the marsh. The team spent last Thursday doing the same in 30+ c and with lots more to remove we cracked on.

The Ragwort Bashing Battalion was in fine form yesterday and gave the yellow menace a run for its money and we managed to clear all of one of the big fields within Aveley Marsh…

It is all in a name... and quite a name at that!  Agapanthia villosoviridescens has to be me favourite scientic name of any British creature!  It rolls off the tongue in a fluid syllable rich cascade that ends up becoming the Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle.

They are quite common here and those long stripy antenna are a bit of a give away!

Come and try and find one!

9-8-13

Late on Friday afternoon we received a tip off about a rave that was to be held around our visitor centre at 10pm that night.  Ahh... the joys of Twitter. ... anyway I was out having dinner with friends nearby that evening and so popped back in over the footbridge at ten to see if a dance soirée was underway. .

It was peacuful with the warm waft of a mid summer breeze, the slapping of the waves on the sluice gates…

Skypointing with their bums is obviously something that Ruddy Darters actually like doing as Jerry Hoare also managed to capture this unusual behaviour this week. Such vibrant colours compared to the dull orangey reds of a Common Darter.  Several Southern, Brown and Migrant Hawkers have been seen out on patrol and with several Blue Eyed Hawkers in the Thames Estuary we are hopeful of a repeat of 2013 when several were…

In 2012 we had two male Marsh Warblers on the reserve. This is a very rare breeder in the UK and the tiny, occasional, population here is right at the edge of their European range.  We put the news out last year so that visitors could see and enjoy listening to this wonderful songster but unfortnately their behaviour was far from exemplary and the habitat was trampled by people trying to get closer and take pictures.

Not quite as nice as yesterday with more cloud cover but there was still lots to be seen including, on the bird front, three Whimbrel, 2 Avocets and the Bearded Tits again while visitors found some good invertebrates.

Jan Luscombe came in and showed me a photo of a male Vapourer moth that she had found in her home nearby which went nicely with the funky caterpillar that we saw yesterday while Sam Garland and his friend…

Over the last two weeks two of my gardening volunteers have been creating a wonderful hibernaculum for creatures of all shapes and sizes in the Wildlife Garden.  It is still a work in progress so there will be more to come on this one but it looks great so far!

George lays the first pallet...

Up she goes!  Holey (not Holy!) bricks, cardboard filled tree guards and lots of old wood and grass make up the lower laye…

Some more stuff from yesterday on what was a glorious warm sunny day.  Not too hot that you could not stay out but warm enough for some top quality insect action!

The mint in the herb beds may now be mostly over but the chunky monkey hovering Wool Carder Bees are still nectaring on the Lemon Balm and amongst the host of Greenbottles and Hoverflies on the Spear and Peppermints were several of our other species of Mint…

A very good day out on the reserve. Two circuits today. One before work and another to lock up. The marsh is so lush at the moment; we just need to sort out the water flow issues so that we can get water off of Aveley Pools and onto Purfleet Scrape. Some hard investigative work by Andrew today has hopefully set things in motion.... fingers crossed.

Plenty of bird action with a good selection of species seen by Andy,…

Migrant Hawkers are only just emerging so now is the time for Darters with many of the two red species, Common and Ruddy, on the wing. They like to bask in the sun and use a regular perch from which to make their hunting sorties.

Sometimes they perch with their wings drooped and tails almost vertical. This is known as the obilisk position and is thought to be an aid to heat capture!

Male Ruddy D (Christine McLoughlin…

We have a stand pipe over a grill covered pit below the visitor centre and despite the fact that it is set in the middle of the gravel, it unceasingly manages to attract daft amphibians who manage to fall down the hole. Operation 'phib Rescue comes into play and we send an unwilling volunteer down the hole to collect the unlucky creatures before re-homing them elsewhere.

....a tub of Smooth Newts

5-8-13

First of all I would just like to apologise for the dearth of blog post recently. Still not able to load images from home and very little time during the normal working day to post so please bear with me.

So a mini re-cap from the last week.  The Spoonbills from the week before made it to the weekend before moving off. A single dropped back in briefly on Monday evening but unfortunately did not linger.  A little after…

Discover a world of wildlife after dark and find out what goes bump, snuffle and squeak in the night by camping outside taking part in the RSPB's Big Wild Sleepout: 9-11 August.

We want you to take part too - discover the secret world on your doorstep by sleeping out in the great outdoors! Put up a tent in your garden, build a makeshift shelter or, if you’re brave enough, simply sleep out under the stars. If you…

Painted Ladies have now started to arrive in the country after their long northward journey and several were seen at the weekend around the centre budhlias and the Ken Barrett Hide. I also saw several in North Kent at the weekend so get out there and check those flowers?

A cracking shot by Andrew Gouldstone.

A few newly emerged Brimstone are also on the wing and it would be nice to think that the caterpillars grew…