Rainham double header

After Saturday's turgid stomp around Rainham, which was as dull as the ditchwater that was everywhere, the sensible birder would have gone somewhere else to try his luck.  Like the Lea Valley for certain sawbills and grebes and maybe even a Bittern to enthuse the soul.  Not me, oh no.  got all the way to Liverpool Street only find myself heading to Rainham on the C2C.  It couldn't possibly be as bad as Saturday.

Not quite.  Luckily I met up with @Johnnogull, who was doing a Webs count along the foreshore, and so tagged along. It started well; a couple of singing Chiffchaff no less on the western marshes, then a pair of Stonechat (yeagh nailed you, you bastards!), and while we were admiring them and a female Marsh Harrier over the silts, I got a brief view of a Short-eared Owl, obviously flushed from its roost, heading off into the reed beds. Now for that Black Redstart reported Tuesday.

Zip on that one, but then we were looking in the wrong place as we were so informed by a birder coming along the river from Purfleet.  Even with his instructions we couldn't find it.  Ah well!

Picked up GC Grebe and Grey Plover on a rising tide, a load of Snipe and other bits and bobs and didn't fill my boots, didn't fill my boots with water, which in my book is a bit of a result.