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.

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)

Here we go again...

Crystal Palace ridge and mast, 06.23am this morning...no Wheatears

First session of the spring up at the ridge this morning. Had been looking forward to it after the recent switch to southerlies but, in keeping with the general picture, there was little to get too excited about just yet, unless you're especially fond of chaffinches (and who isn't really?) Conditions were good with clear views as far as the North Downs in the distance, there was a light southerly breeze and a wintry sunrise to welcome us back.  Back in position at the ridge, here's what unfolded over the course...

(0625-0815) Wood Pigeon, Stock Dove (1 over S), Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Jay (1), Magpie, Starling (c30 over SE), Song Thrush (4-5), Blackbird (5), Blue Tit (3), Great Tit (3), Coal Tit (1 heard), Long-tailed Tit (5), Greenfinch (6), Goldfinch (4), Chaffinch (20+), Robin, Wren, Dunnock (4), Pied Wagtail (2 over N), Goldcrest (2), Green Woodpecker (1), Great Spotted Woodpecker (1), Ring-necked Parakeet.

Also in the park:

Mallard, Canada Goose, Lesser Black-backed Gull (over), Common Gull, c22 Black-headed Gull, 5+ Shoveler, c5 Tufted Duck.

Small movements of Chaffinch (3x flocks of c8) S/SE were noted heading over, with 2 Pied Wagtails going the opposite way. The usual flocks of gulls lolled back and forth between east and west. Good to hear several Song Thrush in full song along the line of scrub on the ridge, with several Dunnocks and numerous scolding robins and blackbirds also demonstrating what an important area for wildlife this is in the park.

Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) Crystal Palace Park, 18/3/13

This cold weather looks like continuing for a week at least but it won't be long before spring warblers start returning. Things might be late this year but they won't be far away...stay tuned.

The majestic Crystal Palace National Athletics stadium with attendent grass munchers (bloody cut backs)

Team Ridge: Dan, Dave, Lisa

Live in South London? Like birds? Why not follow us on twitter...also check out the excellent Croydon birders website for news covering South Norwood and beyond.

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 buy us beer.

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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Crystal Palace Park Development

Coming back from holiday is never much fun but coming back to find our local patch threatened with development was disappointing in the extreme. In truth, it wasn't a bombshell but we are all hugely concerned by the recent announcement (June 12th) that a £68m re-development of the park, thought to include much of the 'ridge' as I understand, has been given the go-ahead.


Daniel has written this response:


It is to our great dismay to find that the High Court has rejected the appeal of the Crystal Palace Community Association (CPCA) against the Crystal Palace Masterplan. The very notion that Grade II listed Metropolitan Open Land can be sold for private development is ominous not merely for wildlife habitats in London but for the wonderful open spaces cherished by Londoners all over the city. The sell-off and development of the ridge for ‘luxury apartments’ is an outrageous proposal, particularly in a period of national austerity. In terms of wildlife, turning the car park at the bottom of the ridge into wildflower meadows is a welcome addition to any development proposal and should be considered elsewhere to improve bee and butterfly populations in urban areas. However, this particular design comes at great cost as the ridge has been earmarked for commercial development, and therefore a wildflower meadow seems pithy in return for the loss of biodiversity up top. The biggest concern for wildlife here is the population of 10 different species of bats and, in particular, the light-phobic species which depend on the sheer darkness of the park to commute between sites in Sydenham, Dulwich and Norwood that we can confirm. Since the application for development was made the Brown long-eared bat has been recorded, bringing the number to 10 and showing that wildlife in the area is still not entirely understood. There is a lot to be learned about the area, even after the rise and fall of the Crystal Palace itself and the destruction of nightingale-dwelling Penge Place in the early 19^th century. There is also the issue of damage to Song thrush populations, a Priority Species as part of the national Biodiversity Action Plan, a convention signed up to by the UK government in 1992. The removal of habitat from the ridge will greatly undermine the ability of this much-declined bird to survive and will impose undue pressure on it and the many other species we have recorded on the ridge. After the disappointment of the recent decision, the CPCA are considering a new appeal. Alongside the Open Spaces Society we would like to express our deep concern about these proposals and the High Court's ruling.

By Daniel Greenwood

As local residents who have enjoyed the park and observing its wildlife for a number of years we are in total opposition to these plans. We started this blog because we wanted to highlight some of the birds we found in the area and it was born from an idea that the Crystal Palace Ridge had potential for holding 'stopover' passage migrants. In a small way we have managed to show that. This year the scrub on the ridge has held Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Redstart and Wheatear (via a reliable source) - all local rarities, with common warblers and hirundines present too. We can be certain that the ridge was a breeding territory for Song Thrush, the importance of which Daniel mentions above, and a good number of other sensitive or declining species. It's awful to think of these disappearing from the park. 

We'll be watching these developments closely - Keep Crystal Palace Park green!

Links:

Independent news article

London Wildlife Trust

Crystal Palace Community Association 

and Harpymarx is on the case too

Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) in Crystal Palace Park.
Just one of the bird species that would be affected by development of the park,
amber-listed Green Woodpeckers regularly use the grassy ride on the ridge to feed.

Thanks to Dan for the response, other words and photo by Peter Beckenham