Rainham Marshes and Bough Beech with the East Grinstead RSPB Group

 

Trip Report

Sunday 23^rd November 2025

RSPB Rainham Marshes, Essex then Bough Beech, Kent

East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

(12 members present)

RSPB Rainham Marshes

Rainham Marshes, beside the River Thames at the northern end of the Dartford Crossing, remains a favourite destination. Once a Ministry of Defence firing range, it now offers a rich variety of habitats-shallow lagoons, grazing marshes, reedbeds, ditches, and woodlands-that support an impressive range of birdlife.

Recent visits have been spoiled by poor weather, but today conditions were kinder. Heavy rain in Sussex and Kent cleared as we arrived, leaving only a brief shower before giving way to dry skies with occasional bursts of sunshine. It made for a far more enjoyable walk and a chance to appreciate the marshes at their best.

We were pleased to welcome Brendan and Lucy on their first visit today.

Route Map

We took the clockwise route from the Visitor Centre, calling in at Purfleet hide, Shooting Butts hide and Ken Barrett hide on the way. 

 

Bird of the Day

The star of today’s visit was without doubt the water pipit. We spotted one from the Shooting Butts hide, working its way along the muddy ditch near the reedbed. For a while it slipped behind one of the tiny islands, only to reappear and give us excellent telescope views. After a few minutes, it flew along the ditch and out of sight.

Water pipits have been a regular feature here since early October, with numbers peaking at seven earlier this month!

 

Courtesy of Andrew Burns

 

 

 

 

Event of the Day

 

From the Shooting Butts hide we were treated to quite a spectacle: a marsh harrier and a peregrine locked in a mid-air contest. Strength and power met speed and precision, and neither bird gave way easily. In the end, the peregrine broke off and flew away, leaving the encounter as an honourable draw.

 

Clashes between species aren’t unusual, but this particular pairing was a first for most of us. Sadly, the whole drama unfolded just beyond the reach of our cameras-one for the memory rather than the photo album.

 

 

 

Other Highlights

There was an abundance of birds on the Purfleet scrape and we watched them from the viewing point just outside the Visitor Centre before we walked round to Purfleet hide.

 

Courtesy of Ian Hodgson

 

 

• Pintails always delight and there were many on the water, including this majestic drake.

Courtesy of Patrick Sullivan

•  This common gull was the focus of attention for our photographers.

Courtesy of Patrick Sullivan

•  This snipe tried hard to hide from our cameras.

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

•  A sparrowhawk on the ground is quite a rare event.

 

Courtesy of Andrew Burns

 

• Birds seen but not photographed included a kingfisher, a black-tailed godwit, several marsh harriers and a great black-backed gull.

 

We mustn’t forget the Rainham staples:

Wigeon

Courtesy of Ian Hodgson

 Lapwing

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

 

Shelduck

Courtesy of Patrick Sullivan

 

 

Shoveler and Teal

Courtesy of Ian Hodgson

 

 

Winter thrushes were noticeably scarce today.

•          Along the western path-usually alive with their calls-we recorded just a single fieldfare and no redwings at all.

•          A few blackbirds were present, but no song thrushes or mistle thrushes were seen.

 

 

 

Raptors, however, provided plenty of interest.

•      The dramatic stand-off between a marsh harrier and a peregrine has already been noted.

•      In addition, we enjoyed sightings of kestrel, red kite, and buzzard, rounding out a respectable selection of birds of prey

            .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species list:
Name:	Count:		Name:	Count:
Black-headed Gull	1		Long-tailed Tit	30
Black-tailed Godwit	2		Magpie	31
Blackbird	3		Mallard	32
Blue Tit	4		Marsh Harrier	33
Buzzard	5		Moorhen	34
Canada Goose	6		Mute Swan	35
Carrion Crow	7		Peregrine	36
Cetti's Warbler	8		Pheasant	37
Chaffinch	9		Pied Wagtail	38
Common Gull	10		Pintail	39
Coot	11		Pochard	40
Cormorant	12		Raven	41
Curlew	13		Red Kite	42
Dunnock	14		Reed Bunting	43
Fieldfare	15		Robin	44
Gadwall	16		Shelduck	45
Goldfinch	17		Shoveler	46
Great Black-backed Gull	18		Skylark	47
Great Spotted Woodpecker	19		Snipe	48
Great Tit	20		Sparrowhawk	49
Grey Heron	21		Starling	50
Greylag Goose	22		Stonechat	51
Herring Gull	23		Teal	52
House Sparrow	24		Tufted Duck	53
Jackdaw	25		Water Pipit	54
Kestrel	26		Water Rail	55
Kingfisher	27		Wigeon	56
Lapwing	28		Woodpigeon	57
Little Grebe	29		Wren	58
Species count = 58

 

 

 

With the weather finally on our side, we enjoyed our best day in years, noting 58 species-a highly commendable total.

 

Bough Beech

On our way home we stopped at Bough Beech in the hope of finding goosanders and other birds of interest.

• For much of the visit we were looking straight into the setting sun, which made identification almost impossible. At last, just before sunset, four redheads revealed themselves, resting quietly along the reservoir bank.
• Earlier, a green sandpiper was busy foraging at the water’s edge on the north side of the causeway.

Courtesy of Andrew Burns

•  We also noted a pair of Egyptian geese, a great crested grebe, a lesser black‑backed gull, a little egret, and several meadow pipits.

These final sightings brought our day list to a very satisfying total of 65 species.

• There have been several reports of huge flocks of woodpigeon on the move this autumn.  Today we had our chance to witness such an event.

 

Courtesy of Ian Hodgson

 

 

 

Bough Beech at Sunset

 

Courtesy of Ian Hodgson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lovely end to what had been a very enjoyable day.  Thank you John!

 

Thanks, as always, to our excellent photographers Andrew B, Ian H, Martin J and Patrick S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Hastings

27^th November 2025

2025 species count = 197