June birding

June is often a quiet month for birding and with long spells of hot dry weather in the capital, it was particularly slow. I usually turn my attention to insecting instead but even that was hard at times with dried out waterways and vegetation.

Beam Parklands

I visited my local patch five times in June and walked up into Beam Valley CP a few times as well. The Cuckoo was still calling and warblers such as Blackcap, Common & Lesser Whitethroats started singing again after raising their first brood. Small and Essex Skippers were both found after a bit of searching along with a few other common butterflies but the only dragonfly seen was Black-tailed Skimmer.

Pair of Black-tailed Skimmers

Dagenham Chase

I managed a respectable 14 visits this month. From the middle of the month there were clear signs of the autumn migration commencing with a rise in the number of Lapwings on The Slack (reaching 20 by the end) and the first returning Black-headed Gulls. The water level is severely low at the moment but they are proposing to start pumping water into it this week.

I spent a lot of time searching all the elm trees for White-letter Hairstreak but to no avail. Although there are a lot of elms, there's very few mature ones as the rest have succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease. 

Last year I saw a lot of damselflies on Crowfoot Marsh but haven't found any this year and I suspect it's because of the dogs that go into the water. If the dogs have been treated with a particularly toxic anti-tick/flea treatment it washes off in the water and kills off all the insects.

Despite all this I still managed to find a reasonable number of insects here this month. After finding the first Marbled Whites in the area last year, their colonisation continues and this year they've expanded their range out of Fels Field.

Black-and-Yellow Longhorn Beetle

Marbled White

Red Admiral

Ringlet

Rainham Marshes

I went to Rainham three times but only did the loop around the reserve once. I was particularly targeting dragons and damsels and managed six species, a fairly low total as it was a struggle to find any damselflies. I was especially pleased to find and photograph Norfolk Hawker as that was my main target for the day.

Norfolk Hawker

Ruddy Darter

Small Red-eyed Damselflies

I also had a wander around the country lanes outside of Rainham Village hoping to find some partridges. I didn't manage any but instead saw a Barn Owl which was probably bird of the month.

Goresbrook Park

This small park is a couple of minutes walk from my house but I rarely visit it as it's a bit hopeless. A river runs through it - The Gores - but is hideously choked with Himalayan Balsam. There's been some attempt to plant trees and shrubs but they're mostly dead which is a shame as it could be a nice place with a bit more effort. I had a wander round looking for butterflies, most of which were feeding on a Buddleia.

Comma

South London

I ventured south of the river a couple of times, first to Epsom Common to look for Black Hairstreak. It was just my second visit to this site, the first being many years ago to see a Little Bittern. It's a fairly easy journey on the train but there are some very specific instructions to follow to get to the hedge the hairstreaks live on. 

As we got there I saw one fly past and then never saw any more for the whole time we were searching. We met a few other people who were also searching but they hadn't found any although they had been seen earlier in the week. I'll give it another go next year. At least there were other butterflies and insects around and we got great views of White Admirals.

Variable Longhorn Beetle

White Admiral

The following week we went to Crossness where the Ruddy Shelduck was located on the foreshore. It was one of the hot days so we only walked part of the route and took a bus  back to Abbey Wood station.

Ruddy Shelduck

Small Red-eyed Damselflies

The dry summer has taken its toll on my garden and everything is looking like it belongs in the Atacama Desert. However, the few flowers that are thriving have been a boon for insects and I found a few Small Skippers on the lavender in my front garden and, best of all, a Bee Beetle in the back garden, a really stunning insect.

Bee Beetle

Metro-land and other London extremeties

I continued my quest to visit 100 locations in Greater London this year. I fancied another short trip to a NW London site on Sunday but my initial plans were scuppered by the Met Line being out due to weekend engineering works but luckily I had a list of alternative places.

Site 26: Pinner Park Farm, February 5th

I took the London Overground train from Wembley Central to the charmingly named Headstone Lane. From there it was literally across the road and along a lane to the start of the bridleway. I had been here once before, after work to see a Wryneck.

The bridleway cuts through the farm and is only a kilometre or so long. You can then exit at the Pinner end but I retraced my steps. There's a surprisingly good number of birds along this short walk, even in the depths of winter. Needless to say I encountered yet another pair of Egyptian Geese here along with the inevitable 'Pesky Parrots'.

Redwing

Ring-necked Parakeet

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Tit

Little Owls are sometimes seen here but I couldn't find them today. Around the farm there were plenty of Jackdaws and House Sparrows. Once back at the end of the track I chose another footpath which took me over the railway line and then to the Uxbridge Road where I got the 182 bus home.

I thought it was about time I ventured south of the river again so on Monday morning I joined the rush hour commuters heading towards London Bridge. The next train to Belvedere should have left a minute before I arrived but luckily for me it was running late and was just pulling into the station as I reached the platform.

Site 27: Crossness, February 6th

From far out North West London over to South East London today. This is a site I visit regularly although it was my first visit this year. It's less than a 10 minute walk from Belvedere station to the entrance gate into the paddocks.

Looking from the paddocks north to the Thames

Looking west along the river

There's always a lot of birds in the nature reserve area of Crossness and I took a slow amble up towards the Thames. I followed the riverwall east for a bit as I wanted to check the reedbed for the Beardies that have been there recently but they weren't showing today.

I then followed the riverwall back west to the outflow. It was mid-tide so there were were lots of ducks and waders around. The regular wintering Common Sandpiper (which I've now named Cindy) was by the outflow and shoals of Dunlin flew along the foreshore. These are presumably the ones which are often at Rainham and would explain why I've not seen any there this year.

A tiny part of the 900-strong Dunlin flock

Teal

Wigeon

I carried on past the water treatment works and the old pumping engines which are now a museum before turning inland down the Ridgeway.

Pumping station museum

From here I headed SW across the middle to join the footpath which runs behind the houses. This goes under the main road and over towards Southmere. The paths are well marked if you get lost.

More paddocks just to the east of Southmere

Southmere - setting for A Clockwork Orange

I walked up the bank to view the notoriously ugly Southmere although the wildfowl don't seem to care. I followed the footpath to the southern end of the lake and along the Green Chain Walk to Abbeywood. The only negative part of the walk came right at the end when I couldn't get my usual Cappuccino at the shop at the station as it was having its coffee machine overhauled! I travelled back home via the Lizzie Line.

My next day out was two days later to Cheshunt, just outside of Greater London. I met John & Janet at Liverpool St station and we took the train up a foggy Lea Valley. We headed straight over to Seventy Acres Lake which was still enshrouded in fog. We walked anti-clockwise in case the Smew was close enough to see. 

We stopped at the Bittern hide, luckily the reedbed was viewable but anything beyond was still shrouded in fog. We gave it a couple of hours but the Bittern was a no-show and we need to go for a walk to warm up so headed towards Holyfield Hall Farm. At Fishers Green the Snowdrops were out, although they hadn't all flowered yet. 

Snowdrops

The goose flock began to emerge as the fog dissipated and among the Canadas were 14 Barnacle Geese and some sort of hybrid. We returned for another stint in the hide but only saw a couple of Water Rails as we ate lunch. We then headed back to Cheshunt, completing a full loop of the lake.

The next day I was back in the outer reaches of NW London. From Wembley Park I took the first Met Line up to Harrow-on-the-Hill and then the fast train to Rickmansworth station. From there it was a 15 minute walk to Stockers Lake. As this is also outside of Greater London, it doesn't count in my 100 site quest. I used to come here most winters and have in the past seen some good birds like Bittern and Ferruginous Duck but it's been a long time since my last visit.

I walked down to the causeway which runs along the western edge of the lake then did a clockwise loop. It didn't take long to find the resident flock of Red-crested Pochard and a few Goldeneye but there was no sign of yesterday's Smew. 

I stopped and scanned at every viewpoint until I reached Tern Hide. Right at the back in front of the reeds was a small diving duck, seemingly covered in white icing with black highlights - a drake Smew. It's always been my favourite duck and one I make an effort to see every winter.

Smew

Stockers Lake

Goldeneye and Smew

Red-crested Pochard and Smew

The loop path around the lake is quite wooded and I came across several large groups of Siskin, probably numbering over 90 in total.

I headed east the following day for another Rainham visit. It was another misty start but soon cleared as I walked through Rainham West, past the Serin Mound and onto the riverwall. The Avocet flock had swelled since my last visit and I counted 57 but there may have been a few more as they were well spread out in Aveley Bay. I managed to see one Dunlin, my first here this year, presumably the rest were along the river at Crossness along with the Black-tailed Godwits as there were none on view here.

I went into the reserve where a pair of Egyptian Geese were making themselves at home on Purfleet scrape. It will be interesting to see how many sites I visit this year that don't have any of these exotics.

Egyptian Geese

I went clockwise around the path as I wanted to look for the Dartford Warbler around the turnstile. There seems to be more chance of finding a sewing implement in multiple bundles of dried grass than this bird. I went as far as the platform by the Target Pools and stopped for a scan. There were a few Pintail among the usual ducks but no waders. I retraced my steps and left via the turnstile in case the Dartford was lurking just outside. It wasn't so I chose the long walk back along the river via the barges.

After a few days spent locally at Brent Reservoir, I ventured out on the Met Line again to another location in NW London. As I looked out of the tube windows at the thick fog I began to question the wisdom of going anywhere today.

Site 28, Ruislip Woods & Lido, February 14th

From Northward Hills station it's possible to take a bus to the Lido but I elected for a 15 minute walk to the start of the woods (left out of the station then along Norwich Road). The fog penetrated the woods and it was eerily quiet apart from bird calls. Despite the poor light my birding wasn't really hampered as I find at least 90% of birds in woods by call anyway. It did mean photography was going to be a real challenge though!

A foggy Ruislip Woods

Poors Field

I walked down to the mini-railway line then followed it northwards to the edge of the golf course. From here there's a path that goes past a pond and comes out into Poors Field. This is a little strip of common surrounded by the woods. I have seen Bullfinch here recently but not sure if they are still about as they are fast disappearing from Greater London.

I walked to the north end of Poors Field and into Copse Wood which I'd not explored before. I treat this whole area as one site rather than separate locations as they all adjoin and you end up criss-crossing into them several times while walking around. 

I then walked down the entire length of Poors Field and emerged by the Lido. It was still thick enough to prevent me from seeing anything in the middle of the lake as I walked around the southern edge to the beach. Yes, there's a sandy beach in NW London although today wasn't the day for sunbathing.

The Lido beach and fog.

I managed to see a few waterbirds that were close but it was obvious that the fog wasn't going to clear anytime soon. I cut into Park Wood and made my way back to Northwood Hills station. It was still foggy when I got back to Wembley Park but had just started to clear. I arrived home in time for lunch with the sun out and clear blue skies.

With the month now half gone, I've managed to visit 28 sites, still well on course to reach 100 by the end of the year. With most sites in NW London now visited I might have to venture south of the river again!

Nov 19th-30th: Bittern hunt

The second half of November this year marked the transition from autumn to winter as visible migration petered out except for winter thrushes. Even those are more likely to be seen on hedgerows gobbling Hawthorn berries rather than just flying over. At Brent Reservoir, I virtually stopped my vismig mornings on the Dump as there was nothing flying over. A few Siskins and Redpolls can be found feeding on the alders and Silver Birches around the reservoir.

Lesser Redpoll

One morning I heard a Blackcap in sub-song along the path to the hides at Brent. We usually have a few over-wintering individuals but they’re hard to track down as they’re usually silent. Duck numbers have been going up and it feels like cold weather will be arriving soon although there’s not even been a frost yet.

On the 22nd I wandered up to Fryent CP for a change of view, one of the other large green spaces I can easily walk to. I don’t tend to visit it a lot during the winter months as it is often quiet and the paths are atrociously muddy. It was a nice walk around this morning, helped by it being bright and sunny. Redwings and Fieldfares were in the hedges and a Red Kite circled around over me looking for food although I’m not sure what it was expecting to find.

Fieldfare

Red Kite

The following day I met up with Frank down at the Wetland Centre. Despite coming from opposite sides of London and using public transport we both arrived at the same time. After coffee and cake we headed straight to Dulverton hide to look for Bittern. On our last visit we spent over an hour here and didn’t see one, this time it took just ten minutes before one crawled through the reeds and stopped on the edge for several minutes before slinking back out of view. Over the course of the next half an hour we saw it two more times, including once when it flew along the reeds to another spot.

Bittern

We carried on to the Peacock hide where we were the only birders for a while. I found a second Bittern on the edge of the reeds along Reservoir Lagoon. This one was bolt upright in its sky-pointing stance and from a distance looked like a wooden post. A couple of other birders joined us and found two Stonchats along with a Dartford Warbler on the wader scrape which at least had a bit of water in it. When these birds first turned up a month ago the scrape was bone dry. A second Dartford Warbler had subsequently arrived and after a lot of scanning we managed to see both of them. Water Pipit and Goldeneye have both been seen recently but we couldn’t track down either today.

Bittern

On the 25th I met up with my regular Friday birding friends and at Liverpool Street station and we went up to Cheshunt for another Bittern hunt. Unfortunately we weren’t successful as both Bitterns had been flushed by a working party and had flown to the far side of the lake. We also couldn’t locate the redhead Smew that is back for another winter. It was another sunny day which encouraged the local raptors and we saw at least three Red Kites and four Common Buzzards.

Red Kite

We also explored around Holyfield Hall Farm and Hall Marsh Scrape but didn’t turn up too much else. It was a bit tricky at the latter site as someone’s nicked the benches from the hide and the slats are too low if you stand up!

I popped down to Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens on 28th but didn’t spend a lot of time there as it actually felt cold and there weren’t many birds around apart from Egyptian Geese which seen to have taken over the area near the Round Pond.

I finished the month at Crossness, meeting John & Janet at London Bridge earlier than planned. This was fortuitous as the Barn Owl was showing as we walked past but had gone in to sleep shortly afterwards as a local birder who we met later by the outflow didn’t see it. There weren’t as many waders as on our last visit and all the Wigeon had disappeared but it was still heaving with birds. Two Little Egrets fished from either side of the outflow and the usual Common Sand was there along with a few Redshank plus several Grey and Pied Wagtails.

Little Egret

Redshank

Grey Wagtail

As we walked back beside the area where the Great Reed Warbler was a few years ago we stopped to watch a large flock of Goldfinches bathe in the puddles on the path. Another finch was with them which, at the distance we were at, appeared smaller and darker. As it bathed it flashed a yellow rump but then flew off before we could get close enough to identify it. We waited for a while but the finches had finished their ablutions and some of them were resting in the trees; unfortunately there was no sign of this particular bird so we’ll never know what it was despite our suspicions.

We crossed over to the Southern Marsh which certainly lived up to its name as the path was really wet and there was a large pool at the end of one stretch of boardwalk which we had to wade through. Large numbers of Redwing with a few Fieldfare were again feeding in the hedgerows but there wasn’t much else there until we got to Thamesmere and found a large assortment of wildfowl.

With eleven months of the year now gone, my London Year List has stalled somewhat on 182 species. It’s going to have to be a really amazing December to even reach 190.