With time on my hands and now counting down the days until the plaster comes off the ankle (August 31st), I have been on the computer a lot naturally, on a whim a week or so ago I decided to start getting all my various lists together and move into the modern era.
All my lists, as of today 11 of them but still room for more, are on an Excel Spreadsheet, this has served me well since the prehistoric age, I am 66, I don’t do change easily as my mates will tell you.
I started using E Bird a few years back off and on, I am a book/pen man, old school since I began birding seriously in the mid 90’s.
I decided then to start at Rainham Marshes first , this along with the Ingrebourne Valley and Barking Outfall have always been my main sites over the years.
Lucky enough I have kept most of my records over the years, many I have found on a USB stick, but others, some dates have been lost.
A big thanks goes to Howard for filling in many of the gaps where dates had gone, on most I can remember seeing it or them, but others were barely a memory (I am getting old).
Some of the stuff I can recall with clarity like yesterday, but the dates I find quite incredible, time as they say flies.
On one such day, I remember walking up to the old Silt Lagoons, pre-RSPB,through the sparse reeds to the Pool on the end and locating a number of waders. Amongst all the more common ones like Redshank etc, were 10 Little Stint and a Pectoral Sandpiper, the date, again thanks to Howard was September 17th 2001. As above, this was pre-RSPB, the Lagoons also at times were quite treacherous if you strayed off the beaten track, if I correctly recall Alan Bell , was down to his waist at some time.
On another occasion, always being an early bird, I came across a flock of 40 odd Green Sandpiper that had set down to roost, quite a magical sight seeing them all lift off from roost at dawn.
Nowadays the Silt Lagoons have been levelled it seems and full of chalk, I would presume from various London building projects, just a pity that their potential was never realised. In their hay day with most of the Lagoons holding water, they were full of wildfowl and waders. It didn’t just stop there either; the Silt Lagoons were also Bird of Prey magnets and wintering Short Eared Owls were present in numbers, along with up to 8 wintering Hen Harriers in days gone by before the persecution started.
Other goodies spring to mind, again the year is a bit of a surprise, Black Winged Stilt on the Tip Pools – September 16th, 1997! – Lesser Yellowlegs – August 26th, 1998! One glaring miss on my part was Red Footed Falcon, having seen them abroad and the Lee Valley bird, its one, being a raptor nut, would like to get back and see it locally at Rainham.
Anyway, getting back to the List and loading many of the records singularly on E Bird, (referring back to moving with the times), my Rainham Life List stands at 219. Many others will have more, Howard most certainly given that he spent a number of years working there.
Others like Andy Tweed will no doubt exceed my total along with Paul, Dick, Alan and Steve Bacon and various other early days Rainham stalwarts. Sadly missed, departed Ken, Sam, Phil and Mike would have had big Rainham Lists from the early days, I can still recall Ken telling me of locating a Western Sandpiper at Rainham.
Anyway, I am quite impressed with E Bird having now learnt how to use it properly, being indoors for 4 weeks 1 day 7 hours and climbing the walls, who said old un’s don’t like change.
How long it will last, I don’t know.
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