Rock Pipits at Rainham

An early morning visit to Rainham, started with a stop off at the Concrete Barges.

As soon as I had stepped out of the car I could hear several Linnets calling among the rough grass behind the car park bushes. These were joined by a couple of Skylarks overhead.

A scan of the barges and the surrounding area didn't produce any Water Pipits. Large numbers of Black-headed Gulls roosting along the tide line were joined by fewer numbers of Great and Lesser-Black Backed Gulls as well as Herring and Common Gulls. 

Several scans couldn't produce any Yellow-legged or Caspian Gulls or any signs of the recent Iceland Gull.

The roosting gulls suddenly take to the air, and a Kestrel drops down and lands on the end of one of the barges.

A walk along the foreshore adds a single roosting Black-tailed Godwit, along with several Redshanks and small flocks of Teal and Wigeon on the water.

Standing among the debris washed up off the Thames, several Rock Pipits fly up and head for the rocks along the foreshore. 

Rock Pipit

The Rock Pipits are joined by 4-5 Meadow Pipits and several Reed Buntings.

Meadow Pipit

More Skylarks are seen and heard overhead, but no amount of scanning through the Rock Pipits could produce any Water Pipit sightings.

A walk along the path from the serin mound gave good views of a female Marsh Harrier hunting across the flooded pools.