Barking Bay - catching up

I have been very busy of late and have not had time to post the sightings from the Bay, I squeezed in some visits which I have listed below.

August 28th

Whinchat – 4
Black Tailed Godwit – 2 feeding on mud
Common Sandpiper – 11 – usual spot, they seem to like the area around the large jetty
Dunlin – 1 on the mud
Oystercatcher – 2 on the mud
Common Tern – 7 seen on the river

Black Tailed Godwit ( click on photos to enlarge)

September 10th

A quick visit paid dividends with a site tick, a Spotted Redshank, this followed on from the one John Archer found relatively close at Fords Dagenham earlier in the year. Not usually associated as a Thames side mud feeding bird like Redshank it was a welcome and unexpected addition.

Other sightings
Yellow Wagtail – 5 all overhead
Meadow Pipit – 40 all overhead south
Redshank – 27 first returning birds for the 2nd winter period
Teal – around 60 seen, again arriving back
Wheatear – 3 fresh looking juveniles seen
Whinchat – 2
Swallow – 40 all heading for warmer climes

Whinchat

September 16th

Another lightning visit around mid day, rewarded this time with a Marsh Harrier seen on the other side of the river, initially low and then thermalling and heading south.

The river produced
Common Tern – 28 all heading up river
Swallow – 17 over south
Black Tailed Godwit – 5 on the mud
Redshank – 36 on the mud

September 18th

A good visit, with a good spread of species, I would have liked to have stayed longer, the sky promised a good Raptor, especially after Johns Honey Buzzard on Friday .I met up with Paul, no Honey unfortunately but a Common Buzzard was very welcome especially as it was needed as a year tick by Paul.

Bar Tailed Godwit

Other highlights
Goldfinch/Linnet – mixed flock of around a 100
Common Snipe – 1 seen dropping in
Black Tern – 1 at the outfall with around 12 Common Terns
Bar Tailed Godwit – 1 feeding on the mud
Black Tailed Godwit – a probable on the other side
Greenshank – 1 on the other side
Hobby – 1 messing about with a Sparrowhawk
Arctic Tern - 1 juvenile seen well heading up river
Little Egret – 1 a rare bird in the Bay
Whinchat – 3 together

Summing up, some good species seen, hopefully more to come.
I have also posted some photos taken recently at Parliament and elsewhere, the Fox was walking around opposite Victoria Tower in broad daylight, tourists and all, it actually walked up to me, completely unafraid.

Very, very tame

Looking for the dogs

Male Kestrel

Female Kestrel

Juvenile female Peregrine

Also a pair of Kestrels and a juvenile Peregrine flying the flag at Parliament.