March 5-14: early signs of spring

I finished February on 123 species, adding only five all month so it was nice to get away and see some different birds in The Netherlands. March started slowly with a couple of visits to Brent before heading over to Rainham on the 7th. It was really a case of ‘as you were’ with very little change from previous visits.

The five Barnacles were still hanging out on Wennington and the Spoonbill was still sleeping behind the Target Pools. Dabbling ducks had reduced in number with some heading back to their breeding grounds. There was a respectable flock of 43 Avocets in the bay, the most I’ve seen for a while but there were no new waders in yet. Walking around the reserve did at least provide a cronking Raven though I failed to see it.

I spent a few more days at Brent, mainly because I needed to start work on sawing through a fallen willow that had blocked the path round the back of East Marsh. Chiffchaffs had started to arrive, or perhaps the over-wintering ones had begun singing, it’s hard to tell this early in spring. There was also one or two Blackcaps singing which I’m sure haven’t just arrived from Africa. I still managed a couple of new birds for my London year list, flushing a Woodcock near the rifle range just before starting some bramble clearance and best of all, hearing a Little Owl calling from my flat.

As the Dusky Warbler had reappeared at Walthamstow Marshes I decided to see if I could get better views and maybe even a photo but there was absolutely no sign of it during the morning I tried, although typically someone did connect in the afternoon. It’s got to be the most elusive Dusky to have turned up in the UK, they’re really not meant to be that difficult to see! At least the flood relief channel had a few birds on it that I could take some pictures of, including a nice pair of Shelduck.

Pair of Shelduck

I spent most of the weekend sawing through the willow so needed a break the following day. I decided to spend the morning at Crayford Marshes as it’s not a site I know well, having visited it just once before. I started at Slade Green station and it’s just a couple of minutes walk along Moat Lane before you get to the marshes.

It was a nice sunny morning and there were Skylarks and Chiffchaffs singing and I also saw my first butterflies of the year with two Small Tortoiseshells, so it felt very spring like. I kept hoping for a Wheatear to pop up on the riverwall or a Sand Martin to fly over the Thames but neither appeared. Nevertheless it was a pleasant amble up to the large reedbed near Erith Yacht Club. I sat down and watched the river for a while. There was plenty of gull activity but not much else. I headed back to the mouth of the Darent where the falling tide had exposed enough mud for a Harbour Seal to enjoy a rest next to a flock of Avocets.

Harbour (or Common) Seal

Avocets on Dartford Marsh

I carried on walking down the Darent, past where I had come in and then along the Cray. Spring flowers were turning the path edges yellow with lots of Dandelions, a few Daffodils (late this year) and my first Cowslips of the year.

Cowslips

As the marshes ended I navigated my way through Crayford and down to the railway station where there was a train waiting at the platform.