London Wader Fest

With a nice blustery south easterly blowing all day yesterday I gave Rainham Marshes a bash an hour either side of high tide which turned into a bit of a wader fest!

Arriving just as the last patch of mud was about to be covered in Aveley bay I picked up both Grey and Ringed plover's and a single Dunlin (probably the previous days obliging birds)

Scanning across the river I pick out a single Turnstone looking for somewhere to settle, half a dozen Whimbrel on the Kent side and some smaller waders that needed some closer inspection.

Walking east along the seawall I pick up a distant Green Sandpiper over aveley pools, and closer inspection of the Kent side birds reveals 5 Bar-tailed godwits and 3 spanking summer plumaged Knot.

As high tide peaked Whimbrel seem to be calling all over the place with no fewer than 18 birds now on site!

Whimbrel

Two Common Sands then appeared over by the barrier (south side) and both Greenshank and Oystercatcher being vocal amoungst the regular Lapwing and Redshank.

The grand finale came in the shape of a Wood Sandpiper that flew in calling before settling briefly in front of the MDZ zone completing a total of fourteen wader species, not bad for this London site.

wood sand  (heavily cropped!!)