Over the last few days the weather has been quite treacherous and because of this my school was shut on Monday and Tuesday due to scenes like these: However today when I woke up the problem was ice and temperatures as low as minus 8. I left the house listening to the sound of a Tawny Owl calling from the large trees that surround my garden. At the station I could hear that the Redwings were already up and moving from their roosts to the feeding grounds and perhaps some were also opportunistic late arrivals from the continent! I arrived at Rainham without much of a hiccup and was greeted by a stunning sunrise, which I feel my photos don't quite do justice. A lonely Lapwing flew over me as I headed towards Rainham North. In Rainham North there were 2 singing Cetti's Warblers giving the occasional burst of their song, including one burst of song that sounded similar to the ones that I had heard in Menorca back in the summer! A flock of around 20 Goldfinch were feeding on some seed heads next to the path alongside a few Linnet. 2 Cormorant appeared from the direction of the station and so did the day's first Redwing. These Redwing were awfully high up and giving off their usual flight call. I presume they may have been some late migrants! Above and Below: Cormorant I then headed for Rainham West and upon arrival it was already quite obvious that there were a lot of Reed Bunting around. A few flocks of Skylark and Meadow Pipit came over high up calling to each other, presumably migrating in from the continent as well. This was followed by the days only Mistle Thrush and large numbers of Chuck Chuck Chucking Fieldfare. As I turned the next corner I could hear a rustling in the reeds next to me. It was a pheasant desperately flicking the reeds about in the hope that they might bring him some welcome food. I had a scan along the back ridge and to my surprise there were two Marsh Harriers hunting up and down it but always being mobbed by crows as they did so. A Pair of Shoveler also flew past, but couldn't find anywhere to land unlike a Coot that was patrolling the only bit of ice free water. Chaffinch and Goldfinch were in the dense cover towards the end of the footpath alongside a roving Tit flock, a Robin, and a Dunnock. A larger flock of Goldfinch were feeding in the middle of the marsh on some thistles alongside a flock of Starlings as well. Above: Coot Below: Goldfinches I decided that heading round to the stone barges wasn't going to be a good idea and so I headed up the road towards the Serin Mound. It felt at times like I was the only person to have walked or cycled up that path. Reed Buntings kept erupting from the reeds next to the path along with Robins and also Dunnocks. As I headed along the road a steady stream of Gulls, mainly Common and Black Headed, came from the tip heading towards the Silts, this flow then steadily changed into a large gull movement with Herring and Lesser Black Backed becoming the most common species. The bushes on the side of the road were full of Redwings and Blackbirds and also randomly a pair of Greenfinch was in one of them. I continued my journey and next came to a small pond. Upon arrival a Snipe flew up from the grass at the edge of the path and flew into the reeds at the back of the pond. This was then followed by a Stonechat which sat elegantly on the wire fence. (Picture Below) Next I headed up to the Serin Mound and had a wonderful view over Wennington and the main reserve. I could see that there wasn't too much on the reserve as everywhere had frozen solid over night. All 4 Marsh Harriers were out hunting at this point, but unfortunately rather distantly. A group of around 200 Lapwing had gathered on some of the muddy surfaces and were busily searching for any insect prey. A flock of 113 Greylag Geese flew in calling loudly and landed, or rather skidded as they touched down at the back of Aveley Pools. Above: Marsh Harrier Below: A rather dire picture of Lapwings in flight Whilst I was standing watching the horizon a rather large female Peregrine took aim at a small flock of Snipe which was feeding out on Wennington and rather spectacularly missed and left empty handed. After this the sound of cronking Ravens could be heard as the 2 'local' ones flew overhead. (Pictured poorly below) As I left the Serin mound I hadn't realised that a mixed flock of Linnet and Goldfinch had landed on the thistles next to me and when I turned around absolute pandemonium struck. A kestrel was also nearby and seemed to follow me around the reserve for the rest of the day which was very odd. Above: Linnets Above: Kestrel Below: Goldfinch Above: Linnet Below: Kestrel Next I headed to Aveley Bay. From the Sea Wall I could see a flock of 135 Dunlin, 16 Avocet, 10 Shelduck, 20 Redshank, 12 Teal and 2 Wigeon. Out of these the best sighting was of course the Avocets which are always a pleasure to see and are becoming an increasingly common visitor to the marshes. Above and Below: Dunlin and Avocet Above: Dunlin Below: Avocet After my scan of the bay I could hear what sounded like a load of Geese coming in from the direction of the tip. Sure enough I could see on the horizon lots of little dots and as they came closer I could see that they were in fact Canada Geese. The flock totalled 405 birds and was not the largest count this year, however their noise was deafening and it was literally like a wave hitting you as they came by. A few other small groups came through frantically trying to keep up with the others and in the end they all settled on Ouzel field. I continued my journey along the sea wall at an ever increasing pace, because not only did lunch beckon, but also the chance to warm up my now nearly frozen hands was much needed. Along the way the bushes were full of Fieldfare, Redwings and Song Thrushes. Whilst flocks of Meadow Pipits and Fieldfare flew over high up. A Male Stonechat was feeding close to the visitor centre and so too was a Curlew and 5 Black-tailed Godwits. Above: Fieldfare Below: Male Stonechat After a Hummus and Roasted Vegetable wrap was consumed I left the visitor centre. A quick scan of the feeders brought about the usual flock of Starlings and House Sparrows, alongside a few Blue Tits and Collared Doves. The bushes on the way to the adventure playground were full of thrushes and a few goldfinches jangled away too. I headed round to the Cordite Store next in the hope of finding the Firecrest. After searching through the group of Goldcrests that had gathered at the back I couldn't find it. There were 2 other guys looking for it just up the path from me and in the end I went up to them and asked them whether they had seen it. It was just my luck that at just that moment a tiny blob that they had been watching shot from where we were standing and flew towards the ivy at the beginning of the path. That small blob was in fact the Firecrest that they had been watching. I continued to search for it, but in the end couldn't locate it. I headed on towards the Woodland Discovery Zone to the sound of a Bullfinch calling. When I got round to the entrance of the WDZ I could see a small group of finches perched up opposite it. Three of the birds were Greenfinch, but the other one which was the most hidden was the Female Bullfinch. What a stunning bird they are. Geoff caught up with me after their search for the Firecrest, however trying to re-find the Bullfinch after it dived for cover was like searching for a needle in a haystack. They seem to be able to disappear into cover so easily. We headed up the path to the woodland feeders where Reed Buntings, Robins, Chaffinches, Blue Tits, and Great Tits feed. Also a flock of Long-tailed Tits were feeding on a nearby tree giving superb views! Above: Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Dunnock Below: Long-tailed Tit Above: Blue Tit I continued round towards the Troll bridge and had a look into the Barn Owl box to see if it was there. Sure enough it was sitting on the edge of the box. I next went on into the Ken Barret Hide. At first it looked as though there was nothing about but the closer I looked the more I saw. A group of Moorhens were along the far bank and a Pied Wagtail was skating on the icy surface looking for food. There were also 3 Snipe sitting at the end of one of the islands as well. (Pictured Below) I next headed up to Terrapin Pool however the only thing on show was this Moorhen lurking at the edge of the reeds. (Pictured Below) Next I headed up to Aveley Pools where the ice basically stopped play. A Grey Heron sat out in the middle of the ice amongst the Black Headed Gulls and a group of Shoveler, Mallards, Coots, and Gadwall were busily splashing about in the small bit of unfrozen water at the back of the pools. Next I headed round to the only pool that had some substantial unfrozen water. This held most of the wintering ducks. There were Wigeon and Coots everywhere on this pool alongside a few Pochard, Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler, Greylag and also a pair of Pintail. (Pictured Below) I then headed up towards the Butts hide in the hope of having a glimpse of the secretive visitor to the Marshes. A pair of Stonechat were patrolling the fence looking for insects and a Fieldfare sat at the top of a nearby bush calling. Above: Fieldfare Below: Stonechat Once I was in the hide I had a scan around. The banks were full of Coots and Wigeons as well as three Mute Swans. Over on the target pools side nothing. A Pair of wigeon tried to land in the middle of the pool, however skidded and slid off the pool and onto the muddy bank on the other side. A Male Pintail was with a group of Mallard on the near side bank of the pools preening himself. One of the Marsh Harriers sat overlooking everything and 3 Black-tailed Godwit flew over the hide. Back on the other side of the hide 9 Snipe were now briefly on show and also 3 Ruff also appeared to feed on the now slowly thawing banks. Above: Mute Swan Below: Coot and Wigeon Above: Snipe Below: Ruff With no sign of the brown thing I was hoping to see I decided to head to the Dragonfly pools. Here I waited with some others in the hope of seeing the Bearded Tits. In the end I did see 2 pinging away from low down in the reeds. However at this stage the lighting was stating to go as another Rainham sunset started to form. I continued round to where the Canada Geese flock had landed and met up with some of the Greylags. The flock of Canada Geese might have actually numbered more than the original flock that came in, however I haven't yet had the chance to recount them! (Picture Below) The last stretch of the walk was rather cold and the need to defrost my hands arose. A male Pheasant was gorging berries in a bush next to the Ant Hill and near the MDZ a Linnet sat in the bush calling and looking rather cold, but perhaps my best sighting of the day came when I was back at reception. I was talking about what had been seen on the reserve today, when a Green Sandpiper flew past the window being chased by a magpie. I have no clue where that was hiding, but hopefully there should be more of them to come over the winter. I headed back to the station with a rather disappointing sunset, but looking forward to my next adventure which starts on Saturday! Above: Pheasant
Below: Linnet
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AuthorI have been a birder since i was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 17. ArchivesCategories |