Bank Holiday Monday and the weather forecast was for an even hotter day so I was once again on the river wall by 6.30. It was cool and pleasant but the promise of some serious heat to come was lurking within an hours or two’s grasp.
The Thames was once again mirror calm as I walked west and like the other mornings I was accompanied by warblers the whole way with Common Whitethroats predominating. Up ahead in Aveley Bay I could hear the snickering of the Black-tailed Godwit flock. They are such conversationalists and a feeding group is seldom silent.
Whitethroat
Black-tailed Godwits, Mallard, Teal, Ringed Plovers and Black-headed Gulls
Black-tailed Godwits
Amongst them were seven apple shaped Ringed Plovers, four Redshank, two Common Sandpipers and a now increased flock of 12 Avocets. The single Curlew was still seemingly happy with her own company. The Avocets were in a curious mood and keep haring out over the river twisting and turning and performing some quality low level whiffling. I thought they were going to dunk in the drink at one stage.
Avocet
Adult Lesser Black-backed and Yellow-legged Gulls showed nicely on the Tudor seawall and the sharp iodine tang of seaweed reached my senses.
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Black-headed Gulls
Three Kestrels were hunting the margins and at one stage were trying to catch Migrant Hawkers still hanging up in the foreshore reedbed before resting up on appropriate perches between sorties.
Kestrel
The local bunnies were very unimpressed and the Kestrels did not know what to make of the when they lolloped towards them. Yellow Wagtails bounced over and a single Grey Wagtail cae down on the rocks with tail wagging madly.
Kestrel and the Bunnies
Bunnies
More warblers moved ahead of me and a Grey Heron was nicely framed on the Crake Pool. I headed up onto the landfill path but I did not see a single bird but the views were magnificent and there were countless Brown Argus, Common Blue and Small Heath waking up for their first flight before it got too hot.
Lesser Whitethroat
Common Whitethroat
Brown Argus
Small Heath
Fennel
Wall Rocket
Dittander
Mono Grey Heron
Out over the river high note calling terns drew my attention and I eventually picked up 16 Arctic Terns in the hazy blue loosely following the Thames west while three Sandwich Terns went the other way calling vociferously.
Back at the centre I was required to help open up and made my way straight out towards the Cordite Store where even more Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Willow Warblers were encountered. Most were flycatching high in the canopy of the browning Horse Chestnuts and I was delighted to find a Pied Flycatcher doing what they do best.
Willow Emeralds hung around on the brambles and I actually encountered them further around the trail than I have ever before.
Willow Emerald
Aveley Pool was literally covered in Greylags and the numbers have rocketed up to 450 in just a few days and the water is speckled with thousands of little white feathers from their evening preening sessions. Two Little Egrets became part of 21 on the pools and a Great White Egret lumbered into flight with 12 Grey Herons from near the Butts Hide where it had been sitting out of sight. Three marauding Hobbies spooked the various herons and revealed two Green Sandpipers, two Greenshank and a Black-tailed Godwit and the shiny bronze wings of a Brown Hawkers glowed in the harsh light.
Greylags and a Cormorant
Teal
Great White Egret, Little Egrets, Grey Herons, Greylags and Mute Swan
Great White Egret
I made it back to the centre just before ten with the sun reminding me that my birding head may say that it is autumn but Sol still thinks its summer…
Painted Lady