Two Cetti’s Warblers were again heard along the lower Cray on Monday (March 9th) , one in the scrub between the Cray and River Wansunt just below Maiden Lane, and one on Thames Road Wetland. The species first bred in Britain in 1973, and now winters here in some numbers, though is still confined to south and south-east England. It has been frequent at Crossness for some time, but would now appear to be establishing a secure foothold in the Cray corridor. It is a bird more often heard than seen, and is to be found in scrub in and around wetland habitats.
A Water Rail was heard in the Reedmace-filled pool south of the Wansunt, opposite the Samas-Roneo development on the old Vickers site by Maiden Lane. Another called from Stanham Farm south of Thames Road Wetland, and a third from the Wetland itself, where a Grey Heron and Common Snipe (Amber-listed due to a steep population decline in southern lowland wet grassland in the last 25 years) were flushed. A couple of Teal were also on site.
Thames Road Wetland on a grey March day can still boast Water Rail, a vocal and highly mobile Cetti’s Warbler, Common Snipe, Teal and Grey Heron. (Photo: Chris Rose)
There was a rather depressing amount of ‘winter wash-out’ litter in the Cray along by-way 105, plus four car tyres and sacks of rubbish. The Bexley citizenry could save the Council a lot of money and free up much volunteer time to do more for wildlife by acting responsibly, instead of treating the wider environment as a rubbish dump.
Winter wash-out, caused by heightened water levels dislodging litter from the reduced bankside vegetation, along with dumped car tyres that have been thrown into the river, disfiguring the lower Cray by By-way 105. (Photo: Chris Rose)
