A Long Weekend Of Volunteering - Hampstead Heath and Totteridge Valley - 25th - 26th February 201726/2/2017 Saturday started where the rest of the week left off with 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Starling, and 3 Stock Dove on the bird feeders in the Garden. Some Redwing have also been present on and off too although mainly in the trees along the back of the garden in the late afternoon. Above: Great Spotted Woodpecker Below: Starling With GSW bottom Right. Saturday marked another day volunteering for Heath Hands on the wildlife bike. This time the theme of the session was water birds and just general bird watching, or otherwise know as my cup of tea. We set out from the volunteering hub and headed to Bird Sanctuary Pond, with Long-tailed Tits calling from the bushes and Starlings and Black Headed Gulls squabbling from the fields. Before we set up, at the Bird Sanctuary Pond, we had a look around to find that there were not any birds bar a few Mallards on the pond and there were not many people to talk to so we headed back to Highgate pond 1. Here I was given the job of setting up the telescopes for us to use during the session. As I did this a group of Ring-necked Parakeets flew into the Willow above us and so did some Stock Dove. 3 to be precise and they stuck around for the rest of the afternoon being seen on and off. After I had set up I snuck a quick scan at the pond. At first glance it was obvious that the main birds would be Tufted Ducks, Mute Swans, Mallards, and Coots. A couple of Shovelers were out in the middle of the pond and on the platforms there were 2 Cormorants and a Grey Heron. Now the next bit gets interesting because as I was scanning the Black headed Gulls on the platforms I came across a bird with a fading black patch on its head and a small stubby yellow beak. A Kittiwake I thought, however the odd thing is that I never managed to pick it up again in the scope to get a photo of. This means that it must have flown of in the commotion caused by some people feeding the ducks. Oh well. The Session as a whole didn't get much better than that, because it was cold and windy and there were not many people to talk to so after an hour and a half we called it a day and headed back to the volunteer hut, however whilst picking up a kestrel did come over being mobbed by a crow. We managed in total, I recon, to get 80 people to stop and talk to us and to be honest you would be surprised how many people are actually willing to learn and do the activities even if they don't have kids... Above: Tufted Duck Below: Shoveler Above: Cormorant, Grey Heron, and Black Headed Gulls Below: Mute Swan Above: Tufted Ducks, Coots, Mallards, Farm Yard Mallard (White Duck on the left). Below: I think 2nd Winter Black Headed Gull. Below: Stock Dove After the session I walked back through the park to get to the bus. This must have been the worst decision in the world because it started to pour with rain. I checked the playing fields around the band stand for Redwings and got luck with a flock of at least 67 feeding on worms before heading off to Scandinavia in the near future. Robins and Magpies lurked in the gloom around every corner. A flock of at least 10 Goldfinch flew over head as I neared the pond where we were earlier. I had a quick scan to see if the kittiwake had reappeared but with no luck so I moved on. Above: Redwing Below: Black Headed Gull Above and Below: Black Headed Gulls Below: Tufted Duck As I moved away from the pond after about 2 steps a female Kestrel shot into the tree less than a metre away from me, and I thought the Rainham Kestrels showed well. It then hoped onto the ground, and here is the strange part, it started to eat worms off the ground. I have never seen this sort of behavior from a Kestrel before and I am wondering if it is quite abnormal!? Above and Below: Female Kestrel Above and Below: Female Kestrel Above and Below: Female Kestrel I Then moved on expecting not to see anything much however as I got to the Men's bathing pools a Great Crested Grebe was fishing along one edge and then I noticed an absolutely magnificent Kingfisher doing the same thing. I watched them both using their different techniques of fishing for a good 20 minutes in the pouring rain. Kingfishers are my most favourite birds and up until 02/09/14 I hadn't seen a single one. This one on Hampstead Heath is my 16th one with majority being last year at either Rainham or the Dollis Brook. Above: Kingfisher Below: Great Crested Grebe Below: Kingfisher I then had a brief look at the other ponds bringing up the total of all previously mentioned Duck species and also adding Canada Geese, Herring Gull, Green Woodpecker and another Great Crested Grebe (this time on the model boating pond) to my day list before trudging up hill to take the nice warm, dry bus home. Above: Green Woodpecker Below: Herring Gulls Above: Canada Geese with Coots Below: Great Crested Grebe Above: Great Crested Grebe Below: Tufted Ducks in the dismal rain. The next day I headed out bright and early to the farm. Here I had the pleasure of working with the week old Lambs and also some of the day old chicks as well as the usual animals. (Sorry for the poor quality. These are all taken on my phone and it is bad!)
Bird wise at the farm it wasn't the best. 100+ Crows and around 200+ Jackdaw were feeding in one of the fields and mixed in with them were 2 Grey Heron which I couldn't understand. This was odd because unusually the fields are basically dry meaning that they wouldn't necessarily find what they are looking for. Perhaps they were just sheltering from the wind. Another field held around 100+ Redwing and a Red-legged Partridge and 3 Stock Dove appeared near to the now only 5 strong flock of Canada Geese. A Rabbit was seen near the wooded area of the farm and some long-tailed tits called loudly above. Robins and Dunnocks kept me company whilst I worked and sheep wash pond held 2 Mallards, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Coots, and 2 Moorhens. All in all a good weekend especially given the weather conditions and although my life list remains at 157 for Britain and my Kingfisher list moves up to 16. Next weekend calls for a special trip to one of my patches...
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The weekend started off with me having some free time. I decided that I would cycle up to a reserve that I had just found off the high road in between Totteridge and New Barnet. This place was called Greenhill Gardens. I spent probably around 15 minutes here seeing 20 Canada Geese, 28 Black Headed Gulls, 20+ Mallard, 7 Coots, 8 Moorhen and 2 Mistle Thrush. All the regular Tit species were there, including Coal Tits, and some Goldfinches called from the tops of the trees. I then moved round to the other side of the pond were under the thick foliage on the Island 3 Tufted Ducks sat. The one that I have called a female Tufted Duck could have been a drake Ferringous Duck, however I am not too sure if it was a pure fudge Duck if it was one at all. Unfortunately because I was on my bike I only had a pair of Binoculars with me and no camera, however if I have the time I will head up there either after school or next weekend. My description is; female tufted duck like however seemed to have quite a pure white stomach area and also appeared to be a slightly different colour. (Though being colour blind doesn't help with this...) I then moved on as my free time was coming to an end. I then cycled back via the Dollis Brook between Barnet and Totteridge and unlike at other times of years this proved very unproductive with mainly Woodpigeon and Magpies around... A summary of this is that Greenhill Gardens definitely has great potential especially as the woodland is made up of Alder trees!!! Later on in the afternoon we headed down to Lewes and given that the sun was out I decided to do a bird of prey watch out of the car window. This brought up in total 10 Buzzards, a Kestrel, and a Sparrowhawk. Once in Lewes I headed down to a local nature reserve on the river Ouse called Railway Land. Here we saw the lesser spotted southern rail train and also enjoyed amazing scenery. We also saw majority of the common Species, including Herring Gull, Moorhen, 100s of Jackdaw, Song Thrush, Magpies and the Tit species. Highlights included Rooks, a Pheasant and a large Charm of Goldfinch. Rather annoyingly the chirping House Sparrows and the chuckling Green Woodpecker stayed unseen, but a Goldcrest did eventually give itself away mixed in with a flock of Long-tailed tits. Rabbits were everywhere, and unidentified fish were seen in the river. Above: Magpie Below: Unidentified Fish Above: Dunnock Below: Robin Above: 100's of Jackdaws coming in to roost on the chalk cliffs of Lewes Below: Herring Gull Above and Below: Rabbit After this a very brief walk through the town produced some roof top Starling and very briefly some visible House Sparrows. Sunday morning started early after being woken up by a pair of noisy Collared Doves on the window ledge outside the hotel room. A stunning breakfast of Smoked Salmon and Scrambled eggs was consumed and then off to Seaford. On the way to Seaford I was busily scanning the fields to see what was about. Collared Doves, Rooks, Redwing, Blackbirds, Pheasant and even some Red-legged Partridges were seen. A Kestrel was also seen hovering over the fields beside the road. Once in Seaford the sound of Herring Gulls filled the air with the occasional Great Spotted Woodpecker calling or House Sparrows chirping. After this an afternoon walk at Cuckmere Haven felt obligatory. The beginning part of the walk contained mainly Crows, Jackdaws and the occasional Meadow Pipit and Skylark being flushed by the sheep in the fields. Above: Herring Gulls Above: Seven Sisters and Beachy Head Above: Meadow Pipit Next as we headed towards the mouth of the river Cuckmere I spotted a group of floating Ducks just offshore. I was hoping for some sea Ducks however my quick scan through produced only Wigeon. As we continued along the cliffs edge I was watching the continued passage of Great Black Backed Gulls just off the side of the cliff when I noticed some slightly straighter winged birds, Fulmars! This for me is a British life tick after only seeing them in Iceland. I wasn't really expecting to see them here and to make this even better some landed just a matter of feet away from me on the cliffs edge. Above: Flock of Wigeon Above and Below: Fulmars I then headed down to the mouth of the river. Here I scanned the marsh land and produced probably 1000 Great Black Backed Gulls mixed in with some Black headed Gulls and Herring Gulls. 4 Curlew were also seen at the far end of the flow as well as some Rooks. In front of the Gull flock was a group of 60 Canada Geese and also a lifer for me 20 Barnacle Geese. A Whimbrel was also seen in one of the channels along with 2 Little Egret and a Water Pipit appeared on the edge of the nearest pool to me. Above: Mixed Gull flock with Canada Geese Below: Mixed Gull flock with Canada Geese and also Barnacles mixed in Above: Rooks and spot the 4 Curlew Below: Mixed Gull flock with Canada Geese and also Barnacles mixed in Above: Little Egret Below: Mixed Gull flock with Canada Geese Above: Water Pipit Below: Whimbrel One last quick scan brought with it another flock of Wigeon roosting on the edge of one of the pools and some more stunning scenery. Above: Wigeon flock Below: Mixed Gull flock This trip capped of an amazing Half Term. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the last 9 days. They have been truly magnificent. I have had 3 additions to my British List including a Lifer and I have found so many new places to come back and explore in the future and met so many kind and caring people. I now look forward to my next adventure whether it is next weekend or the weekend after...
Another Grey gloomy day, with sunny spells and Rainbows was spent at Rainham. I was greeted by a pair of Pied Wagtails as I crossed over the high speed train line and headed towards the A13. Magpies were absolutely everywhere today and made me aware of that as a group of 5 landed in the bushes next to me. A Cetti's Warbler called from nearby and then a male Stonechat appeared out of the reedbeds running along side the path. Above: Male Stonechat I watched this Stonechat for about 20 minutes and in that time I had also picked up 4 Greylag, a Cormorant, 2 Reed Buntings, a Coot and a female joined the male Stonechat very briefly. I always find it enjoyable to see these little birds insect catching and sitting at their posts until the correct moment to pounce on their insect prey. I then moved along towards the A13 with no significant species to add to the day list, bar the usual Tit and Finch species. Next I moved along and took the path round the edge of Rainham North. I scanned through and apart from a Woodpigeon, the only thing I noticed was the lesser spotted sun peeping out through the clouds briefly. I then turned around to head off when a Cetti's Warbler started calling from the nearby brambles. So I waited to see if I could see it, but after 10 minutes and 2 rather petrified Dunnocks appearing from the brambles, my waiting around came to nothing and the patch of Brambles fell silent. Next I headed towards Ferry Lane which for a weekday was unusually quite. Feral Pigeons sat on top of almost every discarded container and a Stock Dove, and 4 Collared Dove flew over. A Pied Wagtail was spotted along with some Blackbirds, and Moorhens. On the opposite side of the road was a small patch of shrubbery which contained the persistent cheeping of House Sparrows and the call of Dunnocks. It took a rather large lorry to come trundling past before I actually saw any of them, and the views I did get were only brief so I moved on towards the sea wall. Above: Male House Sparrow Below: Pied Wagtail As per usual when I got onto the sea wall the Redshank scattered, however I was just in time to see a flock of around 300 Dunlin appearing on my left hand side and they landed on the mud just to the right of me. A Curlew was also scared away by the alarm calls of the Redshank. 5 Black tailed Godwits could be seen feeding just in front of where I stood and some Teal trudged around in the mud. Black headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, and Common Gulls were all present and a Grey Wagtail took off from just below the sea wall. A pair of Gadwal also came in to have a rest from the middle of the Thames. Above: Dunlin coming into land Below: Left: Female Gadwall, Right: Male Gadwall I then moved along the Sea wall and didn't pick up many more birds except a group of 17 Collared Dove, 4 Chaffinch, a Dunnock, and a Blackbird. I then moved along to the Stone Barges. On the mud in front of the Barges were a pair of Shelduck, 30+ Redshank, Black headed Gulls and on the pier that sticks out into the water a Lesser Black Backed Gull sat with Black Headed and Common Gulls. As I scanned around I also became aware of a pair of Great Crested Grebes slowly drifting down the Thames towards me and also a Meadow Pipit on the fence near the car park. Above: Lesser Black Backed Gull with a Common Gull Below: Meadow Pipit Above: Great Crested Grebes Next I moved along to the next section of mud. Here there were some Teal, a pair of Gadwall and a couple of Redshank. a flock of Linnets also came over head and headed to the opposite side of the Thames. There were also a lot of Black Headed Gulls including one in pure breeding plumage next to a lot in non breeding plumage so I took a comparison shot not realising that one of the birds had a ring on it. Above: Black Headed Gulls, Front right bird in full breeding plumage, and front left non-breeding plumage ringed in Pitsea. Below: Left: Male Teal, Right: Female Teal Below: (From Left to Right) Male Gadwall, Redshank, Female Gadwall As I moved along the sea wall I noticed a flock of Wood Pigeon with a small flock of Starling feeding on the edge of the landfill site. I also noticed that a part of the landfill site was visible, so I had a scan through to see if there was a Glaucous or Iceland Gull mixed in with the hoards of Herring, Common, and Great Black Backed Gulls. Back to the muddy banks of the Thames and not much had changed. A Grey Heron sat guarding a group of 6 Cormorant and a large group of Black Headed Gulls were being looked down upon by a huge Great Black Backed Gull. A couple of Teal had their heads tucked under their wings asleep and a large group of first winter Gulls landed on the shore. I had a scan through these and 2 of the birds had rings on. A large Great Black Backed Gull rung in Norway and a smaller Herring Gull with a black ring which I can't read. If I had a scope I would probably have been able to get the numbers and find the history of the birds and the precise location they were rung at, but I don't. Above: Black Headed Gulls, with Great Black Backed Gull on the right, with 2 Common Gulls far left. Below: (Left to Right) 1st Winter Herring Gull, 1st Winter GBBG, Norwegian rung GBBG (in front), and Rung 1st Winter Herring Gull. Above and Below: a mix of mainly Herring and GBBG. I continued along the sea wall and amongst a clump of bushes and trees my first Chiffchaff in over 3 months appeared and gave very close views (Unfortunately it was moving to quickly for my camera), I have a funny feeling that it might have not been a normal Chiffchaff, but it gave nothing away by keeping its mouth shut. The next section of the Sea Wall takes you alongside the closed section of the tip. Today this side of the path was covered in at least 60 Skylarks and at least 90 Meadow Pipits all insect catching. A Male Kestrel hunted over head, and Stonechats and Goldfinches popped up every now and then onto the fences along with the Meadow Pipits. On the Thames side of the path you can see all the way down to the Dartford Crossing and onto Averly Bay. In Averly Bay there were 77 Shelduck, Redshank, 4 Avocet, a couple of Wigeon, Gadwall, and lots of Teal. I also took the path over the top of the closed landfill and the only other species this produced were Linnet and also Starling. From the Serin mound a flock of 50 Stock Dove could be seen in the fields along with a female Kestrel on one of the posts. The pools that were visible contained mainly Wigeon and Mallards, alongside Crows and Magpies. Above: Diving Male Kestrel Above: Male Stonechat Below: Meadow Pipit Above: Goldfinch Below: Meadow Pipit Above: Skylark Below: Avocet with Black Headed Gull I then headed along the final stretch of sea wall picking up a Snipe, another Curlew, and a tonne of Wigeon. Once at the reserve, lunch was consumed and in a spell of about 45 minutes I had warmed up and spoken to many people at the reserve whom I haven't seen for ages. During lunch we had a couple of brief moments of "Are these the reported Brent Geese from earlier in the day?", but on both occasions they were Greylag Geese. Then a radio report from Sam had everyone running over to the window and eventually we picked up the Short Eared Owl being mobbed by a group of Crows. Howard then also put everyone onto a Buzzard that had just landed on the Central Control building. After a frantic 45mins I headed out on to the main reserve. A quick check of the bird feeders brought up a pair of Reed Buntings among the usual Starlings, House Sparrows, Collared Dove, and the Pheasants. A quick scan of the pools in front of the visitor centre had Shovelers, Wigeon, Mallards, Teal, Shelduck, Coots, and Moorhen. I had a quick look to see if the Short Eared Owl was still about and after a minute I picked it up being mobbed by a Kestrel. Above: Left: Short-Eared Owl, Right: Kestrel It took me along time to decide if I should head off in pursuit of a better view, but I decided not to due to the fact that the Kestrel had won the tussle and so I carried on towards the woodland. The Woodland as it often is at this time of year was empty with the exception of a couple of Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, and Blackbirds. I checked out the 2 Alder trees in the hope of finding a Siskin or a Redpoll, but with no luck. As I neared the woodland feeders a group of Green, Gold, and Chaffinches appeared at the tops of the trees. I took this as a chance to head down to the feeders and sitting there watching me were 4 Rats, a Grey Squirrel, 16 Collared Doves, 4 Reed Buntings, Robins, Great Tits, Dunnocks, and Blue Tits. Most didn't seem to mind my company and provided great photo opportunities. Above: Collared Dove Below: Robin Above and Below: Male Reed Buntings Below: (from Left to Right) Blue Tit, Robin, Great Tit. Next I headed along to a clearing so that I could see if the Barn Owl was on the edge of his box, however unusually he was nowhere to be seen. In the field below his box though there was a group of around 30 Canada Geese, alongside 2 Greylags, and some Mallards. Below: Canada Geese I then headed round to the Butt's hide where 3 Coots were eating busily. A Little Grebe briefly appeared and then almost straight away dived under the water and was gone. I had a scan of the muddy banks and eventually found the head of a Snipe. Below: Spot the Snipe When I was back outside the hide I had a quick scan of the pylons in the hope of finding a Peregrine, but again I had no success. I then moved onto the two viewing platforms, and this is where the weather decided to take a turn for the worst. A large flock of Lapwings were on the left hand side and Tufted Ducks and Pochard were diving in the middle. There were also other ducks, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to see them and so I decide to go and seek shelter in the Butts hide. Looking out onto the main reserve there was lots of Wigeon, Canada Geese, Shoveler, Tufted ducks, and Mallards as well as a row of at least 32 Snipe along the back edge of the nearest bit of water. On the other side the lapwing flock was still around 1500 (1600 if you count the other hundred from the viewing platform), and also a flock of around 500 Starling were mixed in among them. Also among the Lapwing and Starlings was a Black tailed Godwit and a Redshank that enjoyed alarm calling for no apparent reason and putting the Lapwings and Starlings in the air and cause complete pandemonium. Pintails numbered 16 and all of the previous duck species were seen except Tufted and Pochard. Also after a while I noticed a Mute Swan in the channel just out from the hide. Once the rain had subsided I headed back out onto the reserve and continued my circuit. Above: Black Tailed Godwit Below: Male and Female Tufted Ducks Above and Below: Lapwings in the air I headed out and as I came away from the hide and looked back I was greeted with a truly amazing sight. I then heard the very faint noise of what I like to call trumpet Geese, and there above me very high up were 4 Brent Geese heading NW towards the Train lines. I then had a quick scan of the fields to see if the Short Eared Owl was still around, but I only managed to pick up a Sparrow Hawk and a Buzzard sitting on the central control building still. The next field brought about 32 Coots and some more Skylarks. Along the edge of the path a Male Stonechat showed nicely and a Reed Bunting flew from the reeds into the long grass beside me. I then went up onto the top of the Ant hill and had a scan around. I didn't pick up anything more so I carried on to the final hide picking up another Coot in one of the channels. Above and Below: Male Stonechat Below: This Coot came up so close that my camera wouldn't focuse properly on it When I got into the hide it was more of the same really. A large group of Wigeon and some Shoveler, were quite close to the hide and the Shovelers were displaying. There was also a really nice exhibition in the hide with photos from all over the place. Above and Below: Wigeon Above and Below: Displaying Shovelers I then headed back to the centre and had a long talk with a very muddy Jamie. Whilst we were talking we heard that a Peregrine had been spotted by Andy heading towards the centre, but with both of us looking in precisely the place it had been reported from neither of us could pick it up. I then decided to head for home.
At Rainham today I had seen 63 Species of birds, which is one of my best counts since the Autumn. My life list for Britain remains at 155 species, however that is bound to change with a trip to Norfolk planned in the coming year as well as Yorkshire. For now I have the possibility of one more blog before the end of half term, and then it will be back to weekly or every other week posting from me... The day didn't start off badly as a pair of Peregrine shot past the bathroom window when I was brushing my teeth, and I rushed from one side of the flat to the other to see the Peregrines scaring 100's of Feral Pigeons off the roof tops towards Boscombe. Although they were unsuccessful it took them a while to give up, and so the scene was set for a truly amazing day. The sun was out and I enjoyed the journey to the reserve; with the tide in you could see Mute Swans, and lots of waders floating on Poole Harbour. In between Wareham and the Isle of Purbeck there were three types of corvids feeding, Crows, Jackdaws, and Rooks. As per usual the journey took half the amount of time my dad had expected it to take and so we arrived at 9:30 rather than 10. This was fine though because it gave me more time on the Welcome hut in the Morning. The Bird feeders there were busy as usual with Chaffinch, Siskin, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Blue Great and Coal Tits, Nuthatches, Robins, Blackbirds and the occasional Dunnock and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Siskin and Chaffinch At about 10:30 we had to open the overflow carpark due to the large amount of visitors. Ever since Autumn and Winter watch have been at Arne the popularity of the place has soared. I rarely remember seeing the overflow car park open in the summer at Arne and now it is open very often at the weekends and during all the school holidays. My job turned from welcome hut to directing the traffic into the overflow car park. This may sound like the trip was over, but no. It was one of the best ideas ever to stand in the same place for a couple of hours and just like on Hampstead Heath it paid off. In the first hour I had 2 Raven fly over, a Buzzard, a Firecrest come into one of the nearby holly bushes, as well as all the birds flying to and from the bird feeders. A song thrush came in to feed on what I assume were berries and a Gold crest appeared. Just before I finished to go on my lunch break a Sparrowhawk shot overhead. During my lunch break I decided to head onto Coombe Heath. Unfortunately no Dartfords were present due to the windy conditions but, the scenery was stunning. Nothing much was present from either of the first 2 view points, just 23 Curlew and a couple of Redshank, although admittedly the sun didn't help. A Merlin shot straight down the middle of Middlebere presumably hunting. I then decided to skip the hide and head to the next view point which gives slightly better views of everything. Lunch was eaten whilst listening to the Brent Geese. A flock of around 800 Avocet flew past and then followed by three stragglers which I photographed, Shelduck were sleeping and that was it. That was until I was about to leave a flock of Redshank, 100+ Dunlin, 50+ Black Tailed Godwit flew in. I think there might have been a couple of Ruff in the background, but the sun didn't help with that one so I am still not to sure. Above: Brent Geese with a Redshank behind them Below: Avocet in Flight Below: Black Tailed Godwit with Redshank. I then headed back whilst taking some more scenery shots. I also stumbled upon a group of Sika Deer which I didn't realise were there until I realised that I was being watched... As I neared the Car Park a Peregrine zipped through right over my head towards the car park and I went back to the hut to update the days sightings board. On the way to Studland we stopped to take in the truly stunning view somewhere near Brenscombe. When we arrived at Shell Bay there was only one Starling murmurating so I decided to see what else was around. Apart from a stunning sunset and probably near 300 people there were; 2 Oystercatchers, a stream of about 6 Cormorant coming from the harbour, a Pied Wagtail, Crows, a Great black backed Gull, and lots of Herring Gulls. One of the oystercatchers appeared to have a limp so I am not entirely sure what happened to it given that it was in good condition otherwise. Above: Oystercatcher All of a sudden there was a hum about the crowd as the murmaration started. First only a group of 50 or so filled the sky. Then the numbers started to grow and grow until they reached nearly 2000. (or at least that is how many I think there are. Anyone willing to count please feel free...) The Starlings gave us an absolutely stunning display that filled the sky for almost 30 minutes before eventually they all decided to call it a day and filtered down into the bushes to roost.
This was my first ever murmaration and sights like this in the UK are becoming increasingly rare due to the worrying decline of the Starlings in the UK and therefore I am grateful that I have been able to witness one of the many wonders of the natural world. Whilst I sit here writing this I can hear the wind howling all around me and I know that the photos that I have taken won't upload for a while. Although my life list didn't change today and I only saw a total of 41 Species I know that I have witnessed something that the next generation may not have the chance to see in this country!!! My next trip will be to one of my patches... I am sorry about the delay to this post and the last post, but it is an issue beyond my control. (Video of the Murmaration to follow soon!) When I woke up on Saturday everything had been given a nice wintry flavour. A nice sugary dusting of Snow had fallen over night. I have always said that it is a waste if snow doesn't settle, and the fact that three day's straight of wintriness had produced no more than a dusting emphasises my point. Before I left home I had a quick look at the garden activity and the main news is that the two stock doves are still present. Despite the persistent sleety, snow I headed by bus up to Hampstead Heath. Along the way Redwings could be seen feeding on the grass verges searching for worms and any fallen berries, not long now before they head back to Scandinavia. Above: Stock Dove, Chaffinch, and Blackbird Below: Stock Dove, and a Feral Pigeon I got off the Bus outside Highgate School and headed down the hill towards the Heath. The sound of Ring-necked Parakeets filled the air. They filled the day, even in the quieter moments of the day. To think that there are more than 30,000 in the UK at the moment ranging from Plymouth in the South all the way to the Scottish border, becoming scarcer the further North you go. When I reached the bottom of the hill I had a scan of the model boating pond. There were a lot of Black headed Gulls, a pair of Tufted, a pair of Shoveler, Mallards, Coots, and Moorhens. Above: Male left, female right, Shovelers Below: Coot Below: Male Left, Female Right, Tufted Ducks I then had a peak into the bird pond, and this produced more of the same, but with larger numbers of Tufted, and Shoveler. I then headed up the path towards the bird feeders. I didn't have a clue they were there, however they produced a flock of 20 Long-tailed Tits, a close up Robin and the other common Tit Species. I then decided to head towards Kenwood. Although I made a lucky escape as the mud nearly came into my shoes. Above and Below: Robin Above: Long-tailed tits in a dome peanut feeder Below: Long-tailed tits and a Blue Tit in the same feeder At the top of the hill I decided to take some scenery photos, as a pair of Egyptian Geese flew over followed by a cormorant. I then headed back down to the model boating pond and here I added Common Gull to my list as well as getting some close up views of Moorhen and Coot. The weather then decided to take a turn for the worse as the sleety, snow mix turned heavier. Above: Common Gull Below: Moorhen I then headed down to the Men's Bathing pond (no, I didn't go in it). Here it was quiet with a couple of blackbirds around the edge, some coots in the water and some Common gulls sitting on the floating objects in the pool. A herring gull also sat on the end of the jetty, however visibility was becoming obscured so I moved on. Above: Herring Gull Below: Common Gulls As a I walked along the outside of the pond, a Mistle Thrush flew into one of the nearby trees. There was some untidy areas of grass along the edge of the Men's Bathing Pond, and this produced 3 Song Thrush, a Robin, and a Redwing. Above and Below: Song Thrush Visibility was still quite poor as I reached Highgate Pond 1. I went down to one of the platforms and there was a large mixed group of ducks staring at me eagerly awaiting food, which I didn't have. This group contained, a Farmyard Mallard, Tufted Ducks, Normal Mallards, Coots, and 2 Mute Swans. There were also 2 Cormorant sitting with Herring Gulls, Common Gulls and Black Headed Gulls on one of the flotation boards. Shovelers could be seen along the back edge and a pair were in the middle of the pond feeding. Above Left: Male Tufted Duck, Above Right: Female Tufted Duck Below: A mixed flock of Tufted, Mallard, coot, Mute Swan. I then headed along to Parliament Hill in bitter conditions. Looking at the fields next to the running tracks produced a large flock of 200+ Starling, and around 80+ Redwing feeding on the worms. After this I went and had my lunch whilst I waited for the snow to subside and got ready for the WAHH Bike session. Above: Flock of Starlings with a Black Headed Gull Below: I was actually trying to photograph the Redwing behind this one.... After lunch, we decided to take the wildlife bike up to the bandstand and positioned ourselves there teaching the people that passed by about the Redwings that didn't seem to mind us and also the flocks of Starlings. I was surprised at just how many people were willing to stop and talk to us on such a cold snowy day. On the other side of the hill was gull fest, with around 100 Black headed Gulls, 20 Common Gull, and 6 Great Black backed gulls all feeding in the fields. A pair of Greenfinch came into the bushes next to me, these birds are apparently the first on the heath since the flocks of 100's were completely wiped out by disease a couple of years ago, which I guess is good news. After an hour we had talked to about 50 people and so we decided to leave the Redwings in peace and moved on. Above: Redwing Below: Starlings with a photo bombing Redwing in front. Above: Redwings Below: Starlings Above: Redwing Below: Great Black Backed Gull showing dominance over the Black Headed Gull. Next we cycled up to the bird feeders heading via all the pond that I had just looked at. The only things new we added to the day list were Jackdaw, Jay, and a large flock of Goldfinch. When we arrived at the feeders we set up a telescope onto the peanut feeder and no sooner had we done this the Long-tailed tits had arrived accompanied by Coal, Blue and Great Tits. No sooner had we set up we were over whelmed by people from all over England and wanting to learn more about the birds that we are lucky to have on the Heath. People kept asking about how the Parakeets first came to Britain, and to be honest there are many theories, but nobody really knows which one is actually true or if it is a combination of all of them. A Pair of Stock Dove came down to feed as did a Chaffinch and this provided a good opportunity to teach the public about the difference between Stock Doves and Woodpigeons and how often Stock Doves are over looked and not noticed. Whilst we were talking to some people I decided to have a look at the alder tree, because I could see lots of little birds hanging upside down on the tree. To my amazement the first bird that I got into my binoculars was a Lesser Redpoll, and as I scanned around it looked as though it had joined a flock of around 10 Siskin. Lesser Redpoll is my first ever British Redpoll and now brings my life list up to 155 Species. It was also a good opportunity to teach the people we were with that there are many different types of finches that you could see in your local area. After about 2 minutes they had swiftly moved on towards Kenwood. The next 2 birds that stole the show were a pair of Nuthatches nest building in the tree above us and a Great Spotted Woodpecker that started to call persistently from the top of the tree and gave people a really hard time finding him. A couple of Ring-necked Parakeets also joined us and sat noisily above us. Above: Ring-necked Parakeet Below: Nuthatch After this we had a fly past from a Green Woodpecker, and a female Kestrel came through being mobbed by a Crow. Just as we were packing up after freezing to death and speaking to nearly another 100 people the female Kestrel flew into the tree next to us and gave us a truly amazing view. Above and Below: Female Kestrel One our way back to the Volunteer base, we had a very quick scan of the ponds and this produced 4 Canada Geese.
Along the way we managed to speak to at least another 20 people telling them about what we had seen today and pointing one birder in the direction of the Redwings. This marked the end of a rather cold snowy day with a total of 43 Species of birds seen and increasing my life list to 155 Species. Tomorrow marks another volunteering journey, but where will it be??? After a pretty uneventful week Saturday started the ball rolling with Goldcrest in the local area and also the first Blackcap this winter in the garden. Sunday was different. After news broke on Wednesday that the local Waxwing at Rainham had gone and so too had the other rarities, I was a little deflated to say the least. The journey was still to be made though and was definitely worth it. I got on the first Bank Train of the day out of Finchley Central and headed swiftly up to Rainham Station in an hour and fifteen. As I headed out of the station a Robin called and hoped up on to the level crossing gates. 2 Collared Dove were lively.... and a Crow nosily called from one of the pylons. A Pied Wagtail was heard and then seen as I crossed over the Eurostar and Javelin lines, and 2 Coots were in the channels that run along side the path. Just before I headed under the A13 I stopped and scanned around. A Mute Swan flapped through, and Long-tailed, Blue, and Great Tits, were around in the hedges beside me. Dunnocks were seen. 4 Linnets were mixed in with the Goldfinches and they were briefly joined by a Wren in full song. A great Tit. Next I checked the hedges that still had berrys on and this produced a Fieldfare. No Redwings were seen. I then headed under the A13 and found another Fieldfare feeding on the berries here and again still no Redwings. Fieldfare Great Black Backed Gull Fieldfare After this I decided that rather than heading straight through Rainham North, I would go Via Ferry Lane to the Stone Barges. I stopped to have a look at Rainham North, but although I could hear the occasional Cetti's Warbler, only Magpies and Mallards were seen. Next I headed back onto the road and onto Ferry Lane. Here I found 2 redwings, which compared to the 40+ that had been seen previously, was quite disappointing. Feral Pigeons flocked in their thousands and Blue tits 'played' on top of the empty containers. Then just before heading up onto the sea wall an eruption of Finches. Linnets, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, and also Reed Bunting (yes - I know this isn't a type of finch). Linnet Then up onto the Sea Wall. This was marked by the fact that one of the locals keeps their hound prowling around and he constantly barked at me spooking what I though from the noise might have been Brent Geese, but I didn't see them. It was pretty gloomy looking into London, and the sky line which you can normally see was covered by thick gloomy clouds. Mute Swan and Shelduck stole the show from here, even though other species were present. Redshank Mute Swan I continued along the Sea Wall, hoping for a Snipe, However only Redshank, Teal, Gadwall, and Cormorant were to be found. Next up to the stone Barges, where about 1000 Feral Pigeons were roosting, and trust me they weren't pleased to see me. Black Headed Gulls lined up on the Pier and so did Common Gulls, and 2 Great Black Backed gulls including a Pitsea rung individual. A Grey Heron sat below with hoards of Redshank, teal, and Mallard. 2 dark Pipits were flushed, but didn't call so I wasn't sure if they were Rock or Water. Grey Heron Common Gulls middle, Black Headed gulls either side Below Pitsea Rung Black Headed Gull Black Headed Gulls all in a row I continued along the sea wall to Averely bay. Along the way I passed many more Black Headed Gulls, Lot's of Reed Buntings, a Grey Heron, Teal, and Gadwall. Oh, and also some drying off Cormorants. Also a Highlight in this section of 10 Black-tailed Godwits. Above: Reed Bunting Below: Gadwal Above: Grey Heron Below: Cormorant Black Tailed Godwits Next onto Averely bay, where Skylark called over head and Redshank scattered amongst the mud. Highlights here were the Shelduck, Teal, Dunlin, and Avocet. Above: Black Headed Gull, 1st Winter Herring Gull, Shelduck Below: Black Headed Gull, Dunlin, Redshank, Teal Avocet with a Black Headed Gull Next I headed along to Serin Mound. A perched Buzzard, and a Kestrel were all that could be seen, except for the Coots in the enclosed bay. Next I headed up on to the sea Wall and then to the Visitor Centre. Along the way more Reed Bunting and Teal were seen, as well as a splendid Great Crested Grebe on the Thames. Above: Reed Bunting Below: Great Crested Grebe Teal: Male Left, Female Right After Lunch had been devoured. I headed out on to the main reserve. 97 Wigeon were busy feeding on the pools In front of the visitor centre along with some Teal and Shovelers. Underneath the feeders outside reception, was a large array of birds, including Starling, House Sparrow, Pheasant, Chaffinch, and the local Tit families. Next I headed off into the adventure playground to see if the rather secretive Black Redstart could be seen, but with no luck. I then headed off into the woodland, again with no luck. A Pied Wagtail flew over and I headed for the woodland feeders. At the Woodland Feeders, Robins, Dunnocks, Blue Tits, Chaffinches, Great Tits, and Collared Doves, were all feeding. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere came a Brown Rat. Above + Below: Brown Rat Next I headed along the trail towards the Butt's hide. Along the way I picked up the Barn Owl sitting on the edge of its box seeming quite content with itself. At the Butt's hide some day ticks were picked up: 2 Canada Geese, 3 Tufted Ducks, 4 Pochard and the Striped heads of 2 Snipe. The Snipe were the hardest to pick up, and eventually I spotted the patterns on the tops of their heads that gave them away. Pochard: Male Left, Female Right Next onto Averely Pools. Here Pochard, 100's of Lapwing, Shelduck and Teal gathered. A Little Egret flew into one of the channels at the back and the 4 Mute Swans decided to head off to a better place. The best bird here was the Tufted Ducks after their long absence it was nice to see them return. Above: Tufted Duck: Male Left, Female Right Below: Mute Swan in Flight Lapwings Next along to the main Hide. Looking out onto the main part of the reserve, 9 Snipe could be seen including 7 in one photograph. Tufted Ducks, and Coots dived, whilst Canada Geese, Greylags, Mallards, Gadwall, and Teal all slept. On the other side however looking onto Wennington, 1000's of Lapwings fed, with a single Golden Plover amongst them, 16 Pintail could be seen as well as roving flocks of Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, and greylags. Also in the distance a flock of about 60 Stock Dove was spooked, but I didn't see what it was by! Above: Basically Lapwings Below: Lapwings, and Pintail 7 Snipe, Spot them all.... (trust me it is harder for me than for you) Next I headed along to the dragon fly pools and onto the New Board Walk. The Volunteers who have done this and the Warden team deserve a massive Thank you and a round of applause for their amazing work. In the Fields viewable from either side of the board walk there was a flock of 139 Wigeon, along side 30 Teal, and a similar number of Canada's and Greylags. Spooked Wigeon in flight Coots kept cropping up in the channels along side the footpath towards the final hide of the day. A pheasant was seen in the long grass on the inward side of the Sea Wall. From the final hide 2 Pintail showed themselves, along with masses of Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal, a Common Gull, some Greylags, and 2 Pintail. Above and Below: Coot Above: Greylag Below: Common Gull Pintail: Central, Wigeon: Middle Right, Teal: in the background As I headed back into the visitor centre I sat down to enjoy a nice warm glass of Hot Chocolate, and I reflected on what was an amazing day Bird watching.
The way home was a mixed sort of journey, because firstly the train was delayed 15 minutes and secondly everything ran smoothly meaning that it only took 1h15mins to get home once on the train. However disappointment was received as news broke when I got out of the tunnel that at just after 4pm Russian White-fronted Geese had turned up. All in all not a bad day with 59 Species and a life list still unchanged at 154 Species. Half term calls for a good amount of time to go bird watching. I wonder where I will go? I have a week to decide... |
February 2017
AuthorI have been a birder since i was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 16. ArchivesCategories |