October 2011 Bird Survey Results & Photos

[Note: Click on an image to enlarge it. Click again to zoom in further. See blog entry for Dec 2010 to see the named areas on aerial maps.]

A glorious day for the Bird Survey given we were in the third week of October - starting out with frost on the ground and developing into a cloudless blue sky with a warm sun (warm enough for dragonflies).

Our Egyptian geese were outside the Waterside Centre to greet us (I'm always disappointed if they are not!) and our three groups set off to the three survey areas.

In the West area, we saw some of our arriving winter thrushes - a large flock of Fieldfares flew over and some Redwings were also spotted going over. We searched for Stonechat hoping we might get some overwintering with us this year but none were found.

However, we did find two Reed Buntings, one male and one female.

At the very end I heard a Buzzard call twice but couldn't see it. A Buzzard was seen at nearby Walthamstow Reservoirs that morning so there was definitely one in the area.

Chamara Sugathsiri carried his camera on the survey and kindly provided these photos from the morning.

Debbie

September 2011 Bird Survey Results

[Note: Click on an image to enlarge it. Click again to zoom in further.
See blog entry for Dec 2010 to see the named areas on aerial maps.]

Latest Sightings

Pete Lambert wrote today:

Lovely morning for a walk over Tottenham Marshes and a spectacular passage of Wood Pigeons.  Saw my first group of about 40 flying SW as I started to walk towards the East Marsh at 7.05am and this continued up to 7.37am with groups of 170,510,920,80,710,310,550,300,30,80,210,50 and finally 70.  If I've not counted badly that's 4,030 in 24 minutes!  (And how many did I miss before 7.05am?)

Tantalising glimpse of a Bunting flying NE over E Marsh whose call was a bit like a Yellowhammer but couldn't be sure enough for such a rare bird here.  Made up a minute later with a Bullfinch calling from the trees and saw male there, catching up with Terry and George both seeing Bullfinch here recently.  Mistle thrush west and Ring-necked Parakeets are all scarce for Marshes, then I saw two different Water Rails at the channel near the old Sparrowhawk nest site (my first water rails of the autumn).  Redpoll, skylark, fieldfare and Redwing all calling overhead, plus 3 Jackdaws seen at 3 different times.  First, 3 SE over Clendish Marsh, then 3 SW over Clendish Marsh, later 3 NE over West Marsh - maybe all the same three birds.  Only one Chiffchaff at Stonebridge Wood, my first since mid October.  But Terry still has the best of recent sightings with a Short-eared Owl being chased by crows.

  DMC

What was that?

Hi all, Wednesday 26th morning a small yellow and green bird briefly popped up in front of me in the bushes on the west marsh by Watermead way. Looking something like I imagined a firecrest to look like (i've never seen one). Except that this bird had red and black stripes on it's head with a quite deep almost crimson red (red black red black red). Went through my bird books and could find nothing like it and of course it had disappeared when I went back with the camera I should have been carrying in the first place. What was I looking at? Cheers, Dermot

Latest sightings -

Pete Lambert wrote today:
 Walked round the Marsh today for the first time since last Tuesday and found two Stonechats.  A male on Clendish Marsh and a female at West Marsh.  Fingers crossed that they might stay this year.  Other signs of Autumn were a Redpoll SW calling and a Linnet SE calling.  Also nine thrushes seen distantly coming down at East Marsh, which may have been my first Redwings of the year.  Walked over to try and relocate them or hear them call, but no luck.

I was an hour and a half later than I normally walk round, so this may  have been why I saw my first Weasel of the year (at Clendish Marsh) and my first Waler Vole of the year, which swam across the channel just north of the Green Bridge.

Calling Goldcrest and a swiftly flying Kingfisher and at least two Grey Wagtails too.



DMC

August 2011 Bird Survey Results

[Note: Click on an image to enlarge it. Click again to zoom in further.]

It took a while for me to register that the persistent call I was hearing was from juvenile Sparrowhawk!
I was also very impressed at Ray's pishing technique - we were standing next to the only large clump of reeds on the bank of the canal and immediately a family of Reed Warblers appeared!

After the survey, David Cottridge took us to see a Wasp Spider he had found. Chamara Sugathsiri took these excellent photos. It's pretty obvious where its name came from! See the zigzag design in its web - apparently that is a distinguishing feature.
Debbie

July 2011 Bird Survey Results

[Note: Click on an image to enlarge it. Click again to zoom in further.]

Until we have a better way of publishing these results, I thought I'd continue to add them in this way. (David's still working on Aug & Sep results.)

It was good to see the Common Sandpiper flying along the canal. We were actually having tea on the picnic benches outside the Waterside Centre when Pete spotted the Sparrowhawk flying over carrying prey.

Debbie