I haven’t been to Dartford Marshes for a couple of years now; quite frankly, that is because it isn’t that great a place and when I’m home I usually visit other sites; however, I decided to take a look today to see what was about.

Dartford marsh is not much of a marsh really, just a bunch of fields and rough land, but an open area of land in what is becoming an increasingly developed corridor along the River Thames which can sometimes turn up some interesting species. I drove as far towards the river wall as is possible and parked. I walked just a few metres when a Corn Bunting landed on a fence post and began to call. He was a real monster of a Corn Bunting and not at all shy allowing me to approach to about 3 metres. I watched him for about 10 minutes as he called across an area of ryegrass cultivated for a local model airplane club. The few times I flushed him, he immediately returned to the same place, indicating that this was his selected territory. at no time did I see any female or any other calling males. However, I didn’t walk around the whole area so they may have been other birds around, although the sun was out, ideal weather for calling Corn Buntings, and search as I might, I couldn’t detect any other Corn Buntings.

Further along a Reed Bunting was singing from a reedy ditch along with some Reed and Sedge Warblers and numerous Skylarks were singing away as was a lone Meadow Pipit.

At the river a number of gulls were loafing around; a few Great Black-backed, about 10 Lesser Black-backed, 3 Herring Gulls and lots of Black-headed Gulls including a few of this year’s juveniles, but most interesting were two first year Yellow-legged Gulls – Dartford Marsh is a pretty reliable site for this species. A Common Sandpiper flushed from the river bank and headed towards Essex. Further along 3 more Common Sandpipers were feeding and a family of Linnets were feeding on weed seeds.

I walked along to Littlebrook power station to look for Black Redstarts that used to nest there but found only House Martins, Starlings, Pied Wagtails and Cormorants.

By this time I was getting hot and was late for lunch with my grandparents so I hurried back to the car seeing a Green Woodpecker and a Whitethroat on the way.

Littlebrook Power Station and Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge, Dartford Marsh