26th May 2012
On the 7th May I joined our neighbours on a very successful ‘Dawn Chorus walk’ starting at 7:00am at the Cranham Marsh EWT reserve. It turned out to be lovely weather what a contrast from the previous few days of cold and the rain, even the sun made an appearance! No wonder the birds were singing, even I felt like singing, they should count themselves lucky I didn’t!
I counted 32 species of Birds –best singer of the morning in my opinion, was the Song Thrush (I counted four around the reserve) a good second the Blackcap, several counted, must be in double figures and thirdly, the Skylarks (four) over the field. In the background a couple of Woodpeckers (probably Green) were heard ‘drumming’. All rounded off with a bacon roll and a cup of tea at the end. Great company as well, what more could I have wished for – a singing Nightingale, Cuckoo.... perhaps next time. I went away happy, see some pictures taken. Don’t forget you can now undertake a good walk from Brickfields to Cranham Marsh!
Click on the picture to enlarge
Pictures : 1.Song Thrush 2.Blackcap 3.Flowering Campion plant 4.The view across the fields from the Park Drive entrance ,where Skylarks can be seen & heard most spring days.
May ( Bank Holiday Week-end) 2012
What a nightmare of a couple of months – My wife spent nearly ten weeks in hospital ( four wks in a coma on a ventilator in Intensive care, having ‘died for 12 minutes’ due to a heart attack and complications). Now she has been home for six weeks and making a slow recovery, hopefully we as a family can get back to normal, whatever that means! Phew what a scare! So Brickfields had to be put on hold. Still a bit restricted but I will endeavour this week to get up to date and record in retrospect what has been happening over the reserve and any Wildlife events and sightings locally.
Bye for now
Owning to family commitments, I am unable to update this website site at the moment.
The website site will not be updated or added to until further notice....hopefully the Brickfield Birder will start up again sometime soon......It's not gone for good !!
Thanks for your understanding
Bye for now
Tuesday 17th January 2012
Abberton Reservoir & Brickfields LNR
A busy Birdwatching day – Took a trip out with a couple of my ‘Birding friends’ this morning to Abberton Reservoir over Colchester way. The reservoir was mostly frozen over, but it didn’t seem to bother the Ducks and Geese, they were finding the water which was free. Plenty of the commonest Ducks & Geese were on show in their hundreds – Mallard, Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck, Wigeon and Pochard. The Geese were Greylag, Canada and of course the Mute Swans, also one Egyptian Goose, a feral resident now I suppose!
But the best sightings were 1 Bittern, 3 Short eared Owls, 3 White fronted Geese, 5 Whooper Swans, 1 Marsh Harrier,2 Kestrels and a little Meadow Pipit ( well it was ‘little’ against the rest).
Well worth the freezing weather ( near freezing, but sunny at 10:00am).
Back home at 3:00pm and straight over Brickfields. The pond was frozen over and nothing was on there, but some good sightings seen elsewhere.
2 Song Thrushes, 10 Long tailed Tits, 3 Redwing and at last a male Bullfinch, in its best bright feathers. I have heard a Bullfinch calling a couple of weeks ago , but could not see it, well now I have ! All these birds seen in 1 hour, just before the light faded.
Bye for Now
4th January 2012
Brickfields LNR.
Well Tuesday’s weather forecast was right, wet and windy, horrible to say the least. I said it was looking bad, but that was an understatement! About mid day a mini storm hit my garden, just like a hurricane, I’m glad my garden fences are still in one piece!
I did not think it was a good idea to venture out and check on the trees over Brickfields for damage. You probably saw the damage across the country on the news. Didn’t fancy being hit on the head by falling branches, let alone a whole tree!
So today had a look over Brickfields, no damage to report, just a few small branches broken off and a bit more wood in the pond. I thought we got away lightly.
Sometimes good comes from out of bad , for another new bird added to the list of species and one I was not expecting.... A Little Egret. It was around the pond and took off when I approached. A lovely bird.
The Little Egret is more delicate-looking than any other heron-like bird which occurs in Britain. It is much smaller than a Grey Heron, with snowy white plumage, a long pointed black bill and black legs with strikingly yellow feet. In flight its legs project from the back. It first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996. It is now at home on numerous south coast sites, both as a breeding species and as a winter visitor. It is included on the Amber List as rare breeding species. A recent colonist, it is most common along the south and east coasts of England. They are becoming increasingly common sight in inland areas where there is water and wetlands. A few are seen at Rainham Marsh on a daily basis. See pictures below. Bye for now
Little Egret & Illustration in flight
2nd January 2012
Brickfields LNR
Very quiet over Brickfields this morning. Not many birds around except a few Blue & Great tits, Chaffinches and a couple of Robins. Not even a song from the Robins or Blackbirds, even though it was a sunny morning and very mild. Yesterdays rain has lifted the pond water level and soon the Newt model will have its tail in the water. I think it's wellie boots time if you are considering a walk around the reserve off the hard pathway.
The weather is unseasonable and I am thinking, are there any seasons anymore ? In 2011 the weather was all over the place, spring was warmer then summer....Summer was wetter then autumn and this winter so far, is warmer then normal !
This what the Met. Office had to say on Friday of last week ; This year was the second warmest on record for the UK, the Met Office says - '"Provisional figures show that only 2006, with an average temperature of 9.73C (49.5F), was warmer than 2011's average temperature of 9.62C (49.3F). This year saw high temperatures for lengthy periods; including the warmest April and spring on record, the second warmest autumn and the warmest October day. Early figures suggest 2011 is ending with a "close to average" December.
The Met Office said its figures were a mean temperature taken over day and night.
Apart from January, the other months that had below-average temperatures were June, July and August."
I am going to put this website on the Home Page of the Brickfield Birder, so you can check , but don't blame me if it's wrong !
Don't look good for tomorrow !
http://www.essexweather.com/upminster_weather_forecast.shtml
Bye for now
1st January 2012
A Happy New Year to all Brickfielders, that’s to all who visit Cranham Brickfields !
A little Birdy story to start the year !
Most Birders, that’s birdwatching enthusiasts, in Birdspeak, will have been out today to start their ‘Year list’ of seen bird species. Most keen birders will have a ‘ Year list’ and a ‘Life list’ Over 250 seen species in a year is very good. You need to be able to go to some diverse habitats and be willing to cover thousands of miles travelling all over the U.K including the Shetland and Scilly Isles to stand a good chance of reaching that number. I am told a London Birder listed 302 species this year I would love to see his diary! Wonder if he came to Brickfields ? I doubt it, but went to Rainham RSPB I bet ! In fact I know he did.
Because in the second week of January last year a very rare Slaty –back Gull got blown into Rainham and stayed on a rubbish tip near to the RSPB Rainham reserve for a couple of days. I say very rare, but that is an understatement, it was a first for the U.K ! Nearly two thousand birders came from all over the U.K to add to their ‘Life list’ in the few days it stayed. I arrived at about 6.30am on the Saturday morning (15.1.11) and at least 500 people were there before me. By near Lunchtime it was recorded at over 1200. You can see why ! It was not only a first for the U.K but the Gull itself breeds on the western coast of Alaska but travels widely during non-breeding seasons. Claims have been made as to its (sometimes occasional) presence throughout North America as well as the eastern coast of Asia. Like other gulls, the Slaty-backed Gull is both a forager and a scavenger, that’s why it was at home on the rubbish tip...but Rainham...wow! I don’t think Cranham would have coped, let alone Brickfields Car Park!
I went to the Rainham Reserve today and listed over 50 species, but apparently 81 was recorded, so you see some and miss some ( dipped out, in birdspeak). Last year’s (2011) number of different birds seen over Brickfields is 49...never mind, come on its heaven to me! I’ll tell you about my ‘life list’ another time.
I will visit Brickfields tomorrow and happy to do so !
Bye for now.
30.12.2011
Cranham Brickfields:
Well Christmas is gone and so has my Turkey, now I have to get over the reserve more and walk off the extra pounds ! The New Year is nearly upon us and I am hopeful Brickfields will provide us with more new sightings of Wildlife and the wonders of nature.
I have installed a new page on the website, called The Notice Board. I am going to update it with Brickfields information and events regarding wildlife topics, that will be happening locally. So much more can be achieved as a group ( see the notice board)!
A quick look around Brickfields at lunchtime today, surprised the fat ball I hang up last week ( near the pond) is only half eaten, I thought that would had been long gone! Still a Blue tit and a Great tit were hanging around eyeing it. A couple of Robins and Blackbirds heard singing, a few Chaffinches around as well and a couple of Jays. It’s been a good year for Jays breeding over Brickfields, I had seen a good few juveniles in the summer. Thanks Steve for the information about the Jays that come into your garden. Some people don’t like them, because they are of the Corvidae family of birds, which includes the Crows and Magpies. I think they are great, mainly because of their lovely colours in their plumage. (See pic).
A good few dog walkers today and others taking in the fresh air and even some with their new Christmas presents ! Like Guy with his dad, taking pictures of Birds, great to see, good on yer, the next generation of Wildlife experts. That’s how people like Chris Packham and Bill Oddie started.... Springwatch.... What about Cranhamwatch.... Phew, now that’s a thought !
Bye for now  Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
21.12.2011
Brickfields
Well today is the shortest day of the year, that means after today the days are getting longer! Soon be Spring. Cor.. Christmas is not here yet!
Yesterday, had a look at the platform. All the non- slip surface boards have been removed and I am led to believe they will be relayed and fixed with screws and a rubberized glue beneath as well, so they will be doubly hard to lift. The lengths we have to go to prevent mindless vandalism. We could spend the money on better things to enhance the reserve!
On the nature side, the Redwings are still about feeding on the berries and have now been joined by more Blackbirds. Still quiet on the Robin front, I did not see many, only two. The recent rain has lifted the pond level a bit and the most ducks I have seen on the pond, twelve in all, oh and one Moorhen were paddling about. All the ducks were Mallards and they were quite nervous, looking to take off any minute. Managed to take a photograph of a few of them. The light was very poor, so sorry about the quality.
Bye for now.  Eight of the twelve Mallards seen, Males & females
keeping close to the edge.
14.12.2011
Need to get out more...Just the book for you... Makes a nice Christmas present!
Walk Wild Essex - By Tony Gunton Price: £9.75
Wildlife walks in Essex and east London This new book describes 50 different walks in every part of Essex and east London, many easily accessible by train or tube. Full colour route maps include landscape features such as hedges and woods, to make it easier for you to find your way, and are supported by detailed stage-by-stage directions.The maps are accompanied by summaries, including best time, highlights, drawbacks and the going; information on local transport and parking, and places to eat or picnic; notes on wildlife to look out for en route and colour photographs of landscapes and species you are likely to see. Tony lives local to Upminster and is Hon. Warden of Cranham Marsh ( Essex Wildlife Trust Reserve ).
Available at Swan Book shop in Upminster, R.S.P.B. shop at Rainham Marsh reserve or buy on line,
see Website http://www.wildessex.netHighly recommended, it has Cranham Marsh, Brickfields and Franks Wood in the book of course. I've been told at home if I am good, Santa might bring it at Christmas. Bye for now
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