Baillon Out...
Getting news of a juvenile Baillon's Crake at RSPB Rainham Marshes late on Friday night was a good way to start the weekend. I don't have the money or a working car stereo to make regular twitches that fun, but of course I love seeing new birds, especially if they are poking about right in front of a hide about 15 miles away, on a warm, sunny weekend. So this twitch was a no brainer.
And no brains is right, cos having got up at 5am on Saturday, I took a wrong turn en route to Rainham; I was still in the packed out hide by twenty past but missed a good showing by the blighter by <2 minutes. That wrong turn (sleepy auto pilot taking me onto the A2 instead of M25) cost me at least 5 minutes. Rookie mistake. I did see it briefly on two occasions around 7am as it flew between reedbeds down to the right, but while it offered an interesting size/jizz comparison, it was otherwise almost worse than seeing nothing really! So close, but hey, that's what it's all about. After that flurry of excitement I zoned out for an hour or two, blinking into the warm sun whilst keeping an eye on the reeds in front of the hide. I saw the backsides of lots of Moorhens and Coots and a couple of hobbies zipped about, dismantling dragonflies right in front of us, but at 10am I needed a breather so that was it for me. Looks like it'll be around for a bit so might give it another go this week. Some interesting talk of the origins of this bird - could it be one of the best signs yet that a few secretive Baillon's Crakes are now breeding here?
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| Little Grebe - definitley NOT a Baillon's Crake. |
"The game is never over"
After arriving home for a late breakfast I headed off again to Barnes Wetland Centre on the other side of London. It's been a while since I visited and I thought again how good it was to see children and families mixing it with a few groups of birders, all out enjoying the glorious weather. My friend Kelly and I saw a pair of Kingfishers zipping along, a Sparrowhawk soaring overhead and a fresh brood of the littlest grebes I've ever seen. We also saw the otters! But my main reason for visiting was to see a talk by Mark Avery. I guess most people reading this know who Mark is but for those who don't, he's a conservationist who spent 25 years working for the RSPB, including the post of Conservation Director for over 12 years. He's now a freelance pain in the arse to many politicans (probably), relentlessly campaigning for and promoting nature conservation through his excellent blog among other things.
I really enjoyed the talk which was followed by a Q&A session covering a range of topics from Cormorants, people power and yep...Buzzards! Mark shared his thoughts on current conservation issues, some successes (the legal designation of protected nature sites such as SSSIs, SPAs etc) and some "not quite successes (yet - Hen Harriers)" as well as some personal anecdotes from his new book, which I have just started. His insights into the political side of things were really interesting and most of all, encouraging. "When it comes to nature conservation, the game is never over" he said, a thoughtful comment highlighting the ongoing struggle to preserve it and hopefully the ever-rising voices defending nature and attempting to influence political will.
Sunflowers
On Sunday I jumped in the car again and headed down to RSPB Northward Hill in Kent, for an always welcome trip down memory lane. The 10 months I spent there as an RSPB Residential Volunteer (until May this year) were among the best of my life. What I saw and learned there still makes me smile today. I got to know an incredible area of open, wild land, biologically diverse and always full of surprises. It's a special place and the annual Wildlife & Countryside Fair was a great way to celebrate it. It was nice going back as a punter this year. The new cover crop was full of bright, blooming sunflowers and there was lots to see. A Yellow Wagtail shot overhead as I queued for an ice cream and from the viewpoint I saw two Marsh Harriers patrolling ditches in the distance. It was also great to finally meet Gill and Joan - the two incredibly passionate and hard working women behind The Friends of the North Kent Marshes. I love what they do and if you're at all interested in some of the challenges this area (and by extension the whole country) faces, please check them out here and follow them on twitter for regular updates.
I whiled away the dying embers of the afternoon sat on the steps at Grain beach, watching the creeping tide prompt hundreds of curlews and oystercatchers into flight, a good flock of mixed sandwich/comic terns wheeling away in a fit of hoarse yelps.
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| Grain beach, North Kent 9/9/12 |
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