4, 9 and 10/3/10: Marshes amalgam - more on flooded field birds

After each of the Riverkeeper sessions I took the opportunity to check out the flooded fields by Bob Dunn Way (they're actually just over the London border in the Borough of Dartford, which is in the county of Kent).

Flooded fields looking north to the Thames. Darent Flood Barrier in left distance. (About half of the total flooded area is pictured here).

The Duck species present were largely the same on all three days, but there were masses of gulls on the latter two dates.

The bigger counts were made on the 10th when I ventured part way up Bob Dunn Way, as well as along the Cray embankment, and was therefore able to survey the whole site.

On this last date there were:

17 Lapwing
circa 32 Teal
15 Gadwall
7 or 8 Shoveler
4 Shelduck

There were also two squat, shortish-billed waders, and a couple of longer-legged ones which had a white belly, a white tail showing in flight, and may have been some kind of Sandpiper (this is where my birding skills start to fall apart).

22 Starlings flew over Bob Dunn Way and a solitary Little Egret was foraging in the large shallow pond south of this highway, before it crosses Dartford Creek and near the end of Sandpit Rd.

12/1/10: River Cray and Thames Rd wetland/Dartford Marshes

The Cray Riverkeeper Volunteers are taking over the man-made wetland between the River Cray, Thames Rd, railway and Sewer Pipe embankment. More on this sometime in the future.

Having done a basic botanical survey in the summer, I thought the snow would increase the possibility of some interesting bird life using the water. But it was almost entirely frozen over. A couple of things I couldn't identify flew up and disappeared back into the dead reed/bulrush stems, but that was it.

Up on the embankment there was a small party of Chaffinches (I think) and 2 Redwings.

Before I checked the wetland there had been 3 Mute Swans just upstream of the Thames Rd bridge, and when I came back out there were 2 Cormorants on the river, giving a close view as they took flight in a hurry.

Mute Swans on the Cray near Thames Road

Man-made wetland area next to where Thames Rd crosses the River Cray. This former field was excavated to below the already high water table, and planted with Reemace and other species. The raised strips of ground with channels between are designed to attract Water Voles.

Numerous animal tracks in the snow leading up to the Sewer Embankment - it's not just Thames Rd that has heavy traffic!

There was a Redwing in a tree in the canalized 'gulley' on the downstream side of Thames Rd. A Heron flew over just as I came under the railway line.

Just before it got too dark to see what was going on, 2 female Shoveler duck, a probable male in flight and a male Pochard were seen on a ditch on Dartford Marshes. 3 Lapwing were spotted, one flying within a few feet of me on the inside the Council compound's fence as I made my way back to the main road.

Around 54 Starlings were in the air behind the 'Jolly Farmers' pub.

25 House Sparrows were seen (and judging by the sound there were more) in low hedging by the 'Imagination' company building on Thames Rd, and more were heard in the bushes in the centre of the Perry St roundabout.

12/1/10: Snow Patrol, Barnehurst to Crayford yields Fieldfares

On leaving the house I had a very good close-up view of the local Wren, hopping along a branch in a gap in my Holly 'Golden King' cultivar in the front garden.

A Collared Dove was sitting on a lamp post down the hill from my home.

6 Redwings and a female Blackbird were feeding on large ornamental Hawthorn type fruits in a street tree opposite the bottom of my road.

Another Collared Dove on a lamp post was seen in Beverley Rd.

30+ Starlings took flight over Barnehurst Golf Course. Large numbers of Wood Pigeons were twice spooked into flight. There must have been at least 60 birds along the western, English Elm-lined boundary of the site alone.

A large Thrush was sitting at the top of a tree in an exposed location and I couldn't get too close, but size-wise, and from its quite heavy markings and this behaviour, I judged it to be a Mistle Thrush.

5 Redwing were seen. The Green Woodpecker was feeding on the ground in the wildlife 'rough' again.

Attractive bark on a pine tree, Barnehurst Golf Course

Another shot of Gorse in flower, Barnehurst Golf Course

There was quite a lot of bird activity in the 'horse field' bounded by Mayplace Rd East, Manor Rd, Perry St and the church graveyard. 2 Lapwings were on the ground. Great Tit, Blue Tit and a Long-tailed Tit were seen. 6 Redwing were foraging on clear ground under trees and shrubs, along with a Chaffinch.

I was delighted to see my first Fieldfares - three of them - sitting aloof in a smaller tree in a hedge line bisecting the field.

22/9/09: Celery, Sea-blite and Old Father Thames

This post covers observations on Crayford Marshes on a route from Ray Lamb Way, through a path in the industrial estate out the River Darent and up past the flood gate to its confluence with the Thames.

On this occasion I was helping two members of the London Natural History Society, one of whom is a much better botanist than I am, and who had come here specifically to check on the continuing occurrence of various species that are rare within the London boundary for a new publication on the same. My talent, such as it is, is that I have seen enough in the flesh - or books - to be able to pick out from the general mass of vegetation, the odd things that might be more unusual, even if I don't know what they are.

Plants along Ray Lamb Way included this large clump of Tansy, White Melilot, Narrow-leaved Ragwort (Senecio inaequidens), what my learned companion said was Guernsey (not Canadian) Fleabane and False Fox Sedge in a ditch.

Spirit of the marshes - mud and bird footprints


Marsh plants on the river side of the sea wall included this Sea Plantain (above), Sea Aster, Sea Couch, Sea Arrow Grass, Sea Milkwort and Atriplex patula.

One of the plants we were trying to (re-)locate was Annual Sea-blite (Suaeda maritima), which we found (foreground, right) in distinctly pebbly/grainy mud right next to the Darent flood gate.

Here's a closer view - yes, it really was that red-purple in colour. Also in this rather variable area were two Ribbed Melilot, Hoary Mustard and Greater Sea Spurrey. Although largely hidden under a mat of rank grass, I noticed three plants of what we identified as Wild Celery. I also spotted a solitary Small Copper butterfly.

My companions from the London Natural History Society by the footpath bank just north of the flood gate, where there was an array of colour variants of the Sickle Medick x Lucerne hybrid (see separate posting). In the foreground is Goat's-rue. A bit further along were two patches of pink, semi-double-flowered Soapwort.

The River Darent enters the Thames, with Essex beyond. There were half a dozen Lapwings on the mud here, along with Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls.

Also seen were a male Common Blue and a Red Admiral.

Several plants were found that we could not identify, so samples were taken to run past various specialists.