Birds, including a Great White Egret, at Rainham Marshes on 7th October 2024

I had heard that a Great White Egret had been seen at Rainham Marshes, so I went there in early October with the hope of being able to see it and was rewarded by this lovely Great Egret wading around in front of the Purfleet Hide as soon as I had arrived there.  It did not stay long and flew off into the far distance.

Male Teal swimming in the lagoon

and a female Northern Shoveler duck

Two distant Long-tailed Tits in the woodland

Plenty of Sloe berries in the woodland

White butterfly on a Buddleia in the Cordite Store

Red berries along the woodland walk

Four Gadwall drakes following a female

Lapwings in the lagoon in front of the Purfleet hide

View from the Purfleet hide

Plenty of Black-tailed Godwits were lined up along one of the spits of land in the lagoon

Pair of Gadwalls

Some Avocets had just flown in from the Thames and came down near a flotilla of Canada geese

The Avocets joined up with the Godwits

Wandering Lapwing

Black-tailed Godwit and female Northern Shoveler

Lapwing stretching out its rather large wings

Kingfisher perching on a distant post

Black-tailed Godwit wandering around right in front of the Purfleet hide window

Another view from the window of the Purfleet hide

Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwings just before I went home after a great day at Rainham

 

Birding at Two Tree Island, Leigh-on-Sea - 4th October 2024

I arrived in Leigh-on-Sea by bus as the train did not go further than Pitsea due to an incident there.  I had to walk down lots of steps from the top of the town down to the station and Thames estuary.

There was a Cricket resting on one of the steps

Two Little Egrets flew away when I approached them on Two Tree Island

A few Ringed Plovers were resting on a tiny island in the lagoon

There were lots of Black-tailed Godwits and some Avocets in the lagoon

The ruins of Hadleigh castle viewed from the bird hide on Two Tree Island

I came across a Firebug on the path along the edge of the island

A Little Egret was wading in the low water in Benfleet Creek

The tide was out in Old Leigh in the late afternoon

A Pied Wagtail was hopping around at the edge of the harbour

Sunset viewed from Old Leigh

 

Visit to Upton Country Park, near Poole, Dorset on 13th July 2024

It was a lovely morning, so I walked from Rockley Park to Upton Country Park where I saw some playful young calves

There were lots of lovely flowers in the walled garden

Sea Holly

Dahlias

Pale lilac Poppy with bee

More Dahlias

I walked along to the water's edge and saw a Little Egret and Black-tailed Godwit

There was a large group of Black-tailed Godwits in summer plumage some distance away

Unfortunately it began to rain, so I headed to the shelter of the bird hide.  

An Oystercatcher had been digging in the mud.

A Black-tailed Godwit in winter plumage was also looking for food

It was raining quite heavily and I was stuck in the bird hide for a couple of hours!

Little Egret in the rain

The rain eventually stopped.  Here is a view of the railway line that crosses Holes Bay with the Twin Sail bridge in the distance.  This needs to be repaired and, with the twin sections of the bridge in the air, has been out of use for some time.  There is a Little Egret and a Black-tailed Godwit in the foreground.

I called in at Lychett Bay on my way back to the mobile home park and saw a pair of Mute Swan with two little cygnets, one of which is the white Polish version.  It then started raining again!