Didimendum1's photostream  

Top left: an Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)
Top right: a Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) takes a dive
Bottom left: Hawthorn Blossom (Crataegus monogyna)
Bottom right: a Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Birds identified during a brief visit (it started to drizzle cutting the visit short): Cormorants, Robin (1 bird), Wren (1 bird), Dunnocks, Blue Tit (1 bird), Blackbirds (2 birds), Oystercatchers (4 birds), Carrion Crows (2 birds), Teals, European Herring Gull (1 bird), Magpies (2 birds), Wood Pigeons, Wigeons, Mallards (there were more than usual about today, especially by the Outfall of the Sewage Works), Lapwings, Mute Swans (2 birds), Shelducks, Gadwalls, Coots (2 birds), Black-Headed Gulls, Black-Tailed Godwits (2 birds) and Redshanks.

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'The Thames supports thousands of ducks, wading birds and gulls in autumn and winter. Over a thousand Teal can be seen feeding on the mud at low tide, alongside waders such as Dunlin, Redshank and Godwits. Black-headed Gulls and ducks such as Gadwall and Shoveler congregate around the Outfall from the Crossness Sewage Works, where nutrients in the treated effluent attract small fish and invertebrates. In summer, shoals of larger fish, especially Grey Mullet, can be seen in the water by the outfall. The fish provide food for birds such as Herons, Cormorants and Terns.'

See ... www.belvederegreenlinks.org.uk/index.php?cID=115 ...

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Top 'Portant: There is again talk of the possibility of building a new airport in the Thames Estuary. According to the Kent Wildlife Trust, 'the Thames [and Medway estuaries] are extremely rich in wildlife and are internationally important for nature conservation. An airport here, whether coastal or offshore, will be catastrophic for wildlife communities.'

Vessel's Name: Sand Falcon
IMO Number: 9151553
Flag: United Kingdom
Call Sign: MXAW7
MMSI Number: 232215000
Port of Registry: Southampton
Type of Vessel: Dredger
Built: 1998
Classification Society: Unknown
Operator: CEMEX UK Marine ... www.cemex.co.uk/aa/aa_ma.asp ...

Information is gathered from various published sources and represents an interpretation ~ it is not guaranteed nor may it be relied upon

Picture 1. A Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Picture 2. Two Teals (Anas crecca)
Picture 3. A Redshank (Tringa totanus)
Picture 4. Three unidentified Young Gulls
Picture 5. A Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) and three Black-Headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Picture 6. A Curlew (Numenius arquata) and a Black-Headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Picture 7. A Black-Tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Picture 8. A Dunlin (Calidris alpina) and a Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Picture 9. A Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

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'The Thames supports thousands of ducks, wading birds and gulls in autumn and winter. Over a thousand Teal can be seen feeding on the mud at low tide, alongside waders such as Dunlin, Redshank and Godwits. Black-headed Gulls and ducks such as Gadwall and Shoveler congregate around the Outfall from the Crossness Sewage Works, where nutrients in the treated effluent attract small fish and invertebrates. In summer, shoals of larger fish, especially Grey Mullet, can be seen in the water by the outfall. The fish provide food for birds such as Herons, Cormorants and Terns.'

See ... www.belvederegreenlinks.org.uk/index.php?cID=115 ...

It's not the best of pictures so I have added some white fluff around the edge to add to the general confusion! But I don't know if I will be as lucky in future so I may as well go with this one.

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According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Mute Swan is, 'a very large white waterbird. It has a long S-shaped neck, and an orange bill with black at the base of it. Flies with its neck extended and regular slow wingbeats. The population in the UK has increased recently, perhaps due to better protection of this species. The problem of lead poisoning on lowland rivers has also largely been solved by a ban on the sale of lead fishing weights. Some birds stay in their territories all year, while others move short distances and form winter flocks. In cold weather, some birds arrive from Europe into eastern England.' The species is on the Green List*.

See ... www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/muteswan/ ...

* See ... www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/status_explained.aspx ... for explanations of Red, Amber and Green List criteria

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Birds seen/identified: Mallards, Coots, a pair of Shovelers, a pair of Great Crested Grebes (one sitting on a nest ~ Coots were nesting nearby), Mute Swans (see above), (White) Domestic Geese, Tufted Ducks, Canada Geese, a Little Grebe, Moorhens, Black-Headed Gulls, Magpies, Feral Pigeons, Carrion Crows and a few noisy Ring Necked Parakeets.

Birds seen/identified: Mallards (see above), Coots, a pair of Shovelers (see above), a pair of Great Crested Grebes ~ one sitting on a nest ~ Coots were nesting nearby (see above), Mute Swans (see above), (White) Domestic Geese (see above), Tufted Ducks (see above), Canada Geese (see above), a Little Grebe, Moorhens, Black-Headed Gulls (see above), Magpies, Cormorants, Feral Pigeons, Carrion Crows and a few noisy Ring-Necked Parakeets.