As for that initial Razorbill... what I did not tell you all earlier in all the excitement was that Andy Tweed and I literally willed it into existence. We had been reminiscing about the week after the Kentish Tufted Puffin in 2009 when we found Atlantic (our) Puffin and Guillemot on the River and how we had not had an auk since... Andy said that we still wanted a Little Auk for Rainham Marshes (which I have had...) and I said, 'No, I would rather have a Razorbill...'
Under a minute later Andy was saying' Auk coming up river' and then.... 'Looks like a Razorbill...!' I honestly thought that he was pulling my leg but , no, there it was! It then takes another twist as another Andy (Lawson) phoned almost immediately to say that he had a Guillemot heading our way from Dartford... 'No' we said, 'must be our Razorbill' Andy L went away unhappy and confused (sorry Andy!).
At 1115 an auk drifts into view... It is clearly a Guillemot??? Andy T and I claim that this was definitely not our Razorbill from earlier. You could smell the whiff of doubt amongst the others present (nothing nasty mind-you!) It drifts slowly out of view and as it does so an auk heads back up river. Bins up and what do we have.... not the Guillemot but another Razorbill! What is going on? It disappears into Aveley Bay just as the Guillemot reappears and starts feeding along the far bank. So for once the two (or in fact possibly three) bird theory was correct and none of us were going mad after all! Result... smiles all round!
I do not normally publish a simple list of stuff seen but it really was a great day's birding and all of it from the comfort of the balcony of our visitors centre! The weather was dire, gloomy and drizzly for the most part making viewing difficult but without it we would have had nothing to look for!
Guillemot (1105-1130) 2 Razorbill (0830, & 1115 both up river), 329 Common Tern, 24 Arctic Tern, 5 Little Tern, Black Tern, 5 juvenile Little Gull, 14 Avocet, Curlew, Redshank, 6 Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Hobby, 2 Swift, 30 House Martin, 20 Sand Martin, 12 Swallow, 14 Yellow Wagtail, 32 Yellow-legged Gulls, 6 Turnstone, juv Marsh Harrier, 3 Whinchat, 2 Wheatear .
The Watchers (including all four of the Vagrants!) NB: Despite the provision of leopard print cushions to protect ancient posteriors; several of the above saw no auks today.... :o(
Paul Hawkins took these Guillemot shots at Barking Bay about two hours after our one disappeared. A lucky recovery for Paul who missed it by minutes at Rainham!