Thankfully the weather has been kind to us for the duration of National Insect Week and the reserve has been alive with a plethora of insects. The first proper flush of Meadow Browns have emerged along with Ringlets, Small and Large Skippers. Speckled Woods are dancing once again and the first Marbled White of the season was gliding along the river wall on Friday.

Small Tortoiseshell - Bernard Bradshaw

Meadow Brown…

Here at Rainham, we have been working with Thames Chase Community Forest - a lovely local forest not too far from the reserve. Just wanted to tell you a little about this lovely local forest...

Photo courtesy of the Thames Chase Trust.

Thames Chase Community Forest covers 40 square miles of countryside around the London/Essex borders. The forest is managed by the Thames Chase Trust, a local charity dedicated to improving…

Have you noticed the pile of wood dust by one of the benches at the bottom of the ramp?

Here's what's making it... Ectemnius cephalotes - sometimes known as a Big Headed Wasp

In she goes - Phil Collins

The female wasps excavate nest burrows in old pieces of wood. They will often share an entrance – three were seen entering before any of them came out again.
They construct chambers within the…

The Kids Birdwatching Club at Rainham has been around for at least twelve years now, thanks to the initial support of Peter Holden who encouraged me in my plan to set up an event for budding young ornithologists on the reserve at a time when an onsite Wildlife Explorers Club was not a possibility.

It has always catered for all ages and by involving the parents it has always been an eclectic group of likeminded souls…

Have you ever thought about volunteering?

Volunteering is a brilliant way to meet new people, be active, learn new things, it's great for your CV, you get to spend time on a lovely reserve too.

The RSPB has more than 12,000 fantastic volunteers and between them, they contribute almost one million hours every year!

You can find out about volunteering for the RSPB, and all the different roles around the UK on the…

The weather has been a bit of a mixed bag this week with a glorious hot Bank Holiday Monday being followed by the Biblical storm of Tuesday (I have never been so wet!) and then descending into a murky misty haze that has lasted till this morning when the sun has just managed to force itself through.

The Spoonbill was seen until Wednesday and a male Mandarin on BHM was only the third for the reserve and caused me to scoot…