Birding the River Thames at Purfleet > Fraser's Birding Website

River Thames at Purfleet © Fraser Simpson

Birding from the living room window (The Observatory)
In July 2015 I moved from London to Purfleet-on-Thames, Essex. The Thames estuary is a major flyway for many species and the tidal mud exposed along the river, particularly at the mouth of Dartford Creek (River Darent) attracts waders, gull and wildfowl. In addition, the seasonal north-south movements of migrants between Essex and Kent and the daily movents between the river and Rainham Marshes at high tide provide an ever-changing scene, rewarding regular observation. So far, I have recorded 166 species.

Highlights
Black Tern, Avocet, Common Scoter, Barn Owl, Little Tern, Hobby, Short-eared Owl, Ring Ouzel, Caspian Gull, Fulmar, Iceland Gull, Kittiwake, Curlew Sandpiper, White-fronted Goose, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Merlin, Waxwing, Guillemot, Osprey, Lapland Bunting, Great White Egret, Woodlark, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Great Northern Diver, Cattle Egret, Roseate Tern, Goshawk, White Stork, Spoonbill, Gannet, Sabine's Gull, Dartford Warbler, Slavonian Grebe.

The List Purfleet-on-Thames

• Lockdown 2020 Trip Report * Sound recorded (nocmig) - not heard/seen 'live'

No	Species	Date	Notes
166	Slavonian Grebe	03/12/22	Drifting downstream on River Thames
165	Goldeneye	17/10/20	Female flying up and down river
164	Dartford Warbler	15/10/20	Female in the garden!
163	Sabine's Gull	27/09/20	Juvenile flew upriver 14:09
162	Gannet	27/09/20	Adult and juvenile on the river 12:26
161	Spoonbill	28/06/20	Feeding in Thames late evening, 2 on 29-30 Jun.
160	Tawny Owl*	25/05/20	Female calling distantly at 03:09. M on 20/03/21.
159	Pochard	30/04/20	Two males and a female flew downriver
158	White Stork	13/03/20	Pair circling. Roosted overnight Crayford Marshes
157	Goshawk	18/12/19	Male at Darent mouth
156	Moorhen	20/11/19	West bank of creek mouth, flushed by dog.
155	Firecrest	16/11/19	In garden hedgerow
154	European Shag	30/09/19	Juvenile flew downriver 08:29
153	Willow Warbler	19/08/19	Two migrants in hedgerow
152	Roseate Tern	05/05/19	Ad flew upriver at 14:23
151	Cattle Egret	28/10/18	Flew SE from Rainham RSPB at 16:07
150	Great Northern Diver	28/10/18	Drifting upriver 11:07
149	Hen Harrier	28/10/18	Ringtail over Dartford Marshes 08:05
148	Great Skua	23/09/18	Flew west upriver
147	Bearded Reedling	12/08/18	Flew east along river bank
146	Red Kite	21/04/18	Two over Dartford Marshes
145	Jack Snipe	18/01/18	Flushed by a hunting Marsh Harrier
144	Water Pipit	02/12/17	Feeding on foreshore edge
143	Hawfinch	28/10/17	Two flew south
142	Woodlark	14/10/17	Migrant calling in flight
141	Siskin	08/10/17	Migrant calling in flight
140	Great White Egret	05/10/17	Dropped into River Darent, out of view
139	Lapland Bunting	23/09/17	Migrant calling in flight
138	Osprey	02/09/17	Circling River Darent mouth; perched on 03/09/17
137	Guillemot	31/08/17	Flew downriver 07:20; another on 22/10/19
136	Turtle Dove	04/05/17	Flew east along Kent river wall 08:16
135	Little Stint	04/05/17	On mud till 07:56
134	Coot	22/01/17	Single on river, frozen out of marshes
133	Waxwing	22/01/17	3 flew west, calling
132	Ruff	21/01/17	2 flew upriver 10:18
131	Corn Bunting	14/01/17	8 in scrub on Dartford Marshes river wall
130	Red-breasted Merganser	30/11/16	Pair flew upriver
129	Merlin	05/11/16	Adult male flew upriver
128	Tufted Duck	25/10/16	Male drifting upriver with 19 Wigeon
127	Arctic Skua	08/10/16	juv upriver 07:15
126	White-fronted Goose	06/10/16	24 downriver
125	Tree Pipit	02/09/16	One flew east calling at 08:06
124	Lesser Whitethroat	28/08/16	Female in the garden
123	Yellow Wagtail	27/08/16	One flew east calling at 09:23
122	Curlew Sandpiper	23/08/16	Dartford Creek mouth
121	Great Spotted Woodpecker	10/08/16	Heard from gardens
120	Green Woodpecker	09/08/16	Juvenile on bank of Dartford Creek mouth
119	Cuckoo	08/05/16	Flying west over Dartford Marshes
118	Whitethroat	08/05/16	Two pairs 'scoped on the Kent river wall scrub
117	Little Gull	14/04/16	1st-s on the river
116	Kittiwake	28/02/16	Winter-plumage adult downriver 15:12
115	Iceland Gull	27/02/16	1st-w on mud at River Darent mouth
114	Fulmar	13/02/16
113	Reed Bunting	12/02/16
112	Caspian Gull	06/02/16
111	Dark-bellied Brent Goose	06/02/16
110	Song Thrush	03/01/16
109	Goosander	26/12/15
108	Lesser Redpoll	26/11/15
107	Grey Plover	24/11/15
106	Pintail	22/11/15
105	Mistle Thrush	22/11/15
104	Brambling	12/11/15
103	Shoveler	04/11/15
102	Little Grebe	03/11/15
101	Knot	03/11/15
100	Rock Pipit	31/10/15
99	Spotted Redshank	25/10/15
98	Cetti's Warbler	25/10/15
97	Raven	24/10/15
96	Pink-footed Goose	24/10/15
95	Fieldfare	20/10/15
94	Chaffinch	19/10/15
93	Goldcrest	19/10/15
92	Ring Ouzel	19/10/15
91	Short-eared Owl	17/10/15
90	Stonechat	13/10/15
89	Blackcap	08/10/15
88	Redwing	08/10/15
87	Great Tit	02/10/15
86	Greenfinch	27/09/15
85	Golden Plover	26/09/15
84	Meadow Pipit	25/09/15
83	Jay	25/09/15
82	Whinchat	23/09/15
81	Chiffchaff	22/09/15
80	Snipe	06/09/15
79	Blue Tit	03/09/15
78	Hobby	02/09/15
77	Grey Wagtail	02/09/15
76	Pied Wagtail	01/09/15
75	Wheatear	01/09/15
74	Barn Owl	26/08/15
73	Pheasant	26/08/15
72	Long-tailed Tit	24/08/15
71	Black Tern	24/08/15
70	Wigeon	24/08/15
69	Mute Swan	24/08/15
68	Jackdaw	24/08/15
67	Robin	24/08/15
66	Rook	19/08/15
65	Bar-tailed Godwit	16/08/15
64	Little Tern	15/08/15
63	Kingfisher	11/08/15
62	Sandwich Tern	09/08/15
61	Wren	09/08/15
60	Teal	08/08/15
59	House Martin	07/08/15
58	Avocet	03/08/15
57	Great Crested Grebe	01/08/15
56	Peregrine	01/08/15
55	Turnstone	26/07/15
54	Ringed Plover	26/07/15
53	Green Sandpiper	26/07/15
52	Arctic Tern	26/07/15
51	Canada Goose	21/07/15
50	Dunnock	20/07/15
49	Curlew	20/07/15
48	Gadwall	20/07/15
47	Sanderling	19/07/15
46	Sand Martin	19/07/15
45	Reed Warbler	19/07/15
44	Sparrowhawk	18/07/15
43	Little Egret	18/07/15
42	Goldfinch	17/07/15
41	Common Scoter	13/07/15
40	Greylag Goose	12/07/15
39	Mediterranean Gull	12/07/15
38	Swallow	11/07/15
37	Egyptian Goose	10/07/15
36	Whimbrel	10/07/15
35	Greenshank	09/07/15
34	Ring-necked Parakeet	09/07/15
33	Skylark	09/07/15
32	Common Gull	09/07/15
31	Black-tailed Godwit	08/07/15
30	Stock Dove	07/07/15
29	Buzzard	07/07/15
28	Wood Pigeon	07/07/15
27	Feral Pigeon	07/07/15
26	Blackbird	07/07/15
25	Kestrel	07/07/15
24	Linnet	06/07/15
23	Magpie	06/07/15
22	Little Ringed Plover	05/07/15
21	Marsh Harrier	05/07/15
20	Collared Dove	05/07/15
19	Swift	05/07/15
18	Starling	05/07/15
17	Mallard	05/07/15
16	House Sparrow	05/07/15
15	Common Sandpiper	05/07/15
14	Great Black-backed Gull	05/07/15
13	Cormorant	05/07/15
12	Dunlin	05/07/15
11	Carrion Crow	03/07/15
10	Grey Heron	03/07/15
9	Common Tern	03/07/15
8	Oystercatcher	03/07/15
7	Redshank	02/07/15
6	Lapwing	02/07/15
5	Shelduck	02/07/15
4	Yellow-legged Gull	02/07/15
3	Lesser Black-backed Gull	02/07/15
2	Herring Gull	02/07/15
1	Black-headed Gull	02/07/15

Peak Counts (to Jan 2023)
Black-headed Gull (4000), Dunlin (1851), Lapwing (1200), Herring Gull (904), Starling (590), Fieldfare (430), Swift (380), Black-tailed Godwit (350), Wood Pigeon (300), Common Gull (300), Wigeon (265), Chaffinch (249), Golden Plover (244), Redshank (217), Lesser Black-backed Gull (177), Common Tern (146), Goldfinch (125), Redwing (120), Feral Pigeon (120), Great Black-backed Gull (116), Teal (94), Carrion Crow (93), Canada Goose (91), Yellow-legged Gull (88), Greylag Goose (80), Stock Dove (70), Swallow (62), Mallard (61), Linnet (60), Avocet (57), Arctic Tern (56), Shelduck (48), Meadow Pipit (48), House Martin (47), Magpie (43), Skylark (43), Collared Dove (42), Ringed Plover (36), Ring-necked Parakeet (36), Bar-tailed Godwit (35), Sand Martin (32), Curlew (29), Gadwall (27), House Sparrow (22), Kittiwake (21), Cormorant (19), Shoveler (17), Grey Plover (17), Long-tailed Tit (17), Sandwich Tern (16), Common Scoter (15), Pied Wagtail (15), Snipe (14), Jackdaw (14), Rook (14), Pintail (12), Whimbrel (12), Common Sandpiper (12), Little Gull (11), Oystercatcher (10), Brent Goose (10), Mediterranean Gull (10).