The stars of the afternoon's visit to Rainham Marshes were three Wheatears on the river bank, though this video shows only two of them.
A Kingfisher put in an appearance on the reserve, though it remained distant ...
... but not as distant as the Barn Owl in its box, which you never see any closer than this in the daytime. You can just see its face in the centre of the picture.
A female Marsh Harrier passed over.
There was a reasonable view of a Cattle Egret, which I missed the last time I was there.
A Little Egret was scuffling its feet to stir up the fish, which you would think was the exact opposite of a successful technique, but it seems to work for Little Egrets.
A single Black-Tailed Godwit flew in.
There were plenty of Lapwings.
A Ruff wandered along the shore, probing the mud for edible creatures.
A Little Grebe preened and stretched.
There were several groups of Teal on the water.
A Shelduck investigated the mud at the edge of the river left by the falling tide.
A large green Marsh Frog looked up from a drainage ditch.
Yes, I’ve often wondered this hunting strategy from the Little Egret. You would think the fish would alert danger from this but their feeding instinct takes over from all the natural food that gets stirred up. Thus becoming active and an easy target for the bird.
ReplyDeleteSean 😃
Either that or the fish become confused and panic from the cloudy silt and seek an escape from danger.
DeleteSean 😃
Haven't visited Rainham since early in the year. Always a good day!
ReplyDeleteLove the Marsh Frog shot- they have so much character & love hearing a chorus of them. They probably help sustain the numerous herons & egrets there as well as snacks for Grass Snakes & probably Marsh Harriers too.
I haven't seen a Grass Snake at Rainham, but Tom has several times, including large ones swimming in the drainage ditches. In Lithuania they used to be kept as house animals to eat rats and mice.
DeleteCertainly didn't know that about them being kept as house animals. I've not seen a Grass Snake there either but have seen a fair number of photos of them there.
DeleteThere;s a Lithuanian folk story, 'The King of the Grass Snakes', which has the same plot as the Indian story 'The King of the Crocodiles'. A poor couple's daughter is abducted by the king, but they find that in his own kingdom he has human form and lives in great splendour, and he welcomes them in.
DeleteWhat an exciting visit! I love Wheatears so much, such elegant, delicate birds. We're lucky enough to get a glimpse of the Barn Owl, even if from far away.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking so forward to seeing the Lapwings here. They are winter birds for us, so their appearance heralds the end of the heat season here.
Tinúviel
I'm very fond of Lapwings. There are lots at Rainham, and in spring they do their entertaining flying displays. I have seen the Barn Owl more closely on a late opening day at Rainham when it came out at dusk to hunt. Tom got a grainy picture in the low light.
Delete