The first Cattle Egrets since 2024 rested briefly on No 5A pair of breeding plumage Cattle Egrets and a fly-over Ring Ouzel - both species not seen last year - were the highlights of what was, in truth, a disappointing month. May did see Arctic Tern, Little Owl and Hobby also added to the year list as well as a second Osprey. But the long spell of dry and sunny weather gave little reason for passage birds to pause their migration at the Wetlands while the major pylon work by National Grid reduced access and coverage.
So it is not surprising that the 84 species recorded across May were five less than last year and three behind 2024. But the overall total remains impressive with the five additions taking it to 128 for the year, two ahead of 2025 and four ahead of 2024. And while the weather conditions may have been poor for dropping migrants at the reservoirs, they look very good for breeding birds with young geese and ducks everywhere.
These included three broods of Shelduck by the end of May although how many will survive the gulls, herons and cormorants only time will tell. The weather probably also explains the early breeding of Pochard with first brood on the 14th and Tufted Duck on the 24th, both a week before last year. The exception sadly to this breeding success seem to be Barnacle Geese with no young seen, despite apparent incubating birds, by the beginning of June by which time last year three broods had already appeared around No 5.
Given the last wintering Goldeneye departed in mid-March, the appearance of a 1W drake on Lockwood on the 15th and again on the 20th was very unexpected. By the 24th, the first drake Shoveler had re-appeared on East Warwick. Cattle Egrets are no longer the outright rarities at the Wetlands they were a decade ago but none had been seen since 2024 before SD picked up a pair over No 5. They rested around ther herony on No 2 island before continuing north.
A second Osprey of the Spring was seen by PL flying NW over the Maynards on the 21st. Red Kites are definitely becoming commoner with sightings on at least nine days while Buzzards were only recorded on three days. The first Hobby was found by LB on the 14th with sightings on five subsequent days.
May brought only five species of wader compared to eight last year as migrating birds just kept going north. The good run of Oystercatcher sightings in April continued into May - perhaps suggesting a local breeding attempt - but there were no records after the 21st. Little Ringed Plover is another possible breeder in the wider area with two seen on the 19th and singles on the 23rd and next day. A Curlew, the third of the year, rested on Lockwood on the 14th and a Greenshank on the 8th. Common Sandpiper passage was light with a peak count of six on the 13th compared to nine last year and none after the 28th.
Passage of gulls and terns was also very poor. Neither Little Gull nor Kittiwake - which have become pretty much annual recently in Spring - have been seen so far this year and the sole record of Arctic Tern was a brief appearance of a single bird on No 5 on the 10th. An adult Mediterranean Gull made a flying visit on the 25th with a pair briefly over East Warwick three days later. But there was plenty of breeding activity with Black-headed, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls all producing young by the end of the month as did what may be again be London's only pair of Greater Black-backed Gulls with at least two chicks on the big No 5 island.
Great Black-backed Gulls and chicks on No 5 There is no sign yet of Little Owls breeding but a single bird was heard by QG from his home overlooking East Warwick in the early hours of the 27th before being glimpsed later that morning. There could also be young Cuckoos emerging later in the Summer with adult birds seen on the 3rd, 30th and 31st. Sand Martins are definitely nesting in drainage pipes near the Coppermill Tower while the No 1 reed bed hosted a gathering of 250 roosting birds on the last day of the month. The 31st also saw two very late Swallows while 25 were counted on the 19th.
Garden Warblers were more regular than usual with singing birds on six days from around the Wetlands. Ring Ouzels were very scarce across London this Spring. They were also not seen at all last year at the Wetlands so the bird seen by ICE flying north over the No 1 reed bed on the 23rd was a welcome addition to the year list. Only two Wheatears on the 2nd and 8th were seen but Yellow Wagtail passage was better with records on at least six days until the 17th with a peak count of six on the 4th.
DB @davidbradshaw1952.bsky.social Photographs @samodonnell25.bsky.social
