It dawned murky and drizzly with low cloud and almost no wind – perfect.  Andy Tweed was on site a little before me and before 730 had picked up a Common Scoter flock and four Red-breasted Mergansers drifting out on the tide. Thankfully they stayed long enough for me to rock up just before eight and collect them upon arrival from the centre. 

The Scoter were typically mobile floating one way and then flying back…

The latest offer to tempt you into treating the birds in your garden is here...

The offer runs through to the 17th April... click on the pictures for more detail!

They spring work has continued apace over the last week around the car park and wildlife garden and with birds already nesting it is good that all the big (but still non-invasive) jobs have been completed.

The first laid hedge that Pat was helping face up (removing side growth) has been completed on the inner car bay side and is looking great.  This will help it thicken up even more.

Look! There are posts!

The meadow…

Spring is trying very hard to get going having now been told that it is officially here and there are now blooms to attract those insects bold enough to venture forth.

I had a walk around the car park and was pleased by the variety I found but there was little in the way of of insect life to be seen but I am sure that will blossom like the flowers over the coming weeks.

Daisy

Coltsfoot

Coltsfoot

Red Dead Nettle

A Woodpigeon was too slow on Sunday afternoon and attracted the terminal attention of one of our immature Peregrines. No one saw the stoop but a puff of feathers and the panicking of all the wildfowl told us that something had occurred.

The culprit was easy to pick out as she sat on an island and plucked her hapless and very deceased victim while being watched attentively by a hoard of slightly perturbed duck and dive…

It was a busy weekend on the marshes that started with ‘Mayflower’ thundering through on Saturday morning and the KBC walk then proved most productive with superb views of Marsh Harriers and Buzzards, plenty of smart dabbling ducks and the finding of a female Black Redstart flycatching from the electric fence.

Black Redstart - Tom Bell

There were at least 12 singing Chiffchaffs - Chris Barnes

Pintail -…

And as promised an update on the glory that was the Mayflower as she thundered past the reserve on the C2C line at just after 830am yseterday morning much to the delight of the huge crowd of ten people that accepted the offer of an early opening.

She was under full steam with billows of white fluffiness trailing out behind her and was a sight to behold.

Jerry Hoare had set up a variety of cameras to capture the moment…

The Shop will be closed on Wednesday 27 March from about 12.30pm for the end of financial year stock take.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused...

We have to count EVERYTHING... and this is less than half it so please bear with us!

On Saturday 23 March the Mayflower will be coming through the reserve as part of its journey westwards from Southend.

And as such if you would like a chance to see this fine steam train passing through, we shall be opening the reserve at 7am on Saturday morning as it is due to chuff past just before 0830 before stopping at Rainham.

I did some Googling... Built for the London & North Eastern Railway, 61306 Mayflower is…

Will the special offers never end?! 

30% off Suet Bumper Boxes (Balls, Nibbles and Sprinkles) until the 1st April 2019...

Jennifer and the lovely Alice paid us a visit earlier this week. Alice has been visiting since she was a bump and thoroughly enjoys the sensory delights that are available both inside and outside the centre. She’s a firm favourite with us and the visitors.

Jennifer and Alice...

In a wonderfully serendipitous way her mum told me that Thursday 21 March is World Down Syndrome Day.  She handed me a book of amazing bird…

Dawn Chorus

Sunday 5 and 12 May, 4-7 am

There is nothing like hearing birds in full song at this time of the morning! A guided walk with experts will help you to identify what is out there at this time of the year followed by a much needed bacon or sausage bap and a hot drink in the café (which is included in cost). Meet us at the visitor centre just before 4am!

Blackcap -Bill Moss

Cetti's Warbler - Bill C…

And no, we have not had a Wheatear or a LIttle Ringed Plover but we did have two very active, fresh looking Chiffchaffs in full song in the Cordite today. 

And whereas the former two species may elicit an oooh of trans-Saharan epic journeys; there is something simple about the song of a little olive and buff warbler with a hint of saffron giving it his all from an as yet in leave tree.

A lovely Chiffie in the budding…

The Sweet Violets are adding a splash of colour low to the ground around the visitors centre car park and gardens at the moment and are providing a valuable nectar source for some of the early bees.

Smelling the actual scent of these is quite a tricky thing as not only do you have to lay on your belly to get close enough but amazingly they release a chemical called Ionone that temporarily desensitises our sense of smell…

Hi everyone - just to let you know that due to the weather conditions over the next couple of days our school groups may be spending some time in the hides.

Thank you for your understanding!

Sorry for the lack of recent sightings but the weather has precluded much in the way of movement. 

Our wintering Lapwings are slowly reducing in numbers and our own displaying breeders are well and truly back on territory!

Full on inverted tumbling - Tony O'Brien

And so some sparse sightings from the last few days...

RSPB Rainham Marshes: Sand Martin, juv Glaucous Gull, 120…

It feels like it has been a very long winter; not especially cold, but dank, grey and windy. As such, getting the time to do some of the winter gardening jobs has been quite tricky and so we have been trying to squeeze as much into the last few weeks as possible!

The laid hedges need a little bit of attention with the sides trimmed back to encourage new growth upwards rather than outwards and that growth from last year…

Treat your Mum this Mother's day! Enjoy high tea from 1-4pm! Sandwiches, scones, cakes and a cup of tea, or filter coffee, for an afternoon treat. It's only £6 per person (children £3).

scrummy... image by Tony O'Brien

Available from 1-4 pm, pre-booking is advised to avoid disappointment. Our beautiful scarves would make a great gift for Mum – or there are lots of other options in our shop! Mum…

I know that sometimes you may think us over cautious about closing the woodland trail when it gets windy.
Yesterday we did so quite some time before it got dangerous out there...

Glad we did...
The outer loop is open but not the inner.  Today there will be lots of sawing!

You will be pleased to know that Rocky the Robin survived to ponce mealworms another day...

It has been unseasonably warm of late with temperatures reaching twenty Celsius for the last two days.   The local wildlife has reacted in different ways... our own Lapwings are beginning to return and the sunshine has prompted them into bouts of tumbling display and this is perfectly normal for the time of year and does not necessitate and early nesting season. Similarly our Skylarks have been singing for several weeks…

From today through to the 19th March we have a special 10% off offer on all RSPB branded binoculars and telescopes.  We have the full range in stock so why not come along and try before you buy?

Our colleagues in reserves ecology have given us the opportunity to get some free drone flights undertaken across the site to help undertake some ecological surveys.

Flights will take place across Aveley and Wennington Marshes tomorrow and will be used to map habitat condition – primarily the extent of standing water. This date has been selected to avoid day-time high tides, so disturbance should be reduced.

This…

Bird Number 1:During the winter we have a very good wintering flock of Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits at RSPB Rainham Marshes with upwards of 500 birds utilising the Thames between Grays and Barking Bay with us sandwiched in between.

Big flock - Les Harrison

They can often be seen on the foreshore and noisy chattering groups and will sometimes come onto the marsh at high tide to feed or head to the Concrete Barges to…

And so last weeks seed offer may have ended but the powers that be have generously extended the offer until the 26th February but with 20% off all sacks so if you are still in the need for some seed then please pop on down!

Please click on the image to make it bigger!

oh and if you need some birds to entice you down to stock up then both Glaucous Gulls are still floating around with a biscuity juvenile and this huge…