Whilst showing members of Canvey Wildlife Group around Wat Tyler Country Park yesterday evening. A male peregrine was seen sitting on top of the nearest pylon from the marina, while we were watching him, he dropped from his vantage point, flew low and fast along the opposite hedgerow, flushing the starlings. He then rapidly gained height, folded back his wings and stooped at a lone starling over the creek. At the last…

Saturday was our first moth and bat night of the summer, the weather was ideal with warm and sunny days and an overcast night hiding the moonlight. Our first moths began arriving around nine thirty, and they were all common swifts.

As the night became increasingly darker more and more moths were attracted to our lights, brimstones, light emeralds, shoulder-striped wainscots and many more. Our bat detectors picked up…

A spoonbill was found today on the scrape at Wat Tyler Country Park, the bird was first found on our web cam this morning and was present all day. Web cam image capture below.

Above image digiscoped from the motorboat museum hide by Clive Woodward

After a wet and cold day on Tuesday, the weather since could not have been more different. With temperatures in the mid twenties and wall to wall sunshine, the mini and not so mini beasts are showing superbly. Take a relaxing stroll through our garden at Wat Tyler Country Park, spend a few minutes enjoying the sunshine beside one of our ponds, and you will see one of the true masters of the air! Both broad-bodied and…

With glorious sunshine and temperatures in the high twenties this weekend, sky-watching came up trumps!

Late morning on Sunday a red kite was picked up heading west over RSPB West Canvey Marsh. While 15 minutes later at Wat Tyler Country Park, while looking for the kite a honey buzzard flew in from Holehaven Creek, Canvey direction and headed straight out across RSPB Vange Wick in a north westerly direction. This more…

Our blue tit chicks are now 18 days old, they now look just like their parents. Blue tits tend to fledge and leave their nestbox between 18-21 days after hatching. Our blue tit parents have worked so hard raising eleven, I'll repeat that ELEVEN hungry chicks!

Come along to the RSPB visitor centre at Wat Tyler Country Park, the centre is open daily 10 am - 5 pm and see the growing family live on our TV screens. Who…

A taste of the Mediterranean at RSPB West Canvey Marsh today, with warm sunshine and a woodchat shrike. The shrike was found mid morning by a couple visiting this new RSPB reserve, and identified late morning by RSPB staff.  Woodchat shrike is an annual vagrant to the UK, this striking bird will perch prominently on top of hedges, trees and fences regularly dropping to the ground to feed. It's prey is mainly insects, beetles…

A week of chilly winds from the north has slowed migration, there does look to be a window of opportunity on Thursday and Friday with light winds predicted to have a southerly orgin. This could be the chance some of our returning summer migrants are waiting for.

A spotted flycatcher however did make it through to Wesy Canvey Marsh yesterday, where the male cuckoo continues to call. A caspian gull and mediterranean gull

Both blue-tailed and large red damselflies were seen at Wat Tyler Country Park yesterday, along with orange-tip, speckled wood, peacock and brimstone butterflies. The male cuckoo and two or three turtle doves can be heard around the park  and a hobby flew over heading west early afternoon. From the marina overlooking the creek and Vange Wick a cracking male yellowhammer was seen this morning and our first whimbrel this …

At 2.30 this afternoon our first blue tit egg hatched. Come along to the RSPB Visitor Centre at Wat Tyler Country Park and see live footage on our TV screens. This is an unmissable opportunity to witness the secrets of new life arriving inside a blue tit's nestbox.

New arrival photo by David Lee

A wet weekend with strongs winds particularly on the Sunday, didn't stop some people from getting out, and there was plenty to see!

Common terns were seen fishing along the fleet at Wat Tyler Country Park and two turtle doves were 'purring' away near the motorboat museum hide. From the perimeter path a nightingale could be heard singing on the former county tip. Whitethroats and blackcaps have increased in…

Highlights from the South Essex Marshes yesterday.

West Canvey Marsh
2 black-necked grebes, pair found on the fleet reservoir during the morninig
1 cuckoo
2 mediterranean gulls

Pitsea scrape (Wat Tyler Country Park)
32 black-tailed godwits
2 cetti's warblers

Vange Marsh
1 grasshopper warbler ('reeling' on the former county tip, a second bird was also reported on the reserve during the morning 'reeling' near the eastern…

The weather could not have been better as the gates to the reserve were opened to the public for the first time. A beautiful warm sunny day attracted a stream of visitors throughout the day. Birds seen during the day included a wheatear along the seawall, three yellow wagtails catching insects disturbed by the cattle. Three lesser whitethroats sang from the hedgerows and a mediterranean gull bathing in front of the far…

Vange Marsh not one but now two grasshopper warblers, 1 'reeling' on the county tip and the other in the eastern end reedbeds. Wat Tyler Country Park a hobby circling over our visitor centre early afternoon is our first returnee.

A grasshopper warbler this afternoon 'reeling' in the north east corner of Vange Marsh. At Wat Tyler Country Park the first swift of the year was seen over the visitor centre along with 3 house martins and a male cuckoo continues to call near Holly Cottage hide.

Our blue tits laid their seventh egg today, drop by the visitor centre for live close-up views on CCTV. Last year they laid elleven, can they beat that…