Reservoir Logs - January 2026 round-up

 

                         Once regular, this Scaup was the first for two years pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social 

        A fly-over Great Northern Diver, Scaup and Woodcock were the highlights of the first month of 2026. After a determined team effort saw 66 species counted on New Year's Day, January’s total  reached 82 - two more than last year but one behind 2024. 

       The Barnacle Goose flock remained all month, roosting overnight on the south side and feeding largely on the playing fields. Shelduck continued to be slow to return but four birds were back by the 25th.   

                       The Scaup stuck to the south end of West Warwick pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social 

           The reservoirs were once a regular site in London for Scaup, helped by a drake which wintered on No 4 until 2023. But they have become much scarcer recently with a male for just two days in 2024 and no sightings at all last year. So the 1W female found by CF on the 30th on West Warwick was welcome particularly as it stayed into February. 

                          A trio of drake Goldeneye graced the Wetlands pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

          Goosander are also getting scarcer with the only record a brief visit by a drake to Lockwood on the 22nd while the peak count of Goldeneye was at most four on the 31st. When this monthly round-up began in 2017, the highest count for Goldeneye in January was 13 and six for Goosander.

   The first Great Northern Diver since 2024 sadly didn't stop pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

      A Great Northern Diver was watched and photographed by SD circling the Wetlands on the 25th.  It is only the second record since 2013 and was perhaps the winterer from KGV reservoirs five miles further north up the Lea Valley. Red Kites also drifted down the valley with singles on the 2nd and 10th. 

                          A cold snap saw a good passage of Lapwing  pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

       Five species of waders were seen including a good cold weather passage of Lapwing. Around 25 were counted in the 4th, 170 next day and still 87 on the 6th followed by singles on the 23rd & 29th. Having waited almost two years for a Woodcock, SD had the second in consecutive months at the south end of No 3 on the 11th although, unusually, it proved too fast for his camera trigger finger. 

      Up to six Common Snipe could be seen roosting in the 'doughnut' in the middle of East Warwick island across the month. At least two Common Sandpipers are wintering, mainly on High Maynard.  High water levels in the flood relief channel saw a Green Sandpiper again pushed onto Lockwood on the 10th.     

                                         A smart Caspian Gull was seen regularly early in January pic @MD 

      A 1W Caspian Gull was picked out by RE on High Maynard on the 2nd and was seen occasionally until the 16th. Two days later, a young Yellow-legged Gull was found on Lockwood. By the end of January, Black-headed Gulls were already gathering around the Lockwood rafts ready for the breeding season. Ravens, once almost mythical at the Wetlands, continue to make regular visits with a single over on the 8th and two on the 19th. 

       Another species becoming more regular, if very much on the opposite side of the size spectrum, is  Firecrest. A single was found by GJ at the south end of West Warwick on the 30th with two next day. They seem from the ringed male to be the same pair recorded in the same area in November. West Warwick was also the favourite haunt of up to three Stonechats. 

               Two Redpoll made brief appearances early in the month pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

      A female Blackcap , again likely to be the same bird seen last month, was around the car park boardwalk on the 2nd. Winter thrushes continue to be scarce although a flock of 20+ Redwing fed occasionally in the berry bushes by the Engine House and 17 Fieldfare passed over on the 25th. There were also a few records of winter finches with Redpoll on at least three days including one caught on the 19th and Siskins recorded occasionally in very small numbers including on the 1st, 6th and 10th.

DB @davidbradshaw1952.bsky.social

Reservoir Logs - December 2025 round-up

 

            These Bewick’s Swans were an early Xmas present pic @samodonell25.bsky.social 

      A Christmas Eve visit from two Bewick’s Swans -  the first record for 12 years - was the stand-out record of December. The month, which finished well after a very slow start, also saw two fly-over White-fronted Geese and the only Woodcock of the year as well as the re-appearance of the Ravens and unseasonal Little Gulls and Common Whitethroat. 

        In all, 81 species were seen across December, two less than in 2024. The three additions to the annual list means it finished on 148, again two short of  last year's record but still the second highest ever total. Scoter and Common Redstart - both for the second year running - Mandarin, Scaup, Short-eared Owl and Ring Ouzel were among the species missed which might have been expected. But there was plenty to enjoy in 2025 including Red-necked Grebe, Ruff, Honey-Buzzard, Hoopoe, Bittern and Yellow-browed Warbler along with successful breeding by Little Owls and remarkable passage of both Brent Geese and Bar-tailed Godwits. 

                   Two fly-over White-fronts were part of a mini-invasion pic @samodonell25.bsky.social

       Our flock of 14 Barnacle Geese continued to roost on the reservoirs and feed on the neighbouring playing fields. But they were eclipsed by two White-fronted Geese , well picked up by SD after they had been seen flying south high over at nearby KGV reservoirs on the 30th. They are the first record of White-fronts since 2020 when, during a similar influx from Europe, a single bird spent several weeks on the reservoirs.  

                              Bewick’s Swans flying in to  East Warwick pic@samodonnell25.bsky.social

       The White-fronts were part of a cold weather movement of wildfowl into the UK in late December which also saw an early Christmas present with the arrival of two Bewick’s Swans arrive on the 24th. They were watched flying in by SD mid-morning before landing on East Warwick where they stayed all day, drawing in a stream of birders to enjoy a true London rarity. They are the first at the Wetlands since 2013 and seem to be the first to have landed this century. Individual Bewick’s can be identified by the pattern of yellow on their bills so we know that they continued on to the WWT reserve at Slimbridge 120 miles to the west where they had arrived by Boxing Day. 

        Fewer Wigeon than usual were seen despite the cold weather pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

        By the end of December, several Shelduck might normally have been expected back at the Wetlands from their post-breeding moult but the only record was one on the 20th. Wigeon were also scarcer than usual, with just singles on the 23rd and 31st and a pair on the 30th. Goldeneye numbers, too, were down with two drakes on the 19th, 22nd and 27th the highest count. This was better than Goosander with no records at all over December when, even a decade ago, there would have been regular sightings across the month. 

          Goldeneye were also down but this drake was approachable pic @chris-farthing.bsky.social 

     Great White Egrets were seen early morning on the 27th and 29th, perhaps emerging from the Little Egret roost on the south side. The only Buzzard was on Christmas Eve although others were seen heading towards the Wetlands from Walthamstow Marsh. 

                 Up to three Snipe roosted in the East Warwick island pic @Ivorh.bsky.social

      Five species of waders were seen with the best a Woodcock which came off the grass side of Lockwood on the 12th, the only record of the year. Up to three Common Snipe were seen regularly in the East Warwick island while at least two - and perhaps three - Common Sandpiper are wintering at the Wetlands with a single Green Sandpiper seen on the 21st. The cold weather saw two Lapwing arrive on the 23rd before at least 100, including a flock of 66, passing over next day.  

            An adult Little Gull was a double bonus on Christmas Eve pic @samodonnell25.bsky.social

       In a remarkable co-incidence, a Little Gull which is normally a Spring bird was found for the second consecutive Christmas Eve at the Wetlands. As remarkable, it was being watched by SD when he saw the Bewick’s fly in, the second month in a row that two rarities were spotted by the same person from the same place at the same time following CF's Bittern/Yellow-browed Warbler double in November. More evidence of how far birds travel to the Wetlands came in a Common Gull rung in Bremen in Germany. 

        Ravens, whose regular appearances have been one of the highlights of the year, returned after an absence of a few weeks with a single on the 17th and a pair on both the 19th and 24th. Kingfishers continued to show well with many sightings on the Coppermill both north and south of the main road. 

                      A December Common Whitethroat is highly unusual pic @samodonnell.bsky.social

        There was a better showing than normal from warblers with a Common Whitethroat, the first winter record since 2012, photographed by SD on the 13th. Single Blackcaps, usually rare at the Wetlands in winter, were seen on the 11th and 30th and two on the 5th. 'Siberian' Chiffchaffs were also regular with two caught on the 3rd.  

         It continues to be a poor winter for Redwing and Fieldfare with numbers feeding on the berries remaining in the low single figures. Three Stonechats continue to winter, usually on West Warwick, while single Siskin were seen on the 6th and 14th with a pair of Redpoll at the Sensory Garden on the 24th. Up to six Reed Buntings could be seen feeding on the seed heads in No 1 reed bed on calm days throughout the month. 

DB @davidbradshaw1952.bsky.social