Rainham Can Be Good Sometimes (and Other Stories)

As the boy has probably already told you, we finally got round to a proper Rainham trip this weekend, and very nice it was too. Despite the cold, it was clear and fairly pleasant, and I managed to see some stuff that I would have seen earlier had it not been for the snow, like snipe, pintail and cetti's warbler. More exciting things included water rail squeeling from the reeds, picking out one golden plover amongst a sea of lapwings, and finally getting those bean geese just before we were about to leave the site. I always complain about going to the serin mound, because contrary to it's name, I don't think it has any serins. Or dartford warblers. Or whatever it is we ever go there to find. However today was an exception, offering up a big old flock of linnets, then revealing a previously-concealed slavonian grebe and a finale of a barn owl quartering over the fields in front. They're always my favourites, a site can always win me over with a bit of strigiformes... short eared owls would be nice too.

I would add some photos but the boy still has the camera, and although I copied some photos, they're not really too impressive...

This all puts the year list at a rather respectable 92 for the year so far, with Norfolk and Mull trips both looking more likely over the next few months. I think I'm getting better at this birding thing too, it's good to find your own stuff rather than wait for things to be pointed out (although my bird call knowledge is woefully inadequate).

In other news, I have some new additions to my tank... Topped up my corys with three very cute julii, and got some grassy type plants for the guppys to hang around in and look mysterious.


Some even more exciting additions didn't cost any money though...


AWESOME.

In Which I Actually Went Outside And Saw Some Birds...

Conscious of the fact that I haven't really had much to blog about of late, I figured it's about time I posted something a little more topical (as nice as christmas biscuits are of course).

I saw some birds today. More specifically I saw a really big, dark and mean-looking gull sitting on the Thames in Rainham...


Tempted by the offer of lots of tea and a panini, me and the boy headed to Rainham for lunch, and got some pretty good views of a great skua floating downriver and flying back up a few times while we were there. Having very little patience for things like sea watching, seeing birds like this is always nice for me. Especially when I'm inside a nice heated visitor centre with a cup of tea. Awesome :) I don't think I'd pick a fight with this bird, he looks pretty mean and I'm told that they like to pick on gannets for fun.

It was cold and miserable, and I currently have a cold and was feeling a bit miserable, so didn't bother going onto the reserve but it looked good and wintery. Plenty of ducks, gulls and waders everywhere including at least 6 pintail on Purfleet pools. This is where you think I'd put a photograph of said pintail, but what with all of the cups of tea and the panini I forgot to take one. Instead, have a photo taken of a blue tit at Abberton in October which I don't think I bothered to write about because this person beat me to it. Also I was upset about the squirrel.


I went to Swanage for a couple of days after Christmas with the family, but hardly left the flat really so no news there. It was lovely and sunny the whole time though, so had a nice walk along the seafront. Just need to figure out a way of making money then I'm moving to the sea...


I'll try to make more of an effort to tell you more about birds and zoos in the new year. A trip to Thrigby Hall and Norfolk in January will help with this...

Local birding again

Mostly as a result of not being motivated enough to head any further afield after some hula-related drunkeness the day before, me and the man ended up at Rainham on Sunday for a very pleasant if not particularly productive few hours.

Wennington marshes

We started off at the other entrance to the reserve near the tip, as I've never been there before. There are some brilliant views across the Thames and across Aveley Pools. Other than the unsuprising smellyness, this area of the marshes is really interesting and has such a great variety of wildflowers considering it's only been developed over the past few years (enough to warrant me needing to buy a ID book now). Some more gorse bushes are needed, and then it'll be full of dartford warblers :)

Of course, to keep up with my recent habits of completely neglecting to take any bird photos in favour of lots of invertebrates, here are my efforts from Sunday. Suddenly the gatekeepers are out and about, and we also spotted some small heaths, peacocks, commas, ringlets, large, small and green veined white, a couple of different types of skipper and loads of cinnabar moth caterpillars on ragwort. Quite pleased with some of the photos :)

Peacock butterfly

Large white butterfly

Gatekeeper butterfly

Comma butterfly

Common darter (common but still pretty awesome)

In other news, The Man saw a quail on the road towards my village yesterday. I didn't. I think I was probably too busy telling a Very Important Story about something, while trying to avoid all of the suicidal wood pigeons and collared doves that like to fly at my car. Anyway, that's another one for me to have to keep up with on my year list. Also, the field in my BTO survey area that was full of butterflies and yelllowhammers was completely cut down a few days ago, and I haven't seen the yellowhammer since. Never really sure why they do this so early in the year, as I dread to think how many caterpillars were harvested along with the crop... Oh well it was nice while it lasted.

Sunday sunset- been plenty of good ones lately but this is the first one I've got on camera.