So it was back down to the bay for me this morning for an early morning walk to try and find a few migrants. However, I had trouble finding the car park let alone any birds. Visibility was pants with claggy wet fog but the sounds out on the marsh were amazing and, if you excluded the drone of the A13, it felt very wild and natural indeed.
Three Sedge Warblers were a little but more accommodating that yesterday and one even showed in the gloom but beyond that there were no visible pools to scan for dozing Spoonbills or interesting waders. Reed Buntings, Cetti's Warblers and Wrens were singing all around and the Skylarks this morning were probably above the cloud base and in the glorious blue beyond.
Sedge Warbler in the mirk... (Lee Spence)
Reed Bunting (Lee Spence)
Skylark (Elaine Crew)
Thankfully the Spoonbill was actually still present and showed very well all day and even flew to feed out on Aveley Marsh and thus added itself to my ‘from the window’ list this year. It turned out somewhat glorious and it and the pair of snorkelling Garganey attracted a steady stream of visitors during the day.
A male Ring Ouzel was seen near the bus stop briefly in the morning but we were unaware until late afternoon and two Yellow Wagtails were out feeding on Purfleet Scrape. A couple of Whitethroats were singing scratchily but there is still a dearth of hirundines and Wheatears.
There is quite a lot of nesting activity now with Crows and Magpies collecting soft materials to line their sticky nexts and Blackbirds, Robins, Dunnocks, Tits and Wrens doing likewise to make a soft landing for those precious eggs.
Blackbird (Elaine Crew)
The Marsh Frogs could be heard from the centre today and both the Water Voles and the Grass Snakes were seen by many visitors.
Grass Snake (Jo Collins)
Peacocks seem to be the most numerous species on the wing at the moment and soon etre will be spiky black cats munching their way through the fresh young Stinging Nettles!
Peacock (Alan Shearman)
So keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow that my early morning visit will coincide with a nicemorning and a flurry a newly arrived migrants!
9-4-15