Rainham Marshes
A brisk visit on a bright and clear morning to the always excellent Rainham Marshes. Massively grateful that the reserve that offered binoculars to hire as I had one of my usual senior moments and left mine at home. On arrival, a brambling was heard calling somewhere near the car park. Walking anti-clockwise as part of the boardwalk near to the Purfleet Hide is currently in disrepair. Aveley Pools was full of wildfowl but the adjacent flashes produced the now relatively long-staying pectoral sandpiper feeding toward the back of the scrape. My second of the week and my first for the London recording area. A couple of pintail were present amongst the feeding wildfowl, a great egret landed on the far side of the pools, a clouded yellow butterfly flew past the Shooting Butts hide and a sub-adult male marsh harrier drifted over Wennington. The tide was receding attracting shelduck , avocet and black-tailed godwit .
