Please fill out the form at the bottom of the page to submit your own sightings. I can also be contacted on the following telephone numbers: Home (01702) 525152 or Mobile: 07805 418751. If you happen to see a real rarity I would appreciate a text to my mobile number so that the news can be put out as quickly as possible.
Please send us ALL of your wildlife sightings – not just the birds! Note that you can also add your photographs to our Facebook page click here
Monday 12th October 2026 | south south east, mostly cloudy, max13c
No reports received for this day.
Sunday 11th October 2026 | west north west, partly cloudy, max16c
RSPB West Canvey Marsh ( roadside hide only ) 08:00 to 09:00
3 Ruff, 8 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Snipe, 30 Grey Plover ( high over ), 1 Pintail, 4 Stonechat, 20+ Meadow Pipit, 6 Skylark, 1 Kestrel, 1 Buzzard. Terry Blackwell.
Saturday 10th October 2026 | westerly, partly cloudy, max16c
Hockley Woods 08:40 to 09:00
Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Robin, Blackbird, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, small number but very noisy Nuthatch, Buzzard calling. David Z.
Two Tree Island 11:20 to 12:30
1 Red Kite (very low over West side), 4 Sandwich Tern, 20+ Greenshank, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit. Joe Dickens.
Friday 09th October 2026 | west south west, rain, mostly cloudy, max20c
RSPB Rainham Marshes 07:20 to 11:30
1 Grey Plover, 3 Pintail, 1 Rock Pipit, 5+ Yellow-legged Gull, 4 Stonechat, 2 Dunlin, 150+ Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Curlew, 1 Lapwing, 1 Peregrine, 3 Marsh Harrier, 3 Common Buzzard, 5 Kestrel, 4 Wigeon, 200+ Teal, 150+ Shoveler, 60+ Shelduck, 50+ Gadwall, 1 Little Grebe, 100+ Greylag Goose, 11 Cormorant, 4 Grey Heron, 2 Pheasant, 40+ Great Black-backed Gull, 5 Common Gull, 250+ Black-headed Gull, 500+ Herring Gull, 150+ Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Skylark, 5 Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Reed Bunting, 16 Meadow Pipit, 50+ Linnet, 50+ Goldfinch, 1 Grey Wagtail, 4 Pied Wagtail. 8 Harbour Seal. 2 Clouded Yellow, 1 Common Blue. Richard Beesly.
Canvey Point 09:15 to 10:05
25 Swallow, 2 House Martin, 2 Common Tern. Terry Blackwell.
Thursday 08th October 2026 | west north west, partly cloudy, max15c
Canvey Point 07:40 to 10:40
17 Razorbill (many of them on the water), 8 Arctic Skua (6 dark phase and 2 pale phase), 1 Great Skua (juvenile), 50 Kittiwake (only the juveniles counted), 12 Sandwich Tern, 3 Little Tern (including 2 Juveniles), 1 Rock Pipit, 500+ Brent Geese, 20 Grey Plover. Terry Blackwell.
Canvey Point & Chapman Sands 08:15 to 10:30
17 Razorbill (in small groups in estuary), 1 Great Skua (juv. in and out at 9am), 8 Arctic Skua (2 pale and 6 dark phase birds in estuary chasing terns and gulls), 54 Kittiwake (juveniles following ships – groups of 24+18+8+4), 1 Rock Pipit (rocks near yacht club), 1 Mediterranean Gull, 15+ Sandwich Tern, 100+ Brent Goose (dark bellied), 36 Grey Plover, 6 Turnstone, 7 Curlew, 500+ Oystercatcher, 8 Wigeon, 25+ Cormorant, 12 Great Crested Grebe, 14 Little Egret, 4 Common Gull, 3 Great Black-backed Gull, 100+ Herring Gull, 100+ Black-headed Gull, 50+ Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Meadow Pipit, 3 Goldfinch, 6 Pied Wagtail. 4 Grey Seal. Richard Beesly.
RSPB Bowers Marsh 11:00 to 13:30
3 Spoonbill (main lagoon), 1 Curlew Sandpiper (main lagoon), 2 Golden Plover (main lagoon), 1 Whinchat (field off manorway), 4 Bearded Tit, 1 Hobby (over Don’s Marsh), 4 Corn Bunting, 1 Avocet, 2 Greenshank, 5 Common Snipe, 200+ Black-tailed Godwit, 18 Ringed Plover, 6 Dunlin, 100+ Lapwing, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Common Buzzard, 5 Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk, 70+ Teal, 100+ Shoveler, 1 Grey Heron, 100+ Canada Goose, 50+ Black-headed Gull, 20+ Herring Gull, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Skylark, 8 Reed Bunting, 4 Meadow Pipit, 11 Stonechat, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Barn Swallow, 50+ Linnet, 1 Chaffinch, 5 Goldfinch, 2 Pied Wagtail. 1 Red Admiral, 1 Large White, 1 Meadow Brown. Richard Beesly.
Ashingdon, Princess Gardens 21:05 to 21:15
2+ Redwing, flight calls heard for about 5 minutes. David Selley.
Wednesday 07th October 2026 | north north west, rain, max15c
Canvey Point 07:20 to 17:00
3 Long-tailed Skua, 27 Arctic Skua, 1 Great Skua, 3 Razorbill, 20 Gannet, 15 Sandwich Tern, 6 Common Tern, 2 Arctic Tern, 4 Avocet, 1 Rock Pipit. Terry Blackwell.
Tuesday 06th October 2026 | variable, partly cloudy, max21c
No reports received for this day.
Monday 05th October 2026 | south westerly, clear, max23c
Canvey Point ( Thick fog to the East ) 07:45 to 10:15
2 Puffin (juveniles flew East towards the Pier), 1 Razorbill (flew in and back out), 2 Gannet (adult and juvenile), 1 Arctic Skua, 2 Skua sp. , 7 Sandwich Tern, 1000+ Brent Geese, 200+ Wigeon, 5 Great crested Grebe, 1 Curlew Sandpiper (flew west close in), 4 Meadow Pipit. Terry Blackwell.
RSPB West Canvey Marsh 13:00 to 14:00
1 Buzzard, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Ruff. Andrew Bridge.
Rochford, Shopland Road 13:40 to 13:42
1 female Hen Harrier (possible juvenile) being mobbed by Carrion Crow. Hilary Knight.
Canvey Point 17:00 to 17:20
Wheatear (near yacht club), 3 Sandwich Tern, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Ringed Plover. Aaron Coot.
Sunday 04th October 2026 | variable, clear, max22c
Canvey Point (thick fog) 08:15 to 08:30
4 Sandwich Tern, 1 Common Tern. Terry Blackwell.
Saturday 03rd October 2026 | variable, partly cloudy, max20c
RSPB Bowers Marsh 07:00 to 09:00
1 Pectoral Sandpiper (showing well in the bay, from the single bench), 2 Spoonbill, 2 Ruff, 20 Avocet, 21 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Grey Heron, 10 Snipe, 10 Pied Wagtail, 6 Stonechat, 2 Bearded Tit, 5 Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler (two very late ones), 10 Meadow Pipit, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Hobby. 1 Kestrel. Terry Blackwell.
Hockley Woods 08:40 to 09:00
Before Parkrun marshalling: Song Thrush, Blackcap, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Robin, Blackbird, Jay, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Nuthatch. Lots of Grey Squirrel. David Z.
Shoeburyness, Gunners Park 15:30 to 15:40
The Kingfisher is back. Seen around the island. Jon Laysell.
Friday 02nd October 2026 | South south west. clear, max21c
Southend, Rebels Lane 12:20 to 12:29
Great Spotted Woodpecker. Paige.
RSPB Bowers Marsh 10:45 to 15:15
2 Spoonbill, Kestrel, Hobby, Sparrowhawk, several Buzzard, Marsh Harrier (m & f), 4 Snipe, c.15 Skylark, 1 Bearded Tit (several heard), Chiffchaff & Cetti’s Warbler (heard) 1 Stonechat (m), c.6 Clouded Yellow. 1 Bearded Dragon (on path to saline lagoon…approx 300mm length). Peter Bowden.
Thursday 01st October 2026 | south westerly, clear, max21c
Leigh on Sea, Park View Drive 08:00 to 08:30
Male and female Great Spotted Woodpecker on feeders in garden. Graham & Kris Mee.
Billericay, Garden 16:10
1 Red Kite over garden. Hummingbird Hawkmoth regularly on Salvia Amistad. Marion Burch.
Click here for previous sightings
For other local sightings please visit the website of the Southend Ornithological Group.
Check tide times on the UKHO website
Disclaimer: Some of our sightings are reported by a single observer (who may or may not be known to us) and will not always have been corroborated. In all cases the observers name will accompany the report. We cannot always check the sightings directly and we have to rely on the experience of the observer. The Web Author retains the right not to publish some reports until further evidence has been submitted. In the case of major rarities the observer may be asked to submit a description to the county recorders.
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To help us update our website it would be greatly appreciated if you could enter your sightings in the format of number(s) seen then the species with a capital letter. For example: 3 Little Egret, 6 Avocet, etc.
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