So for the final days of March I decided to head home and thus this meant that I had some time to visit both Totteridge Valley and also Rainham Marshes for the in over a Month. And so on Wednesday morning I decided to head up to Totteridge. I headed up via Finchley Golf Course and to my surprise I found a pair of Treecreeper excavating a nesting sight behind some bark on a massive oak tree. One would always be standing guard while the other went in to make sure everything was in tip top condition and they had to stand guard since there were to other species nesting in the same tree. With Blue Tits and Great Tits going in and out of natural holes in the tree above the Treecreepers. Above: Treecreeper I then headed up into the valley via Frith Lane and Partingdale Lane where the first Chiffchaff and Blackcap were in song as well as the first Small/ Cabbage White Butterflies feeding on the blossom. I then continued down towards the Substation with parties of Meadow Pipits heading high over head on their way Northwards. Then all of a sudden I noticed a strange lump on a nearby log. It didn't take too long for me to realise what it was and as it flew up into the tree I could see that it was aware of my presence. It was infact one of the local Little Owls and it now marks the 3rd year in a row that I have seen this particular individual at this time of year. I love it when birds become reliable. Above: Little Owl Moving on into the valley further and the 1st Buzzards and Sparrowhawks of the day were seen soaring over old Gropper Field. Here it was great just to stop and listen to the sound of Chiffchaff and Blackcap song all around me. I decided to head up to Laurel Pond to see if the Firecrest had returned, but unfortunately the best I could find was a pair of Coal Tit adding the finishing touches to their new home. Next I headed for Darlands lake where the local Herons were soaring over head keeping the Buzzards company and ensuring that there was no encroachment on their territory. The Snakes Head Fritillary was in full bloom which was good to see and it reminded me of a carpet of bluebells. Several Teal were on the lake, however apart from the Lapwing at Folly Farm that was it bird wise. Above: Snakes Head Fritillary's The next day and afternoon visit to Totteridge seemed like the correct thing to do especially given the temperature. Peacock, and Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies were everywhere and one of my favourite fly species in the world were out in abundance. Of course it is the Bee-fly. Above: Bee-fly Moving further into the valley it was nice to be able to stand in the warm sun listening to the sound of the Blackcap and Chiffchaff, with a movement of raptors evident in the skies with both high flying Buzzard and Sparrowhawk flying through including the odd interesting bird that was just too high to identify any further. I had a quick look in John's field for a change and added yet more Blackcap and Chiffchaff as well as quite a few Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies. The Treecreeper was singing at Darlands Lake and at least 6 Teal were on the Lake with a double figure count of Mallard and 4 Moorhen, which is the most I have seen of all these species here for quite some time. Above: Drake Teal Next I headed out to Owl Field where I found not one but 2 pairs of Bullfinch with nesting material. A Male Reed Bunting also popped up unannounced and sat in a bush next to me and a Red Kite did the sensible thing and flew over my head. Unfortunately I found what it was looking at, as on the path ahead of me was a dead Mole. I have to admit this is the first time I had ever seen a Mole and I was surprised at just how strong its feet are and also how sharp their teeth are. This not so little fella looked as though it had been killed by a fox during the Spring dispersal as there were bite marks on its back, however after I left I am pretty sure that it became the Red Kites dinner. Above: Mole I continued down towards Folly Farm where the Lapwing were still present along with a few Meadow Pipit over head, however I was surprised to find not one but 2 Little Owl staring at me from a nearby tree which is quite incredible. Especially given that I had seen one the day before. These 2 however were quite clearly a pair and also they seemed to be making the most of the warm afternoon sun. Above: Little Owl I then decided to head for home, however as a parting gift the Long-tailed Tits near Lond Pond were showing well, a Red Kite was perched in a dead tree, and the pair of Egyptian Geese seem to have joined the Canada Geese, Coot, and Moorhen at Long Pond. While a Drake Mandarin also flew over head. What a day, and this is why I Love Totteridge... You never know what you are going to get. Above: Red Kite Below: Egyptian Goose Above: Canada Goose The next morning I got up at the crack of dawn and headed to RSPB Rainham Marshes. I arrived at Rainham North at just gone 06:45 and set about scanning the area. Cetti's Warbler and Chiffchaff could be heard singing and the first Blackcap of the day was also found near the A13. Moving on towards Rainham West and another 25 Cetti's Warbler were heard along with the odd seen as well. A male Pheasant scared the life out of me when it erupted from the undergrowth on the left hand side of the path and only just avoided making contact with my head as it ran to safety. Coot, Little Grebe, a pair of Tufted Duck and a few Shoveler were also about along with more Chiffchaff and Blackcap. A few Mute Swan also trundled through over head in the crisp but chilly blue sky. Moving on and I decided to give the stone barges a visit. Along the way I encountered yet more Blackcap and also even more Cetti's Warblers. Upon arrival at the barges I was scanning through a flock of Goldfinches when something spoked them. This was when I picked up a Weasel running along the wall below the bushes the Goldfinches had been in. What a sight this was to see and I watched as it continued running along the wall and then eventually disappearing into the undergrowth. Bird wise the barges were unusually quiet with a few Gadwall, Teal, Wigeon, and Shelduck the only things around in this unusually high tide. Above: Drake Teal Below: Drake Gadwall Moving on and with the temperature steadily rising the first Butterflies of the day started to emerge. I decided to take the path over the tip and although it was migrant less there were plenty of singing Skylark and Meadow Pipits around. Peacock Butterflies were also numerous and a few Hoverflies were about. Above: female Eupeodes luniger (Thank you Howard) Below: Peacock Butterfly I then headed down towards Aveley Bay where a few Linnet were about. In the Bay itself a Curlew, and Avocet could be seen amongst the Teal and Shelduck. I then headed down the lower path and flushed accidently flushed a lingering Water Pipit. From this angle I could also see that there were 2 Ringed Plover in the bay as well as a few Redshank, but no sign of any returning Terns or Whimbrel as of yet. Above: Linnet Below: Ringed Plover I then headed back to the visitor entre via a flock of loafing Wigeon and the first sign of a Raptor Movement as a flock of 4 circling Buzzards drifted over to Join the thermalling Marsh Harriers over Wennington. It was now nearing 10am and so after dropping my coat and Jumper, I headed out onto te reserve. I decided to head to Dents Drop first. From here I could see plenty of Redshank and a Curlew busily feeding at the back of the Pool. There was also still a good amount of Ducks around with Tufted Duck, Shoveler, Teal, Gadwall, Wigeon, and a pair of Pintail around the Pools. Upon closer inspection a few Snipe could also be seen along the back of the pool as well as some lurking Moorhen and Coot. Above: Jumping Spider sp Moving on into the Woodland where Cetti's Warblers, Blackcap and plenty of Chiffchaff were in full song, that was until not one, but 2 Female Sparrowhawks got up and started to circle the Woodland leaving everything quiet. Once they had passed the song started up again and this time it was the Goldfinch's turn to join the party. Above: Goldfinch Below: Female Sparrowhawk Moving on and the sound of Marsh Frogs had me peering over the board walk. To my surprise there was a total of 76 freshly emerged Marsh Frogs sitting out in the sun trying to warm up. It was an amazing sight to see and a real sign of Spring. After I had been standing here for a while I turned in the direction of the train line as a Male Sedge Warbler started to sign from the reeds. This was my first of the year and my earliest record by miles. More Cetti's Warbler sang as I headed towards the Ken Barret Hide, while above my head several Buzzard Passed through along with a high flying spec of a Peregrine. Above: Marsh Frogs Below: Common Buzzards The Ken Barret hide was relatively quiet with a few Pochard and Gadwall dotted around. A fine Male Marsh Harrier was hunting the Reedbeds to one side of the hide. However the best was yet to happen. I noticed the Great Crested Grebes in front of the hide had parted ways. This was until the second followed suite keeping low to the water and what happened next was truly wonderful to see and experience with the Grebes going into display mode mirroring each others moves. It was a spectacular to watch and I have a feeling that some of the others in the hide were feeling the same sense of excitement. I then headed up towards the Butt's Hide via the Northern Board Walk. Here is was relatively quiet with only a Reed Bunting and a Male Bearded Tit appearing. Cetti's Warblers were still numerous as ever and the Marsh Harriers performed well as they continued to defend their territory against the passing Buzzards. Just as I was about to enter the hide I heard a call that I hadn't heard for quite sometime. To my surprise when I looked up I picked up a pair of Little Ringed Plover coming in from quite a decent height and I watched as they headed towards the A13 before dropping down out of sight into the Reeds. These were my first of the year and it was great to see them back. Once in the Butt's Hide I had a look out onto Butt's Scrape. Here there was the usual mix of Tufted Duck and Pochard as well as quite a few Snipe out in the open feeding on the muddy islands in the middle of the pools. Shoveler, Lapwing, and Redshank were also dotted around the edges of the pools along with Greylag and Canada Geese. I then decided to have a look at Target Pools. This again brought up the same array of Species however there were still a few lingering Shelduck and Pintail on this side. A Ruff was also feeding along the back of the pools and a few Pied Wagtails were dotted around the marsh as well. Just as I was leaving the hide I opened the door to the sound of pinging as 2 Bearded Tit flew past and a few Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies were dotted about too along with yet more Peacock Butterflies. Above: Drake Pochard, Pair of Tufted Duck, 3 Shoveler, and a Drake Teal Below: Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly I then headed to Purfleet hide were it was again more of the same and to be honest quite surprisingly Hirundinidae-less. A Buzzard was however circling the pools with a Sparrowhawk constantly mobbing it. I then received news of a rare bird being found at a reserve not to far from where I was so I headed back to the centre and quickly grabbed some lunch before heading off again. Above: Sparrowhawk and the Common Buzzard Below: Drake Gadwall I headed to Purfleet station and waited for the train whilst listening to the sound of Singing Blackcap and Chiffchaff. Finally the train arrived and I headed one stop to Rainham Station, where after a short walk in the opposite direction to the morning I found my south in the Southern end of Hornchurch CP/ Ingrebourne Valley. I had actually never been to the southern part of the valley before and I have to admit I was thoroughly impressed with the habitat. I headed up what I believe was Ingrebourne Hill to the sound of Singing Skylark everywhere it was such a nice area to visit and on such a nice warm spring day. I then found myself heading down the otherside of the hill into the woodland below where more Chiffchaff and Blackcap were competing for territory and singing their hearts off. Above: Skylark And so finally after around 40 minutes of walking I found myself at the view point which overlooks the marshy area of the valley. Finally 3rd time lucky I found my self staring at the American Green-winged Teal which is the North American version of our own Teal species. What a bird it was and as I watched it for the next 30 minutes it feed and preened happily. It was also a Drake and in pristine condition as well. So now what is the difference between this bird and our own Teal. Well, to honest there isn't an awful lot, except for the fact that the white stripe along the side of the teal runs vertically along the body rather than horizontally like our Teal. The facial pattern is also slightly different between the two species as well. This was my 3rd attempt at seeing this species after dipping a Drake in Dorset twice in the last 2 winters so it felt good to finally make up for these efforts. Also around the view point were some of the local Birders and also a good array of birds including 8 Common Buzzard up in the air at the same time and 7 Green Sandpiper. There were also plenty of usual Teal and also the odd Lapwing and Common Snipe as well. Above: American Green-winged Teal Below: Green Sandpiper And so after this Simon and I headed out into the local Farmland in search of a potential 2nd Lifer of the day, however the best we could manage were a few Lapwing, 2 Red-legged Partridge and a Male Reed Bunting, so in the end we resulted to heading and having a look for the silent Firecrest. We found this almost instantly feeding in the trees above our heads before we headed for home. And so this Spectacular American Vagrant became my 138th Species of Bird in the UK this year, as well as my 183rd Species seen in London, and my 226th Species seen in the UK. I am starting to close in on my record year last year, but without a trip to Spurn will it be possible to beat my year list total? Who knows.... Possibly! Above: Muntjac seen in the Dollis Valley on 30th March
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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 18. ArchivesCategories |