Early Morning Visit to Rainham Riverside

Arrived at Rainham Riverside at 6.20 and immediately picked up a Whimbrel in flight by its piping call all on the same pitch and about seven at a time repeated regularly. On The River Thames were 3 Common Terns this number grew to at least 30 before I left.

Canada Geese

Canada Goose

Cowslips

Dunnock

Dunnock

female Linnet

male Linnet

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The Gardener's Friend

Whilst doing some weeding and planting in my mother-in-law's garden. I had an opportunistic Robin for company, I thought one but actually, there are a pair and I'm sure they have a nest with chicks nearby. I won't try and seek it out, but they were carrying a lot of worms and grubs away. So I took advantage to take a few pictures.

Robin with a beak full of food

Robins prefer Spear & Jackson

Robin with a beak full of food

Robin with a beak full of food

Robin with a beak full of food

Robin with a beak full of food

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Dagenham Chase

 Went to The Chase this afternoon. A good number of warblers in full song include Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge, and Reed Warbler. Brilliant to see a pair of the exotic-looking Mandarin Duck, shame they stayed slightly obscured by the vegetation. Two Red Kites circling high over heading north was good to see. The warm weather has brought out the butterflies Orange-tip, Peacock, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, and Small white.

Great Crested Grebe with two humbug like chicks

drake Mandarin Duck

Mute Swan in a flap

Peacock Butterfly

Whitethroat

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Rainham Marshes

Had a walk this morning along the river beside Rainham Marshes then up and over the landfill to the serin mound. Beautiful warm sunny early morning with no wind! Fairly quiet bird-wise although I did manage three warblers that were new for me this year, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, and Reed Warbler. There were a few butterflies enjoying the sun including a Brimstone that would not settle.

Cowslip

Green-veined White

Peacock

Robin watching over it's territory

distant Skylark at the top of the landfill

Small Tortoiseshell

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Temmink's Stint East Tilbury

Yesterday I walked almost a mile east of the fort to view the new scrape area. The reason I've come back again so soon is that a Temmink's Stint is showing so well.....no hang on my nose is growing again, it is showing but very distantly!

Temminck's Stint

This shot is very heavily cropped and the best I could do! This is a little unseasonal for this species given that it has been here for at least 3 days. Easily overlooked, this small wader can turn up on almost any coastal or inland marsh, especially in spring. It is, however, often a tricky addition to any year list, as its appearance in any one place is never guaranteed.

Its breeding range extends from Scotland eastwards through Scandinavia and Siberia to far eastern Russia. It winters from the Mediterranean south to African countries such as Nigeria and Kenya, and eastwards across southern Asia as far as Japan. It occurs as a vagrant in North America. Britain lies at the western edge of its migration route and Scotland is just within its breeding range.

Migration in both spring and autumn takes place on a broad front, with birds migrating inland, often being seen on inland waters on their route north. Both passages are rapid, with autumn movements beginning in July and mostly complete by the end of September. Winter quarters are vacated in March and April, and most birds are back at their European breeding grounds by late May

There were also three Little Ringed Plovers around the scrape area and a Peregrine sat distantly on top of the landfill site.

I noted a few signs of spring gradually taking hold as I walked back alongside the River Thames, Skylarks were singing, and bees were buzzing around mainly Bumble Bees which were probably queens seeking a new home.

Early Mining Bee - Andrena haemorrhoa lots of these feeding on the flowering Blackthorn

Red Dead Nettle

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

A gun turret was hidden in the vegetation at the end of the fort's moat

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Garganey at Dagenham Chase

Yesterday I caught up with the cracking drake Garganey on The Slack at Dagenham Chase. I had to wait quite some time for it to wake up and fully show itself. It is our only summer visiting duck and could well have flown from South Africa so I guess rest is acceptable!

The garganey is a small dabbling duck. It breeds in much of Europe and across the Palearctic, but is strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to southern Africa, India (in particular Santragachi), Bangladesh (in the natural reservoirs of Sylhet district), and Australasia during the winter of the Northern hemisphere,

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Dagenham Camera Club's 'Print Panel Trophy'

I was very pleased last night to come 1st in Dagenham Camera Club's 'Print Panel Trophy' scoring 20/20 with 'A Kestrel Study'. I entered six images in my panel all printed at A3 size and mounted.

The criteria for the competition are:

• Prints must be new work. They can be used in later competitions.
• A minimum of three, and a maximum of six, Black & White, Monochrome, or Colour prints per panel. 
• All elements of the pictures must be the copyright of the photographer.
• Prints must be mounted and sized.
• The prints must be connected by a theme (the photographer's choice).
• Prints must be numbered, or a layout of how they are to be displayed must be provided.
• Prints may be assessed individually by the judge but will be judged as a complete Panel.
• Presentation is important.

There were 12 panels entered with some very good images displayed giving Pauline Martindale a tricky time judging them.

Winning panel 'A Kestrel Study'

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