Migrantapalooza!

Recent sightings:

Centre for Wildlife Gardening (East Dulwich): 1 Willow Warbler singing (23rd) (DG)

Crystal Palace: 2 Swift over (25th) (SR) also 1 Firecrest on ridge, 6 Swallow over (16th) (PB/DG)

Dulwich Park: still good numbers of Willow warblers - particularly around lake (at least 10), 1 Chiffchaff Am. Garden, 2 singing elsewhere, M+F Blackcap Am. Garden, 2 m Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4+ Song Thrush, 1 Mistle Thrush (17th) (PB) + pair of Sparrowhawks pm (CK) Red Kite flew over mid-week (MS)

Dulwich Upper Wood: Willow Warbler still vocal this morning, House Martin over (23rd) (DB)

Hilly Fields (Lewisham): Swift over 0830 (24th) (LA)

One Tree Hill LNR (Honor Oak): Garden Warbler in Blackthorn at top of hill with mixed warbler flock (29th) (DG)

Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin) One Tree Hill LNR, London, 29/4/13 (D Greenwood)

SE27: Red Kite over @ 18:17 heading North-West. Slow and relaxed flight, not high. This is a garden first & a London first for me! (23rd)  Also 1 Whitethroat in back garden on 26th (tick-fest!) (JS)


South Norwood CP: 2 Tree Pipit (27th) (GH/SR) Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Kestrel present (25th) (MS) Also, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat and Chiffchaff were joined by singles of Willow Warbler and Reed Warbler on 29th.  Plus 2 Linnet and pair of Egyptian Geese on lake (MS)

Sydenham Hill Wood (Cox's Walk): 2 Kestrel by church, 1 m Blackcap brambles behind church, 2 Jay over, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Treecreeper with nest material at top end (17th') Also  1 female Tawny Owl calling from high up over steps leading to Upper Cox's Walk from footbridge, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap (DG, DC, ET)

Firecrest (above and below) (Regulus ignicapilla) Crystal Palace Park Ridge (16/4/13)

Sparrowhawk (Accipter nisus) Camberwell Old Cemetery, 29/4/14)

Finally, please check out this excellent essay by Dan, featured in The Earthlines Review, on one of our favourite green spaces.

Thanks all.

Words by Pete, all photos by Daniel Greenwood.

Pied Flycatcher - Dulwich Park!

After a slow start, spring arrived in force today with a stunning fall of migrant birds across London. Significant numbers of Wheatear, Willow Warbler and Redstart were recorded all over town and Dulwich Park got in on the act with this superb male Pied Flycatcher, found by Gavin Horsley this morning.

Thanks for the superb photos Gavin...

Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) Dulwich Park, 15/4/13

The bird was favouring the American Garden - in particular the younger silver birches near the Rhododendron border along one side of 'the hollow'. It frequently disappeared into cover but generally showed well throughout the day. Apparently this has been a reliable spot for the species with several individuals recorded in the same area over 5 years at least from 1991 (Thanks DC) Pied Flycatchers are a long distance migrant, wintering in West Africa and returning to Europe to breed in spring.

Also noted in the park today were c60 Willow Warbler (across the park -an incredible number), c10 Chiffchaff, c7 Swallow, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 1 Little Grebe, 6 Coal Tit (inc singing males) 5+ Goldcrest (1 with nest material), 1 Nuthatch (calling).

A fantastic start, keep 'em coming!

Spring...perhaps

Recent sightings:

Belair Park: 35 Redwing, 55 Fieldare, 1 Mandarin (4/4/13) (DC) 1 Little Owl (7/4/13) (JS)

Crystal Palace Ridge: 6/4/13 PM Robin, Blue tit, Great spotted woodpecker (hammering), Carrion crow, Stock dove, Woodpigeon, Greenfinch, Wren, Goldcrest, Ring necked parakeet, Pied wagtail. Also possible Blackcap + Comma on wing (DG)

Dulwich Park: 28 Redwing (4/4/13) (DC)

East Dulwich: female Blackcap regularly visiting garden feeder in March (MS), Tawny Owl reported in field near Picture Gallery 7/4/13 (JS)

Horniman Gardens Nature Trail: 1 Woodcock flushed 7/4/13 (DB) - From Doug Brooks: "This is only the third one I've seen in 20 years around the Great North Wood. The other two were in Dulwich Upper Wood, with the last one about 5 years ago".

Nunhead Cemetery: highlights 3/4/13 Pair Sparrowhawk mobbed by crows, 2 Goldcrest, 2-3 Song Thrush singing, 1 Stock Dove (PB/LA)

Nunhead Allotments: 1 Meadow Pipit flushed from grassland near allotments 3/4/13 (PB/LA)

One Tree Hill LNR: Blackbird, Robin, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed
Tit, Crow, Magpie, Jay, Wood Pig, Ring Necked Para, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker + also Treecreeper reported (7/4/13) (DB)

Peckham Rye Park: 1 Mistle thrush, 1 Song thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Wren, Carrion crow, Jay, Magpie, Wood pigeon, Long tailed tit, Coal tit, Great tit, Blue tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch (6/4/13) (DG)

Sydenham Hill Wood LNR: Mallard on dewy pond, Stock Dove (DB), Kestrels back on clock tower (7/4/13) (JS)

Telegraph Hill Park: highlights 3/4/13 40-50 Chaffinch, high west in small flocks over a period of half an hour from 7.30am (definitely had feel of migrant groups), 3 Coal Tit (2 singing), c 15 House Sparrow, Pair Mistle Thrush (lower), 11 Redwing foraging (lower) (PB/LA)

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) Hyde Park, London, today (photo PB)

As anyone lost a canary?

Dave sent in this pic of a cracking bird spotted in a garden in Herne Hill recently, is it yours?:

Bird of the week (photo via DC)

More:

Burgess Park: small flock Redwing, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Pochard, 1 Grey Wagtail (WW)

Crystal Palace Park: 4 x male Shoveler on the lake. 2 swimming with its cousin the Shovlard on a small pond by the dinosaurs and 2 on the main lake. Hundreds of Black Headed Gulls. Small flock of Redwing by Jubilee Stand. + Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Crow, Magpie, Jay, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Wren, Blackbird, Goldcrest, Woodpigeon, Ring-necked Parakeet, Song Thrush, Starling, Goldfinch (26th) (DB)

 

Dansons Park (Bexleyheath): Ferruginous Duck present (31st) (PB)

Dulwich Upper Wood: 3 Green Woodpecker (26th) (DB)

East Dulwich:  f Blackcap coming to garden feeder (MS)

Forest Hill (Cranston Road): Peregrine reported over (1st) (WW)

New Cross Gate: 2 Jackdaw over (30th) (PB)

Peckham Rye: BH Gull, c20 Common Gull, Carrion Crow, 3 Jay, 5 Magpie, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Canada Goose, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 5 Chaffinch, 1 Greenfinch, 4 Goldfinch, 5 Goldcrest, c30 Fieldfare, 1 Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Nuthatch, 1m Sparrowhawk (25th) (MS) + 20 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush (25th) (DC)

Sydenham Hill Wood: Firecrest still (to 30th)

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F is for...

...Finally!

Firecrest (Regus ignicapillus) at SHW, just like this one...courtesy T.Voekler/WikiCommons

It's been some time coming but last Thursday (17th) a visiting birder to Sydenham Hill Wood spotted a superb FIRECREST up in the vicinity of the Crescent Wood Road entrance. This is an elusive bird in the area, recorded sporadically most winters, but not so far in 2012/13 so we were all chuffed at the news. Not only that, just to rub it in, TWO birds were reported. By a quirk of fate, I was working at home on Thursday afternoon, so when Dan texted me all thoughts of a productive afternoon largely went out the window, down the road and over to the wood. Arriving at the top entrance, I checked the big Yew where it was reported but there was nothing. A bit further along the path, I found Dan loitering by a holly bush, doing a passable firecrest impression...but another pair of eyes and 5 minutes later we caught up with a small flock of goldcrests nearby where, amongst the busy flutterings, was a single Firecrest. It was always on the move, favouring the dense ivy-clad trees by the path but it gave a couple of great views on and off for half an hour. Lovely. Happily a few others have spotted it over the last few days too with it last being seen on the 20th - here's hoping it sticks around. Bird of the Week done and dusted.

The cold snap last Friday has kept things interesting in the area over the last few days. Two drake Shovelers are back on Dulwich lake, redpolls are in the area and Julian had a Siskin on his backgarden feeder. A single Linnet was a great find this morning in Long Meadow/Dulwich Wood Ave by Doug - a very notable local record. There was a male Kestrel over Dulwich Park today and a regular male Sparrowhawk has been causing the usual bother in SHW. This morning the wood was filled with the sound of three Nuthatches calling loudly from the area near the Folly, a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker was conspicuous on Cox's Walk too. Over the weekend there was lots of movement of thrushes, continuing today with Redwing over DP and several flocks of Fieldfare moving north/north west mid-morning. Several of the latter, alighted briefly in trees around London Wildlife Trust's Centre for Wildlife Gardening: 

Winter warmer: Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) East Dulwich, today

In other exciting news, you can now follow our south London bird wanderings on Twitter. Yep, a big week, truly our downy fledgling is taking on the shades of ooh, first-winter finery. Thanks for reading, cheers all.

PB