The first in a series of posts highlighting some of the rarer birds that have graced Rainham Marshes over the year.....
Keith Noble was a young birder out on Rainham Marshes in the 1970's (before he became an RSPB member of staff) and very kindly sent me a scan of his sketch of one of the rarest birds ever to have been seen in the UK. The bird in question was a Western Sandpiper and to this date there have still only been eight British records of this tiny American wader which bascically looks like a mini-Dunlin! The date in question was the 21st July 1973 (I was just over one year old...) so over to you Nicole to get the water levels just perfect to attract another amazingly rare wader this season!
Now that would be one to add to the Golden Welly - Love Passage Waders competetion being held amongst the reserves at the moment!
So if anyone out there has some sketches or even photos of the Lesser Kestrel and Solitary Sandpiper from the 1970 or any of the goodies from the early 1990's please email them to me at howard.vaughan@rspb.org.uk
11-6-12
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer