South west Essex!!!

[robert burgess]

Hi all,i live in upminster which is in the south west of essex(just on the edge of essex/london)
My 2 favourite local patches are Rainham Marsh (RSPB) and Ingrebourne Valley reserve incorporating Hornchurch Country Park!
This is what i have seen at both this year so far

Rainham Marsh'
cormorant,Grey heron,mute swan,Greylag goose,shelduck,
wigeon,teal,mallard,pintail,shoveler,pochard,kestr el,
Peregrine,sparrowhawk,moorhen,coot,knot,redshank,b lack head gulls,common gull,greater black back gull,lesser b.b.gull,herring gull,wood pigeon,collared dove,green woodpecker,g.s.woodpecker,pied wagtail,wren,dunnock,robin,stonechat,blackbird,fie ldfare,
redwing,mistle thrush,firecrest,blue tit,great tit,jay,magpie
carrion crow,starling,chaffinch,greenfinch,goldfinch,reed bunting,lapwing,little stint,black tailed godwit,kingfisher, song thrush,redwing,skylark,cettis warbler,long tailed tit,rook. I intend to improve this list on saturday!!!
I know there have been penduline tits & a grey phalarope seen also but unfortunatly i arrived about half hour too,late yesterday as the phalarope was taken off the fence it was sat upon by a mighty gust of wind!!!

What i have seen at ingrebourne valley & surrounding farm
cormorant,grey heron,mute swan,canada goose,greylag goose,little grebe,little egret,wigeon,teal,mallard,shoveler,gadwall,moorhen ,coot,g.b.b.gull,herring gull,common gull,wood pigeon,collared dove,green woodpecker,g.s.woodpecker,wren,dunnock,robin,stone chat
blackbird,cettis warbler,chiffchaff,blue tit,great tit,nuthatch
jay,magpie,carrion crow,reed bunting,yellowhammer,brambling,lapwing,tufted duck,goldeneye,pheasant,water rail,pied wagtail,goldcrest,long tailed tit,jackdaw,starling,greenfinch,
goldfinch,sparrowhawk,kestrel,ringed plover,knot,skylark
fieldfare,redwing,mistle thrush,song thrush,blackcap
corn bunting & marsh tit

thats my favourite local patches!!!

[aythya_hybrid]

I'll be off to Rainham on sunday, so let us know how things are on the saturday. Where/when did you see firecrest at Rainham?

[dbradnum]

Hi there from another regular Rainham birder - I'll probably be there on Saturday at some point.

I guess you're probably already aware of it, but if not, check out http://www.elbf.co.uk/birdsightings.htm for latest bird news from the East London area.

Oh, and the Grey Phalarope is back on the reserve today!

[robert burgess]

i will be back over there tomorrow,going over my other local patch first as i can get on there at the crack of dawn,should be over for 9.30 at rainham so hopefully can catch up with the phalarope!(why did i bother going to work today,AAAARGGGHHH!!),and thanks david,was aware of the ELBF forum but its good for others to know as they can see whats been over there in the past,place is a top reserve in tthe making!!

P.S i saw the firecrest in the wooded area along the boardwalk,just before you get to the feeders!


rob

[robert burgess]

can i just say how rewarding my trip to rainham was this morning,i got the penduline tit(fantastic) and i got the grey phalarope(superb) then i had to leave to go and watch AFC Hornchurch beat Enfield Town 2-1 in the ryman premier north,imagine my surprise when i speak to a very good local birder to find out after i had left a caspian gull turned up and asked for my name,i had gone!!!
Bloody football,when will i learn!!!!

[aythya_hybrid]

Had a bit of a duff day at Rainham yesterday. Didn't see the pendulines, due partly to the number of people there, the atrocious or non-existent directions being given, plus confusion caused by people trying to string blue tits!

Grey Phalarope had departed, so went over to Dartford for some gull-watching, but only managed two 1w Yellow-legged Gulls.

[robert burgess]

there was a big crowd yesterday for the pendulines,i didn't arrive until two o clock but it was a nightmare getting onto the reserve even then,haven't seen it so busy before,i was actually thinking about the non existent signs when i was driving there,obviously being local i know the area but for other people from further afield i can see the problem,as you enter tank hill road from the a1306 there isn't a sign,the only sign i saw was one directly outside the reserve.

[robert burgess]

sparrowhawk in my garden is all i can report today!!!
Haven't been out at all today due to the wind,was going to venture down to rainham marsh today but would of been pretty pointless in the gales as i would of had trouble standing up,am happy with the sparrowhawk though as i haven't seen one in my garden for some time,was a large female!!