Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 12th April 2026

Date: 12th April 2026

Time: from 8:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, moderate wind, 9°C to 11°C

It was sunny but chilly for my visit this morning, especially given the brisk wind.

I walked the complete site this morning and recorded 20 species of birds with some excellent sightings. These included 2 additions to my 2026 site list: Willow Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat

Lesser Whitethroat is a species that I record at the site every year during the spring and early summer but I only recorded Willow Warbler for the first time in 2023. It is a particularly elusive species and, whilst a singing male is very distinctive, I have only actually seen it on a single occasion in 2024.

The notable bird records during my visit were as follows ….

Willow Warbler: singing male heard in the scrub and wooded area behind the pond in the northern section of the site but typically mobile and unseen

Lesser Whitethroat: brief view of a singing male as it flew from one bush to another in the northern section of the site adjacent to the paddock

Blackcap: at least 6 singing males and an alarm calling bird heard across the site with a single male seen in the northern section of the site

Chiffchaff: at least 5 singing males and a calling bird heard across the site but none seen

Green Woodpecker: 1 heard calling in the eastern section of the cemetery

Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1 heard “drumming” briefly in the northern section of the site

Jackdaw: 3 seen flying high over the northern section of the site in a northerly direction

As I arrived in the northern section of the site, I quickly spotted a Red Fox which was largely obscured by vegetation. I think this was the same animal that closely watched me during my last visit on 2nd April 2026!

Photo: Red Fox

In addition, I saw 3 Grey Squirrels, 2 in the wooded area at the end of the access track from Larkins Tyres and another in the eastern section of the cemetery.

Finally, it was good to see a few Bluebells emerging in the churchyard.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Willow Warbler

Lesser Whitethroat

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Stock Dove

Green Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Blue Tit 

Great Tit

Robin

Wren

Song Thrush

House Sparrow

Goldfinch

Jay

Jackdaw

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Woodpigeon

Herring Gull

Red Fox

Grey Squirrel

Site totals for 2026 to date (2025 and 2024 totals in brackets): 

Birds = 36 (50) (49)

Mammals = 3 (4) (3)

Butterflies = 0 (23) (17)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (11) (11)

Reptiles = 0 (0) (0)

Amphibians = 0 (0) (0)

Total species list for the site 

Birds = 70

Mammals = 8

Butterflies = 26

Dragonflies and damselflies = 14

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

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Trip away from SS15 – RSPB Canvey Wick, Canvey Island, Essex – 9th April 2026

This morning, I had my usual early April visit to RSPB Canvey Wick, primarily to try and record spring/summer migrants, in particular Nightingale.

Canvey Wick is a former landfill site and the location of a proposed oil refinery on Canvey Island in Essex. The site closed in the 1980s and then lay derelict for years. It became a liability for the former landowner, East of England Development Agency (EEDA), and, along with Natural England, they approached the Land Trust to help find a sustainable exit strategy for the land to provide high quality open space next to land identified for commercial development. 

The Land Trust subsequently established a steering group with key stakeholders, including Natural England, Castle Point Borough Council, RSPB and Buglife and secured funding from the Government to assess and prepare a "vision" for the site. The site was recognised as a priority within the Thames Gateway South Essex Green Grid Strategy and secured endowment funding from the Parklands initiative which allowed acquisition of the site.

The Land Trust helped transfer a landowner’s liability into an asset, provided expertise in sustainable land management benefiting local communities and conservation and securely invested and protected the endowment, thereby removing the risk of continued dereliction. The RSPB is the appointed managing partner with significant involvement from Buglife to advise on enhancing the habitats for the rare and endangered invertebrates.

Canvey Wick is now a well-established 93.2 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and it was designated as such on 11th February 2005, the first "brownfield" site to be protected specifically for its invertebrates. The RSPB manage 18.5 hectares of the SSSI as a nature reserve in partnership with Buglife and on behalf of the Land Trust.

It is a unique ex-industrial habitat but it also has grassland and scrub habitats plus small wooded areas and it is adjacent to the important estuarine habitats of Holehaven Creek.

It is known to be exceptionally rich in plant, insect and animal species with as many species per square metre as a rain forest and it is one of the most important sites in the UK for endangered invertebrate species (the site is home to over 1300 species of invertebrate including at least 30 on the UK "Red List" of endangered species).

More information .... 

RSPB - Canvey Wick

Buglife - Canvey Wick

Land Trust - Canvey Wick

Wikipedia - Canvey Wick

The Guardian - Canvey Wick: the Essex "rain forest" that is home to Britain’s rarest insects

And so on to my visit to RSPB Canvey Wick this morning .... 

It was excellent with the sight and sound of spring/summer migrants everywhere!

I added the following to my UK list for 2026, taking it to 137 species: Nightingale, Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Mediterranean Gull

The highlights of my visit, which were primarily spring/summer migrants, were as follows:

Nightingale: at least 12 singing males, 2 seen with a single very showy bird singing in the open from a tree branch

Common Whitethroat: 7 singing males, 2 seen

Willow Warbler: 1 calling bird heard but unseen

Blackcap: at least 15 singing males, 5 males and 2 females seen

Chiffchaff: at least 15 singing males, 8 seen

Unfortunately, I failed to record the following which I have often seen at RSPB Canvey Wick, albeit usually slightly later in April: Cuckoo, Swallow, Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler.

In addition, I recorded the following: Cetti's Warbler (5 singing males, 1 seen), Reed Bunting (1 male), Common Buzzard (2 soaring together), Mediterranean Gull (at least 4 calling overhead), Green Woodpecker (2 heard calling), Shelduck (2 flew over), Grey Heron (1 flew over), Red Fox (1), Peacock (4), Orange Tip (3), Brimstone (2), "white" sp. (at least 10)

Despite the abundance of birds, photography was relatively challenging although I did manage to get a few photos, not least of a singing male Nightingale ....

Photo: male Nightingale

Photo: male Nightingale

Photo: male Nightingale

Photo: male Nightingale

Photo: male Chaffinch

Photo: male Chaffinch

Photo: male Wren

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: male Chiffchaff

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Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 2nd April 2026

Date: 2nd April 2026

Time: from 8:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, cloudy/bright, light wind, 6°C to 8°C

The weather for my visit this morning was not particularly spring-like, not least given the very cold wind, but there were some obvious signs such as the Chiffchaff, Blackcap and other bird song plus the profusion of blackthorn and hawthorn blossom.

I focused on the northern section of the site and recorded 22 species of birds with some excellent sightings. These included 3 additions to my 2026 site list: Red Kite, Sparrowhawk and Grey Heron.

The notable bird records during my visit were as follows ….

Red Kite: 1 seen flying over the northern section of the site heading in a northerly direction

Common Buzzard: 1 heard “mewing” but unseen as I walked along the access track from Larkins Tyres but then the same bird briefly seen as I entered the northern section of the site

Sparrowhawk: 1 seen briefly soaring and displaying over the trees at the far end of the northern section of the site

Grey Heron: 1 seen flying over in a westerly direction shortly after I entered the northern section of the site and then presumably a different bird again seen flying over heading in the same direction

Blackcap: at least 3 singing males heard but none seen in the northern section of the site

Chiffchaff: singing male seen in the wooded area along the access track from Larkins Tyres and at least another 3 singing males heard but none seen in the northern section of the site

Stock Dove: 2 (a presumed pair) seen again in the tall trees at the far end of the northern section of the site

Green Woodpecker: 1 heard calling distantly in the northern section of the site and another heard calling from the central section of the cemetery

Undoubtedly, the highlight of my visit was only my second record of Red Kite for the site after my first on 26th August 2025. Unfortunately, the bird was distant and flying away from me plus the light was poor so I failed to get any photos. However, this is a cropped record shot of the bird that I saw on 26th August 2025.

Photo: Red Kite seen on 25th August 2025

As I arrived in the northern section of the site, I quickly spotted a Red Fox which was largely obscured by vegetation. It was clearly watching me and then, after I had passed by at some distance, it briefly emerged. Later on, I briefly saw what I assumed was the same Red Fox at the edge of the pond and when I finally left the northern section of the site I saw what I suspect was the same animal again watching me.

Photo: Red Fox

Photo: Red Fox

Photo: Red Fox

Photo: Red Fox

Photo: Red Fox

In addition, I saw a Grey Squirrel in the wooded area along the access track from Larkins Tyres.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Red Kite

Common Buzzard

Sparrowhawk

Grey Heron

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Stock Dove

Green Woodpecker

Blue Tit 

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Dunnock

Wren

Goldfinch

House Sparrow

Jay

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Woodpigeon

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Herring Gull

Red Fox

Grey Squirrel

Site totals for 2026 to date (2025 and 2024 totals in brackets): 

Birds = 34 (50) (49)

Mammals = 3 (4) (3)

Butterflies = 0 (23) (17)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (11) (11)

Reptiles = 0 (0) (0)

Amphibians = 0 (0) (0)

Total species list for the site 

Birds = 70

Mammals = 8

Butterflies = 26

Dragonflies and damselflies = 14

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

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Visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve – 1st April 2026

Date: 1st April 2026

Time: from 8:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, cloudy/bright, light wind, 6°C to 8°C

On my walk over to the reserve, I saw both a singing male Chiffchaff and a singing male Blackcap.

Although relatively quiet, my visit to the reserve this morning was productive and included 3 further additions to my 2026 site list: Blackcap, Jackdaw and Dunnock.

Having already recorded my first Blackcaps of the year at my St. Nicholas Church local patch site and immediately adjacent to where I live, I was fully expecting to record my first at the reserve this morning. This proved to be the case with both a pair seen plus other singing males seen and/or heard.

This year's first record of Blackcap for the reserve is much later than that last year (9th March 2025), although I suspect if I had visited during the previous 2 weeks I would have heard and/or seen a singing male earlier. In the 2 years prior to 2025, my first records of Blackcap were on 20th March 2024 and 8th April 2023.

The notable bird records during my visit were as follows ….

Blackcap: male and female seen together in the woodland adjacent to Willow Pond, singing male seen and photographed in the area at the start of the loop path in the eastern section and a singing male heard in the area behind Meadow Pond (although possibly the same bird as already seen) and another singing male heard in the Thorny Wood area

Chiffchaff: singing males heard in the wooded area behind Willow Pond, in the wooded area between the storage shed and Puckles Pond and in the area at the start of the loop path in the eastern section

Jackdaw: 2 seen flying over the wooded area near the Spanish Steps

Moorhen: 1 seen on Willow Pond

Mallard: 2 seen flying high over Meadow Pond

I also saw 3 Grey Squirrels: 1 in the wooded area near the Spanish Steps, 1 in Thorny Wood and 1 in the trees adjacent to Meadow Pond.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Jackdaw

Moorhen

Mallard

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Robin

Wren

Blackbird

Song Thrush

Dunnock

Woodpigeon

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Herring Gull

Grey Squirrel

Here are some other photos from my visit ….

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: male Chiffchaff

Photo: male Wren

Site totals for 2026 to date (2025 and 2024 totals in brackets):

Birds = 22 (34) (39)

Mammals = 1 (3) (3)

Butterflies = 1 (17) (12)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (7) (11)

Reptiles = 0 (1) (0)

Amphibians = 0 (1) (1)

Total species list for the site:

Birds = 50

Mammals = 5

Butterflies = 23

Dragonflies and damselflies = 15

Reptiles = 2

Amphibians = 3

Love nature .... act now

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💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature