Reservoir Logs - March 24 round-up

                                                         Woodcock are an expected March maigrant pic @Elliott1758817

      A flock of Crossbills and a Nuthatch - both genuine rarities at the Wetlands  - were the stand-out birds in March. The month also saw the first Brent Geese since 2021, an unprecedented three sightings of Mandarin as well as Woodcock and Short-eared Owl. Our earliest summer visitors also arrived with Sand Martin, Wheatear, Little Ringed Plover, Willow Warbler and Common Tern all recorded.  Last March, however, was a particularly good month with 19 species added to the year list including Alpine Swift. So with just 11 additions this month, the year list at 99 is now two behind 2023's total.   

                                           The first Brent Goose for over two years was wary pic@Chris_Farthing

       The first Brent Goose since November 2021 was found by CF on Lockwood on the 11th. Typically after such a long gap, a group of three - perhaps the same birds with a bad sense of direction - were twice seen going south next day. The Lea Valley flock of Barnacle Geese continued to visit the Wetlands to roost, particularly early in the month, and by the end up to three pairs appeared to be in residence including last year's successful breeders. . 

                                               Drake Mandarins were seen three times this month pic @MLP

      Mandarin is usually just about annual at the Wetlands so to have three separate sightings in one month is exceptional. The first, a male, was found by CF on the 4th which was followed by records on the 16th and 29th. As usual, their appearances were brief despite the seemingly excellent habitat. Shoveler numbers gradually fell during the month although there were still seven on the 19th. A female Wigeon was seen on the 16th & 17th with a pair on the 21st.

                                      Wigeon, unlike last winter, have been regular visitors pic @IvorHewstone

      Four Goldeneye were still on the reservoirs on the 11th with the final record on the 24th, six days earlier than last year,. There was a little flurry of Goosander records mid-month with two on the 8th & 17th before the last on the 18th, exactly the same date as in 2023. The escaped Maccoa Duck continued on West Warwick all month.  

                                              Short-eared Owl passing high over Lockwood pic @HarringayBirder

        As usual, March was a good month for passing large raptors. Single Red Kites were seen on the 9th and 28th with two on the 24th. There were also three Buzzards on both the 16th and 30th with two on the 18th. The first Short-eared Owl of the year was photographed high over Lockwood by HB on the 14th. 

                                                 Little Ringed Plover turned up as seen  pic @HarringayBirder

      Six species of wader were seen with the first Little Ringed Plover found on Lockwood on the 24th, four days later than last year, while a Dunlin was seen on the 11th. March is perhaps the most regular month for Woodcock sightings with SD having the first - and perhaps only - record of the year flying over Lockwood to Tottenham Marshes on the 16th. 

                                                   Three Redshank were seen this month pic @Chris_Farthing

     Common Snipe were regularly seen in the East Warwick island until mid-month with a peak count of five on the 11th and the last sighting on the 20th The tree-loving Common Sandpiper stayed on High Maynard into April. Single Redshank were seen on the 11th, 17th and 29th. 

     Caspian Gulls continued to be recorded with 1Ws on the 18th and 24th on the north side. The first Common Tern of the year - and probably the first in London - spent the morning feeding on Lockwood on the 29th. Passing birds are not usually seen until early April with our breeding birds arriving - hopefully - later in the month. 

                                    An early Common Tern spent the morning on Lockwood  pic  @sjnewton

         March sees the changing of seasons with passerines as well as ducks.  It hasn't been a bumper year for winter thrushes but the last Fieldfare hung on to at least the 25th with a late Redwing still here on the 22nd. The final sighting of Stonechat after the February passage was on the 13th while Skylarks flew over on the 4th and 24th. 

       As they moved out the summer visitors began to arrive. Sand Martins and Wheatears, the traditional early arrivals, were slightly later than usual. The first Sand Martins were not seen until the 17th - six days later than last year - but numbers quickly built up with 50 feeding over West Warwick on the 19th.  DDL found the first Wheatear - one of the milestones of the birding year - on the 16th, two days later than last year. But this was followed by more regular sightings than is often the case including two on the 19th and three on the 22nd.                                                                                       

      In contrast. Willow Warblers appeared in London and at the Wetlands ahead of schedule this year. BW heard the first on the 19th, nine days earlier than last year and, while numbers remained low, five were heard singing from Lockwood on the 30th. Among the Chiffchaffs caught during a ringing session on the 3rd was a bird rung in France.

    But the unexpected visitor of the month and year so far was the Nuthatch seen by SH on the 19th. While they nest not too far away, they are absent from almost all the regulars Wetlands' list with no confirmed record for years. Unfortunately, after a brief showing with a mixed flock, it disappeared towards the No 2 island and has not been seen again.

                              The first Crossbills for years were seen over East Warwick pic @Elliott1758817

        Almost as unusual were the five Crossbill seen - and amazingly photographed - by SD over East Warwick on the 24th. The last record even on the wider patch was four years ago over Walthamstow Marsh. They again fail to appear on most patch lists. 

      In contrast, Siskin were once regular winter visitors to the alders on the Wetlands but in recent years records have largely been restricted to migrant flyovers. So the very approachable flock found by AR on the 3rd were a particular delight. At least 34 were counted on the 11th with one still present on the 30th.                                          A Siskin flock graced the Wetlands for much of the month pic @rom_london

DB @porthkillier

Reservoir Logs - February 2024 round-up

                                      A winter Bar-tailed Godwit is a genuine rarity in London pic @Chris_Farthing

       A resting Bar-tailed Godwit and a Firecrest were the surprise additions to the Walthamstow year list in an otherwise pretty predictable February. The month saw the first Yellow-legged Gull, Blackcap and Common Buzzard of the year along with the early signs of passage as Lapwings and Stonechats moved through. The four additions took the year list so far to 88 which is seven more than last year and also well ahead of 2021 (78) and 2020 (83).   

      The Barnacle Goose flock occasionally used the reservoirs to roost before flying north to feed but often left one bird behind. January's Scaup was seen on the 1st before sadly disappearing after a two-day stay. Five Goldeneye including two pairs were counted on the 15th but most days the numbers were lower. 

      Goosander which have again have been scarce this winter became slightly more regular with singles on the 11th and 23rd and two on the 24th. An escaped female Maccoa Duck discovered by CF on the 25th clearly found West Warwick so similar to its native southern Africa home that it remained into March. 

                       An escaped Maccoa Duck took up residence on West Warwick pic @ Elliott1758817

         The unseasonably warm conditions on the 16th saw 20 Lapwing pass through on a day which also saw raptors moving overhead and an increase in both Stonechat and Chaffinch numbers. There were also single Lapwings on the 1st and 19th. 

      Bar-tailed Godwit is, by far, the rarest of the two godwits at the reservoirs with most records of birds flying overhead in Spring. So the bird found resting on Lockwood on the 7th by CF was a remarkable record given that it is a genuine scarcity even on the shoreline at Rainham in the winter. 

                          High Maynard's tree-loving Common Sandpiper pic @Elliott1758817

       It takes to nine the shorebird species already seen at the reservoirs so far which compares to just four at the end of February last year.  They include the wintering Common Sandpiper which remained - largely on its favourite perch on High Maynard - all month. 

                                      One of two Yellow-legged Gulls recorded this month pic @Callahanbirder

      Closer attention to gulls is confirming that Yellow-legged and Caspian are more regular than had been thought. Following last month's Caspian Gull, 1W birds were also recorded on the 24th & 28th. Yellow-legged Gull was also added to the list with an adult on the 2nd and 1Ws on the 3rd and 27th. 

                                  The Wetlands is becoming a good site for Caspian Gulls pic @Elliott1758817                                    

 

       The first Buzzard of the year was seen in the Spring-like conditions of the 16th. The same day also saw a Red Kite over with a second on the 19th. Single Skylarks were recorded on the 6th, 18th and 25th.  Small numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare continued while it looked for a time that Mistle Thrush might return as a breeding bird after an absence of several years with regular sightings of birds around No 5. 

         The first Blackcap of the year was a bird in sub-song on the 21st, three days earlier than last year. While Goldcrest are annual breeders, Firecrest remains a very scarce visitor with rarely more than one record a year which may be the displaying bird seen by RB on the 28th on the 1/2/3 path. 

                                        Stonechat passage was slightly earlier this year pic @Elliott1758817                                              

             Stonechats are among the earliest migrants through the Wetlands with spikes in numbers in both late Winter and Autumn. The six seen on the 16th and 18th - with good numbers recorded across London - was the same as the highest count last February but a week earlier.  

DB @porthkillier     

   

Reservoir Logs - January 2024 round-up

                                     A Long-tailed Duck dropped onto No 4 for the afternoon pic @IvorHewstone

         The first Long-tailed Duck for five years helped get the New Year off to a flying start. January also saw the first Red-crested Pochard since 2022 as well as a visit from a drake Scaup and a surprising variety of waders - including at least two Jack Snipe - for so early in the year.

                       At least two Jack Snipe were seen during the freezing spell pic @ Elliott1758817

         The traditional scramble to maximise the list on New Year's Day saw 64 species recorded, one less than in 2023. But after this lacklustre start, additional species kept coming right to the end of the month to take January total to a very creditable 83 which is nine more than in 2022 and ten more than in 2021.   

         Our Barnacle Geese flock arrived back from Cheshunt on the 16th when 16 were counted roosting on No  5. They continued to be seen regularly for the rest of the month. Shelduck numbers built slowly with a maximum count of six. The freezing spell mid-month saw a very high winter count of 115 Shoveler on the 18th. 

                              The cold snap encouraged Wigeon to visit this January pic  @MLP

       For some inexplicable reason, Wigeon - usually a regular winter visitor - gave the Wetlands a miss last January with the first record not until June. There was no such problem this month with two on the 5th, three on the 8th, seven on the 9th, five next day and a single on the 30th. It is also a mystery why Red-crested Pochard - regular, for example, on the small boating lake in nearby Finsbury Park - is such a rare visitor to the Wetlands. The one-day drake CF found on High Maynard on the 29th was the first since 2021.

                            Drake Red-crested Pochard (above) and Greater Scaup pics @Chris_Farthing 

               The arrival of a drake Scaup on No 4 on the 31st again raised hopes the regular wintering bird had returned only for it to disappear again after a two-day stay. Duck, indeed bird, of the month ,however, was the first Long-tailed Duck since the very unseasonal pair in June 2018. Found by SH on No 4 on the afternoon of the 5th it showed exceptionally well to all those not hampered by work or school but had disappeared by next morning.                                  

                            

                      The Long-tailed Duck provided wonderful views pic @ HarringayBirder
                        

         Goldeneye numbers remain low. Getting an accurate count was challenging as they moved not only between reservoirs but also - given the changing number of males and females -  between different sites in the Lee Valley but numbers never passed five in a day. Goosander are now becoming irregular and often brief visitors from the larger reservoirs to the north. The first was seen flying over on the 6th with records on six other days and a maximum count of two on the 12th and 19th. 

                                    A displaying drake Goosander on Lockwood pic @MLP

         The first Red Kite of the year passed over low on the 6th but otherwise birds of prey were scarce. Peregrines seemed to prefer the pylons on Walthamstow Marsh although they can be found unusually perching on the trees on the sheltered east side of No 1 island when the wind is blowing strongly from the west. 

              A Red Kite passing low over the Wetlands pic @HarringayBirder   

         It was an exceptional month for waders with eight species recorded in January, compared to just two last year. They included the long-staying Oystercatcher, which was still in residence on the 7th but disappeared as soon as the frost made feeding on the grass verges difficult. The cold snap led to the usual movement of Lapwing with 16 on the 9th, two next day, 73 on the 11th including a flock of 47, nine on 18th and two on the 20th. It may also explain why three different Dunlin - another bird not recorded at all last winter - were seen on the 11th, 16th and 20th. 

                  

                                    Three different Dunlin were seen this month pic @Elliott1758817

                Until very recently, Jack Snipe was considered a rare bird at the Wetlands but records have become more regular in the last couple of years. This trend has continued with at least two - and probably several more - seen in January. The freezing conditions displaced birds to the reservoirs on the 14th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th with records from the wild flower meadow, No 4, High Maynard, Lockwood and, most regularly, East Warwick. In contrast, Common Snipe seem if anything scarcer. Although they were seen regularly after the first record on the 7th, there was not the big build-up in numbers often seen in icy conditions in the past. 

                              Jack Snipe hiding on Lockwood and Green Sandpiper pics @Callahanbirder

  

         The wintering Common Sandpiper was seen throughout the month with two recorded on the 16th. There was also a better than usual showing from Green Sandpipers with two on the 8th and singles on the 17th, 20th and 21st. A Redshank which landed briefly on Lockwood made it a five wader day on the 17th. 

        A Caspian Gull found on High Maynard by SD on the 20th, prompted the traditional blizzard of social media messages. It fortunately hung around -  usually on High Maynard - until the 25th to allow the non-larophiles to try to see its ID features for themselves. It seems possible from photographs that there may even have been a second bird on the 23rd.   

                               The Caspian Gull which launched a thousand messages pic @Elliott1758817

          While the cold snap encouraged a wide range of ducks and waders to visit, it was disappointing for smaller birds. Only a Skylark on the 9th and a Siskin next day were at all out-of-the-ordinary. Far from there being a cold weather movement of winter thrushes there were fewer Fieldfare than last year with just the odd bird seen although a flock of up to 20 Redwing could be seen feeding on the berries by the Engine House throughout the month. At least two Stonechats continued to winter around the reed-beds on the Warwicks where the occasional Meadow Pipit also appeared.   

DB @porthkillier 

                                                                

Reservoir Logs - December 2023 round-up

                                         The Oystercatcher was rarely seen without a muddy bill pic @Elliott81758817

        A long-staying Oystercatcher - an unusual winter record in London - was the highlight of a very dull month at the Wetlands. December also brought a small cold-weather passage of Wigeon and Lapwing but it was the second consecutive month with no new birds added to the year list.

     It means the total for 2023 was stuck on 143 -  one above last year and the same as in 2018 and 2021.The most surprising omissions were Red-crested Pochard, for the second year running, Brent Goose and Sandwich Tern which might be explained by the disastrous impact of avian flu on breeding numbers. Bird of the year was the Alpine Swift which hung around for two days to allow many people to enjoy it, although honourable mentions must go to the extraordinary flock of 11 Spoonbills, the elusive Little Owls and Iceland Gull.    

Barnacle Geese flying in for one of their regular visits pic @Chris_Farthing
                  

      The Barnacle Goose flock made occasional visits to the Wetlands with 15 seen on 8th, 10th and 24th with 16 on the 22nd. Cold weather at the beginning of the month saw nine Wigeon arrive on the 2nd with five more on the 18th. Goldeneye numbers remained low with up to four scattered around the reservoirs throughout the month while Goosander were again scarce with fly-overs on the 5th and 10th before a drake settled for a few hours on No 2 on the 13th.

                                                                                      Wigeon were seen in good numbers early in the month pic @Elliott81758817  

       Four species of wader were seen this month. An Oystercatcher found on the 3rd was an unusual enough record given that they routinely do not return to London even on the Thames at Rainham until late January. But for it to stay throughout the month, largely around No 5 was exceptional. Even a near-death experience at the hands of a Peregrine - forcing it to dive into the water to escape - did not encourage it to move on,.

                                            The Oystercatcher became tamer the longer it stayed pic @MLP 

        A movement  of Lapwing in cold spells is now expected with eight on the 1st and five more next day. Two Common Sandpipers were seen until mid-month with at least one staying into 2024. Green Sandpipers, which seem to be becoming less regular, were recorded on the 2nd and 4th. 

                               Lapwing, like Wigeon, can be expected in cold weather pic @Elliott81758817                                                  

            In what has been a good year for scarcer big gulls, the final Caspian Gull of the year was picked out by RE on the 18th while DC found two Yellow-legged Gulls on the 10th. Single Red Kites were seen on the 1st and 13th. Small numbers of winter thrushes continued to be seen with 15 Redwing feeding on berries near the Engine House on the 8th and six Fieldfare flying over on the 22nd. Up to three Stonechats are wintering. 

                                 A 1W Caspian Gull, an unusually regular visitor this year  pic @wheresrhys

                            

DB @porthkillier