Lots of bird movement at the moment. Pete Lambert gives a report of his sightings of the last few days:
Thursday 7 October.
Short walk round Wild Marsh East and up and down towpath produced my largest ever movement of jackdaws.
7.58 27 jackdaws SW calling over houses east of Marsh and on
8.12 About 45 jackdaws S over WMEast
8.17 26 jackdaws S over WME
8.24 27 jackdaws S over WME
(Total of 125 in 30 minutes!)
9.23 5 jackdaws SW WME
9.38 11 jackdaws SW over houses east of WME
9.45 33 jackdaws SW over houses and Lockwood Res and on to Marsh.
Total of 174.
Otherwise 3 little egrets in channel at East Bridge, WMEast, 4 little grebes on Lee near Chalk Bridge. Lbb gull flew down to Lee Navigation and came up with crab in beak! Had one long claw on RHS of body (crab that is) - mitten crab?
Sat 9 October
While walking round Lockwood Res in morning I had my first redwings of the autumn going W and over WM West. Then flock of about 40 calling redwings came down into trees on WM East (11.25am).
Sun 10 October
Before survey, 2 green sandpipers up from channel east of WM East (from East Bridge), 2 jackdaws W and 2 male pheasants on WM East together - one with white neck ring one with all dark neck. First brambling of autumn calling overhead (not seen) and 2 skylarks west calling.
After survey, first siskin of the autumn E over WM East.
Mon 11 October
7.54am Huge flock of calling jackdaws over houses east of Marsh - estimated about 150 birds! Flew SW over Lockwood Res and then over Tot Marsh in distance.
8.12am About 25 jackdaws SW in same direction. Possibly more birds in total than on Thursday!
Brambling calling again over WME but not seen. 3 redwings W.
At Clendish Marsh 8 skylarks NW at 8.45 calling.
9.17, 6 more skylarks high NW at WMWest (where David Cottridge saw redstart 15min later!)
Crest calling at Lee near firecrest site, but sounded like goldcrest - vanished.
9.45, single redpoll (first of autumn) flew east calling over WME.
DMC
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Firecrest plus
Peter Lambert wrote today:
Dragged myself out from sick bed for first visit to Marsh for two weeks. Dry when I left but rain started as I entered Wild Marsh East from Walthamstow. 3 little egrets feeding in the channel by East Bridge and chiffchaff calling. Down by west channel to Green Bridge where I met Philip (+ little dog). He said he'd been hoping to see me as he saw a barn owl over West Marsh at 7.05pm yesterday.(!) Also saw pair of stonechats on same Marsh. (Plus a merlin seen at Mansfield Park - near W'm Girling - recently.) Walked with him down to Stonebridge Lock where a grey wagtail flew SW over Lee Nav. Then left him for a walk round Clendish Marsh. Meadow pipit up calling plus dunnock singing were only things of note.
Pair of egyptian geese at Centre (one smaller than other - call them Little & Large). Female blackcap at Stonebridge Wood (north of pond).
By 9.54am, am near Electric Building on WM West when I pick up 2 large falcons over north end. They chase and call, going SE a bit, then go west towards Gasometer where I lose sight of them. One was adult peregrine, other less of a 'mask' on face - could have been juv peregrine or some hybrid. Searched Marsh for Philip's stonechats - no sign of them. Walked south down east towpath from Chalk Bridge seeing 4 little egrets now in channel east. About 10.25, just north of Green Bridge (Next to white boat called Lady Helen) I hear what sounded like singing goldcrest in field maples there. Wait (dry by now) as goldcrests scarce this year at Marsh. Find crest at top of trees but it's firecrest! First record for Marsh (for me). Vivid black and white eyestripes, kept singing (no end down turn of song, like goldcrest has). Sent out texts but then relocated it in same place -really close views at times, but always inside trees so no good for photo. As it's my birthday tomorrow, I'll consider this an early birthday present!
DMC
Dragged myself out from sick bed for first visit to Marsh for two weeks. Dry when I left but rain started as I entered Wild Marsh East from Walthamstow. 3 little egrets feeding in the channel by East Bridge and chiffchaff calling. Down by west channel to Green Bridge where I met Philip (+ little dog). He said he'd been hoping to see me as he saw a barn owl over West Marsh at 7.05pm yesterday.(!) Also saw pair of stonechats on same Marsh. (Plus a merlin seen at Mansfield Park - near W'm Girling - recently.) Walked with him down to Stonebridge Lock where a grey wagtail flew SW over Lee Nav. Then left him for a walk round Clendish Marsh. Meadow pipit up calling plus dunnock singing were only things of note.
Pair of egyptian geese at Centre (one smaller than other - call them Little & Large). Female blackcap at Stonebridge Wood (north of pond).
By 9.54am, am near Electric Building on WM West when I pick up 2 large falcons over north end. They chase and call, going SE a bit, then go west towards Gasometer where I lose sight of them. One was adult peregrine, other less of a 'mask' on face - could have been juv peregrine or some hybrid. Searched Marsh for Philip's stonechats - no sign of them. Walked south down east towpath from Chalk Bridge seeing 4 little egrets now in channel east. About 10.25, just north of Green Bridge (Next to white boat called Lady Helen) I hear what sounded like singing goldcrest in field maples there. Wait (dry by now) as goldcrests scarce this year at Marsh. Find crest at top of trees but it's firecrest! First record for Marsh (for me). Vivid black and white eyestripes, kept singing (no end down turn of song, like goldcrest has). Sent out texts but then relocated it in same place -really close views at times, but always inside trees so no good for photo. As it's my birthday tomorrow, I'll consider this an early birthday present!
DMC
Thursday, 16 September 2010
latest sightings
Pete lambert wrote today:
Single whinchat on Clendish Marsh at the south end again (perhaps the same as one seen Wed by George). Cetti's warbler singing from channel just east of Stonebridge Lock (not heard it there before), juvenile shelduck flew north over WMEast from Lockwood Res (bit odd, they all disappeared in July), 2 gadwalls in channel at west of WM East (just north of 'sluice gate') and a kingfisher sitting on the lip of the Lee Navigation before flying to more normal perch in willow and catching a fish. More meadow pipits calling as they flew southerly.
DMC
Single whinchat on Clendish Marsh at the south end again (perhaps the same as one seen Wed by George). Cetti's warbler singing from channel just east of Stonebridge Lock (not heard it there before), juvenile shelduck flew north over WMEast from Lockwood Res (bit odd, they all disappeared in July), 2 gadwalls in channel at west of WM East (just north of 'sluice gate') and a kingfisher sitting on the lip of the Lee Navigation before flying to more normal perch in willow and catching a fish. More meadow pipits calling as they flew southerly.
DMC
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Wheater and more besides..
Pete Lambert wrote yeasterday:
Caught up at last with George's record of an autumn wheatear on Clendish Marsh this morning - probably because George was standing next to me at the time! It flew off to the Lockwood Res. We also saw a whinchat there, and a male reed bunting - a bit hard to find reed buntings lately on the Marsh. Several meadow pipits flying over calling, all going south.
After George had left me, I saw 3 yellow wagtails flying high south calling, over the WM West, near the north end. Then when I'd left the WM East and was walking down 'my' footpath east of the Marsh, a hobby appeared over the allotments there. It drifted west over WM East where it appeared to catch and eat something from its feet. Then it drfited off north over WME.
DMC
Caught up at last with George's record of an autumn wheatear on Clendish Marsh this morning - probably because George was standing next to me at the time! It flew off to the Lockwood Res. We also saw a whinchat there, and a male reed bunting - a bit hard to find reed buntings lately on the Marsh. Several meadow pipits flying over calling, all going south.
After George had left me, I saw 3 yellow wagtails flying high south calling, over the WM West, near the north end. Then when I'd left the WM East and was walking down 'my' footpath east of the Marsh, a hobby appeared over the allotments there. It drifted west over WM East where it appeared to catch and eat something from its feet. Then it drfited off north over WME.
DMC
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Spotted Flycatchers plus
Peter Lambert wrote today:
Blowy and gloomy walk round today, so pleasant surprise to see a spotted flycatcher flit in trees at NW of Stonebridge Wood - NW of Pond. Flushed a sedge warbler at N end of Wild Marsh West - one of those with pale crown stripe suggestive of aquatic warbler, but just a juv. (?) sedge. About 55 hirundines flew SW at 9.10am, too far away (and too gloomy) to identify. 2 meadow pipits SW across Clendish Marsh, which settled. 2 gadwall and 2 little egret in east channel at WMEast - seen from East Bridge. Kingfisher on post in west channel at WME too. Grey wagtail at WMW, in Pymmes Brook just north of Gasometer Bridge.
DMC
Blowy and gloomy walk round today, so pleasant surprise to see a spotted flycatcher flit in trees at NW of Stonebridge Wood - NW of Pond. Flushed a sedge warbler at N end of Wild Marsh West - one of those with pale crown stripe suggestive of aquatic warbler, but just a juv. (?) sedge. About 55 hirundines flew SW at 9.10am, too far away (and too gloomy) to identify. 2 meadow pipits SW across Clendish Marsh, which settled. 2 gadwall and 2 little egret in east channel at WMEast - seen from East Bridge. Kingfisher on post in west channel at WME too. Grey wagtail at WMW, in Pymmes Brook just north of Gasometer Bridge.
DMC
Monday, 6 September 2010
Latest sightings
Peter Lambert reported this morning:
Apart from the single whinchat on Clendish Marsh, there were 2 teal feeding in the channel on the east side of WMEast (north of the bridge to Walthamstow) when I came in this morning. Later, a cetti's warbler singing along channel at west of WME. George saw 3 whinchat Saturday morn at Clendish Marsh and a wheatear there on Friday.
DMC
Apart from the single whinchat on Clendish Marsh, there were 2 teal feeding in the channel on the east side of WMEast (north of the bridge to Walthamstow) when I came in this morning. Later, a cetti's warbler singing along channel at west of WME. George saw 3 whinchat Saturday morn at Clendish Marsh and a wheatear there on Friday.
DMC
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Saturday morning - Coal Tit?
Pete Lambert wrote earlier:
Amazingly quiet today. Expected flycatchers and whinchats sitting watching me, but nothing. Highlight was one-that-got-away. On WMW just north of cafe heard what sounded like a coal tit singing. Walked back to where it seemed to be - nothing. I've never recorded a coal tit here (or at Walthamstow) so it'd have been a mega discovery - if I could have discovered it! Saw a weasel - I think my first this year.
DMC
Amazingly quiet today. Expected flycatchers and whinchats sitting watching me, but nothing. Highlight was one-that-got-away. On WMW just north of cafe heard what sounded like a coal tit singing. Walked back to where it seemed to be - nothing. I've never recorded a coal tit here (or at Walthamstow) so it'd have been a mega discovery - if I could have discovered it! Saw a weasel - I think my first this year.
DMC
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