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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