Trip Report
Sunday 23rd 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
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Species list:
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Name:
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Count:
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Name:
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Count:
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Black-headed Gull
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1
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Long-tailed Tit
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30
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Black-tailed Godwit
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2
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Magpie
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31
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Blackbird
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3
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Mallard
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32
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Blue Tit
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4
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Marsh Harrier
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33
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Buzzard
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5
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Moorhen
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34
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Canada Goose
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6
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Mute Swan
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35
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Carrion Crow
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7
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Peregrine
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36
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Cetti's Warbler
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8
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Pheasant
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37
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Chaffinch
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9
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Pied Wagtail
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38
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Common Gull
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10
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Pintail
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39
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Coot
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11
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Pochard
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40
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Cormorant
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12
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Raven
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41
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Curlew
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13
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Red Kite
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42
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Dunnock
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14
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Reed Bunting
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43
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Fieldfare
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15
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Robin
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44
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Gadwall
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16
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Shelduck
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45
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Goldfinch
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17
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Shoveler
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46
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Great Black-backed Gull
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18
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Skylark
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47
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Great Spotted Woodpecker
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19
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Snipe
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48
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Great Tit
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20
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Sparrowhawk
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49
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Grey Heron
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21
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Starling
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50
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Greylag Goose
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22
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Stonechat
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51
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Herring Gull
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23
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Teal
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52
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House Sparrow
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24
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Tufted Duck
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53
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Jackdaw
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25
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Water Pipit
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54
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Kestrel
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26
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Water Rail
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55
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Kingfisher
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27
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Wigeon
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56
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Lapwing
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28
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Woodpigeon
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57
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Little Grebe
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29
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Wren
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58
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Species count = 58
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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
27th
November 2025
2025 species count = 197
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