Daily Yaffle: Butterflies and more East End sites

Site 73: Hutchinsons Bank, May 27th

I wasn't originally going to include this site as my primary reason for visiting was for butterflies but have now decided I'll add it anyway as I did make a bird list and it is in Greater London. I met John & Janet at Canada Water and we took the Overground to West Croydon then the tram to New Addington. The reserve is signposted from the tram station with the entrance being just to the left of the recycling station.

This was our third visit here and this one was specifically timed for Glanville Fritillary which had started flying this week. We didn't have to go far until we encountered a group of people photographing one on the track. It showed the upperside of its wings nicely so that was a good start.

Glanville Fritillary

We carried on eastwards, hearing a couple of Bullfinch, my first ones this year and a few singing warblers although it was getting a bit hot and late in the season for much song.

Pheasant

We crossed over the road to Chapel Bank, mainly because that's where we had Marsh Tit last year but there was no sign of any and hardly any butterflies as the Dukes had finished flying this year, We returned to the main meadows and found several more Glanvilles including one that showed off its stunning underside.

Glanville Fritillary

There were other butterflies out as well but not many 'common' ones except Brimstone which was super abundant.

Dingy Skipper

Grizzled Skipper

Small Blue

Site 74: Belhus Woods Country Park, June 8th

This site straddles the border of Greater London and Essex but as some of it is in London I'm still counting it. To reach it I took the 287 bus to Rainham Tesco then the 372 to St Pauls Close in Aveley. It's then a mile's walk up the Romford Road. The top end of this walk goes through Belhus Chase which then leads into the CP. The Chase is wholly in Essex so I didn't count this as a separate site although I did record a singing Yellowhammer here.

Once in the park, I started at the visitor centre and did a large clockwise loop, taking in the conservation area where there's a lake, then out towards the M25, past some more lakes and finishing back where I started. As well as the lakes, there's a lot of flower meadows, scrub and both deciduous and coniferous woods.

Footbridge over the M25

I recorded a total of 41 species which seemed like a good total as most birds have settled down to breed now. I'd only visited the site briefly once before, on a bird race many years ago when we dashed in to tick off Ruddy Duck and dashed off again.

Canada Geese escorting their creche from one lake to another

Site 75: Parsloes Park, June 10th

This park is just a ten minute walk for me and lies just north of the C2C/District Line between Becontree and Dagenham Heathway. It's a relatively large town park and it's nice to see that the council haven't mowed it to death. There's some nice grass meadows, scattered trees and a lake in the southwest corner.

There's a community hub being built in the centre of the park

I didn't know what birds to expect as there were no visits recorded on eBird but I ended up seeing 32 species which is pretty good. There may have been more on the lake but weirdly there aren't any reasonable viewpoints as trees grow all around the lake and there's only a couple of narrow views so I didn't even see any Mallard.

Juvenile Blue Tit being fed

Canada Geese and goslings

Young Egyptian Geese

Greylag Geese

Magpie

Ring-necked Parakeet

I exited out the of the southwest corner onto Gale Street and walked south a little way to the next site.

Site 76: Castle Green, June 10th

This is a much smaller park, with mown and unmown grassy areas, trees but no water. I walked anti-clockwise to the far end, then beside the A13 where there's an exit by the school back on Gale Street. It was just under a mile from start to finish and I only recorded 13 species. It doesn't have a lot to offer to be honest so I might not revisit the site. It really needs proper landscaping and a good bit of tree-planting along the A13.