A pleasant walk around the reserve at Rye Meads today, after the recent unsettled weather it was good to feel the sun on my back. I met with members of RSPB Havering Local Group for our last meeting of this season's calendar.
We started in the Draper Hide where amongst the many wildfowl the drake Garganey was soon found asleep on one of the islands. It soon stirred it's self and had a swim and a fly around, but always remained on the far side of the scrape. Also seen here were a few Stock Doves, Common Terns and a single Green Sandpiper.
From the Gadwall Hide were more terns and a female Pochard with six ducklings and many black-headed Gulls most with quite large juveniles. A pair of Little Grebes were also seen.
We spotted around ten Holly Blue butterflies along with single Orange-tip and Brimstone.
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| View from the Draper Hide |
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| drake Garganey with Shoveler in the foreground |
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| Looking out from the Gadwall Hide |
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| Holly Blue |
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| View from Tern Hide |
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| Nursery-web Spider with egg sac |
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| Helophilus pendulus Common Tiger Hoverfly |
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| young Coots from the Kingfisher Hide but no sign of the Kingfishers, they were seen soon after we left the hide! |
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| Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle Agapanthia villosoviridescens |
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| Banded Demoiselle |
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| On our way back to the Visitor Centre |
