Reservoir Logs - May 2025 round-up

 

                    Osprey getting the usual warm Wetlands welcome pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

          Osprey, Little Owl and, perhaps best of  all, the frequent sound and sightings of Cuckoos were the May highlights at Walthamstow Wetlands. The month also saw the first Ringed Plover and Yellow-legged Gulls among the 89 species recorded, two more than last year while the annual total  at 126 also remains two ahead of 2024.  

   
                Calling Cuckoos delighted visitors to the Wetlands photo @samodonnell25.bsky.social  
  

       Three Barnacle Geese pairs produced young this month -  again likely to be the only breeding in London - with the first family seen swimming across from the No 5 breeding island on the 8th. But as in the breeding efforts of the previous two years, survival rates as very low with only one young having escaped the crows, gulls and foxes by the end of the month. 

                 The first Barnacle Goose brood leaving their nesting island pic @davidbradshaw52.bsky.social  

              Despite all the predators, the Wetlands still had plenty of young geese and ducks around. They included the first Pochard brood spotted on the 22nd, one day later than last year, with the first Tufted Duck young appearing on the 30th. Two Shoveler  had returned by the 9th, earlier than last year, with at least one seen regularly across the month. 

                                 Ringed Plover on Lockwood pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social  

         Eight wader species - one less than last year - were recorded this month. Oystercatchers continued to be seen regularly until the 21st with three on the 1st. Single Lapwing appeared on the 10th and 16th. Unlike last year, neither Turnstone or Sanderling turned up this month but Ringed Plover, the third of the high Arctic breeders, did. CF found the first on East Warwick early in the morning on the 15th and another - or perhaps the same - was on Lockwood in the afternoon. The only Little Ringed Plover, in what has been a poor Spring, was on the 11th. 

         Common Sandpiper (pic samodonnell25.bsky.social) passage was stronger but shorter than last year with a peak count of nine on the 9th, four more than the highest count last May. There were still six moving through on the 20th but none were recorded after the 22nd while last year late migrants were seen into June.  

                           This Greenshank spent seven days on Lockwood pic @HarringayBirder

          The only Whimbrel was heard flying over in the early hours of the  2nd and the sole Dunlin was seen on Lockwood on the 12th. Waders in Spring are supposed to be in a hurry to reach their breeding grounds but no one had told the tame Greenshank which was found on the 11th. It stayed, usually in the north-west corner of Lockwood for seven days. 

                      Little Gull and Yellow-legged Gull over Lockwood pics @samodonnell25.bsky.social                           

         It continued to be a good Spring for terns and gulls. A 2cy Little Gull was found by SD on Lockwood on the 15th and four days later he photographed a similar aged Yellow-legged Gull over the same reservoir which was seen irregularly until the 24th.  The Lockwood rafts continue to be attractive to Black-headed Gulls with the first young spotted on the 24th - a week later than last year - with young Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls also appearing on the islands on the south side. The small island on No 5 played host again to what again may be London's  only nesting Great Black-backed Gulls who had two young by the end of the month. 

                                  Arctic and Black Terns arrived in numbers @samodonnell25.bsky.social                                                     

                  

             The  strong passage of Arctic Terns continued with two on the 2nd,  nine on the 4th, as many as 35 next day, two on the 12th and six on the 15th. More Black Terns also passed through with two on the 12th and three on the 16th. Breeding numbers of Common Terns have remained high, which sadly has not been the case throughout the Lea Valley with around ten pairs on both the rafts on West Warwick and on Banbury. 

   

              With no Osprey sightings in April, it looked as if it might be a blank Spring for the species at the Wetlands until SD picked up a very late bird high over Lockwood on the 24th. Red Kites were seen on five days with two on the 4th while single Buzzards were seen on the 3rd and 15th. Hobby were recorded on five days. 

                                               Little Owl playing hide and seek pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

            Little Owl seems to be becoming a regular visitor at the Wetlands with records now for the third consecutive year although its arrival this time is a couple of months earlier than in 2024. LB saw the first on the 17th in flight around No 5 with all-too-brief sightings also next day and on the 19th in the same area. A young Coal Tit, another species less rare than it was, was caught by the ringing team on the  26th. 

                                     Cuckoos showed exceptionally well pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

           But perhaps the star bird of the month was Cuckoo whose evocative sound could be heard across the site for a fortnight. They have also become welcome annual visitors to the Wetlands after a decade when they were very infrequent. But this month is the first in recent years there has been more than one calling bird at the same time. Two different calling males were seen on the 7th and it is suspected for a couple of days longer with one showy male staying in the area and neighbouring marshes until the 17th. 

      Swift numbers continued to build with an estimate of over a 1000 birds feeding over the reservoirs on the 15th. Swallows continued to trickle through until the 24th with 70 on the 6th the highest count.  April's late Redwing stayed well into  May until at least the 24th. It seemed to have a drooping wing and, although it could fly, may not have fancied the journey across the North Sea.                     

         

           While it was a reasonable Spring for larger migrants, it remained very poor for smaller birds. No Whinchats or Common Redstarts were seen and only two Wheatears with single birds on the 1st and 3rd. This compares to records on six days last year when the the last bird on the 28th. Yellow Wagtails were also scarcer - although 2024 was an exceptional passage - with one on the 1st and 5th and the last on the 18th. 

DB @ davidbradshaw52.bsky.social