Rainham Rouzel

Yesterdays Ring Ouzel was again playing hide and seek but eventually gave itself up after several hour wait! (thank for tex Dom) also along the seawall a northen Wheatear, Common Buzzard being mobbed by the local crows and 3 Peregrines.

At the Stone Barges 7 Water Pipits could be seen.

Mighty Mayesbrook held an Egyption Goose and was also new to the site.

Rainham Yearlist 108 Ring Ouzel 109 Northen Wheatear

Swift Move!

Monkey cabs pics me up at 04:30 this morning and we travel up to Norfolk to hopefully to catch up with one of two Alpine Swifts that have been showing on the north Norfolk coast over the last couple of days.

We head for Hunstanton and on route we stop at the wolverton triangle for Golden Pheasants and it didn't disappoint with three stunning males on show right besides the A149.

Then We arrive at Hunstanton at 07:00 and with 5 Barn Owls in the bag was looking like a promising start, viz mig counts over head were good numbers of Woodpigeon and Greenfinch, Pied Wagtails and Goldfinch and small numbers of Tree Sparrows inn off and a single Redpoll and Weatear.

Spoil sports!

With no sign of the Swift by 9am we headed to Cromer where the over bird was being reported on the pager, and after an hours drive we arrive to find the bird over the town centre showing well tho mobile.











A pit stop a Thetford on route home for Stone Curlews was successful with two birds showing by the roadside.

Dungeness for Migrants

First spring trip to Dunge with Jono and Bradders, started with a quick sea watch which produced 3 Sandwich Terns, Red throated diver and common scoter and lots of Great crested grebes.

" did u just here firecrest" "think it was Caspian gull"

"Firecrest"

"Caspian gull"



Around the Moat and trapping area See's our first migrant Wheatears and Black Redstarts as well as half a dozen Firecrest.

On the Arc pits we find red head Smew and Slave grebe, and onto the RSPB reserve another 3 Slavs and a pair of Black necks and a singing Willow Warbler.

Spring is here!

Put the waterproofs away summer has arrived! well my first spring migrant has anyway, 2 LRP on the MDZ (marshland discovery zone) today was most welcome at Rainham today and what a glorious day it was, 18 degrees and a brisk south easterly but not another migrant in sight though an Avocet was probable a local disperser, and a year tick.

A cracking pair of Med Gulls on Wennington were also found.

Rainham Yearlist - 108 LRP 109 Avocet

L.E.O

A 05:30 start in the Cordite bags me the Long-Eared Owl at Rainham this morning, and only waiting several minutes before the bird appears, fly's towards me and lands on a stump less than 30 feet away! if only it was a tad lighter i could have got a decent pic before it upped and carried on its way.

Chiffchaff was also new for the year, a pair of Blackcaps were also seen and at least 8 Cetti's are singing.

A few pics also from the Mighty Mayesbrook

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Rainham Yearlist- 106 Long eared owl, 107 Chiffchaff

Today

A few pics from Mayesbrook this afternoon, still double figure numbers of Redwing about including several birds singing, smaller no's of Fieldfare, Gadwall and shoveler counts decreasing.

Great spot and Green Woodpeckers vocal and Little Egret along the stream.

All quiet on the patch!

Saturday's highlights were the juv Glaucous Gull again on the target pools briefly in the afternoon was only consolation as missing G W Egret egret that departed early doors and an all too brief Penduline which hung around just as long!

Sunday managed a Greenshank, first for the year but very little else.

Yes it really was quite!

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Can we go home now?

Rainham year-list 104 Green woodpecker, 105 Greenshank

Masey Park today

Been neglecting the mighty Mayesbrook lately (feeling guilty!!) so thought i would post a few pics.

Green Woodpecker

Shoveler

Shoveler pair

Teal - 3 birds today

Gadwall displaying

The park has won a £400000 grant from the mayor of london, and improvements are already underway with Bat and Bird boxes being erected, I put up a dozen boxes up myself last year and only one survives due to vandalism!! Watch this space.

Filthy Twitching

First Twitch of the year brought me, Bradder's, Jono and the Monkey on a slight detour from our planned day in the Brecks to dirty Dorset on news of a fine drake Bufflehaed seen late lastnite on the fleet having been seen on the sea nearbye earlier in the day,

leaving home at 05:30 we arrive three hours later and reach the fleet to find birder dissapointment! but after half a dozen Scaup and an hour searching news on the pager relocates the bird at Langton Herring. SUPERB!

A visit to the Bill produces a few Razorbill and Guillimots and Red throated diver.

Chisel beach and the fleet

Monkey on Portland

Then it was onto the New Forest for Goshawks, and was very succesful with four birds at one site in the air together displaying, and a single bird at another location.








Several woodlark, Crossbill and Raven rounded of a cracking days birding.

A pit stop at Rainham on the way home 2 catch up on two Bewick's was a site tick in the fading light!!

Rainham Yearlist - Bewicks swan 103