Trip reports
Bird Walk at Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve on Saturday 11th April 2009
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Having checked in at the centre we immediately got off to a good start with a highly attractive male Garganey asleep on a small island in the first set of pools along with a few Teal. Also close by we picked up two Little Egrets, the odd Lapwing and several Shelduck. Overhead were odd passing Swallows and House Martins, fresh in from their distant winter quarters.
In the small wooded scrubby area we had good views of a singing Chiffchaff and a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker. A Wren sang from the top of a small bare tree and amongst other small birds seen were Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, Goldfinches and Greenfinches. A Cetti's Warbler was heard to blast out its song from both sides of the boardwalk but as usual was not easy to locate.
As we approched the hide overlooking Aveley Pools the rain started again and began to get a bit more persistent. We were forced to stay inside for about twenty minutes until it eased but watching from the hide was difficult due to very poor light conditions. However we did get reasonable views of a Snipe and a pair of Little Grebes, whilst further out were several Great Crested Grebes and two gatherings of roosting Redshanks.
We reached the main reed area and instantly heard another Cetti's Warbler which on this occasion was a rather more showy individual. It perched well out in the open for about 15 seconds and spread its tail out characteristically showing its rounded shape. A male Reed Bunting also showed well.
The western part of the reserve was somewhat quieter with many loafing gulls around the pools, mainly Black-headed with a couple of Herring and several Lesser Black-backed, but we could not find any of the rarer gulls which have been quite prominent around the reserve in recent weeks. The only ducks of note were good numbers of Shovelers. Skylarks were singing overhead and a pair of Meadow Pipits were observed. Walking back towards the centre we noted two male Wheatears in the fields with numerous ancient anthills. As we got near the centre by the pools where the Garaney had been seen earlier we located a Little Ringed Plover which two of our group had seen at the start of the walk and everyone managed to get get views.
Back at the centre we had a good look out on to the Thames estuary and were fortunate to see a flock of about 22 Common Scoter both in flight and settled for a while on the water, the majority of which appeared to be male. After the conclusion of the walk and a slight break for eating our sandwiches five of us had a brief walk along the seawall and managed to find a Water Pipit with a clear prominent eyestripe and we heard a Sedge Warbler singing low down in reeds and brambles on the landward side but it did not reveal itself.
A final mention must be made of the fact that we had brillint views on at least three occasions of feeding Water Voles and it is great to find a site where they are obviously thriving and a habitat that suits their lifestyle so well. We also saw several Marsh Frogs and one lizard.