barking bay today

Had a bit of running around to do this morning so didn't arrive till about 10.30. It was still a bit foggy but there wasn't much to see on the mud or river. walked to the middle ditch where a mystery bird was hiding and jumping out flying along the ditch and hiding again. Turned out to be a green sandpiper (must be the one dave saw yesterday as were the 2 green woodpeckers).

Headed over to the cemex ditch where i saw 1 ltt and heard a great tit calling and  a solitary house sparrow.

walked back along the foreshore where i had 2 pair of oystercatcher 8 curlew 4,0000000000 black headed gulls and about 80 blackwits that flew down river towards rainham in three seperate groups. As i got back to my car in renwick rd i heard a chiff chaff calling in the trees opposite ,next to the power station, went over there to try and get a photo but no luck.

mission accomplished

Been over to barking bay most nights after work looking for the 1st wheatears of the year, finally struck gold this afternoon. arrived about 9 with crap weather and rain on the way. Had a good walk round with no wheatears or anything else for that matter and being soaking wet i called it a day and headed back to the car.Walking along the foreshore i got level with the big spoil heap when a bird flew across me flashing its white-arse as it went .i watched it land  and started to take some record shots when i saw 2 more fly past 1landed on the pipe the other dropped down out of site in the grass.

other highlights were 50 blackwits 4 oystercatchers on the mud and 4 canada geese on the little pond by the middle ditch.

Still waiting

Went out Saturday to barking bay and Rainham marshes hoping for a migrant or two especially a Wheatear but nothing not a single one. I actually didn't see much at all at either patch did manage to see a pair of ltt's on next to the woodland board walk .

 Also went over Barking bay yesterday after work at about 5pm and today at about 3.30 still no migrants, can't be long now hopefully. Did see about 100 black wits and 1 barwit today at barking bay. As for migrants to quote Diana Ross l'm still waiting!.

Where's the sun gone

. Got up this morning and headed for Barking bay lovely dull grey skies with rain forecast for about midday. As i was walking onto the patch i saw a Pied wagtail sitting on the fence about 20 yards away. This is only the second one i have seen here this year(it might even be the same one twice). I remember when i used to come here as a kid you would probably see 20 or 30 wagtails a day more in the summer. The foreshore produced plenty of Teal, Shelducks, assorted Gulls (as far as i could see black headed,herring and a gbb the visibility wasn't good enough for me to spot anything better if it was there. 4 Curlew, 2 Oystercatchers and 2 Great crested grebes on the water.

The scrub and ditches didn't fare much better either, Just the usual and a Golden oriole actually it was probably a green woodpecker. As i was watching a Chaffinch in the trees at the back of the middle ditch through my bins, a yellow bird flew through. As i often see Green woodpeckers there and am never likely to see a Golden oriole i think i am safe in saying it was a woody even though it looked very yellow.  I hung around for a while and walked along the path where it was headed but it never reappeared.

By now it was raining so i headed back to the car and went to Rainham as they had an optics day on.

I never intended going for a walk round as i was soaked already, but when i got there the sun had come out so i had a little stroll down to the woodland area, with nothing much there either i called it a day. I did make 2 observations whilst there though;  first i made the mistake of looking through a pair of swarovski bins thought they were supurb looks like i might have to find £1600 (good  job i didn't look through the scope).

Secondly i don't know if it was the change in weather but normally as you walk round people say either hello good morning/afternoon etc today everyone i passed just blanked me (i did check my flies wern't undone).

Can't wait till the spring migrants arrive.