Marsh Warbler Rainham

A mixed bag of a day! Watched yesterday while at work to see that a Marsh Warbler had been heard at Rainham but the trip to Rainham on a Friday night is not a pleasant one so I decided to leave it until today. Up early and away by 5.30am, collect the Jims and we're in the car park in Coldharbour Lane for 6am. It's grey, wet and surprisingly cold after the recent warm spell. Wennington mound (known locally as Serin mound) is a hundred yards or so from the car park and on arrival there's a single birder (Fool came by bike wearing shorts....he was shivering big time) Have you heard it? I ask "Yes it's been singing and I've seen it but it's elusive." After a couple of minutes I hear it and we manage to get a look as it sits up very briefly. By 8am with the cyclist long departed we have a small crowd of eight locals all meeting with the same "any luck?" greeting. All get good views ( including Les Harrison who's a nice guy and a regular on the patch at Rainham, he helped us with good views of the SEO's on occasion and Neville who we bump into on many a local twitch.)
Neville tells us he heard Grasshopper warbler on the way in so in a flash we're off to get another year tick. I quickly locate one but it's off before the Jim's get on it. A little delay and as we spread out along the path Jim hears it reeling again but it's quiet by the time I get there although I did get a very short reel earlier so I'm happy to tick it for the year at last (June seems really late to be adding this regular)
So I have bagged a lifer in the Marsh Warbler and a year tick on the Gropper, I'm pretty wet and cold so decide to head home by 8.30am and that's when the fun begins as my 61 plate Merc decides to lose all throttle. Three hours later! I'm on the back of a recovery van on the way to MB Loughton. Still I suppose you have to pay back good luck with a little bad now and again.
242 in the bag for 2012, broken even with last year and I'm left needing 8 now for target.
Onwards and upwards!