A two hour visit on a falling tide, probably my last of this year, produced virtually nothing of note; Common Teal numbers had slightly recovered from the recent slump with c220 counted throughout the site, with only three present on the basin which is still partially frozen, especially on the western side with no Little Grebes noted in their usual spot; a pair of Shelduck and two Redshank were on Bow Creek and that was about it until I found a single Mistle Thrush in gardens on the west side of the basin before it flew off north, only my second record this year of this unaccountably rare species. Yesterday I paid a brief visit to the Lea a mile upstream from the patch at Three Mills and found the area covered in wildfowl, at least 30 Gadwall were noted along with lots of Common Teal, a handful of Shelduck and a few Tufted Duck, It seems slightly anomalous that Gadwall, a species I struggle to record annually at the patch should be present in good numbers just a five minute flight away; I don't think the salinity of the water is an issue as Gadwall are found commonly further downstream at Barking Bay and Crossness, the habitat is virtually identical but there is clearly some limiting factor at work here. Finally the lard cake I put up last week at the basin is being eaten by Great and Blue Tits and I've got my fingers crossed that it will attract something a little more unusual, a Brambling would be nice.
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