Rainham December 1st

 With December 1st being my first day of not being employed for a very long time, I decided to mark my official retirement date with a trip to Rainham. None of this lying in and taking it easy, I was there for dawn.

It was a bit windy walking through Rainham West and cold enough to keep most Cetti's Warblers quiet - they really don't like singing when the temperature drops. I continued along the path parallel to Coldharbour Lane rather than the longer route via the barges. At Serin Mound I scanned across Wennington, seeing the first of four Marsh Harriers today; the juveniles have become very proficient in flushing flocks of ducks but I've still not seen one catch one yet!

It was almost high tide when I started walking along the river and it began drizzling a bit. The last bit of mud disappeared beneath the grey waters of the Thames causing the Redshanks to fly and find somewhere to rest up while an Avocet flew across to Crayford searching for that last bit of mud and a couple of Curlew conceded defeat and whistled their way over to Purfleet scrape. Bird calls were then drowned out by a pair of Chinooks that powered their way downriver.

I headed into the reserve shortly after opening time and did the usual anti-clockwise circuit, seeing a solitary Cattle Egret following the bovine herd by Winter Pool; I wonder what it'll do when the cattle leave the reserve for new pastures. 

Cattle Egret

The woodland was fairly quiet so I stopped off at Ken Barrett hide where all the ducks were asleep - I guess even wildfowl are allowed a Duvet Day.

Tired Teal

Snoozing Shoveler

Dozing Mallard

Sleepy Gadwall

While walking along the Northern Boardwalk another Chinook appeared but it veered off from the river and went straight over the reserve flushing more birds than a pair of hunting Peregrines. Butts hide added Snipe and Ruff from opposite sides but little else. By now the breeze had picked up and the swishing of the reeds was too loud to hear any Beardies so I finished the circuit and headed back to the centre and popped into the shop for a calendar.