Autumn Stroll Around Walthamstow Marshes

With the little flurry of London Hawfinch activity over the last few days, I headed over to the paddocks to check out the finch flock.

Before browsing the finches, I checked the flood relief channel. There was a lot of activity down there. Three Grey Wagtails, numerous Pied Wagtails, six Egyptian Goose, four Song Thrushes and a Jay among the usual Dunnocks and Blackbirds.

At the rear paddocks, the finch flock was bulging. There were at least 40 Chaffinches, with maybe 20 Linnets and 8 Goldfinches, but no Hawfinch. 

C'est la vie.

Joined by Sue and Mark, we carried on towards the Horseshoe Thicket, not before a Sparrowhawk swooped over our heads in ‘red arrow style’, stooping in an attempt at a smash and finch grab.

A flock of 30 Redwing and a calling Fieldfare flew north over our heads as we approached the north of the paddocks. Then a Skylark was heard and then seen flying northwest over the marshes. 

The Coppermill Lane Peregrine shooed off a gull then took position on its pylon.

A Cettis Warbler was heard from the reed bed in the Horseshoe Thicket.

A Meadow Pipit called from the Bomb Crater Field.

 @leevalleybirder

Room 101

I wanted to check out Bed 16 on the WaterWorks this morning as it had been newly flooded and a Common Snipe and a Kingfisher had made an appearance recently.

In and around the entrance and the paths to the hides there were lots of:

Chiffchiff

Goldfinch

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker

Classic Goldfinch

 While I was watching the Goldfinches devour the teasel, I heard an unusual call pass over my head. I walked round to the bank of bed 15 where I saw and heard what I thought to be a Tree Pipit. I snapped a few pics, got a second opinion - fine flank streaking, breast streaking discreet, not coalescing into a central blob, eye stripe, spot on ear coverts, yellow breast and short hind claw, low teeess call and in a tree – and was later satisfied to tick my first life and patch Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit 8:54am  (lifer #186 and patch year #100)

There were also:

Cettis Warbler

Jay (lots of them all over stocking up on acorns)

Willow Warbler

And Bed 17 was getting some water. So hopefully Bed 16 and 17 will be good over Winter.

Later, me and the Prof took a whirl around the Reservoirs. No major wader action, but a scarce patch bird in the shape of a Skylark - #101 for the patch year for me.

Yellow Wagtail 

Skylark (patch year #101)

Yellow Wagtail (6)

Common Sandpiper

Kingfisher

Spotted Flycatcher

Lesser Whitethroat

Garden Warbler

Blackcap (m)

Common Tern

Swallow

House Martin

Tree doing a muppet impression.

GH - @leevalleybirder