Dip and glory at RSPB Rainham on an unplanned visit

I am a creature of habit.

 I've usually planned how to spend my weekends before it's even got to mid week.

This last week was no different. A much loved family member was having surgery on Thursday so my plans today were to visit a local site near to the hospital in the morning, then be at the door ready for visiting hours at 3pm.

However last Tuesday I started coming down with a cold (or man-flu or wine-flu depending on how you see it).

As with most colds, they take three days to start, three days to stay and three days to finish and by Friday (yesterday) although I was feeling better than I had the previous few days, it was decided that I was probably still infectious and was advised not to visit my family member in hospital.

 So last night I decided on a whim to visit RSPB Rainham today instead.

 

The latest sightings there included Dartford Warbler and Short-eared Owls. I had already been privileged to see a SEO whilst on my way to work earlier in the week around the Heathrow area but naturally didn't have a camera with me. I secretly hoped I would be able to get a few photos of one today. And even though I have seen Dartford Warblers in the past, I have never got a photo of one. So armed with a bottle of Day Nurse, several tissues and my usual birding rucksack packed with camera, several lenses, bins, bottled water and snacks, I was on my way to Rainham at 7.30am.

 

What I wasn't expecting to see was a couple of the WWT London 'Sunday Club' crowd, John and Martin, along with John's mate Ian......

 

It seems we all had the same last minute whim to visit Rainham. Martin Honey was also on site and I briefly saw and greeted Dominic Mitchell in the café.

It seemed that Rainham was definitely the place to be today.

 

The Dartford Warbler was still being reported so I made my way round to the area it was last seen but despite hanging around I couldn't find it, and nor could the other eight birders who were loitering in the same area. A couple of hours later I bumped into John, Martin and Ian again who said it was showing really well in exactly the same location. I went back and even with double the numbers of birders being present, I still didn't see it.

Dip.

 

But to make up for it today I kept finding one of my favourite little birds. Stonechats. They were everywhere on site today. Literally everywhere. I counted about fifteen. Some were feeding with a large Goldfinch flock by the board walks. A couple were seen by the MDZ hide. At least three were topping along the cycle tracks. And a pair were seen where the invisible Dartford Warbler was skulking........

 

 

 

The only other birds that provided me with good clear views were a pair of Reed Buntings......

 

 

There was a distant Buzzard sitting on the usual box across the marshes.....

 

 

and a distant Kestrel found a good perch to eat and observe......

 

As always at Rainham flocks of birds are often flushed up, whether it be by a raptor or the tide coming in on the Thames.

A large loose skein of Greylag Geese went over, circled and then settled....

 

and made me remember I hadn't taken my camera body in for a good clean to get rid of the dust spots !!!

 

A smaller group (or 'prayer' or 'pantheon' if you're into collective nouns for birds) of Godwits went over and really high-lighted my cameras dust spots......

 

and a solo Curlew flew over as the tides come in (and again showed me how I really must take the time to visit Park Cameras and get my camera cleaned).....

 

I met up with John, Martin and Ian again at 3pm along the sea wall to look for Short-eared Owls. Eight were reported a couple of days ago and three had been seen flying from their long grass roosts this morning, so we were quite hopeful that at least one would drop back in.

 

I was piddling about taking the below photo of at least four wader species on the pools in front of the Purfleet Hide..........

 

when Martin and Ian called out a SEO coming in from a distance but heading our way.

It was too far to get any photos and then it dropped down on to the site. We made our way along the upper path and found other birders had located it not too far from the MDZ hide.

 

It was distant, which made trying to get a photo with my 150-300mm lens, quite a challenge. But I managed a couple of record shots...

 

 

Once it landed it made no attempt to move on.

Another SEO had also been seen further up the sea wall path and it was apparently a bit closer for viewing, so I made my way up there and managed to grab two photos........

 

and then a third SEO appeared from out of the reeds and took flight down the Thames.........

 

So a big Glory tick for me with the SEOs.

Three birds with a possible fourth that was quartering as I walked back to the Information Centre.

 

The first owl was the usual pale species that I'm familiar with but the second and third owls were much darker. My photos aren't great but you can see the difference in the colouration. It's not a trick of the light as the sun was more or less behind me for all six photos.

 

Checking on London Birders Wiki site on the way home it was nice to see another eight SEOs had been spotted within the London area today alone and I haven't even counted how many have been seen and reported during the last week.

 

Considering I hadn't planned to visit Rainham today, I'm very glad I did. I might have dipped on the Dartford but I gloried big time on the owls.

 

Also heard but not seen today were at least five Cettis Warblers and two Water Rails. And along with my dip on the Dartford Warbler I was ten minutes too late to see a male Marsh Harrier too. But I did get record shots of probably the latest sightings I've ever recorded of a Peacock butterfly and a Southern or Migrant Hawker.....

 

 

 

It was also great to bump into John, Martin and Ian and share the usual banter.

And I'm pleased to report that my beloved hospitalised family member is finally on the long road to recovery and feeling a bit better today and I'll be germ free enough to visit her on Tuesday.

 

 

 

 

A rainy visit to Maple Lodge NR

At work this week we've been quite short staffed and I've been getting more and more tired and stressed as the week went on. This morning when my alarm went off, a part of me just wanted to turn it off and go back to sleep but I knew today was my last chance to visit Maple Lodge NR for several weeks.

So I dragged myself from my pit, got ready and made the two bus commute to Maple Lodge.

 

The weather was dull and overcast and it rained a few times whilst I was there, but while I sheltered in the hides the birds didn't mind the rain at all.

For some reason, whether it be the bad light today or my tiredness, my photos aren't terribly clear, so apologies in advance.

 

There was very showy Common Snipe in front of the Teal Hide......

 

 

A pair of Green Sandpipers appeared from behind one of the new shingle islands that has emerged from the lower water level....

 

 

From almost every hide I visited today, I saw a Kingfisher. Again my photos aren't great unfortunately but it was nice to have such great views.....

 

The usual suspects were also around....

 

Little Grebe in its winter coat....

 

 

and a teenage Great Crested Grebe......

 

They were quite a few Teals around today.....

 

and this is a comparison size shot of them next to Mallards.....

 

So even though the weather was dreary and I was tired, it was still a good few hours at Maple Lodge NR with the high-light for me being the Common Snipe.

 

I'm already looking forward to my next visit which will be in the mid winter.

Siskins and Snipes at the London Wetland Centre

There's recently been a bit of controversy about birders and the London Wetland Centre. Some things have been implicated on a couple of internet forums suggesting birders aren't welcome there anymore. I've been going to the LWC for over 14 years now, and have made some great friends and seen some great birds there. I think everyone is entitled to their opinions of the Centre, and I for one will still be visiting it, as I did today.

 

There was a small select group of birders who were allowed access to the site out of opening hours, and this has now been stopped. I've heard both sides of the story for why it's been stopped, but as I was never part of that select group I cannot and won't comment any further on it.

 

 Yes, the Centre is possibly more designed in mind for visiting families and they certainly out numbered us birders and photographers today, and the café may be overpriced, the site kept too neat and tidy and the proposed plans for an aviary may not be to every ones liking. So my answer is bring your own food and drink, stick to the areas that are left to grow wild and don't visit the future aviary. I never liked the idea of the Otter enclosure so have never ever visited it. I only ever walk through the captive bird enclosures to reach the Headley Hide or the Wildside area.

 

Basically if you don't like it, don't visit. This is a WWT site not an RSPB one. The objectives of both organisations are very different and shouldn't really be compared to each other. However not all WWT sites are managed the same way. I've had a four night stay at WWT Caerlaverock where if you are staying on site, you can wander around out of visiting hours as much as you like. WWT Slimbridge was probably the first site to introduce captive birds, and rumour has it that was because Sir Peter Scott wanted birds up close so he could paint them in more detail. Who knows if that's true ? WWT Welney apparently has the best café food and prices.

But which ever way you look at it, the WWT is here to stay and many people, whether they be birders, photographers, families or the 'yummy mummy' brigade who exercise at the site, there has been something at the London Wetland Centre that has bought people back to visit time and time again.

 

 For me it will always be the best place in London to view Bitterns, and the first one of the year appeared on site in late September this year. One was spotted again earlier this week, but I wasn't going to hold my breath for seeing one today. The weather was way too mild. The Bittern will be deep in the reeds fishing out of sight. The best time to see them is when winter brings heavy frosts, the water starts icing over and the Bittern is forced to come out in the open to look for fish.

 

Before I had even gone through the front door, I was watching a pair of Gadwall swimming around the front lake. They may be quite common but I still think they are beautiful.....

 

Gadwall - female

Gadwall - male

 A Mute Swan was asleep on the Peter Scott statue island...

 

 

and once I got into the courtyard a Ring-necked Parakeet was scolding everyone wo walked underneath the clock he was perched on.......

 

Sunday at the London Wetland Centre is a traditional day for all the stalwarts to meet up for a gossip, banter, to swap bird watching stories, share tales of other places to visit and a good general catch up. For many years I was part of that Sunday Club, now I'm limited to a few visits per year, but it was great today to get a warm welcome from the others today.

 

During our walk around the site whilst others had their scopes and bins out looking for the elusive Bittern I was quite content with photographing ducks.

 Below is a male Teal, female Gadwall and male Shoveler.....

 

The colourful autumn is certainly here.....

 

and with autumn comes the fungi......

and as usual, despite chatting with an expert today, I neglected to make a note of what I had seen. The only two I remember are the Golden Spindle (photo four) which is tiny and grows amongst short grass, and the young Puffballs (photo five)......

 

Up by the bird feeder area we spotted many Goldfinches and on closer inspection there were a few Siskins amongst them.

They were always high up the trees though, and photographing them against a grey cloudy sky just made them look like silhouettes (until I got home and lightened the photographs drastically).....

 

 

I was fairly pleased with the above shots but stayed to loiter whilst the others walked on.

 I had seen a couple of late Common Darters which I fancied grabbing a shot of, then saw a very late Migrant Hawker still patrolling a patch of water.

I had a go at a flight shot......dismally....

 

and then caught sight of movement to my left. A Siskin was about seven feet away, in great light, low down and feeding so frenziedly that it wasn't even bothered by me......

 

and I finally got the shots I wanted.

 

An hour spent at the Peacock Tower with the Sunday Club produced no Bittern, but we did get distant views of one of the Peregrines on Charing Cross Hospital, a few Common Snipe out on the marshes surprisingly being mobbed and chased away by Carrion Crows, several Cormorant, many Black-headed Gulls, a couple of Common Gulls and some very distant views of a pair of Stonechats.

 

Back at the café for our lunchtime refreshment, we watched some interesting behaviour from three Jackdaws on the roof. Some of it was submissive and some was aggressive.....

 

 

And then Birdy Phil got the call that changed the day.

A Jack Snipe had been seen from the Peacock Tower overlooking the marshes. We had already contemplated the fact there was probably a Jack amongst the Common Snipes earlier today. It just hadn't been seen by any of us this morning.

So the usual Sunday Club afternoon routine of visiting the Headley Hide and Wildside area was altered as we all ambled back to the Peacock expecting to see a tiny distant Jack Snipe....

 

How wrong we were.

 

The Jack was only visible from the top floor of the Peacock Tower but probably no more than 20 feet away. I've seen Jack Snipe at the LWC before, but never so close.

 

I was chuffed to get a few shots with my 75-300mm zoom lens as it 'boinged' around a muddy channel....

 

 

 

It moved closer and then came right out in the open to preen....

 

 

None of my photos are going to win any competitions and I'm not planning on entering any, but to see such an elusive bird so close and clearly, was the icing on todays cake.

 

I don't know who 'bounced' more today, me or the Jack Snipe.

 

 We didn't locate the Bittern, but we sort of didn't expect to, so it wasn't a disappointment.

 The Siskins were a nice bonus though.

My high-light of the day was being part of the Sunday Club again. It will be a few weeks before I can re-join them due to a family illness, but it was great to see the old lot again.

Thank you Birdy Phil, John Cass, the lovely Therese, Martin, Joe, Posh Boy and Nick (and the very brief sighting of the lesser-spotted Spig and the beautiful Sue).