Recently, it's been all local birding, Roding Valley, KGV Reservoir, or Rainham Marshes. This morning, Brian and I spent the morning at Rainham. Yesterday, he'd seen a Spotted Redshank on Wennington Marsh, and I was hoping it had stayed overnight. Walking to Serin Mound, we found the Spotted Redshank still feeding in what was now a very small patch of water. From here, we crossed the road and headed up the slope, and quickly added another year tick when we spotted a Corn Bunting perched on a scaffold pole. A Wheatear was also seen as we descended the slope back towards the reserve.
We walked the sea wall, noting Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew, and Ringed Plover out in the bay. The bushes and scrub areas were alive with Cetti's Warblers, Blackcaps, Wrens, Sedge Warblers, and Common Whitethroats. We stopped by the turnstile and added Garden and Willow Warbler to the year list. Then I heard the reeling of a Grasshopper Warbler, which I believe is the first record for Rainham this year. A couple of Common Terns were flying around the sailing club, and a Great Egret flew overhead. The threatening dark grey skies had now turned to rain, so we headed for the car.
News came through of a Red-rumped Swallow at KGV, so we decided to head that way and hope for a second report. That report duly came, so off we went. The bird had been reported at the north-east end of the north basin, as far from the entrance gate as possible. As we reached the causeway, we stopped to chat with the finder Ian L, who told us the bird was still present. We'd scanned through every hirundine we saw on the way up in case it had flown our way. We reached the north-east corner, expecting to find several birders, but there wasn't a single birder present. There were large numbers of hirundines flying along the channel and along the reservoir bank, but we couldn't find the red-rumped among them. Then, suddenly, the swallows gained height and headed east!
We were joined by three other birders, and another three were scanning from within Stewardstone Marsh. We spent another hour looking through all the hirundines still present without any luck. Then we got a call to say the Red-rumped had been seen at the causeway. But as we reached the causeway, we were told the bird had flown off south! We were about to give up when it was spotted heading straight towards us. It flew around our heads, giving fantastic views before heading back north.
