Reservoir Logs - October 2026 round-up

 

                           A high-flying Merlin was a sensational find pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social                                                

       A Merlin - the first for at least a decade  - was October's star bird. Along with some impressive visible migration, the month also saw Brambling belatedly added to the year list.  Only 87 species were recorded across the month - ten fewer than last year - but the drop likely owes more to less intensive coverage than lack of birds. In fact, the two additions take the year list so far to 145 which is two ahead of last year. 

                                                 Wigeon were less frequent visitors pic @MLP

         The regular flock of 11 Barnacle Geese spent much of the month on the playing fields next to No 5, Eleven was also the number of geese that CF picked up in the distance on the 21st which, having been tracked going east over London, could be identified as White-fronts. The Shoveler flock grew to an impressive 230, largely on East Warwick, by the 7th before numbers began to fall. The second Pintail of the year was found by RB on Lockwood on the 6th. Wigeon were not as frequent visitors as last year when they were seen on seven rather than two days, but the 18 recorded on the 18th included a large by Walthamstow standards flock of 13.  

           Black-necked Grebes continue to feel at home on Lockwood pic@samdodonnell25.bsky.social
  

           Black-necked Grebes have been regular this Autumn on Lockwood with one arriving on the 11th - perhaps a re-appearance by September's long-stayer - and remaining until the end of the month with two more seen on the 15th.  Great White Egrets are no longer the rarity they were but the six photographed by SD (picture below) to the north of Lockwood on the 30th is our biggest flock.    

          The excellent Autumn for birds of prey continued. The rarest bird of the month - and one of the birds of the year - was the high-flying Merlin brilliantly picked up and photographed by SD on the 29th as it made its way south. It seems as if it might be the first record since 2011.   Red Kites were noted on at least nine days - up from just two last October - with two individuals on the 30th.  Common Buzzards did not duplicate this increase in sightngs with records, like last year, on just two days. 

       Waders were scarce with only four species seen, three fewer than last year. Lapwing were recorded on four days with a peak count of six on the 20th (pic above ivorh.bsky.social). The Wetlands look as if it might be hosting multiple Common Sandpipers over the winter instead of the usual one or two with five still remaining on the 28th. 

       They were joined by a Green Sandpiper on the 29th but the only other waders were the occasional Common Snipe usually roosting in the 'doughnut' in the middle of the island in East Warwick.  For the second month running, there were no sightings of scarcer gulls. But a photograph by CF of a ringed Black-headed Gull on High Maynard showed how far commoner gulls travel to reach the Wetlands. Its number showed it had been rung in eastern Germany close to the Polish border two years ago.  

                                           A  German visitor to the Wetlands pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social 

        October again lived up to its reputation as the best month for visible migration. Around 95 Jackdaws including a flock of 90 went over on the 12th topped by the 150 counted five days later. Passing covids also included several Rooks. Skylarks were seen or heard on at least seven days with 15 including a flock of eight on the 29th. The first Redwing of the Autumn flew over on the 8th - a day later than last year - but numbers then took off with 350 on the 9th, 700 on the 17th, 600 the next day and still 90 passing on the 31st. As usual in recent years, Fieldfare were much scarcer with the first four on the 18th and only the odd bird afterwards. 

                                           A late Swallow spent the day at the Wetlands pic @ DD

        The month also the final summer visitors passing through. What seemed like a remarkable passage of Chiffchaffs early in the month was confirmed by the ringing team who trapped over 50 individual birds on both the 6th and 8th, the highest numbers they have caught. A Swallow spent the day around the reservoirs on the 9th with two even later birds passing through on the 16th while a very late Reed Warbler caused a few palpitations when it was photographed on the 30th. Another summer migrant lingering at the Wetlands was Wheatear with one found on Lockwood on the 23rd staying until the 30th. 

    

                        Wheatear and Stonechat both showed well pics @samodonnell25.bsky.social  

      

            A Coal Tit - as rare as Ospreys at the Wetlands - was found by RE near the sensory garden on the 14th. Stonechats continued to pass through with a peak count of seven on the 5th and still five on the 28th. Rock Pipits are scarce if regular visitors in October with records of unusually flighty individuals on both the 5th and 12th. 

       Among the passage of common finches which included 50 Chaffinches over on the 18th were the first Bramblings of the year  on the 28th and 30th, both picked up by SD. Small numbers of both Redpoll and Siskin were also seen and occasionally encouraged by the alders to stay around for a few minutes.  

DB @davidbradshaw1952.bsky.social

Reservoir Logs - September 2026 round-up

 

                         The Spotted Redshank spent the day in the flood relief channel pic @FelixSJ

       An obliging Spotted Redshank - the first since 2017 - was the big draw in September which also saw Pintail, fly-over Tree Pipit and Short-eared Owl added to the year list. The month, traditionally one of the best, also saw two groups of Cattle Egrets and the second and third Garganey recorded. Across September, 96 species were seen compared to 98 last year and just 91 in 2024. The four additions take the year list to 143, two more than last year.      

                                  Pintail was an overdue addition to the year list pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social
                                          

              After over a month away looking for fresh grass, the regular flock of 11 Barnacle Geese returned on the 4th and stayed, with the occasional jaunt up the valley, throughout September. It may have doubtful provenance but the Black Swan on the 2nd was perhaps the handsomest visitor of the month. A young Shelduck, which do not usually return from the coast until later in the year, flew over Lockwood on the 16th, 

                                         A Black Swan made a brief appearance pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social 

           Pintail, although never common, are usually seen during Spring migration but this year the only record so far was found by CF on No 5 on the 25th. No 5 reservoir was also the favoured haunt this Autumn of Shoveler whose numbers reached 120 by the end of the month. The flock attracted the second Garganey of the year which was found by SD on the 6th. It stayed for much of September although it was often very hard to pick out as it slept on the big island. Views were usually so poor that it is difficult to know how long a second bird, photographed on the 14th, was around. A flock of nine Wigeon put down on Lockwood on the 23rd before continuing their migration.  

                              Garganey (above) @samodonnell25.bsky.social and @chris-farthing,bsky.socia

                 

         What may have been August's juvenile Black-necked Grebe re-appeared on Lockwood on the 3rd and stayed until the 27th with a second bird seen with it on the 13th. Two Great White Egrets, whose sightings have not increased as expected, flew south late on the 22nd. But the lack of Great Egrets has been compensated by the trajectory of Cattle Egrets with SD finding a flock of four adults resting on No 5 on the 2nd and three more including a young bird three days later.  There were no records at all between 2009 and 2018 but nine birds have now been seen this year. 

                                    Cattle Egrets are becoming more frequent pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

          The good autumn for birds of prey continued due probably to a mix of a genuine increase in numbers and more focused sky-watching. Marsh Harriers were seen on the 6th and 24th, Buzzards were recorded on at least six days (four last year) with a count of four on the 5th.  

                                       Buzzards and Red Kites were regular sights pics @samodonnell25.bsky.social

        Red Kites were even more frequent with records from at least eight days compared again to four in 2025 while Hobby were seen on seven days with the last sighting on the 29th. Peregrines are again familiar sights on the pylons and nearby block of flats while Kestrels and Sparrowhawks were also resident throughout the month.  The first Short-eared Owl of the year was picked up by DW and the ringing team on the 5th low over No 1 before gaining height and heading north.

     

                     The Spotted Redshank was brought down by heavy rain pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social

      Overall, it was a poor month for waders with only six species recorded compared to nine last year, But compensation came in the form of the first Spotted Redshank since September 2017. It spent the whole day in the flood relief channel alongside High Maynard and Lockwood and attracted enough birders that even the anglers noted the interest. 

                                        The young Dunlin enjoyed Lockwood's rocky edges pic @KadeA                                                       

       But otherwise there was little to get excited about. Single Ringed Plover were seen on the 2nd and 7th with the only Dunlin two approachable juveniles on Lockwood on the 23rd. Single Snipe were recorded on the 2nd, 22nd, 27th & 28th. There was a solid Common Sandpiper passage with birds throughout the month with still four on the 29th. The highest count was 15 on the 20th just one down on last year. Green Sandpipers were noted on five days including two on both the 1st and 10th. 

        There were unusually no out-of-the-ordinary gulls or terns this month. Just like last year, an adult and young Common Tern lingered around the reservoirs but left a week earlier on the 9th. But it was much better for corvids. SD picked up the first Raven since the winter going south on the 7th. It is exactly the same date the first was seen last year in what became a regular occurence for a species which had, up to then, been a genuine rarity at the Wetlands. History seems to be repeating itself with a pair also going south on the 27th. Two Rooks, an infrequent visitor, were seen on the 5th and 15th while the colonisation by Jackdaws seems to be continuing with almost daily sightings.

                                 The first Raven since Spring was bang on schedule @samodonnell25.bsky.social 

          There were still a dozen Swifts on the 3rd with the last two seen on the 12th, five days later than last year. Swallow passage was light with a flock of 50 feeding by the East Warwick hide in rain on the 8th an unusually high count. Small numbers of Sand Martins were seen until the 20th while there were still three House Martins feeding over the filter beds on the 28th.   

         There was a good Autumn passage of Willow Warblers this year with birds regularly heard singing until mid-month and the last caught by the ringing team on the 22nd, three days later than last year. The final Sedge Warbler was seen on the 21st (14th) with Common Whitethroat on the 14th, the same day as in 2025.  Lesser Whitethroats continued to be seen until the 10th  and the final Reed Warbler on the 22nd although some years a late bird appears in October. The only Garden Warbler was seen on the 5th.

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                                 Spotted Flycatcher (above) and Whinchat @samodonnell.bsky.social 

                                  

       There was a flurry of Spotted Flycatchers early in the month with records - again likely different individuals - on the 1st, 3rd and 5th before a late bird on the 25th. Last September there were no records of Whinchat - and only four all autumn - but August's good passage continued with sightings on seven days with two on both the 7th & 8th and a final individual on the 28th. This was six days after the first two Stonechats arrived, two days earlier than last year, with up to three daily until the end of the month. There was also a good passage of Wheatears with records on 19 days compared to just nine last September with a peak count of six on the 1st.

                                             Wheatears were a familiar sight this month pic @FelixSJ 

             Yellow Wagtail passage continued with records from at least ten days with ten seen, or usually heard, on both the 1st and 6th. The first Meadow Pipit of the autumn appeared on the 5th with small numbers most days until the end of the month while SD's sharp ears picked up a fly-over Tree Pipit on the 5th, the first since 2024, 

 DB @davidbradshaw1952.bsky.social

Reservoir Logs - August 2026 round-up

 

                                            Nightingale was a fantastic surprise for the ringing team pic @PS

       The first Nightingale for over 20 years was the star bird of an excellent August which also saw Ruff, several Sandwich Terns, long-staying Turnstones and both Pied and Spotted Flycatchers added to the year list. Black-necked Grebes and a Little Gull, both often seen in the Spring, were two other late additions to take the annual total to 139, two more than last year. Across the month 99 species were seen despite continuing access problems due to power line work.

      The overhead work didn't seem to have a negative impact on breeding ducks. Across the summer and site, 46 broods of Tufted Duck - six more than last year - and 25 broods of Pochard (13 last year and just five in 2024)) were counted. When you consider the latest Rare Breeding Birds Panel report records just 10 confirmed pairs in London in 2024 and only 374 across the UK, it shows how important the Wetlands is for Pochard. It is just a shame so few of the young survive to fledge.  The first Wigeon of the Autumn turned up on East Warwick in a movement of Shoveler and Teal on the 25th. 

                       The young Black-necked Grebes stayed for over a week  pic @Ivorh.bsky.social

                                ................and could be very approachable pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social 

       
       Most years, Black-necked Grebes in full breeding plumage grace the Wetlands in the Spring. This year, the first record was two juveniles on Lockwood on the 19th but they made up for their late arrival and drabber plumage by staying until the end of the month. A Great White Egret flew in on the 12th and remained long enough on High Maynard to be an evening bonus for the eclipse watchers.   

                                                   Great White Egret in the eerie light of the eclipse pic @AW

       It was an excellent month for birds of prey. The Turnstones feeding on Lockwood get an assist for the Marsh Harrier which flew over high on the 25th.  It was their odd behaviour in looking up which alerted SD to do the same. He also - without the help of worried waders - found the second Osprey of the year going north on the 23rd with LB finding the third late on the 28th. 

                                       The first of two Ospreys this month pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social 

         Red Kites are clearly moving further and further into central London with records on at least 12 days while there was a better showing from Buzzards as well with singles on the 10th and 25th and two on the 15th. Hobby is another raptor which put in more frequent appearances with sightings on eight days - one more than last year - including an adult and juvenile hunting Sand Martins going into the roost in the No 1 reed bed on the 6th.              

       Eleven species of waders were seen - two fewer than last August probably again because of the lack of rain to stop them on their migration. But to make up for numbers, they included long-staying and remarkably tame Turnstones and Black-tailed Godwits. Oystercatchers were seen on the 10th and 24th with single Lapwing on the 1st and 11th. A Ringed Plover was on Lockwood on the 27th with a Curlew going north the day before. 

                                This Black-tailed Godwit was remarkably tame pic @chris_farthing.bsky.social                        

       A juvenile Black-tailed Godwit first seen on the 13th stayed largely on East Warwick until the 17th where it fed and slept despite people walking past only metres away. A second was seen briefly on the north side on the 16th. The pair of young Turnstones found on the 23rd were equally tame and enjoyed the wide gravel beach on Lockwood so much that they stayed until the 30th. 

        The young Turnstones stayed for a week on Lockwood pics@samodonnell25.bsky.social 

             

      Until very recently, Ruff was a very rare visitor to the Wetlands with only two records between 2009 and 2023. But the bird seen by CF over West Warwick on a rare damp morning on the 21st means it has now occurred three years on the run. There was a good passage of Common Sandpipers with peak counts of 18 mid-month while Green Sandpipers were commoner than usual - perhaps because the drought conditions had dried out their normal haunts - with records on eight days and a peak count of four on the 13th. Two Redshank were seen on the 1st & 15th with three on the 2nd  and a single on the 22nd. Two Greenshank were seen on both the 19th and 21st. 

                             This adult Little Gull has been the sole 2026 record pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social   

       Little Gull is another species expected in Spring but the first this year was an adult seen going west by SD  on the 4th. A young Yellow-Legged Gull was picked out by RE on the 15th with the first Caspian Gull of the Autumn found and photographed by a visiting American birder. Sandwich Terns are irregular - there were no sightings in 2022 or 2023 -  to the Wetlands but this month four were seen with a single on the 4th and flock of three on the 25th.  A handful of Common Terns -  a mixture of adults and young - stayed until the end of the month and included a bird ringed as a nestling.       

                                 Four Sandwich Terns were seen this month pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social                     

       For the second year on the run, the Kingfisher pair on the south side raised three young in August but closed paths meant they could not be enjoyed by visitors.  A late juvenile Cuckoo flew over East Warwick on the 19th. Jackdaws are infrequent at the Wetlands and usually just passing through but a pair were seen regularly across the site from mid-August.  As in the last two months, there was only one Skylark record with a single on the 21st.  

                                 A trio of young Kingfishers enjoying life out of the burrow pic @MLP

        Passage Swallows were seen in small numbers across the month with four sharing the Sand Martin roost on the 4th. The Wetlands often hosts the last gatherings of Swifts in London with 25 still feeding over the reservoirs on the 31st. Willow Warblers could often be seen and heard singing throughout August with numbers reaching just into double figures  

                                  Spotted Flycatchers were elusive this month pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

        While singing Nightingales have been heard on both Tottenham and Walthamstow Marsh, the last record for the Wetlands seems to be as long ago as May 2004. So the bird pulled out the mist net by the ringing team at dawn on the 16th may well be the rarest bird of the year. It was the start of a good month for chats and flycatchers. The first Spotted Flycatcher was found by SD on the 23rd - four days earlier than last year - with additional records of what were all likely to be new individuals on four other days. 

                                   ....but with  patience this Pied Flycatcher showed well pic @sjn

      It looked that the Wetlands was going to miss out on the unusually strong passage of Pied Flycatchers through London until LB found the first in an isolated bush on High Maynard on 18th with a second more showy bird on No 5 from the 21st for three days. It was an excellent month for Whinchats with the first on the 15th, three on the 26th & 30th and four next day.  Only two were seen last August. Wheatears were also regularly seen. The first was on the 11th, three days later than last year, but the highest day total of five on the 25th was three more than in 2025. Yellow Wagtails were seen or often just heard from the 6th with a peak count of 10 on the 15th. 

                                        It was a good month for Whinchats pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

DB @davidbradshaw1952.bskyb.social

  

Reservoir Logs - Summer 2026 round up

                                                                                  The odd couple  of Sanderling and Ringed Plover  @chris-farthing.bsky.social 

       The first Sanderling for two years and successful breeding again by Little Owls were the highlights of June and July. June also saw Coal Tit added to the year list while July brought the first Black-tailed Godwits among a nice range of waders passing through. In all, 80 species were recorded across June - six less than last year - with 90 in July, three more than in 2025. Amazingly, the year list at the end of July stands at 131 as it had the two previous years. 

                                                   The Little Owls again nested successfully @DD

        The totals came despite the on-off work on the pylons - more off than on so far this summer again - closing paths across much of the southern part of the Wetlands. The restricted access has at least hidden from visitors the impact of the record high temperatures and lack of rainfall which has seen larger numbers of birds than usual succumbing to avian botulism.  Among the victims, sadly, have been Little Grebes and Common Sandpiper.

        The hot and dry summer did, however, appear to benefit breeding with high numbers of wildfowl nesting. The exception was Barnacle Geese with no young seen for the first time in several years. In fact, the parched conditions meant the resident flock left at the end of July presumably looking for something to eat further up the Lea Valley. 

                                     Pochard with young and stray Tufted duckling pic @samodonnell.bsky.social

         But five pairs of Shelduck had broods with perhaps four young surviving the many predators until they disappeared - hopefully to the coast - towards the end of July. This summer also saw record numbers of Pochard with 25 broods counted compared to 13 last year and just five in 2024. Survival rates were, as usual, dire with those lasting to near-maturity scarcely reaching double figures. Tufted Duck broods at 43 have also easily surpassed last year's 30 figure at the end of July with new families still appearing. One pair of Gadwall also bred. 

        Both Teal and Shoveler - probably failed breeders elsewhere - began arriving back in small numbers from mid-June. Much less expected was the appearance of two Goosander, scarce enough in the winter nowadays, on No 5 on July 27th before relocating to KGV Reservoir. No one can remember a July record before but it seems as if the hot, dry summer has encouraged an early nationwide movement from their breeding quarters. 

                          Two Great White Egrets were seen over the summer @samodonnell25.bsky.social

           A count found 31 Little Egrets and 19 Grey Herons nests on the islands of No 1, 2 and 3. It may not be too many years before Great White Egrets join the heronry but, in the meantime, the only records were single birds on June 2nd and July 14th. 

                                       Marsh Harrier remain scarce visitors pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

        The stand-out raptor of the summer was a female-type Marsh Harrier picked up by SD circling over the south side on July 16th. Red Kites continue to be seen more frequently with records on at least six days in June, including two on the 12th and 21st, and on three days in July. As recently as 2024, there was only a single record from each month. Hunting Hobby were also more regular than last year with records on six days in June and again three in July.  

                                        Early July was good for Black-tailed Godwits pic @ivorh.bsky.social 

        

        Twelve species of wader - the same as last summer - were seen across the two months although as the drought left plenty of shorebird-friendly edges around the reservoirs perhaps more might have been expected. The highlight was the first Sanderling since 2024 which arrived on Lockwood in the company of a Ringed Plover - which stayed for two days - on July 19th.  July also saw a nice run of Black-tailed Godwits with the first flock of seven seen flying south by DB and IH on July 1st before single birds feeding on the south side on the 3rd and 12th.  Pic (below) @samodonnell.bsky.social  

                         
       Oystercatchers were regular and noisy visitors with records on four days in June and two in July. The first Lapwings of the 'autumn' were two on June 14th with singles on July 11th and 22nd, three on the 14th and four on the 12th. It seems as if Little Ringed Plover may have attempted to breed somewhere close to the Wetlands as birds were seen on five days in early June but not again until July 22nd.  

                                                     Redshank were frequent visitors pic @MLP                          

        Among the less routine waders were Curlew on June 17th and Greenshank on July 14th and 30th while the only Dunlin was a very tame juvenile on July 27th & 28th. There was, however, a good showing from Redshank with two on June 21st, singles regularly from July on 8th to the 23rd, two on the 17th and three on the 13th. The first returning Common Sandpiper was seen on June 19th with numbers building to a peak  of ten on July 21st. Green Sandpipers were seen on July 2nd and 13th with two on the 13th. 

                                        Green Sandpiper on the Coppermill weir pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social 

       Common Terns continued to grace the Wetlands but unfortunately, after all the young were lost to gulls last year, it looked as if none even attempted to breed this summer. Only two years ago, 23 young were raised so let's hope something can be done to encourage a recovery. A juvenile Mediterranean Gull was picked out from the many young Black-heads by SD on Lockwood on July 13th and a young Yellow-legged Gull by RE the next day. 

                            Mediterranean Gull enjoying the Lockwood beach pic @samodonnell.bsky.social

          For the third consecutive year, Little Owls bred successfully at the Wetlands, raising three young. Just like last year, there was no sign of any for ten months until occasional brief glimpses were had from late May. The first confirmation of breeding came when three fledged young with their parents were seen on June 15th, almost the same date as last year. They continued to show from time to time until late July and, if past experience is any guide, will now vanish until next summer. 

                                                        Adult Little Owl hunting for prey pic @sjn  

          Several pairs of Sand Martins nested in the pipes near the Coppermill tower and south end of East Warwick while up to 300 made use of the No 1 reed bed to roost. Swifts, despite the purpose built tower and playing of their calls, still showed no interest in nesting although the reservoirs remain a major feeding area for birds from across London. On the rare overcast days this summer, hundreds fed low over the reservoirs although numbers dropped drastically by the end of July as local birds began their migration.

   

                                   Garden Warblers appear to have bred pic @samodonnell25. bsky.social 

      Good numbers of Reed Warblers, Blackcaps, Common Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs and a couple of pairs of Sedge Warblers again bred across the site.  It also looks as if both Lesser Whitethroats and Garden Warblers successfully raised young either within or on the boundaries of the Wetlands.     

                   This Coal Tit was among the summer's scarcest records pic @samodonnell.bsky.social 

        A juvenile Coal Tit, a scarce bird at the reservoirs, made an unusually extended stay from June 21st to the 27th. Single Skylarks were seen on June 19th and a very young juvenile on July 17th. July also saw the earliest migrants beginning to passing through with first Willow Warbler on July 28th - 12 days later than last year - and the first Yellow Wagtail next day.  

DB @davidbradshaw1952.bsky.social