School is over (praise Jehovah) and I have a free day with nothing to do so I ebirded any and every potential lifer within an oystercard radius and decided on Rainham marsh RSPB reserve, where Bearded Reedlings have dwelt unseen by me for the past two years. How?
With my bike and all my gear loaded up I caught the 5:55am train to London, then got on another one and 90 minutes later I was there.
Britain's obsession with walls and fences even applies to birding locales. The boardwalk here is blocked off by prison-like security with tall fences, CCTV and rotary one-way gates so the only way to access it is through the VC which opens at 9:30. In the meantime, I rambled around looking at
Linnets and
Sedge Warblers (only my second sighting after one in Kenya years ago), and managed to flush up a
Water Rail making the early rise worthwhile. Searches for Lesser Whitethroat and Grasshopper Warbler were unsuccessful, presumably because they're done singing/breeding.
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| Eurasian Reed Warbler |
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| Sedge Warblers |
At last they opened the boardwalk and I made my way to an area where a family of Reedlings has been seen. Four pre-pubescent Reedlings were visiting a feeding platform while a growing crowd admired. Later, a bearded daddy made a an appearance sporting a fine sheriff's beard and yellow bill that sparked like summer corn in the morning sun.
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| Immature male (note yellow bill) |
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| Daddy |
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| Immature female (note blackish bill) |
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