Cryptic Species

Had an early morning stroll in the park at the end of the lane and was interested to find: Song Thrush, nest-building Chiffchaffs, Dunnock, Wren and singing Blackcap, all territorial, probably all breeding and all within 200m of my house.

Not the most exciting blog entry I hear you yawn, but considering that I have seen each of those species probably less than 10 times actually from my house, I find that quite an interesting and strange fact. Cryptic for sure.

Had about 20 Teal, on the Lea just to the South of the Pitch and Putt course, all paired up and no doubt raring to go. Plenty of singing Warblers and Finches enjoying the early morning sunshine, as indeed was I.

Noticeable by their absence were all the trains that are normally parked up in the sidings at Temple Mills, I expect they are all doing extra trips to ferry the, currently earth-bound, traveller. As I looked over the sidings in the Temple Mills area it got me thinking what it would have been like to have stumbled across the Cream-coloured Courser that was shot just a few hundred meters South of the patch boundary on Temple Mills marsh on 19th October 1858, it’s the sort of thing that keeps the local patchworker going.

As for yesterdays preposterous thought that there are two singing Cetti’s on the Waterworks, perhaps it is not so unlikely, as somebody had two later in the afternoon.

(On this date: 17 04 82 Walthamstow; m Scaup on High Maynard with Gadwall and more usual Shoveler, Pochard & Tufted Duck. Fieldfares, Lapwing and Snipe still present but more summer arrivals including, Willow Warbler, Sand Martin, Yellow Wagtail & Tree Pipits.) Hmm, I do wonder about those Pipits!
PW