A Wood Warbler was reported at Rainham Marshes yesterday, Brian and I hadn't seen one in London before, so were eager to make the trip. It's only a short distance from home and twenty-five minutes later we were parked in the car park. We headed down the ramp and past Purfleet Scrape towards the Cordite Store area, where the bird had been reported from earlier. As we turned the corner we could see a small group of birders looking towards a group of Willows and brambles. As we joined them the Wood Warbler began singing. Although it sang regularly during our visit it remained largely hidden within the thick cover. The walk back to the car produced a couple of Reed Warblers singing from the reeds for another year tick.
We had been told that a Grasshopper Warbler had been heard earlier in the day, but by the time we arrived at the top car park, all was quiet. A scan of the Thames added a single Common Tern, seen heading upriver to add to the year list total.
Brian and I headed back to Rainham this morning, thinking we would have a better chance of hearing the Gropper "reeling" early morning. As we headed down the path the Gropper was heard immediately. As we began scanning the area the Gropper was spotted surprisingly quickly. It was perched on a low branch just above the vegetation. As we watched the Grasshopper Warbler a Short-eared Owl flew up from the grass and landed on a fence post. It was soon mobbed by crows and went to ground among the taller grasses.
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Short-eared Owl |
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