November 18th: Grand Union Canal

I recently uploaded my bird lists on eBird from my first local patch along the Grand Union Canal. When I lived in Queens Park I walked the towpath from Kensal Green up towards Alperton although I didn’t always go that far. I thought it would be interesting to walk that route after almost 40 years to see how things had changed.

My starting point was behind Sainsbury’s in Ladbroke Grove – that was the first change as there was no supermarket there in 1983. It didn’t take long before I noticed the next change: the towpath had become a highway for cycles and e-scooters. I don’t remember encountering any cyclists back in the day but I usually only walked there on Sunday mornings.

First section opposite Kensal Green Cemetery

Harlesden section

The birdlife had changed significantly as well, every section had Coots on it whereas I didn’t see a single one until my 11th visit. There were also a lot of Moorhen compared to the odd one or two I used to see. On my very first visit I recorded a single goose (exact species unknown), this time there were several groups of Canada Geese and two Greylag Geese. One of the latter was sporting a colour-ring and had been ringed in the Royal Parks. 

Coot

Greylag Geese

I had expected to see Egyptian Geese but they don’t appear to have found the canal yet. One other exotic that was new was Ring-necked Parakeet. Back in 1983 I don’t think I knew they even existed as they didn’t feature in my copy of the Observer’s Book of Birds but now they are well established throughout London and it didn’t take long before some loud squawks gave away their presence.

It’s an interesting walk along this stretch of the canal as it weaves its way west out of London, passing beside quiet oases such as Kensal Green Cemetery and Wormwood Scrubs while never being far from a railway. The mainline from Paddington follows the canal for the first section and then there are the huge sidings at Old Oak Common with several varieties of trains including the new Elizabeth Line. London Overground trains cross over the canal at a couple of places a bit further on.

Elizabeth Line train

London Overground rail bridge

Passing under the road bridge of Acton Lane brings you out opposite the Grand Junction Arms, a really nice canal-side pub. I have at least been in the pub during these intervening years.

Grand Junction Arms

You then pass alongside the large industrial area of Park Royal. I didn’t recognise most of it and am sure some of the really large factories have been knocked down in the intervening period. Funnily enough, it was on this stretch that I encountered my only House Sparrows of the day, a little group of three. On my early visits they were commonly seen all along the route. There were also a few Chiffchaffs calling here as well. Back in 1983 they were still a novelty in winter with only 28 birds recorded in November and December in the whole of London.

These directional signs are new!

No, not that one!

A pair of Magpies in a tree were soon joined by several more and their chattering also attracted a passing Crow. I’m not sure what brought them together as Magpie Weddings are typically in early spring but maybe it was the sunshine and blue sky as we’ve not had a lot of that recently.

Magpies and Crow

There were a couple of Herons feeding in the canal today, I did occasionally see one on my earlier visits but they always flew off as soon as anyone came into view whereas now they ignore you and carry on feeding.

Grey Heron

Another new bird today was a Cormorant, perched on a fallen tree in the middle of the canal; in the early 1980s they were quite scarce in London away from the big reservoirs and I had to wait until I started birding at Brent Res before I first saw one.

Cormorant

I recorded Black-headed Gulls on all my earlier visits and noted how there was a large group on a factory roof. They may have been the many times Great-Grandparents of today’s birds as they were common along the canal today as well as there being a resting flock on a factory roof. I wonder if it was the same factory roof after all these years?

Black-headed Gulls on a factory

I also saw one Common and several Herring Gulls today, neither of which I recorded back then although I probably wouldn’t have been able to identify them back then as I didn’t have any bins for most of my early visits.

There’s likely to have been several small birds that would have gone unnoticed by me back then that I picked up on call today including Goldcrest, Wren, Dunnock, Pied and Grey Wagtails. I also saw and heard a flock of Redwing that flew over, most probably recent arrivals to these shores for their winter holiday.

The most obvious omissions today were Starling and Blackbird which I used to see quite regularly. I’m not surprised that Starling wasn’t seen given their drastic decline in numbers recently but I would have expected to see Blackbird and maybe they are still in the area.

As I reached the end of the Park Royal section I could see further changes in the landscape. In the distance Wembley’s arch was visible between the buildings while ahead, the skyline of Alperton has undergone a drastic makeover recently with many large blocks of flats being built overlooking the canal.

Wembley's arch in the distance

The border between Park Royal and Alperton is the North Circular Road and unlike all the other bridges on this section which pass over the canal, this bridge carries the canal over the road. Every time I’ve driven along this section of the North Circ, I always wonder how many people actually realise they’re going under the Grand Union Canal.

Crossing over the North Circular

Looking down; traffic is quiet after the rush hour

Just past the NCR bridge the canal also goes over a partially obscured waterway which is actually the River Brent.

River Brent

This was my last section of the canal and I took the footbridge off Water Lane to the bus stop outside Alperton station.

Water Lane footbridge at Alperton

My walk took almost two hours and covered 3.7 miles and it was a really interesting visit after such a long time. I also recorded 30 species of bird, almost double my previous highest total. I might have to make another visit!

My walk on Google maps starting on the right. The oval in the top left is Wembley Stadium.

November 1st-15th: Woodies and Whooper

With the autumn migration tailing off, I’ve not being going out and about as much, mostly concentrating on local areas apart from a few days in Norfolk which I covered on my last blog.

The first week of the month traditionally sees the bulk of the Woodpigeon movement and there were several days at Brent Res where I recorded a few thousand going over. Weather is really key in the overland passage of these birds which come from Scandinavia and head over the UK to winter in Spain. Blocking weather systems over the North Sea may mean they take a different route altogether and go along the south coast rather than up the Thames Estuary and over London. In some years they pass over in large numbers on a single day, my best count being 50,000 plus over Swanscombe. This year my highest count was 4,200 over Rainham.

Part of the Woodpigeon migration over Brent Res

Winter thrushes aren’t as common this year, especially Fieldfares. I always hope to see a Ring Ouzel in with them if there’s a good passage but I didn’t get one this year. I did venture over to Rainham on the 4th, aside from the Woodies going over, the number of waders has started to pick up with 180 Lapwing and 60 Black-tailed Godwits counted but still no Dunlin yet. Water and Rock Pipits are both in now for the winter and the latter are often showing well along the lower concrete wall near the visitor centre.

Rock Pipit

The only other place I visited in the first half of the month was Rye Meads RSPB. There had been a juvenile Whooper Swan hanging around for a few days so I thought I’d head up on Monday morning. As I was on the bus from Brent Cross to Edmonton I was wondering if it was such a good idea as there was thick fog around. I got off the bus at Silver Street and took the train up to Rye House. It was still foggy but the visibility had improved a bit. I don’t often visit Rye Meads but am determined to make an effort to get there more often as it is a nice little reserve and easy to get to.

My first port of call was the Draper hide, just missing a Kingfisher which had been posing for the togs on a nearby branch. Out by the island was a sleeping immature swan. It seemed quite long-legged and I suspected it was the Whooper. It woke up briefly and stuck out its head to confirm my suspicion and then went back to sleep. A Green Sandpiper flew in and some Water Rails called over the far side but there wasn’t too much else to see so I carried on walking around.

I visited the main hides and ended up in the Kingfisher hide where a few more togs were waiting for a blue-and-orange piscivore. I didn’t think that winter was the best time to be staking out a nesting site so left them to it and headed back to the Draper hide. By now the Whooper Swan was out feeding and with the fog clearing a little bit more I was able to get a few photos.

Whooper Swan

It's only the second Whooper Swan I've seen in the London Area, the first being on Lockwood Res quite a while back and of course it was another new one for the year, bringing my total up to 172.

Nov 6th-10th: Norfolk in late autumn

Early November meant it was time for our annual trip up to Norfolk. We had to change the dates twice because of train strikes then they called them off at the last minute, by which time it was too late to make any further changes. I met up with John & Janet at Kings Cross on Sunday morning and we took an early train up to Kings Lynn. Going through the Fens we passed several flocks of Whooper Swans, the first ones I’ve seen this year. The next leg of the journey was a bus to Hunstanton, seeing Red Kite en route and we arrived at our hotel at lunchtime.

We spent the afternoon walking south along the beach, almost as far as Heacham. The tide was out so there were plenty of waders, especially Oystercatchers, Turnstones and Sanderling. On the inland side we also managed Marsh Harrier and Cetti’s Warbler, both new ones for this particular walk.

Hunstanton beach looking south

With the weather looking ominous we turned around and popped into a cafe for a hot drink before heading back to our hotel. The evening was spent in The Mariner where they have a good selection of pub meals and a nice pint of Wherry. We made plans for the following day, electing to go to Holkham as there was rain forecast for late afternoon.

We had an hour on the seafront pre-breakfast: on the sea there were two Red-throated Divers and a close Razorbill, as well as a good migration of 3,500 Starlings along with a few Chaffinches and Fieldfares. Once at Holkham we walked down Lady Anne’s Drive. The marshes either side were bone-dry and consequently had almost no birds on them.

We went out onto the beach to search for the Shorelarks. As we arrived at the roped-off area, a couple of birders had them in view so we didn’t have to spend long looking for them. They were feeding out in the middle and regularly disappeared into the vegetation but we got good views of at least four birds eventually.

Somewhere out there is a flock of Shorelark

There was no sign of any Snow Buntings so we had a seawatch from the edge of the dunes. There was a flock of Gannets feeding inshore close between two sandbars, while further out were a few Common Scoter. Walking through the pines we heard a couple of Firecrest and had lunch in one of the hides overlooking the marshes. Raptors were constantly in view, both over the marshes and the estate across the coast road with multiple Red Kites, Common Buzzards and Marsh Harriers. Three Great Egrets were feeding out the front, whilst at the west end we saw a flock of six Cattle Egrets. Surprisingly there were no Little Egrets around. Starlings continued to fly west in large groups.

Back at the centre we decided to stay until dusk to look for Barn Owl but failed to see any before the bus arrived to take us back to Hunstanton.

The following day we headed over to Titchwell. At the first lagoon, the roosting waders were being regularly harassed by a Peregrine. Golden Plovers were constantly in the air before dropping for a rest on the islands. 

Golden Plover

Scouring through waders we found a dozen Ruff and a few Dunlin. On the next lagoon was a tame Curlew.

Curlew

We carried on to the beach; by now it was low tide so everything was a fair way out. A Slav Grebe had been reported but we couldn’t find it, however we did locate a Red-necked Grebe instead. We spent some time in the hide looking through the ducks and waders then heard about a Green-winged Teal which had just been found along the main track. We hurried over but it had gone into the vegetation with a large flock of Teal. We looked through as many Teal as we could see but many more were either asleep or hidden and no one else managed to see it that afternoon. We walked through the woodland adding a few passerines and a lazy Muntjac.

Muntjac

Afternoon coffee beckoned then we went back on the main track again. It wasn’t for long as a nasty squall arrived and we retreated to the hide for shelter. This ended up being productive as we could watch the Marsh Harriers come into roost. After a while I picked up a male Hen Harrier with them and it then spent the next half hour hunting over the marsh. We stayed until dusk again looking for Barn Owl but the only thing we managed was a couple of Chinese Water Deer.

Double rainbow over Titchwell

Titchwell after a squall

Distant Hen Harrier

As we had an extra day this trip because of the train strikes we thought we’d try somewhere new and began at Thornham Harbour. Although there hadn’t been any reports of Twite this winter, this has always been the primary site for them recently. We found a flock of Linnets and John managed to find a Twite amongst them but it flew off before we could get on it.

Thornham Harbour

Black-tailed Godwit

We walked around the main coastal path towards Holme. There were Pinkfeet and Brents in the fields on the way round. We stopped at the dunes to scan the sea and found an Egyptian Goose right out in the middle of The Wash! A better sighting was a flock of 30 Pintail that flew west. We had intended to visit the reserve at Holme but it was closed with no explanation. We carried on but didn’t see a great deal. There was a bit of time before the bus was due so we walked inland along Peddars Way and saw our only Red-legged Partridge of the trip. We finished the day off with a celebratory meal at Chives.

On our last day, there was time to do our usual pre-breakfast seawatch although it was too windy to watch from our usual lookout. Starlings were again on the move and we counted over 7,500 and we added a couple of Eider to the trip list which finished on 105. All too soon it was time to get the bus back to Kings Lynn and then the train to London where a tube strike meant finding an alternative way home.

Oct 21st-31st: a quiet end to October

To start off the last third of the month I began at Rainham Marshes. A few Redwing went over as we walked round from Purfleet station and a Ring-necked Parakeet called. The latter aren’t yet established in the area but I’ve started hearing them more regularly in Purfleet so it’s only a matter of time. The tide was up so we didn’t go far along the riverwall and instead went straight into the reserve at opening time.

The woodland was quiet so we carried on to Ken Barrett hide. The water level had gone up again and there were even fewer birds than on my last visit so we gave into the lure of coffee and cake at the cafe. Purfleet scrape is beginning to fill up with the recent rain but it’s got a long way to go. There was the usual Ruff at Butts hide but little else.

Over the next few days I did some local vismigging, either at Brent Res or Fryent CP. Woodpigeons are just starting to move around now and on Tuesday 25th I saw the first proper movement with 723 logged over Brent. Finch migration is still really poor with just odd Linnets, Siskin and Redpolls going over.

At Fryent on Wednesday I had quite a few patch year ticks with Skylark, Siskin & Lesser Redpoll but the best was a pair of Egyptian Geese which were new for the site. I’ve been expecting them at every visit so it was nice to finally see them. There was also a high count of 429 Ring-necked Parakeets flying north in many small groups. They are obviously dispersing from a roost further south, possibly as far as Wormwood Scrubs. Although we know where many of the large roosts are it would be interesting to find out how far birds are coming from.

Fryent CP at dawn

On Thursday I ventured over to south London for a change and visited Crossness for the first time this autumn. I met my mate John at London Bridge and we were soon at Belvedere, where it’s just a short walk to the reserve. A pair of Stonechats greeted us but there was no sign of a Dartford Warbler which was found there the following day. I added two new patch birds, both overdue waders: Green Sandpiper and Avocet.

Avocet at Crossness

There was a Common Sand by the outflow in exactly the same place where one wintered last year so is most likely the same individual. It was low tide so there were a lot of waders on the exposed mud including a flock of over 100 Black-tailed Godwits but no Dunlin. There don’t seem to be any along the Lower Thames yet this month. We cut back down to the Southern Marsh and finished up by the lake on a total of 64 species, my best at this site. It’s always a nice walk and I really should visit it more often.

A couple of days vismigging at Brent followed with more Woodpigeons on their way to Spain for the winter with daily totals of 458 and 670. There hasn’t been a really big day yet although that typically occurs in the first week of November. While at the vismig spot at Brent I did find a couple of newly emerged Shaggy Inkcaps. I had a look for Fly Agaric but there was no sign at the usual spot.

Shaggy Inkcap

Water Rails have arrived for the winter and I saw two scurrying along the edge of the reeds at Brent within a minute on Saturday. 

To finish the month I spent Halloween at Rainham. It was a fairly quiet day despite the fair conditions but that’s really been the story of October. It usually produces the most rarities in London but this month there’s been nothing gettable. Scarce migrants like Short-eared Owl, Ring Ouzel and Yellow-browed Warbler have been thin on the ground and it’s not been cold enough to get the wildfowl moving. So I finished the month on 181 for the year and with just two months to go it’ll be hard to get many more.