Just a quick message to let you all know that the cattle egret was showing nicely all day yesterday on the Aveley Flash!
Here's a guest widlife update from Friday 5 October from volunteer Pat:
Very foggy start cleared by mid-morning to give a really sunny almost windless day.Where have all our Godwits gone! Over 100 last week today not one! Avocet number down to 5. But had some wonderful views of a pair of pristine Bearded Tits. From a viewpoint standing on the one-way exit bridge, we could see the pair slowly made their way through the reed beds on one side of the channel, they got closer and closer, you could see the reeds twitching as they got ever nearer. Then suddenly there they were no more than six feet away perched together on top of an old reed stem. Absolutely stunning!! They then flew onto the bridge and rested on the toe rail before us only feet from our feet!! Hope Gill has some photos. Bird of the day, however, was the also stunning Cattle Egret which seemed to spend most of its day roosting in the South West corner of Aveley Flash, with occasional sojourns to the grazing cattle to feed at their feet. (see Video)
Total species experienced 58
Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, 2 Pintail, Teal, Pheasant, Little Grebe, Cattle Egret, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Cormorant, 2 Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, 5 Avocet, Lapwing, 2 Curlew, 5 Snipe, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Barn Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Kestrel, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, 2 Bearded Reedling, 10 Cetti's Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Robin, Stonechat, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting.
Pat is one of our wonderful volunteers - he (and a number of other lovely volunteers) lead guided walks around the reserve on the first Wednesday, second Friday and third Sunday of each month if you wanted to join us on the Wildlife Walk - come and join us as we take you on a wonderful wildlife walk around the marshes. Every season sees a different suite of wildlife for you to encounter. These regular walks talking about wildlife, all about the reserve and it's history, will take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 9.30am, the second Friday of the month at 10 am and on the third Sunday of the month at 1 pm.
They are also around at the reserve every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday if you wanted to come and chat and possibly join them at different parts around th reserve - they are very knowledgeable and can answer most of your wildlife questions!