3 days at not so sunny Barking Bay

Had 3 days off work this week so i decided to hit the bay. On Wednesday had to go to lakeside with the Mrs in the afternoon so i only had a morning pass arrived about 8.30ish to find a large amount of waders on the foreshore including 50+ blackwits 30+ redshanks 3 dunlin and a curlew. On the scrub there wasn't much showing 8 or more skylarks ( 8 was the most i saw airborne at any one time) blackbirds,song thrush,robins a chiffchaff  a wren and the large linnet and finch flock which now has quite a few chaffinch and greenfinch with the goldies.

friday was pretty much the same as wednesday about 50+ blackwits on the foreshore only a few redshanks quite a few teal and shelduck. Nothing showing on the scrub either, No sign of daves beardies or pauls dartford warbler.

                                 
                                         

also see francesca from the riverside centre who told me there was a seal in the bay on thursday.
Saturday  there were only a few redshank on the foreshore when i got there so i spent most of the time on the scrub looking for the dartford warbler with no joy. Again there was very little showing came across another guy from ilford john he hadn't seen much either and about an hour later  saw dave he had had a good look round the whole site without oming across much. Oh well there is always next week

In this last pic of a chaffinch any one have any ideas on what his little mate might be hiding behind the leaves

   

Saturday at the Bay

Went to the bay yesterday morning arrived about 7.30 and saw a good mix of birds.
Starting out along the foreshore there were the usual gulls,shelducks,teal & cormorants
with a Redshank, 1 Curlew and a Black tailed Godwit also 3 Jackdaws flying over.

Going onto the scrub i walked along the middle ditch first seeing a large 100+ mixed flock of linnets ,goldfinchs,greenfinchs and chaffinches.  a pair of Great tits on the wire fencing.

                                    
Also there was a Reed warbler several Reed buntings a Pair of Green woodpeckers, Blackbirds, Robins, Starlings, 4 Blue tits crows, magpies 1 kestrel and  more skylarks.

                                    

By now there were quite a few dog walkers marching about, another falconer with a Harris hawk

 ( or they called hawkers) and a brownie troupe stamping about so i decided to call it a day. Walking back along the foreshore there was a single black tailed godwit  to finish the day.

Usual Suspects

went over the patch today for an hour around lunch time and came across all the usual suspects
2 Redshanks, 12 teal, plenty of black headed gulls and shelduck a common tern flying past, lots of cormorants

2 skylark and a  large flock of linnets and goldfinches. On the scrub was a Great tit, Robin 3 Black birds a magpie and a Harris Hawk  yep there sitting on a bush in front of me was a Harris Hawk ( No wonder there  wasn't anything about on the scrub and by the middle ditch).

On Saturday sfternoon i popprd over for half hour and saw a bird flying down the thames at first i thought it was a lapwing but when i got it in sight of my bins i could see it wasn't but havn't a clue what it was can only say it looked very much like pictures of a manx shearwater. So if any one can think what it might have been please let me know. It wasn't an Oystercatcher as it didn't have a very long beak.

Big brother is Watching you

 Saturday 8/10/10
Got fed up with watching England get stuffed by France on saturday, so i popped over Barking bay for an hour or so. Only waders on the mud were 3 Redshanks and a common sandpiper in the edge all of which scarpered as i arrived. Only photo i got was of a lesser black backed gull. Moving onto the scrub i came across plenty of Skylarks and meadow pipits heard a reed warbler but never saw it in the reeds on the middle ditch. 1 Sparrowhawk and  the usual mixed flock of linnets and goldfinches. By now there were plenty of dog walkers about with dogs running around the scrub i decided to call it a day.

Big Brother
On Monday i was passing whilst working so i popped over and parked by the riverside centre.
The tide was full in so i just sat in the car drinking a cup of tea when i noticed a juvenile Starling perched on the bush in front of me. As i had my camera on the back seat i thought i'd take a couple of shots, so i got out and started snapping.
Then a women calls out from the centre that if i was going to take photo's i had to sign in.I'd never heard of this before so i asked her why and she said the police have told them that any one taking photo's has to sign in.
I asked her about the week-ends when there not in, she told me you have to tell security, So i said what about people who come in from choats road She said "Well we cant catch everybody". Perhaps its just me that hasn't heard this before but i thought the foreshore was a public footpath.

Too little too late.

Looks like Summer finally arrived this week, too little to late. Probably be snowing next week.
Had to work this week end but managed a couple of hours over Barking Bay on saturday morning.
not much on the river so i headed for the scrub. Plenty of skylarks and meadow pipits.

Large mixed flock of linnets and goldfinches plus a Greenfinch. Pair of great Tits. A Dunnock couple of Whinchats and a Stonechat.

 
Also an adult Green Woodpecker with a Juvenile (i think).

No kestrels but 1 SparrowHawk
Popped over for an hour before work Sunday morning but it seemed dead and i left about 9ish it was too hot by then. Saw a Sparrowhawk having a row with a crow but little else.If anyone notices that my i.d.s are wrong please feel free to correct me i won,t be offended  promise. All in all there wasn't much going on all week end it was just too hot even early in the morning.
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