June 12th - midsummer at Rainham

After missing the entire spring at Rainham Marshes due to the Covid-19 lockdown I finally managed to get in a visit on June 12th, almost three months since my last visit. I got up in the middle of the night (or so it seemed) to travel ahead of the rush hour and arrived at Rainham West at 06.30. It was great to be back and there was a lot of catching up to do.

All the summer visitors were in but the passage migrants had already gone through as it was now that short period between spring and autumn. The first warbler I heard singing was Blackcap, but that was the only one I heard. Common Whitethroats were abundant and as I walked along the path I began to hear the occasional Reed Warbler. I also heard a couple of Sedge Warblers but there was no sign of any Groppers so that might be one I’ve missed this year. Despite the long drought during spring, the verges were luxuriant so there must have been more rain here last week than where I live.

Common Whitethroat

Linnet

Giant Hogweed

I passed the new bridge to nowhere and then headed down to the Concrete Barges where I heard my first Cuckoo of the year, my main target bird today. The tide was pretty much in so there were lots of gulls on the jetty but they all seemed to be Herring Gulls of various ages. A few Common Terns flew past on the river and a Peregrine bombed over towards Kent but otherwise it was fairly quiet. Some of the pirate signs have fallen to bits but Captain Red was looking rather resplendent.

It was quite misty looking down the river beyond Aveley Bay but on the near bank I found a Ringed Plover, presumably a very late north-bound migrant. There were a few Avocets and Redshank around and I heard an Oystercatcher. I headed round to Serin Mound to look over Wennington Marshes where a pair of Marsh Harrier were flying around as well another female.

I then walked eastwards along the river wall so I could look over the reserve. Three distant white blobs eventually revealed themselves as Little Egrets and a Common Buzzard circled over one of the pylons. Huge flocks of Starlings gathered in the bushes but I couldn’t find any pink ones amongst them. Normally by the time I reach the visitor centre I stop for a coffee and a rest but with the reserve still closed I headed off home instead before the rain that was forecast started.

Summer or Winter at the Welsh Harp?

Sunday June 7th dawned a bright but cool day, at least the weather was better than yesterday when it felt like winter and we had a thunderstorm. It was still cool enough to warrant a fleece when I left home early to do the monthly wildfowl count (WeBS) at the Welsh Harp. I paused to photograph a bench and wishing well structure that has recently appeared on Neasden Rec. They seem to have been built using recovered scrap items and look really good.

The count doesn't normally take long in June and offers very few surprises as there's usually just a few breeding water birds to count. Today wasn't one of those days as I found a female Goldeneye asleep in the middle of the reservoir; this is a scarce visitor here and typically occurs in winter so it is a mystery why this bird was here today. 

Goldeneye

Once the count had been done (the only other thing of note was a brood of Egyptian Geese in North Marsh), I had a look around the flowering brambles bushes for some hoverflies and located a few I'd not seen so far this year. 

Volucella pellucens - Pellucid Fly

Parhelophilus versicolor 

Lurking in a patch of stinging nettles I found over 100 caterpillars that will soon be ready to pupate and turn into Peacock butterflies. If I manage to get stung by these nettles I always remind myself that without them we wouldn't have these stunning butterflies. There weren't too many other butterflies around today because it was a bit cool, just a handful of Meadow Browns and single Small Tortoiseshell and Holly Blue.

Peacock butterfly caterpillars

In the grassy field just north of Cool Oak Lane bridge I found my first Burnet Companion of the year, a day-flying moth. 

Burnet Companion

On the dump, a Kestrel was hovering over the path in front of me and a Common Whitethroat was singing in the Cow Parsley which was now turning to seed. I finished my route and returned home.

Kestrel

Common Whitethroat

Summer insects at the Welsh Harp

With June 1st being the first day of summer I headed over the Welsh Hap after work. It was hot and sunny so looked good for insects. I particularly wanted to check Silver Jubilee Park for Small Heath butterfly as they were seen there last year after having been absent for several years. I climbed up the hill and very quickly found half a dozen on the bee highways that Brent Council started last year and planted with wildflowers and grasses.

Small Heath

I walked back down the hill and cut across West Hendon Playing Fields looking for more butterflies. I saw my first Meadow Brown of the year but it didn't hang around, unlike a newly emerged Black-tailed Skimmer so I walked along the north marsh towards Cool Oak Lane. It was good to see that the bridge construction workers were back on site for the first time since lockdown so hopefully they'll finish the new footbridge shortly.

Black-tailed Skimmer

I bumped into a Red Admiral and spent some time looking through the bumblebees before walking along the North Circ via Staples Corner.

Red Admiral

Over on Neasden Rec I found a more cooperative Meadow Brown and a few Large Skippers.

Large Skipper

Large Skipper

Meadow Brown