Singing Quail at Rainham Marshes - is that your phone?

Rainham Marshes continues it's good run of form with a singing male Quail on the hill 100m West of Aveley car park on Saturday 6th May, my 2nd for London but my first self found. The first one was found by Paul Hawkins at Rainham Marshes  on 5th May 2007. I started off at around 9.30am from the car park with 2 Northern Wheatear and a cracking male Stonechat along the metal fence line. After checking the river with nothing noteworthy I concentrated on the large over head passage of common Swifts only to be interrupted by a call ( 'wet-my-lips' ) which was repeated 3 times -it's a bloody Quail!

Quickly after my excitement two birders came walking towards me, one being James Heal from Wanstead who was looking at his phone? Is that your phone James? and before I went in to detail the Quail called again- phew! A scarce bird nationally but a good one for London and therefore twitched by many over it's 3 day stay.

Sadly no images of the Quail unlike the 5 Whimbrel on the same hill that did show quite well.