This is turning into a great conservation area. There is a big finch flock there already. Russell Savory is moving on with his plan for a number of habitats. The wild flower and thistle meadows are amazing. While I was driving round the path a couple of whinchats arrived and a Buzzard circled overhead. On the edge of the airfield he has some pieces of corrigated dotted about under which I found about 7 Slow Worms. A different and comfortable place. 
Whinchat. Whinchat and two Wheatears in the top paddock 7.45 am, quite a way off towards the middle, but they did appear on the fence from time to time. Russ had a Grasshopper Warbler in the corner of the small paddock and the farmers field, 8.30am.
Wheatear
Wheatear
Some Yellow Wags mainly juvs starting to move through in the paddock with a number of young pieds which didn't seem to like their company. I keep hearing from different people that there seems to be a lack of everything this year. No dragonflies no butterflies no birds, or are we all imagining it.
Yellow Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
3 Yellow Wagtails and a lone Whinchat in the Top Paddock this morning, plus a Yellowhammer in Berwick Glades. What a glorious morning, and it seemed to bring everything out.
Whinchat in the Valley
Whinchat on Rainham Marshes
Willow Warbler RSPB Rainham
Grass Snake RSPB Rainham
Hundreds of hirondelles making their way south in sporadic flocks at the moment. Saw a Reed Warbler feeding something in the reeds, now usually you see the young moving around in the reeds being fed, but I didn't see any. It makes me wonder could it be feeding a young cuckoo, it was in a cuckoo haunt.
Hobby
This very handsome Painted Lady was one of quite a few butterflies that came out in the sun today on the riverside edge of the reserve, and the movement towards the season of "mists and mellow fruitfulness" was noted by the heavily laden berry bushes drooping with the weight of the colourful fruit.
Painted Lady
Small Heath
Sloe
Small Heath
Common Blue
Hawthorn
Common Blue
Gatekeeper
Common Mallow
Just spent a week in Weymouth with the grandchildren so birding was rightly at a minimum. We just happened to be a minute away from the Lodmor reserve, which didn't do me any good as I picked a morning when nobody saw the Stilt Sandpiper. This was my only chance as family come first and we had a great time. Best week weather wise since April. Got back yesterday afternoon and realised we just missed the accident on the M25, thank goodness. Back to normal today and saw my first returning wheatear on the fence in the paddock, signs of things to come?
