Rainham and Beam Valley

Saturday April 22nd

Today turned out to be a monumental day at Rainham Marshes, just the sort of migrant-packed day that I really enjoy. It started well as I heard a Grasshopper Warbler reeling away on Rainham West. Walking around the riverside path of the tip produced three singing Corn Buntings - it's good to know that they're doing well at this site. A few Whimbrel were seen in Aveley Bay and flying upriver. There was also a Wheatear on the riverwall.

Wheatear

Whimbrel

I entered the reserve and walked through the woodland which was fairly quiet. I stopped to look for the Barn Owl but it wasn't at home today, however there was a Nightingale singing from a nearby bush, an unexpected bonus. On my way back from Ken Barrett hide it had shut up much to the disappointment of a small crowd that had gathered there.

I decided to have lunch on a picnic table by the climbing boulders which proved to be an inspired choice. My lunch was interrupted by a commotion going on over the reserve and a few seconds later an Osprey appeared above the trees. It was being mobbed by several birds and in an effort to get away it flew my way and went directly overhead.

Common Buzzard and Osprey

Osprey

Osprey is one of my favourite birds and is a good bird to find on migration; it was also the first one I've seen at Rainham. Fortunately it was seen by quite a few other birders around the reserve. I carried on around the reserve, seeing a Hobby and a distant Red Kite to add to the raptor list (which finished on seven species). I headed back to Serin Mound for another look and found a Bar-tailed Godwit and then made my way back home, having walked over 11 miles and seen a total of 86 species. I hope there'll be another good day like this during the rest of spring.

Site 65: Beam Parklands, April 24th

I hadn't heard of this site until recently when I was researching the Dagenham area; it's part of the Dagenham Corridor. It also seems to have gone under the radar of most local birders as well as there's only a few visits recorded on eBird. It's my closest large green space as it's only a 15 minute walk from home. There's several access points to the area between New Road and Rainham Road South; I entered via Oval Road North at the southwestern end and walked a clockwise loop. 

The numbers represent display boards

It's a large river valley with plenty of trees, scrub and open grassland. There's a very good network of paths and local information boards. Over by the river I heard a Cuckoo calling and a Little Egret flew over. 

River Beam

On the return route I found a path that heads east over another river and to a large open area (not marked on the info boards) that may be an old landfill as there's a hill in the middle. I wandered around this area where there were several Skylarks singing and two Wheatears. 

Wheatear

I walked back along the southern most path past a lake with a pair of nesting Swans and exited onto Ballards Lane. I recorded 43 species in two and half hours and will aim to visit this area regularly.

Lake at southern end

Goldfinch

Grey Heron

Common Whitethroat

All points east

It’s been a very busy time for me recently so this post is a bit late. I’ve moved across London to Dagenham so I’ll no longer be a regular at Brent Res. Instead, I have many good sites all very close to me such as Rainham Marshes, Dagenham Chase and Ingrebourne Valley.

I needed a break from unpacking boxes so took the District Line one stop to Dagenham East. Turning left out of the station and then over the road, it’s just a short walk to the public footpath that leads onto the next site.

Site 63: Dagenham Chase, April 14th

This is a site I’ve only visited a few times before, and like a lot of London Birders who have been around the block, my standout visit was to see the Pine Bunting that was present in early 1992. As I don’t know the place very well, I was very fortunate to immediately bump into Vince who is the main man at this patch. He kindly spent the morning with me exploring the area and I met several other local birders as well. 

One of several lakes in the area

We did a rough anti-clockwise circuit, heading out towards The Slack, a fenced off area of shallow water and islands where we saw a small flock of Little Ringed Plovers. 

The Slack

We carried on along the northern boundary, past the Visitors Centre, along the causeway between the lakes and past a couple more lakes before finishing on the Dagenham Road where I caught the bus back home.

Little Ringed Plover on The Slack

It’s going to take quite a few more visits to understand the geography of the area but I don’t think I’ll be threatening Vince’s patch list total of 191 species any time soon.

Rainham Marshes: April 15th, 17th & 19th

With Rainham now being my main local patch, I’m trying to get there as often as possible. On my first local visit, I made an early start and took a local bus to Rainham Village and then walked the short distance to the start of Rainham West.

Sedge and Reed Warblers were both singing away with the former easily outnumbering the latter but that will change by the end of the month. For anyone having difficulty distinguishing the songs of these reed-bed dwellers then I offer this: Reed Warblers have muesli for breakfast and typically sing a steady song while Sedge Warblers have Red Bull for breakfast and their song goes 100 mph and is all over the place.

I met up with John & Janet on Monday 17th on the train to Rainham. We encountered a Willow Warbler on Rainham West that occasionally adds a few Chiffchaff phrases to its typical song. We also found a Hobby hunting over the Butts hide, our first of the year.

Waders are now starting to appear on their spring migration and I recorded ten species on 19th including Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit. Both of these are regularly seen at Rainham but often go through in a narrow window so can be missed. There was also a nice flock of five Grey Plover in Aveley Bay in addition to the five Ruff. I finally managed to catch up with the Corn Bunting on the tip.

Corn Bunting

Site 64: Ingrebourne Valley, April 20th

I haven’t totally neglected my 100 site challenge and managed to find a morning to visit this site. It was a short journey on the District Line to Hornchurch station and then I walked down the road although local buses are available. I entered along a footpath just by St George’s bus stop and walked east until I picked up the main path that runs south alongside the visitor centre and the lookout over the wetland area.

You have to know the roads for this sign to be of any use

Lookout over wetland area

I heard my first Cuckoo of the year here and then followed the path round and eastwards, leaving Hornchurch CP and entering Berwick Glades. I did a loop of this large area which is newly planted woodland and borders onto farmland. 

Some of  the local signage includes maps

On a ploughed field there was a single Red-legged Partridge. 

Red-legged Partridge

I followed the path south to the edge of Berwick Ponds where there is a footpath that leads to Abbey Wood in Rainham where there was another Cuckoo. 

Arboreal Mallard

Berwick Ponds alongside footpath to Rainham

I didn’t go out here but went back up and then followed the path to a lake where there’s a typical assortment of wildfowl including the inevitable Egyptian Goose and begging Mallards. 

Mallard Lake (I'm yet to find a proper name for this lake)

After a short rest on one of the many benches I headed back up the valley to the cafe at the visitor centre for a well-deserved coffee before heading back to the station.

 

Ally Pally and Highgate Woods

Saturday April 8th

With no Jubilee Line running through Neasden this weekend, I was limited to getting around by bus so took the 182 to Brent Cross and changed onto the 102. I alighted at Rosebery Road and walked up The Avenue (although it heads southwards, it goes uphill).

Site 60: Alexandra Park

I entered the park at the top end by the boating lake and walked down along the eastern boundary through the nature reserve where you can view Wood Green Reservoir through the fence. 

The boating lake had a good selection of waterbirds

I'd visited this part of the park twice before, the first time was to see a Barn Owl and the second time was on the way to a meeting so I hadn't birded the park properly before. All the winter birds have already left the reservoir but there was a pair of displaying Great Crested Grebes.

Crow

Mallard

There are some good areas of woodland which all held singing Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs this morning. I made my way back to the Palace where there's a large terrace with benches. As well as the views over London, it's an excellent place for vis-migging. I was probably too late for any passerines going over but did manage Buzzard and Sparrowhawk. The park is particularly busy, especially today being a sunny Easter Saturday.

The Palace at the top of the hill

This gives you an idea of how steep this hill is

Looking south over London

I walked down the west side of the park and exited at the southwest corner. I turned into Park Road, along Cranley Gardens and onto Connaught Gardens.

Site 61: Queen's Wood

I hadn't visited this site or the next one before. They're both remnants of the ancient Middlesex Forest and support a good selection of breeding woodland birds. There's a series of paths and trails around the wood but some of them were pretty muddy. I walked around the top section and then into the centre where there's a duckpond. The Wood Anemones were in flower but I forgot to photograph them!

There's a good mix of trees in this wood

The duckpond

Crow (I was struggling to find anything to photograph!)

Mallard

I headed over to the west side where there is a cafe (currently closed but due to reopen soon) and crossed over the road where there's an entrance to the next site.

Site 62: Highgate Wood

Note the opening times

Another map where North isn't at the top!

I did a rough clockwise loop of the wood. On the west side there is an open area of grassland which does allow a view of any birds flying over. It has a similar range of woodland birds to the previous site and is also another popular place. It is a bit quieter when walking along the rougher tracks rather than the main paths.

Open area

Nuthatch

I exited this wood at the northern gate onto Woodside Avenue and walked up the Great North Road to East Finchley where I picked up the 102 bus back to Brent Cross. With another three sites walked today, I've now done more than sixty per cent of my target and have been to most of the main sites in North and West London.

Rainham and Richmond

I managed to squeeze a visit in to Rainham Marshes on April 3rd. I met up with my friends on the train and we did the long walk from Rainham station through Rainham West, along the river past the old barges and into the reserve.

For a change, it was a nice sunny day which encouraged all the Chiffchaffs and Cetti's Warblers to sing from almost every bush. Surprisingly, there wasn't a lot of migration, despite the light easterly wind. We did see a Common Tern on the Thames near Coldharbour Point but the expected Med Gulls were absent.

We took the path over the tip and viewed Wennington Marsh where I found a distant Barnacle Goose. We walked along the riverwall and John found a white blob which turned into a Spoonbill. We saw it again outside of the Butts hide where it was still slumbering.

Spoonbill

We also heard a Yellow Wagtail flying over near Butts hide and a couple of Sedge Warblers were the only other summer visitors. It was still a good day though with 67 species recorded.

A couple of days later, I decided it was time to venture south of the river again. I took the North London line (as this stretch of London Overground used to be called and will be again) all the way to Richmond station. It's about a 15 minute walk via Church Road and Park Lane to Cambrian Gate, my usual egress point.

Site 59, Richmond Park, April 5th

This is the largest Royal Park in London and it's not feasible to try and cover it all in a day. My route today was down past Holly Lodge, along Saw Pit Plantation and around Pen Ponds. I then went through Isabella Plantation which is probably the nicest of the plantations then headed back northwards.

Looking south to Pen Ponds

Herd of Fallow Deer

Pen Ponds

Red Deer

Isabella Plantation

A couple of Red Kite were soaring over Saw Pit Plantation, the first ones I've seen in the park; I ended up seeing five in total. I spent some time listening out for woodpeckers but there weren't any drumming today and they may well have finished already this year. However, I did hear a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker call by the Pen Ponds.

The ubiquitous Egyptian Goose

Mrs Yaffle

Jackdaws collecting nesting material

Mandarin

The commonest birds in the park were Jackdaws and Ring-necked Parakeets. As both are hole-nesters it may explain why Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have almost disappeared, both here and throughout SE England. Several Mandarins were giving great views on one of the ponds in Isabella Plantation. As I walked back up the park, a pair of Buzzards soared over one of the woods. I completed my loop in just under three hours, recording 45 species.