1st Swallows

Got home from work about 4.15 this evening and as the sun was out and they don't shut the car park till 5 i popped over to barking bay for half hour. Didn't see much about, but as i was leaving 2 Swallows flew over from the Thames heading towards Choats rd . First Swallows i have seen this year and of course as i was straight from work no camera.

average friday

Only managed to get out on Friday over the Easter, due to family demands.Whilst enjoyable it wasn't very productive. barking bay first where it was very quiet apart from a million black headed gulls and about 25 shelduck there wasn't anything on the mud,was hoping for a little ringed plover but it wasn't to be. not much on the scrub just usual meadow pipits and skylarks along the middle ditch there were 4 canada geese 2 dunnock and a wren the linnet flock was down to about 20 birds. the cemex ditch was pretty bare as well with only a wren 2 coot and a moorhen with several blackbirds. Walking back to the car there were about 25 Blackwits flying through along the Thames.

Plenty of people at Rainham RSPB only went as far as the woods as i was being summoned home now. Plenty of birds about all he expected ones and managed to add 3 more to the year list for rainham including Ruff and Chiffchaff.

At least Friday was sunny, unlike the rest of the holiday

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.

Barking 0 Rainham 4

Arrived at Barking bay about 9.30 with the tide well out it was very quiet on the wader front a couple of Redshank near the jetty and about 20 Lapwing roosting on the jetty were all i could see. As i walked along the foreshore to the scrub and middle ditch there were a few Skylarks and Meadow pipits, plenty of Chaffinch and Dunnock but nothing else until i reached the choats rd end of the ditch where there were 4 grey heron in the ditch and a Sparrowhawk flying over the works area. l Headed for the Cemex ditch where i saw the highlight of the morning  in the form of 2 long tailed tits.

With nothing else about i decided to go to Rainham. Arrived at Rainham about 1 and headed down to where there were a group of about 15 looking for the Bearded tits. Luckily for me they popped out for a munch about 20 seconds after i got there.

First time i had seen them this year. Also managed three other year ticks for Rainham : white fronted goose, Pintail and a cetti's Warbler (heard not seen as usual). spent some time at the Woodland feeders where a variety of birds were lining up to have their photo taken.

This Stone chat was so close as i was walking back to the visitor centre i should have birdnapped it and took it to Barking Bay as i still haven't had one there this year and they have loads at Rainham.
So the day ended no ticks for Barking and 4 for Rainham.