Here at Rainham, we have been working with our local National Trust property - Rainham Hall. We wanted to tell you about this amazing place to visit.

 Photo courtesy of the National Trust - Sophia Schorr-Kon

Rainham Hall, built in 1729, opened to the public in 2015 following a major conservation and interpretation project. With engaging exhibitions, a stunning café and a nearly three-acre garden, there is something for all…

Morning all...

Due to the very high winds the woodland trails will be closed today for your own safety so a complete circuit will not be possible. There is still plenty to see out on the rest of the reserve though!

Pic by Tony O'Brien from yesterday

Yesterday I got into work just before seven and set out along the river wall. It was pleasantly cool at that time, with an autumnal feel. The Thames was quiet and calm and high tide was imminent precluding any waders to watch but the bushes and Brambles were full of life with parties of foraging Whitethroats working their way west in front of me.  Blue and Long-tailed Tits were their carrier species and four pristine …

Big Wild Sleep Out weekend is always a full on affair and as a busy Saturday drew to a close the participants started to arrive and after loading the trailer with all their camping gear we headed off on the trails around to our camping area near the Brick Building.

The kids were invited to stop off at the Woodland Discovery Zone for some early evening pond dipping while the vaguely grown-ups escaped down to the camp to…

Aveley Pool and the Butts Scrape are still the places to look as the rest of the marsh is still rather dry and high tide seems to be the best time to see these waders that are also feeding along the Thames...

A selection from today...

RSPB Rainham Marshes:- juv Cattle Egret, 12 Little Egret, Garganey, Marsh Harrier, Oystercatcher, 3 Avocet, Curlew, Whimbrel, 35 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Ruff, 2 Common…

A quick round up for the day...  sorry... time for my dinner!

Tallies for the day... Wednesday 31st July 2019

• RSPB Rainham Marshes: Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, 3 Curlew, 3 Ruff, 34 Black-tailed Godwits, Oystercatcher, 5 Avocet, Redshank, 2 Greenshank, Garganey, 37 Teal, 52 Yellow-legged Gulls, 47 Herring Gull, 8 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 22 Great Black-backed Gull, 200 Black-headed Gull, 10 Bearded…

Saturday 3 August

6 pm Saturday - 9 am Sunday

Price: £30 adult (£25 RSPB member), £15 children (£12.50 RSPB member)

Booking essential

Join us for a Big Wild Sleepout and camp in nature’s home at RSPB Rainham Marshes!

We are going to have a Big Wild Sleepout and camp at the reserve! Join us for an amazing opportunity that gives you the chance to experience…

With such hot weather during the week I began to wonder if it would be worth even doing a Late Night Opening on Friday what with the reserve reaching 38c the day before but it rained heavily over night and the air cleared somewhat and lowered the temperature down but about 10c.

But would it rain again in the evening with such sultry conditions?

It was a quiet day on the ranch but as evening progressed it became steadily…

Just a quick note of the highlights from today...

• RSPB Rainham Marshes Garganey, 14 Shelduck, Wigeon, 15 Shoveler, Pochard, 2 Marsh Harriers, 3 Kestrels, 2 Hobbies, 3 Oystercatcher, 6 Avocets, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 20 Lapwings, Dunlin, 2 Ruff, Whimbrel, Curlew, 49 Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 8 Yellow-legged Gulls, 8 Common Terns, Barn Owl, 22 Swift…

In a week that has seen the temperature soar it is not surprising that the lack of water is being felt across the reserve.  Aveley pool is still wet and its margins have regularly been attracting up to 45 Black-tailed Godwits and eight Avocets that include our two fledged young and their parents.  Whimbrels and Curlews have been seen on the foreshore and Common Sandpipers are teetering along the river edge while Yellow…

Peacock by Ian Plume

Each year the wonderful organisation Butterfly Conservation run a Big Butterfly Count. 

Butterfly Conservation is an organisation the focuses on the conservation of butterflies and moths. Each year, since 2010, they have been running the Big Butterfly Count - a nationwide survey aimed at helping assess the health of the environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world's biggest…

Just a quick note as getting late...

It was quite a day...

RSPB Rainham Marshes:- Spoonbill, 2 Great White Egret, 23 Little Egret, f Wigeon, 3 Marsh Harrier, juv Red Kite,  3 Oystercatcher, 7 Avocet, Curlew, 4 Little Ringed Plover, 3 Redshank, 30 Lapwing, 30 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Ruff, Snipe, 2 Greenshank, 3juv Great Black-backed Gull, ad Mediterranean Gull, 2 juv Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Common Tern…

On the Aveley Pools there has been spoonbill and cattle egret! It's also been a good place to see avocet, greenshank, black-tailed godwit, curlew, dunlin, greensandpiper, redshank and lapwing.

Spoonbill with Cattle Egret behind - Sunday - Martin Jordan

Spoonbill with Black-tailed Godwits - both shots by Andy Tweed

The bearded tit family have been showing off round by the grit trays.

Bearded Tit - Andy Tweed

Lots…

The Aveley Pool has been a good place for waders with wood sandpiper, greenshank, redshank, green sandpiper, common sandpiper, avocet, lapwing, black tailed godwit, snipe and curlew showing nicely. 

The bearded tits are showing nicely - the best place is around near the grit trays.

Jerry Hoare took this picture of a juvenile earlier today:

It's worth keeping an eye out for a variety of butterflies and dragonfli…

Summer is often more about the invertebrates at Rainham Marshes than the birds and a little walk in the sunshine around the car park produced some cracking hoverflies.  They seem particularly keen on the yellow composites that grow there including Perennial Sow Thistles and Bristly Ox Tongue.

I found about ten species in a quick look, most of which are designed to resemble wasps and thus avoid predation.

male Eupeodes…

A nice spell of warm weather had brought about an insect bonanza as already seen with the wondrous Clearwing moths that I posted yesterday.

Butterflies are now scooting around all over the marsh with many Meadow Browns, the first Gatekeepers and lots of chocolate Ringlets dancing around the centre. I am pleased to say that Marbled Whites must have successfully bred last year as we have had good numbers reported along…

Warm summer days are ideal for trying to find day flying Clearwing moths but these ephemeral little insects with transparent wings are very difficult to find as they zip around at high speed and seem to rarely settle for long.

The way to find them is by luring them in using the particular pheromone of the female of each species and by hanging this little bag of fake insect ponginess on or near their chosen larval food…

Get your family active and get wild this summer...

If you are looking for things to do over the school holidays here are some ideas that you can do as a family:

Nature is in full bloom, so there’s no better time to get outside and see what’s going on. And, if you want to help nature on a wider scale, why not join the RSPB and help give nature a home? As well as the warm glow of helping wildlife around the…

Just a quick little blog to say that we have at least two fledged Marsh Harriers to add to the predators patrolling the marsh.  

It looks like one has a couple of white wing feathers so at least one of their parents is probably the same one that gave us the temporarily spotted youngsters that we had in 2018.

All three images by Nick Lay

At this time of year there is a lot of different wildlife around to see - birds,water vole, common lizards, flowers (by the way - we have a brilliant plant id walk coming up on 7 July - check it out here), bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and a whole host of other invertebrates.

This blog is celebrating some of the smaller inhabitants of the reserve - the invertebrates. 

Peacock butterfly - Michael Franklin

(Spider warning…

Just a quick update - there has been a change to the works schedule (see blog here) boardwalk.

Today, Thursday 13 June: the boardwalk will be fully open today so you will be able to complete the full loop.

The hides will all be open, a group of children may pop into the MDZ Hide at some point to do some birdwatching - it's great to see the next generation of wildlife lovers getting close to nature.

Today’s children…

We manage our reserve for wildlife but also to enable you, the visitors to enjoy the wonders of the fauna and flora that call it home.  During the late spring and summer the vegetation really gets going and we try to keep the trails open as much as possible without disturbing the wildlife that may be using it.

Keeping greenery off the paths by mowing a narrow margin and ‘light touch’ pruning back of overhanging Brambles…

Our fantastic (and speedy) wardening staff and volunteers have finished the work on the section of boardwalk just past the Shooting Butts Hide. This means that you will be able to complete the whole loop!

The team were out replacing a section of subframe that needed some more - not an easy job - so a big thank you to the team!

We will still be closing a section boardwalk between the Purfleet hide and Marshland Discovery…