Rainham Marshes

 A short break back in Suffolk, mainly family business, but of course an opportunity for a bit of birding on route😀 We were quite lucky on the road with the Insulate Britain protests seizing up the motorways left, right and centre we went straight up the middle and through the tunnel no problem !! We arrived at Rainham Marshes in good time, the reserve doesn't open until 9.30 so our arrival at 9.40 was well timed, unfortunately despite fortress like security with, metal grills and 2 drawbridges the reserve visitor centre had been broken in to😟 Obviously the RSPB will be hurt financially, not least because Margie was planning to buy at least 4 Cheese Scones and with the Café shut for the day, disaster!! 

We started around the reserve, the first pool had several Egrets on it mainly Little Egrets but one Cattle Egret at the back!

Collared Dove in the Car Park

Little Egret showing a nice Yellow Foot

Cattle Egret

Shame it stayed at the back of the pool!

So a good start we carry on around the reserve, the bushes are quiet but spotted a couple of Whitethroats and Margie spotted a couple of Marsh Frogs in one of the ditches.

Marsh Frog

Snail

Slug

Common Whitethroats

At this point I spot a Kestrel sat on a small mound, it posed lovely then relocated to a small wooden bench where it posed even better, before dropping to the ground behind the mound lost to view!! Only to reappear with a small mammal it had caught, I obviously missed that shot😢 but a couple below of the little poser!!

Kestrel on Mound

Kestrel on post

Obviously if that's not enough Kestrel pics for ya let me know. we have at least 200 more!!😁😂

We carry on along the boardwalk we are in the thick of the reeds now and can hear Bearded Tits all around us but all we get is glimpses, we come to the area where a grit tray has been put out for the Beardies, nothing on it😢. We decide to hang around, I nearly lose an ear drum as a Cetti's Warbler calls explosively from about a foot away, can't see it obviously, probably the most common small bird around the reserve, calling all around the route we took, didn't see one obviously😀 Then a Beardie appeared on the tray, a stonking male, which showed rather well😁

Bearded Tit

Shame the viewing is slight obscured by the reeds but got a few pics!!

We get around to the big hide at the back, the pools off the reserve have loads of Gulls on them and lots of Lapwings, the only other wader seemed to be a Ringed Plover, but everything is distant, the pools in front of the hide have Egrets and a few eclipse ducks, Shovellers and Wigeon.

Little Egret

Lapwing

Rainham views with the bridge in the background

We walk around to the Averley Pool, Little Grebes feeding along the edge, but the main action was watching Black-headed Gulls fishing, then being robbed of their catch by larger Juvenile Gulls on of which, I suspected was a Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull which was confirmed by more knowledgeable friends on Facebook a cracking bird going full skua on the BHG!!

Little Grebe

1st Calendar year Yellow-legged Gull

More Lapwing

YLG in pursuit of BHG

Little Grebe

Grey Heron

The Gull again!

In pursuit

We head around the rest of the reserve, Margie seems to find spiders all around some of her pictures below.

We head up to the path on the Thames, always surprises me how close Rainham is to London! 

London town

What knob built a huge white warehouse in front of that skyline!?

Thames boat by Margie!!

So no Marsh Harriers or Hobbies which considering how many Dragonflies there were was a bit of  a surprise in the case of Hobbies!! More to the point with no café, no cakes 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢!!

Onwards to Suffolk!!