May 2017 Ornithological Summary atRSPB Rainham Marshes:
The wader passage from April continued well into may with Temminck’s Stint basically being the only ‘missing’ species. Both Curlew Sandpiper and little Stint were seen in the first week and three Wood Sandpipers on the 3rd quickly became five with one staying until the 10th. Bar-tailed Godwit peaked at 40 (4th), Grey Plover at 22 (5th) and Whimbrel at 16 (5th) with Sanderling and Turnstone reported the same day. A pair of Black-winged Stilts dropped in on the 10th but did not stay the night and there was even a late Jack Snipe on the 6th!
Grey Plover - Paul Hawkins
Black-winged Stilts - HTV
The 10th also saw three very high flying Spoonbills heading over the reserve but at least the Crane on the 21st had the decency to come down and stay till the following morning. It was the first here in 35 years and was very well appreciated.
Common Crane - Karl Price
Spoonbills - Russ Sherriff
Eclipsing even this was the adult Laughing Gull seen by just a few lucky people on the 9th (a first for Essex) and the Bonaparte’s Gull from Barking did the decent thing and was seen from Ferry Lane on the 16th, 17th and 20th. Both these species are from America!
Laughing Gull - Alan Shearman
Bonaparte's Gull - Martin Jordan
Kittiwake, Caspian, Iceland, Med and Yellow-legged Gulls added a touch of winter gull magic to the spring! Ten adult Little Gulls on the 18th rounded things off nicely. There was no big tern push but Little (3rd and 5th), Black (two on 27th), Arctic and Sandwich were noted. A male Garganey on the 12th became a pair on the 13th and two males were seen on the 17th. Marsh Harriers were looking settled and several Red Kites were again noted along with a superb Black Kite (18th) and an eye level Osprey (20th).
Osprey - Mike Gibbons
Four Turtle Dove fly throughs was the best spring showing for ten years and there were two Quail from the 6th-8th and another from the 22nd-24th. Birder behaviour was impeccable despite the frustratingly close encounters with this invisible singer. A female Ring Ouzel lingered from the 3rd -12th and Whinchats, Greenland Wheatears and a Black Redstart drifted through while the last Short-eared owl sighting was on the 6th after another great winter.
Ring Ouzel - Alan Shearman
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer