And the bird of the year award goes to...

After a brief discussion in the pub last week, the vote was unanimous:

Long-tailed Duck, Peckham Rye Park, June 3rd 2013 

The Dulwich/Peckham borders may not be a mecca for sexy migrants or indeed, brimming with resident birds of note, but in its patchwork of gardens and parks and the spaces where nature is allowed to flourish, there are still the happy surprises of feathered visitors and familiar hangers-on. Of the former, the Peckham Long-tailed Duck is the undoubted victor and her short visit to a murky puddle in Peckham has already passed into local folklore.

Gavin's ace Pied Flycatcher in April was enjoyed by many as was an insane flock of Willow warblers. Tawny and Little owls were still around and 'the winter of firecrests' at Sydenham Hill Wood's looks set to continue this year. Martin phoned in a late request for Pied Wagtail, but the jury had already decided. Lets hope for more of the same in 2014, that migrant birds return in number and our resident birds continue to have a place to thrive.

For whatever reason, things went a bit quiet for us in the 2nd half of 2013 but we hope to be able to get things going again next year. Until then, thanks for reading and have a very Happy Christmas...cheers

Words/photos (PB)

Long-tailed Duck! Peckham Mega!

Ah, summer in Peckham; Chiffchaff are singing in the trees, Swifts are screaming through the skies and the first Long-tailed Duck of the year has returned...er

It's true.

Here's a photo from this morning of the quite unbelievable female LONG-TAILED DUCK that was spotted on Peckham Rye Park lake this Saturday (1/6):

Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) Peckham Rye Park lake, 3/6/13

GET IN!

While you'd be right to be sceptical of the appearance of this species in London in JUNE, this individual doesn't appear to show any signs of being an escape. It's an odd location for a bird like this, given it should be much further north by now and the lake is like Piccadilly Circus with Canada Geese. But it didn't seem to mind and spent an hour this morning at least drifting around, diving and sleeping. The wings look intact and although it's showing down to 10ft at times, that's not surprising when the lake is barely 50 yards wide anyway. Whatever the providence, there's still a bloody LONG-TAILED DUCK in PECKHAM! Well done to the finder, probably not as easy a spot as you'd think in amongst all the Coot love and crusts.

Naturally, following news going out yesterday, first thing this morning an epic local twitch was in full swing:

L-R: Bin man, man on bike, DC, Martin

A morning to remember.

Thanks to Philip C, John Archer & Richard Bonser
Photo/footage - Peter Beckenham

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

A golden Goose...

First things first, some sightings from last week and a real South London MEGA sitting pretty in South Norwood for a few days at least:

Brookmill Park (Lewisham): 1 Little Grebe, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Grey Wagtail, Goldcrest, Greenfinch, 2 Cormorant (over) Sparrowhawk (Deptford) (16th) (LA)

Camberwell Old Cemetery: 1 Waxwing over (12^th) (MS) Green Woodpecker (New Cem) (WW)

Horniman Gardens: Sparrowhawk (13^th) (DG)

Nunhead Cemetery: 7 Goldcrest, several Redwing over W (12^th) (MS)

Peckham Rye: 20 Lapwing over W (12^th), 5 more SW (13^th) + Coal Tit, fem Sparrowhawk (all MS) Grey Wagtail by lake (WW)

South Norwood Lake: adult female GOOSANDER (13^th-16^th at least?) (GH)

Sydenham Hill Wood: Jackdaw (notable) flying E (16th) (DG)

Congrats to Gavin for turning up a fine female Goosander on South Norwood Lake last Thursday, your Bird of the Week prize has been wrested free from Martin's Lapwings. With no sizeable water-bodies in the area (perhaps with the exception of Burgess Park) a top-notch migrant sawbill is a great score and a first ever record for the lake apparently. Let's face it, last month we threw a party when a Shoveler turned up in Dulwich, so Goosander is an all-night rave:

Mergus merganser 
(not the Norwood bird by the way, but any excuse to admire a redhead...)

South London - it gives you 'Wings (Pt 2)...:Lapwings. Vanellus vanellus. Always nice to see these, but only seen on seasonal passage round these parts especially in periods of freezing weather. The little movement last week coincided with birds elsewhere in London.

Little Grebe a nice find in Brookmill Park too (thanks Lisa). I think this bird popped up on London Birders recently, it's always interesting what that tiny thread of green space turns up.

Thanks all...stay tuned for a write up of the first annual SoLomig Christmas bash to Sheppey. A top day out, and yes, Dave kept his clothes on...

(Words/Photos by Pete)

This blog is done by a friendly bunch of birders from South London who get out and about whenever they can. We really love our parks and green spaces and all those weeds coming through the cracks. We always love to hear about new sightings...or old ones...or wildly speculative ones, so feel free to drop us a line below. Or get in touch at southlondonbirds@gmail.com if you want to gossip, bitch or help us find a sodding Firecrest...Thanks!

Sightings w/c 12th Nov

Have we missed anything? Let us know.

Dulwich park: 2 Shoveler back on lake (AM on 18th - DC)

New Cross Gate (Telegraph Hill Park): since I'm writing this I'm making the Skylark that flew north over Upper park on 18th our coveted Bird of the Week. Scarcely noted in this area since I've been watching for last 2 years at least and rarer than you might think? A bird out of time and place (PB). Lesser Redpolls over on 14th and 15th (2 south, 1 West) also Buzzard sp. headed high north over on 15th - again, rarely spotted so close in. Upper Park also had 2 Mistle Thrush (resident), 2 Pied Wagtail (over), 1 Coal Tit (15th) and Great Spotted Woodpecker (14th). Lower park: 1 Song Thrush, c18 Blackbird, 3 Greenfinch, c8 Chaffinch, 15+ Goldfinch and 7 Mallard (increase) on pond (all PB/LA)

Nunhead Cemetary: zzz (14th)

Peckham: 7 Fieldfare south over town centre (14^th)

Peckham Rye: 1 Brambling on 13th is a close second Bird of the Week, heard over and alighted in Oak by Sexby Garden (SR), Mute swan over 17th, a first (DC) 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 10+ Goldcrest.

Lots of gulls moving around the area at the moment, Black-headed mostly with Lessers and Herrings too, early morning and pre-roost. Where do they go?!

Pushing out the boundaries (other sightings around town):

The long-staying Spotted Redshank was still at Crayford Ness with Redshanks on the 17th (TS) and a Bar-tailed Godwit was on Dartford Marshes (foreshore?) on the 15th along with the following (sightings by MS):

Sparrowhawk 2
Kestrel 3
Bearded tit 1(h) - nice!
Meadow Pipit 13
Skylark 10
Cetti's Warbler 4
Fieldfare c223
Redwing c60
Kingfisher 1
Little Egret 4
Grey Heron 6
Teal c63
Gadwall 3
Shoveler 1
Pochard 5
Lapwing 12
Redshank 3
Bar-tailed Godwit 1
Green Woodpecker 1

Stay South, you'll love it. Feel free to add sightings below!

Out and about this week: Dave, Martin, Steve, Tom, Pete, Lisa - nice one.