March sightings

I only had the first two weeks of the month birding locally as I went to Costa Rica for the rest of it (blog to follow). Early March can be a bit of a quiet time as wintering birds start migrating north if it's mild and the summer visitors haven't arrived yet. Over-wintering Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps add to the ever-increasing dawn chorus.

Rainham Marshes

I still managed to pack in six visits in those two weeks. On the 1st I heard one of my favourite bird calls - Med Gull. I looked up (as they're usually flying over) and watched two adults drift over heading inland. March and April are the peak time to see this smart gull at Rainham as they migrate along the Thames.

I made several more attempts to try and locate the Goosanders and Spotted Redshank that seemed to time their appearance with days I wasn't there! Fortunately, the Goosanders made an error on their calendar and I saw a flock of five fly off from the Winter Pool towards the Thames. They're generally a scarce bird at Rainham and I've previously only seen two single birds heading upriver so it was good to see a flock on the reserve.

I did however manage to miss a Bittern by five minutes when it flew over the reserve and landed deep into the reeds by Aveley Pool. Still, two more new birds this shortened month brought me up to 96 species for the year, a decent total before the spring migration starts.

Photographs

I only managed to photograph four new birds this month along with several upgrades.

Egyptian Geese, Beam Parklands (upgrade)

Shoveler, Rainham Marshes (upgrade)

Gadwall, Beam Parklands (upgrade)

Collared Dove, Dagenham

Moorhen, Beam Parklands (upgrade)

Marsh Harrier, Rainham Marshes (upgrade)

Barn Owls, Rainham Marshes

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dagenham Chase

Great Tit, Parsloes Park (upgrade)

Goldfinch, Rainham Marshes

I finished the first quarter of the year having photographed 83 birds in London. April will be a very busy month with all the spring arrivals so I hope to boost this total over 100.