Christmas buntings

The Reed Bunting is a bit of an enigma at the Lower Lea, some winters it is very obvious and easy to find, others it takes on a wraithlike quality, slipping away at the edge of your vision making you doubt it was ever there in the first place. I haven't seen one for quite a while so it was good to see three, found by Gary, industriously feeding on phragmites seed heads at the basin. Two Sparrowhawks were seen today the first a female which drifted south over the basin, the second a probable male that came in low over Orchard Wharf flying inches above our heads before entering the eastern clump and dropping quickly to ground level in full hunting mode, easily the closest encounter I've had with this fierce little raptor. Wildfowl numbers were almost the same as yesterday with the female Pintail still showing well on the creek. Wader numbers were a little lower with six Redshank and two Common Sandpipers noted and the Kingfisher was still at the basin. 

Kingfisher new for the year

Pintail at Bow Creek, 17/12/2011, the female from last year

returning for its second winter.

Long-tailed Tit at Bow Creek, 17/12/2011.

A flash of electric blue low across the water can be only one thing, Kingfisher, at last, with barely a fortnight of the year left I finally connected with this one time sure-fire banker this afternoon, given the appalling state of the Lea, years like this could become the norm rather than the exception. Things have picked up on the wildfowl front since my last visit, most notably the female Pintail has returned to Bow Creek for its second winter, feeding with Mallard and Common Teal beneath the DLR crossing at low tide. Most of the Common Teal were on the creek today and widely scattered with around 230 counted, a somewhat low count by recent standards. Six Shelduck were also seen, two on the creek and four on the basin and Tufted Duck numbers were up to 16, all on the basin except for one male dabbling with the anas on the creek. The Little Grebe mentioned in the last post has been joined by a second bird, both are incredibly wary, keeping close to the reeds. Seven Redshank and three Common Sandpipers were on the creek, numbers of the former are probably higher but there isn't a daylight high tide until later next week when more should be seen in the roost. Passerines included a flock of 15 Linnet on Orchard Wharf, a smattering of Chaffinch, a vocal Chiffchaff in the ecology park and a party of at least seven Long-tailed Tits feeding in the scrub along Bow Creek.

Second Little Grebe of the year

Roosting Redshank with two Common Teal

Bow Creek Ecology Park, 10/12/11.

A Cormorant takes advantage of engineering works

on the Docklands Light Railway, using the bridge

across Bow Creek as a convenient drying post.

The silting up of East India Dock Basin has had a detrimental effect on several species, none more so than the Little Grebe. Most years at least two birds are present from October to March but this is the first record at the basin this year, the only other record being a trilling bird at Bow Creek on January 3rd. Common Teal numbers continue to build with 358 counted throughout the site, my best count this period; seven Tufted Duck were at the basin, another species that has suffered from the silt. The wader roost in the ecology park held 20 Redshank and three Common Sandpiper but there was not much else of note, passerines in particular conspicuous by there absence on what was a clear crisp winter afternoon in east London.

Thames wader count

A late start today to coincide with high tide; Dave Morrison has again organised a co-ordinated count of all the wader roosts within the London Natural History Society area, from Bow Creek downstream to West Thurrock. Our meagre contribution was 12 Redshank and four Common Sandpipers in the usual roost and another Common Sandpiper roosting with Mallards on a large raft on the next meander downstream. Five Common Sandpipers is our best ever winter count although one or two of these birds might be migrants that have hung around because the weather is so mild, only one other locale reported a single Common Sandpiper highlighting the importance of the lower Lea as a wintering area for this species. Given the mild conditions not much else was seen but two Grey Wagtails and a smart male Chaffinch were notable on the passerine front. Below is a summary of the counts from all the known roosts.

Bow Creek

Redshank: 12

Common Sandpiper: 5

Barking Outfall

Dunlin: 2

Black-tailed Godwit: 10

Curlew: 2

Redshank: 87

Barking Bay

Lapwing: 46

Curlew: 6

Crossness

Lapwing: 103

Dunlin: 940

Black-tailed Godwit: 19

Redshank: 420

Fords

Common Sandpiper: 1

Rainham, Stone Barges

Lapwing: 2

Dunlin: 5

Black-tailed Godwit: 4

Redshank: 32

Rainham, RSPB reserve

Golden Plover: 80+

Lapwing: 620

Dunlin: 400

Black-tailed Godwit: 550

Curlew: 1

Redshank: 435

West Thurrock

Oystercatcher: 8

Dunlin: 100

Common Snipe: 4

Curlew: 25

Redshank: 350

The first kick of winter

East India Dock Basin looking west, 20:11:2011

Common Sandpiper and Common Gull at Bow Creek, 20:11:2011

Greylag Goose at East India Dock Basin, 20:11:2011

Blackbird at Bow Creek Ecology Park, 20:11:2011

The first visit to the patch in over two weeks and the unseasonable weather of recent days has been replaced by an all-enveloping freezing fog which has reduced visibility down to around 20 metres. The Sun almost managed to burn it off around midday, but it is too far south to have had much of an effect and the fog soon returned. River watching was a non-starter, the Millennium Dome, less than 200 metres across the Thames was completely invisible and the few gulls that were around were reduced to ghostly shadows; likewise the basin was completely enshrouded, I managed to count around 130 Common Teal there but the number could have been higher as the reed fringed north shore was not visible, another 30 or so were on Bow Creek and their whistling contact calls were never out of earshot, as if to reassure each other that there were others of their kind nearby even if they could not be seen; the only other wildfowl of note was a single Greylag Goose which sailed out of the gloom at the basin. At least four Redshank were at Bow Creek, they seemed not not like this weather, flushing noisily at the slightest provocation; a single Common Sandpiper was also there but was reluctant to fly giving me the opportunity to take the photograph above. Two vocal Chiffchaffs were in the ecology park, both looked like and sounded like normal collybita to me, two Grey Wagtails were also around the ecology park and a single female chaffinch was in the northern scrub at the basin.

Raptors salvage a quiet day

As has been mentioned on previous posts visible migration can be something of a hit and miss affair at the Lower Lea and today's session definitely leaned towards the latter with the only passerine migrants three Meadow Pipits heading south, but two overhead Grey Wagtails could have been migrants as the species has been a bit hard to find here recently. Common Teal numbered 162 and five Common Sandpipers were roosting, four on the Pura Foods peninsula and one in the traditional roost, but, surprisingly no Redshank were present. Two Sparrowhawks were also logged heading south and this fairly uneventful day was salvaged by three Peregrines indulging in a border dispute over Bow Creek; two of the birds were definitely a pair, the size difference very obvious even when they were way up, and the third bird was a tiercel, all three were adults; the pair eventually drifted off south towards the Thames with the lone tiercel circling off to the north-west.

First Redwing passage of the autumn

I arrived at the patch shortly after dawn this morning for a planned visible migration session; it started off promisingly enough with three Fieldfares heading north-west and the first Redwings of the autumn, a group of nine moving west-south-west, the vanguard of a good movement which involved around 250 birds including flocks of 70, 60 and 30 west and 55 west-north-west. Finches were also on the move including at least three Chaffinch east, two Lesser Redpoll south, around 50 Goldfinch moving mainly south-west at tree top height and five Linnet south. Other species on the move included five Meadow Pipits and three Grey Wagtails, all in all not a bad session. Common Teal numbered 127 but there was very little else of interest on the wildfowl front, just three Mute Swans over the basin early morning. Finally seven Redshank and four Common Sandpiper were in the secondary roost on the east side of the ecology park at high tide.

First Fieldfare of the autumn

Fieldfare at Bow Creek Ecology Park, 22/10/2011

Carrion Crows at Bow Creek Ecology Park, 22/10/2011

The sluices on the lock have been lowered and except for a small pool in the north-west corner the basin was completely devoid of water; the next few tides are of moderate height so the opportunity for re-flooding seems pretty remote at the moment; it's hard to believe that less than a decade ago Goldeneye was a regular winter visitor at this site. The reedbeds on the northern shore have been severely pruned with just the central section left intact; this could prove attractive to both Jack and Common Snipe if the weather turns colder, but it may have done for Little Grebe for this winter at least. Carrion Crow is not a species I usually take much notice of here, mainly because the birds are often widely scattered and hard to count but this morning there were about 45 gathered in two trees in the ecology park with birds coming in from all directions; the collective noun a "murder" seemed inappropriate here, it was an unseasonably sunny day, the birds were indulging in some entertaining aerobatics and it seemed as though they were gathering for a purpose so the collective noun for Rooks, a "parliament", seemed more fitting. The high tide roost was disappointingly empty so I made my way to the northern end of the Pura Foods peninsula where Common Sandpipers have been roosting lately, it was also empty but the good ship Renown, which was steaming sedately down the Lea, flushed seven Redshank and two Common Sandpipers from an unviewable part of the peninsula, the former the best count of the autumn so far. Common Teal were widely scattered with just 34 on the basin and 68 strung out on Bow Creek. Two Peregrines, an adult followed by a juvenile drifted east over the ecology park and may have been genuine migrants, they were the only raptors of the day. A grounded Fieldfare was in the ecology park and I managed to fire off the record shot above before it saw me and disappeared, a Song Thrush was also in the ecology park a vocal Jay was in the copse at the basin and three Chiffchaffs were noted throughout the site.

First Redshank of the autumn

I managed a very brief pre-work visit from dawn this morning and immediately got on to a flock of 60 Woodpigeon moving west closely followed by two flocks of ten and eight heading in the same direction. Thinking I was in for a major movement I quickly made my way to my usual vis-mig point on the road above the northern scrub. Another flock of 41 went south-west followed by three north-east and 16 north, then it dried up completely with nothing moving in the next half hour. A comprehensive Common Teal count produced a total of 126, my first three-figure count of the autumn. A flighty Redshank at Bow Creek was the first of the autumn with two Common Sandpipers also there. Passerine activity was virtually non-existent, no warblers were heard or seen but above average numbers of Blackbirds were noted, around 15, mostly 1st-winter males, which were probably migrants.

Hottest October day on record

I made a brief high-tide visit late during the comparative coolness of late afternoon on what has turned out to be the hottest October day on record with the mercury rising to 29c in London. Seven Common Sandpipers were roosting on the Pura Foods peninsula, my best ever October count with a single Stock Dove also there. Common Teal numbers have dropped with only three at Bow Creek and around 50 on the basin, other wildfowl included four Greylag and five Canada Geese flying in to roost at dusk, but for the first time for as long as I can remember I could find no Tufted Duck. Decent passerines were almost non existent with a single calling Chiffchaff in the ecology park the only thing of note.

Barred Warbler double

Had you visited East India Dock Basin on September 26th 2006 you would have seen twenty or so birders gazing intently in to the northern scrub trying to get a glimpse of a Barred Warbler, only the 8th London record. Roll on exactly five years and the same sight greets you, a few less people maybe but a simply astonishing record. The bird was found by John Archer during his lunch break and the news was related to me by a slightly incredulous John who had just finished a weekend which saw him find a juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper in Kent and two Roseate Terns at his local patch, Crossness, clearly more ornithological stardust than one man deserves but I'm not complaining. I managed to see the bird briefly at around six o'clock before the heavens opened and sent me off home slightly damp but happy.

Common Terns on the move

It's been generally agreed that it has been a poor year for Common Terns, not only at the basin but across the Capital and beyond, so when Gary picked up the largest flock of the autumn, 26 birds followed by another flock of four, all moving west along the Thames, it was a cause for minor celebration. The first Northern Wheatear of the autumn was in the old gravel works and six Common Sandpipers were roosting on the Pura Foods peninsula, the highest count so far, and three Meadow Pipits flew north-east. Three Chiffchaffs, including one singing were the only warblers noted. Three Common Gulls were the first of the autumn, quite late by local standards, we usually have our first returning birds in mid August, other notables included around 85 Common Teal, mostly at Bow Creek, seven Tufted Duck on the basin and a Sparrowhawk, probably a female, flying south.

Great Spotted Woodpecker and Lesser Redpoll new for the year

Common Darter at Bow Creek Ecology Park, 18/9/11

Wildfowl at the basin this morning included a herd of six Mute Swans, all adults, two Canada Geese, 45 Common Teal with another 40 at Bow Creek, and two Tufted Duck. It was a good day for raptors with a Peregrine on the Millennium Dome and two each of Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. An almost surreal ten seconds passed as a Great Spotted Woodpecker, originally found by Gary, flew out of the northern scrub into the eastern hedgerow while simultaneously a Lesser Redpoll went over our heads calling, giving me two year ticks in a few seconds, the first for over a month. Two Common Sandpipers were at Bow Creek along with at least four Great Black-backed Gulls, five Lesser Black-backed Gulls, around a dozen Herring Gulls and about 200 Black-headed Gulls, but again, no Common Gulls were present. Passerines today included a small group of hirundines too far away to positively identify that were probably Sand Martins, three Meadow Pipits flying south, a Song Thrush, single Reed Warbler and Blackcap and at least seven Chiffchaffs, all very vocal. Finally several Migrant Hawkers were noted along with two male Common Darters and three Red Admirals passed through without stopping.

A passage of Sand Martins

Speckled Wood at East India Dock Basin, 17/9/11

Fruiting Currant and Sloe bushes add some

early autumn colour at Bow Creek Ecology Park

The late brood of seven Mallard ducklings are still on the basin, they are the size of Common Teal now and for a moment I counted them as such as they were silhouetted in the morning sunshine, they seem to have lost their mother as well but appear to be doing fine; Common Teal numbers continue to rise with at least ninety counted this morning but only two Tufted Duck were present, the nasal-saddled Portuguese female was not one of them, she is probably en route to Portugal via northern France. A Peregrine was on the Millennium Dome and was the only raptor encountered today until I got on to a high-flying Sparrowhawk moving north about a quarter of a mile west of the patch. Plenty of gulls were feeding in Bow Creek on the falling tide, including at least 130 Black-headed Gulls, several juvenile Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a juvenile Great Black-backed Gull, but, surprisingly, no Common Gulls. Migrant interest seemed to be limited to a single Meadow Pipit heard calling as it flew over the basin, until there was a late morning passage of Sand Martins moving west totalling 23 birds including a group of ten. The only warbler species today was Chiffchaff, at least six were present fairly evenly scattered throughout the patch and all very vocal; two Linnets were in the ecology park along with a single Goldfinch and finally, the Speckled Wood in the photograph was in the copse at the basin, the only other butterfly species noted was a single Small White in the ecology park and on the odonata front several Migrant Hawkers were noted throughout the patch.

Portuguese Tufted Duck returns

Tufted Duck numbers at the basin have risen from three to four since my last visit but the new arrival is the female Red-saddled bird from Portugal, last seen with the red-saddled male on June 4th. Common Teal numbers continue to rise with at least 85 noted today along with a very good local count of 169 Mallard; other wildfowl noted today were six Mute Swans, four at Bow Creek and two on the basin, and four Canada Geese flying south-east. A pair of Sparrowhawks were at Bow Creek including a female perched up on a fence on the Pura Foods peninsula, a Stock Dove was also there and four Common Sandpipers were at Bow Creek. There was a small passage of Common Terns on the Thames totalling 11 birds, most moving west, quite encouraging considering the paucity of this species at the Lower Lea this year. Passerine migrants were virtually non-existent with two Meadow Pipits flying south the only definite movers although two Linnets which stopped over briefly at the basin could have been migrants rather than local birds; the only warbler noted today was a calling Chiffchaff in the Ecology Park. Three species of butterfly were on the wing, several Small Whites, mainly in the Ecology Park and singles of Red Admiral and Common Blue, the latter a pristine male which suggests a recent emergence.

Painted Lady new for the year

Two fairly comprehensive visits this weekend, a solo mission on Saturday and with David and Gary on Sunday. The nagging south-westerly which seems to have been in situ for most of the summer dominated again this weekend, a female Mallard with seven newly hatched ducklings was at the basin on Saturday, almost certainly the last brood of what has been a very good breeding season for this species at the Lower Lea; on Sunday all seven ducklings had been washed through the grilles in the lock gate and into the Thames on a falling tide and only two remained when I left the site late morning. Common Teal numbers are rising daily now, on Saturday I counted 31 and on Sunday 49; Tufted Duck remain scarce with just three present on both days; a pair of Mute Swans were at Bow Creek on both days and a pair of Canada Geese were on the basin with another seven flying east on Sunday. Two Common Sandpipers were at Bow Creek on both days, a Stock Dove was at the Pura Foods peninsula on Saturday and a female Peregrine spent most of the morning on the Millennium Dome on Sunday. Movement on the Thames was slow, with nothing of note on Saturday and just two Common Terns moving east on Sunday. The only warblers I could find on Saturday were two Chiffchaffs, Sunday was better with at least two Reed Warblers, two Common Whitethroats and a Chiffchaff seen by me and Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Willow Warbler noted by David and Gary. Other passerines included a party of five Long-tailed Tits at the basin on Saturday and a Jay hoarding acorns on Sunday. It has not been a very good season for butterflies at the Lower Lea so a Painted Lady at the basin on Saturday was a welcome addition to the yearlist.

Another austral escapee

A very brief visit to the patch this morning, en route to a planned day out at Rainham Marsh with Gary. Common Teal were up to 25, numbers should increase on an almost daily basis now until peaking around the new year; a single Tufted Duck flew south at the basin, I can't remember an August when this species has been so scarce here. Other highlights included a Sparrowhawk hunting the northern scrub, a Common Sandpiper at Bow Creek and a Grey Wagtail, scarce here lately, by the lock gates. We also added a new bird to the very short escape list; Black Swan, the second species of Austral wildfowl to have graced the basin this summer, following on from the drake Chestnut Teal. The only other escapes that I am aware of are Hartlaub's Gull and Alexandrine Parakeet, although some of the Pintail records from the late nineties are probably a bit suspect. Rainham delivered superb close-up views of a Hobby hunting dragonflies over Aveley Pools and a flock of 12 Avocets in Aveley Bay; the best was saved for last when Gary picked up a dark-phase Arctic Skua heading up the Thames in a brief rain shower, a new London bird for both of us and a fitting end to what had been a somewhat strange days birding.

Arctic Tern new for the year

Saturday August 13th: The first visit to the patch in almost a month, the weather was overcast but fairly warm; a couple of Robins were singing their winter song, a hesitant wistful affair, the perfect lament for the passing season. A 90 minute river watch produced two Arctic Terns flying west up the Thames, new for the year and not recorded annually so a good omen. Seven Common Teal were on the basin with another at Bow Creek, all so heavily into eclipse that it was impossible to separate drakes from ducks; as I have mentioned in previous posts Mallards have had an excellent breeding season and I made a new site record count today of 173; other wildfowl included a single male Tufted Duck on the basin, four Mute Swan at Bow Creek and four Canada Geese, a pair each at the basin and the creek. Bow Creek also produced the only waders of the day, two Common Sandpipers and an Oystercatcher. The first Common Gull of the autumn was roosting on the Pura Foods peninsula along with at least 108 Black-headed Gulls, all but two or three were adults, juveniles have been very scarce this year indicative of a very poor breeding season, probably as a result of the heavy rains that made this spring such a wash-out. Reed Warblers are still around in small numbers, I counted at least five today along with two each of Blackcap and Chiffchaff; passerines in general were not very evident, but I did make a personal best count of 14 Blue Tits feeding together in a small Horse Chestnut along Bow Creek. Finally there has been a small invasion of Jersey Tiger moths into north London, presumably from their stronghold south of the river in Brockley, I couldn't find any on the patch but I did find a Marbled Beauty and two Emmelina monodactyla, a common plume moth whose natural habitat appears to be advertising hoardings; the only butterflies on the wing today were around 20 Small Whites, a Gatekeeper and two Meadow Browns.

Sunday August 14th: A shorter visit today, I found a dead Jersey Tiger moth in Poplar High Street, about 800 metres from the patch; it was completely dessicated so had probably been dead for a few days, it might even have been blown there or fallen out of the radiator grille of a car, but it livened me up no end and had me searching every nook and cranny on the short walk to the basin, to no avail but I still live in hope. On the butterfly front I saw my first Red Admiral for the patch this year, a few other people have remarked on the relative non-appearance of this summer staple. Singles of Sparrowhawk and Kestrel were logged along with three Common Sandpipers and an Oystercatcher; three Sand Martins were hawking insects over the copse at the basin but apart from that it was a quiet day.

July peak count of Common Sandpipers

A lengthy visit today on a rising tide in sometimes appalling weather produced a peak July count of five Common Sandpipers, all along the western shore of the Pura Foods peninsula along with three Little Ringed Plovers and two Oystercatchers, the latter very unusual on the creek with most records coming from the Thames. Mallards have had a very good breeding season and I counted 168 throughout the site, a record Lower Lea count of this often under-recorded species; a single female Common Teal was on the basin along with the escaped male Chestnut Teal; this gaudy Australasian anas looking somewhat incongruous in the salubrious surroundings of industrial east London; the only other wildfowl were three Mute Swans on Bow Creek and nine Tufted Duck on the basin. Cormorants were very much in evidence this morning with over 60 counted throughout the site including exactly 50 together on the Millennium Dome flats; the only raptor of the day was also across the Thames, an adult Peregrine on the Millennium Dome. Around 450 Black-headed Gulls were roosting on the Pura Foods peninsula, a good July count but I could only find three juveniles amongst them; Common Tern numbers are very low for the time of year with just two on the basin and three flying strongly west along the Thames the only ones I could find. Two Sand Martins were still flying around the basin, but no longer visiting the nest hole, I expect them to be gone by next weekend. Warbler numbers are also down with just three Reed Warblers, two Blackcaps and a skulking Common Whitethroat still hanging on. The only other passerine of note was a singing Song Thrush in the ecology park.

Autumn passage begins

I made two visits to the patch this weekend, the first since June 19th, late summer can have a feeling of anticlimax about it but always with the knowledge that the first migrants of the autumn are not too far away. On the basin the female Pintail has returned along with an eclipse drake Teal on Saturday and a pair on Sunday. A herd of five adult Mute Swans were on Bow Creek on Saturday at least two new broods of Mallard were evident; Tufted Duck appears not to have bred this year but I made a high July count of 21 on the basin on Sunday. An adult Little Ringed Plover was at the basin and a juvenile was feeding at Bow Creek on Saturday, hard to say if it was locally bred or a migrant, and on Sunday a pair were display flighting over the Pura Foods peninsula. On Sunday I found the first proper migrant of the autumn, a Common Sandpiper in the high tide roost at Bow Creek, the only other wader species was an Oystercatcher, heard only, moving down the Thames on Sunday. Both pairs of Common Terns seem to have aborted their breeding attempts at the basin, I had one bird on Saturday and Sunday but no sign of any juveniles which should have been very evident by now. A pair of Sand Martins were still feeding young at the original nest site in the dock wall and four species of warbler were still singing; Reed Warbler, at least four throughout the site with several juveniles giving their harsh Jay-like begging calls as they crashed through the reedbeds, making an awful lot of racket for such a small bird; Blackcap, at least two, one each at the basin and Ecology Park; Lesser Whitethroat, one still singing from the last meander of Bow Creek; Common Whitethroat, one singing in the Ecology Park and a separate family party there containing at least two juveniles, lots of scolding from their irate parents. In the ecology park the embankments either side of the Docklands Light Railway are awash with seeding flowers and weeds, at least two family parties of Goldfinches and three Linnets were taking advantage of this abundance and if Lea Valley Regional Park don't employ their usual tactic of blanket mowing everything in sight it looks good for an August Whinchat.

Black-headed Gulls

Black-headed Gulls at East India Dock Basin, June 2011.

A summer build-up of mainly first-summer birds has

become a feature of recent years.

There is usually not an awful lot to see on the patch in June, I was hoping that the two pairs of Shelduck that have oversummered might have produced young, both pairs were present but no chicks were evident; other wildfowl included two Mute Swans, 112 Mallard including two newly hatched ducklings and 20 Tufted Duck, but no sign of the two Portuguese birds. At least 190 Black-headed Gulls were at the basin, most of these were non-breeding first-summer birds. A pair of Common Terns were on one of the rafts but I could not see any chicks, three others passed over the basin and were seen off by the resident pair. A Kestrel was intently hunting over the ecology park and one adult Little Ringed Plover was still in the area. Three Reed Warblers were singing along with two Blackcaps and a common Whitethroat; at least six Sand Martins were hawking over the basin and finally two House Martins over Bow Creek, the almost constant presence of this species hints strongly at local breeding.

Common Swift new for the year

June is probably the most unproductive month at the patch but following a string of Mediterranean Gull records over the last few days I decided to give it a go. The two Portuguese nasal-saddled Tufted ducks were still on the basin and a pair of Oystercatchers were feeding on the Millennium Dome mudflats; two pairs of Common Terns were incubating on the rafts and a pair of Song Thrushes were commuting between the copse and the eastern scrub. Several Reed Warblers and a Blackcap were still in song and two pairs of Sand Martins are now feeding young. I didn't manage to find a Mediterranean Gull but one was observed flying upstream after I left the patch, but I did find a Common Swift flying east, never an easy bird here; this was only the 2nd record in a week that saw the RSPB, East London Birders Forum and Thames 21 on site from 10 a m to 4 p m daily.

Portuguese Tufted Ducks still present

A brief post work visit this evening in the hope of adding Common Swift to the yearlist in the overcast conditions drew a blank but there were still one or two things of interest. Two pairs of Shelduck were on Orchard Wharf, a perfect undisturbed place for them to breed. The females looked very wary and the males were displaying at each other, both of the females managed to slip away, presumably back to their nests whilst I was busy watching the males; if all goes well the ducklings should appear around the first week of June but there are lots of foxes at this site, which could cause a problem, although most of the Mallards seem to have got off their broods without the unwelcome attention of this increasing opportunistic predator; a pair of Canada Geese with four downy young were on Bow Creek , the second pair to have bred this year and the two Portuguese saddled Tufted Ducks were on the basin, part of a flock of 22 birds, a good late May count for the Lower Lea.

Good numbers of juvenile Starlings

Grey Heron at East India Dock Basin, May 2011

Overnight rain prompted a brief pre-work visit but with the wind still coming from a westerly direction nothing much transpired; a very vocal Blackcap and a more subdued Common Whitethroat, both in the northern scrub at the basin, were new in but Reed Warbler numbers had dropped to five singing birds throughout the site. Juvenile Starlings were very much in evidence, vocally at least, their begging calls a constant accompaniment throughout the visit. The only sign of movement was a single Collared Dove flying east at the ecology park, it's been a good year for this species but I've yet to hear a singing bird on the patch. Other notables were four Shelduck, three Sand Martins and one or two Little Ringed Plovers. The above Grey Heron photo illustrates perfectly how silted-up the basin has become, the bird is ankle deep in water that less than a decade ago hosted regular wintering Goldeneye and the occasional Scaup.

Two Swallows pick of a quiet day

The north-westerly wind that has been blowing for the best part of a week now has effectively put a stop to any passage in what should be one of the most interesting periods of the spring migration; the only movement being a single Swallow south-west early morning and another west mid-morning. Reed Warbler numbers are high and this species is probably having its best year ever on the patch but Blackcaps seem a little scarce this year with a pair feeding young in a nest in bramble in the copse and another pair in the ecology park the only definite breeding records so far; there are also two territories of Common Whitethroat but the Lesser Whitethroat from last weekend wasn't singing today; this species is notoriously difficult to nail down as a breeding species, the male usually stops singing after he has attracted a mate and the skulking nature of this sublime sylvia makes proof of breeding doubly hard. Back at the basin two pairs of Common Terns have taken to the rafts, despite the fluctuating water level and two pairs of Sand Martin are breeding. Other notables today included three or four Shelduck, a female Kestrel hunting over the ecology park, a Little Ringed Plover and a singing Chaffinch in the copse.

Spotted Flycatcher and Garden Warbler new for the year

I made a very brief post work visit to add Spotted Flycatcher to my year list this evening, the bird was in the copse at East India dock Basin and showed well after about half an hour. Although Spotted Flycatcher is regular (but not annual) in the autumn, this is the first spring record apart from a bird that turned up in June 2007 that could have conceivably been an early returning migrant. I also added Garden Warbler to the year list, a very showy but silent individual, also in the copse, found during the stakeout for the Spotted Flycatcher.

Common Buzzard falls at last

Overnight rain, albeit on a westerly wind, had me out on the patch at dawn. I wasn't sure what to expect, a nocturnal migrant or two grounded by the rain, but in the event it was disappointingly quiet but I did add Lesser Whitethroat to the yearlist with a single bird singing strongly from Bow Creek, I was beginning to think this species was going to pass me by, at least during the spring, and they can be very difficult here in the autumn. Weatherwise it was a morning of contrast with very warm sunny periods interspersed with some heavy rain showers which really should have delivered the first Common Swift of the year, but didn't. Reed Warbler numbers were up with at least ten singing throughout the site but, given the proximity to each other of several singing birds and the racket they make this is almost certainly a conservative count. It looks like we have two Common Whitethroat territories this year, both in the ecology park where one of the males was observed carrying nesting material in-between song flights. Blackcap territories are harder to ascertain as there are still singing migrants passing through but between three and five pairs a year is the norm here.. Two pairs of Common Tern have settled down on the basin rafts with another pair still prospecting; the two drake Shelducks are still hanging around, the basin bird was joined by his mate for a time, voraciously feeding before flying off to resume (hopefully) incubation duties. Other notables this morning included two male Common Teal on Bow Creek, certainly migrants, a Little Ringed Plover, two Stock Doves and three each of Sand Martin and Song Thrush. Just as I arrived home I received a text message from John Archer informing me that a male Mandarin was heading west up the river from Crossness; I immediately headed back to the basin but didn't relocate the bird anywhere on the patch, but Tufted Duck numbers were up from a singleton this morning to 31 now, including both the Säo Jacinto birds. Not much else was happening so I left the basin by the north-western gate and immediately connected with a typically marked Common Buzzard drifting in from the west at about 200 feet up, it was half-heartedly mobbed by two Lesser Black-backed Gulls before gaining height and drifting off north up the Lea Valley. The wisdom of the Lower Lea birders is that dedicated skywatching is a waste of time here, large raptors just turn up when you least expect them; this is a theory I've decided to buy into, if for no other reason than to give my aching neck muscles a rest.

Tufted Ducks from São Jacinto

The two Tufted Ducks fitted with red nasal saddles have been traced to a marking scheme based at São Jacinto Dunes nature reserve, Portugal. some 1375 kilometres from East India Dock Basin. The male was rung as a juvenile (Euring code 3, ring number L68769) on December 16th 2007, and the female, rung as a juvenile (Euring code 5, ring number LV1732) on January 14th 2011. Both birds were present in the São Jacinto area until February 28th this year and were then relocated in France at Reserve de la Grande Noé, Val de Reuil, Normandie from March 26th to April 8th; the next sighting, of the male only was a East India Dock Basin on April 17th and again on April 27th; both birds were then seen at the basin on May 1st and on subsequent dates. The photographs above were taken in Portugal and I am grateful to David Rodrigues for his permission to reproduce them here.

A passage of Common Sandpipers

Nose-saddled Tufted Duck at East India Dock Basin, May 2011

As I arrived at the basin this morning a flock of seven Mute Swans were heading east down the Thames, the highest count of the year so far and a feature of the last three springs when herds of between six and eight birds have been noted, mainly at Bow Creek; the two male Shelducks, one on the basin and one on the creek, are almost certainly awaiting the arrival of ducklings, which, if my suspicions are correct, should appear around the end of the month. The male nasal-saddled Tufted Duck was on the basin and an attempt to lure him close enough (with wholemeal bread) to photograph failed, but amazingly it attracted the female in the above pictures; hopefully the cryptic markings will make sense to somebody and we will learn the provenance of these birds. A flock of six Common Sandpipers flew down the Thames mid-morning, the largest group I have seen here, the only other waders recorded today were two very vocal Oystercatchers on the Millennium mudflats. Other migrants today included a nice male Wheatear found by Gary on Orchard Wharf, a single Swallow flying north and two House Martins. Most of the recent warblers seem to have moved on with just three Reed Warblers, three Blackcaps and two Common Whitethroats present this morning. Other notables today included a pair of Greylag Geese, a Sparrowhawk, seven Common Terns, a 1st-winter Common Gull, two Stock Doves and a singing Chaffinch.

Common Teal pair still hanging on

Common Tern at East India Dock Basin, April 2011

After drawing a blank yesterday, I found the pair of Common Teal going to roost on a rising tide at Bow Creek this morning, my latest spring date for this species; the male looks quite content to hang around but the female is definitely getting itchy wings, leaving the roost after a few minutes and indulging in small flights on the creek, today could well be their last day. No sign of yesterday's Pochard but Tufted Duck numbers were well down with only 12 on the basin, there is obviously a large turnover of birds at this site which is why I always take care to go through them all at least twice per visit. Two pairs of Common Terns were showing interest in the rafts this morning and there was an increase in Black-headed Gulls on the river with 36 mostly 1st-summers floating upstream on the tide. As I was leaving the site I found another singing Sedge Warbler, just outside the patch recording area but audible from inside, had I not scored an unequivocal bullseye on the 17th I would be facing a bit of a dilemma, but I did so I'm not. Other warblers today; seven Reed Warbler, three Blackcap and five Common Whitethroat. I made a return visit late in the afternoon, Tufted Duck numbers had risen to 40 but nothing unusual was with them, the only other notables were four Shelduck and three Common Sandpipers feeding in the same place on the creek as yesterday.

First Pochard of the year

Pochard at East India Dock Basin, April 2011

Another scorching hot April day, albeit a little cooler early on in the brisk north-easterly wind. Many migrants are well established now and with water constantly in the basin a pair of Common Terns were displaying over the rafts, a third bird occasionally joined them but was indignantly driven off by the propecting couple; a few non-breeding Black-headed Gulls are still hanging around on the river and the commotion from the terns had them investigating, resulting in some spectacular intraspecific dogfighting over the mill pond still water of the basin. The stable water level was also no doubt responsible for the only addition to the yearlist, a male Pochard roosting on the island along with a Shelduck and some of the 36 Tufted Duck present today; another Shelduck was at Bow Creek and five broods of Mallard were noted throughout the site. Three Little Ringed Plovers were very vocal, mainly at the Pura Foods peninsula and four Common Sandpipers were feeding together at Bow Creek on the falling tide. Sand Martin numbers were up to seven today, five at the basin and two over Bow Creek the latter pair were joined by two House Martins, never easy here in the Spring, and two vocal Swallows flew west at the basin mid-morning. Finally, singing Reed Warblers and Common Whitethroats numbered six and five respectively along with at least five Blackcaps, although this is almost certainly an underestimate as non-singing birds seemed to be everywhere, but very mobile, making an accurate count impossible.

A brief high tide visit

Incubating Mallard at Bow Creek, April 18th 2011

I made a brief post-work visit to the patch today in the hope of adding something to the yearlist, a Lesser Whitethroat perhaps which usually turns up about now but the whole site was very quiet. A Mallard with ten ducklings was at Bow Creek and another with four was on the basin, that's at least three broods this year so far, but the nest in the above photo was empty, probably robbed by children rather than gulls or a fox as there were no damaged eggs or indeed empty eggshells to indicate a hatching. Other odds and ends included five Shelduck, the Common Teal pair and a Common Sandpiper at Bow Creek, 52 Tufted Duck, two singing Song Thrushes, four Sand Martins and single singing Reed Warbler, Blackcap and Common Whitethroat.

First Swallow of the year

As I've mentioned in a previous post the money allocated for the de-silting of the basin has been withdrawn. A short-term solution to this problem is to raise the sluices on the inner dock gate to keep in the water entering the basin on a high tide; and so Gary, my fellow patch worker, had arranged to meet Andy, the Lea Valley Regional Park Warden, to get the job done and as I had a rare Monday off work I decided to go along and see if I could lend a hand. Andy turned out to be an enthusiastic young bloke and a keen botanist, he soon had the sluice gates sorted out with minimal help from Gary and myself. It was another glorious day, more like June than mid April and we decided to do a few hours skywatching in the hope of a large raptor, we had good views of an adult female Peregrine, a Sparrowhawk downriver at Silvertown which put up everything on the river and had me thinking that perhaps something bigger had caused the commotion but whatever it was we couldn't find it; a female Kestrel made up the trinity of raptors for the day. The only other addition to the yearlist was Swallow, I picked up two relatively low birds heading north-west, other moving migrants included a Meadow Pipit north and a very high-flying Jay heading north-west. Other migrants included two Northern Wheatears, one each on the Pura Foods peninsula and Orchard Wharf and two Common Terns whilst a 1st-winter Common Gull was also probably on the move rather than just a tardy leftover from the winter. Other highlights included three Shelduck, the Common Teal pair still hanging on at Bow Creek, a flock of five vocal Otstercatchers flying up the Thames, two Little Ringed Plovers, four Common Sandpipers in the roost, a pair of Linnets and the follwing singing warblers: two Reed Warblers, at least three Blackcaps and a Common Whitethroat.

A marathon session

I had intended to get well away from the patch today, London Marathon day usually has me running for the hills but a late night saw me oversleep and consequently head for the patch mid-morning instead of somewhere more bucolic at dawn. At first it seemed a little disappointing, the two Willow Warblers from yesterday had moved on and a thorough search of the Pura Foods peninsula and Orchard Wharf drew a blank on the Wheatear front; then a somewhat surreal ten minutes began, I found a male Tufted Duck wearing a red nasal saddle and I moved around the north side of the basin in an attempt to read any inscription it might have, as I was grilling the tufty I became aware of a Sedge Warbler in full song in the scrub to my right, not only a year tick but a patch lifer, my first Sedge Warbler in 14 years. Bolstered by this unexpected bonus I decided to do another circuit of the ecology park, just as I was about to go in I heard a weak "ca" and on looking up I saw a Rook flying purposely east, my second patch lifer in ten minutes and only the second site record of this unlikely migrant. The rest of the day's haul included two Greylag Geese, four Shelduck, a pair of Teal, 40 Tufted Duck (including the aforementioned bird which was probably "saddled" in either France or Portugal), two Common Sandpipers in the roost, a Stock Dove, at least five singing Blackcaps and single singing Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff.

First Common Tern, House Martin and Common Whitethroat of the year

A very early start this morning in an attempt to cover the patch completely before any dogwalkers appeared. Two Willow Warblers were singing in the copse at the basin and a female Blackcap was feeding in the canopy along with another warbler which, after a frustrating few minutes of hide and seek, turned into the first Common Whitethroat of the year, a Chiffchaff sang briefly from the northern scrub and a Song Thrush was singing from one of the gardens. At the ecology park at least two more Common Whitethroats and a Reed Warbler were singing along with another Song Thrush and throughout the patch at least five Blackcaps were in song; the only other notable vocalist was a Reed Bunting singing intermittently from the pylon reedbed. At least eight Sand Martin were present this morning and the first House Martin of the year was busily feeding over Bow Creek before moving off mid-morning. A pair of Kestrels were displaying over the north dide of the ecology park and were showing a lot of interest in a gasometer about half a mile north-west of the patch, the only other raptor seen was a Peregrine. Back at the Thames four very vocal Common Terns had arrived and were soon joined by a fifth, the third year tick of the morning. Wildfowl included a Greylag Goose flying south, four Shelduck including two males behaving as if they have mates on eggs nearby, a pair of Common Teal and 11 Tufted Duck. On the wader front a Little Ringed Plover was on the Pura Foods peninsula, two Oystercatchers were on the Millennium Dome flats and four Common Sandpipers were in the high tide roost. Other notables today included two each of Stock Dove and Jay and a single migrant Meadow Pipit flying south.

First Mallard ducklings of the year

Mallard and ducklings at Bow Creek, April 2011

I made a brief post-work visit today, the skies had become overcast early afternoon and by 5 o'clock it had started to rain so I was hoping for some tern or, perhaps, Little Gull action on the Thames, but the river proved to be very quiet on a rising tide. A female Mallard was leading a string of 11 ducklings on Bow Creek but was still being attended by three drakes, one of which tried to forcibly mate with her, many of the ducklings got separated in the ensuing melee, but fortunately (for now) none of yesterday's large gulls were on hand to take advantage of the situation, but I expect at least half of this brood to have become larid or corvid fodder by the weekend, that's if the local foxes or herons don't get there first. I didn't cover the site comprehensively but other notables included two Shelduck, 11 Common Teal, 54 Tufted Duck, a Little Ringed Plover and three Sand Martins busily feeding over the basin after the rain had moved through.

Willow Warbler new for the year

An overcast day to start with but clearing up and becoming very sunny later, a singing Willow Warbler in the copse was the only addition to the year list. Apart from a rise in Tufted Duck numbers from 43 to 51 and two Greylag Geese on Bow Creek wildfowl numbers were almost identical to yesterday's count. At least four pairs of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and three pairs of Herring Gulls were also at Bow Creek and around 120 large gulls, mostly Lesser Black-backeds, were loafing on the Millennium Dome mudflats along with a dozen Black-headed Gulls. Sand Martin numbers had risen to four and at least seven Blackcaps were singing along with single Reed Warbler and Song Thrush. A Little Ringed Plover was song-flighting over the Pura Foods peninsula and I flushed another one from Bow Creek, two Common Sandpipers were also at Bow Creek and finally a female Peregrine was watched soaring above the Millennium Dome, much to the indifference of the assembled larids on the mudflats below.

Reed Warbler new for the year

The unseasonably warm weather that has been prevalent for most of the week made it to the weekend, however a dawn start beneath a cloudless sky was a reminder that this was early April and not mid June, it was cold enough for a scarf and gloves for the first hour or so until the sun had climbed high enough to dispel the overnight frost. Lea Valley Regional Park have finally taken some action on the silted-up basin by raising the sluices on the inner dock gates trapping the water from high-tide inside the basin, all three tern rafts now have water beneath them and the "island" really is an island again, the sluices are not completely watertight, but should do enough to retain sufficient water between high tides to make the basin an attractive prospect for Common Terns again after the worst breeding season on record in 2010. Migration is well under way now, at least six Blackcaps were singing throughout the patch and a single Reed Warbler was sub-singing from the ecology park reedbed, my earliest record here; a male Northern Wheatear was on the Pura Foods peninsula along with at least three Little Ringed Plovers, a fourth bird was on the island at the basin, and two Sand Martins were hawking midges, mainly over Bow Creek. Wildfowl included three Shelduck, nine Common Teal and 43 Tufted Duck; other odds and ends noted today were a male Peregrine on the Millennium Dome, two Common Sandpipers on Bow Creek, a silent but typical collybita Chiffchaff in the northern scrub, a male Chaffinch in the ecology park and finally a singing Reed Bunting in the pylon reedbed.

Song Thrushes salvage a quiet day

After a good run of six visits adding nine new birds to my yearlist I finally drew a blank this afternoon, arriving at around 17:30 my first priority was to check the wooded areas for new migrants; a rather nagging south-westerly was blowing and, apart from the odd burst of song from one or other of the residents, passerine activity was confined to a single Sand Martin over the basin and a pair of Song Thrushes which came out to feed around half an hour before dusk. One or two pairs of this superlative songster breed on the patch but they are very rarely seen well, a usual encounter consisting of a subdued "sip" call as the bird vanishes into cover, so it was good to see them so well for a change. The tide was ebbing and I flushed two Common Sandpipers from the foreshore at Bow Creek; a pair of Shelduck were also on the creek with another pair apparently prospecting nest sites on the Pura Foods peninsula. Tufted Duck numbers were around 25% up on yesterday with 40 counted, all on the basin, other wildfowl included a Mute Swan, two Canada Geese, 36 Mallard and 13 Common Teal; finally around 80 mainly immature large gulls were loafing on the Millennium Dome mudflats.

Northern Wheatear new for the year

As the weather gets warmer and the days longer, both the basin and the ecology park become a hotbed of activity for the increasing human population of the Lower Lea. There is nothing in the way of amenity parkland in the area so the nature reserves are utilised and binocular toting birders going about their legitimate business are often regarded with suspicion or sometimes hostility. Inevitably the birds are marginalised by all this activity and are often to be found on the less accessible areas of the patch, notably the Pura Foods peninsula, a mothballed housing development on the next meander downstream from the ecology park. Today was no exception with the star bird being a cracking male Northern Wheatear; this species is just about annual in the spring and the peninsula is proving to be the most reliable spot to find it. It was high tide when I arrived so I checked the wader roost which was deserted but I did find four Common Sandpipers roosting on the west side of the peninsula, the only waders of the day; three Stock Doves were also foraging on the peninsula and that was about it for the day, with just a single Sand Martin the only other passerine migrant noted, and surprisingly, not a single warbler seen or heard. A comprehensive wildfowl count was undertaken (but hardly worth the effort given the level of disturbance) and returned the following low totals: two Mute Swan, Two Canada Goose, two Shelduck, 38 Mallard, ten Common Teal and 29 Tufted Duck.

Sand Martin new for the year

Another post-work visit on a glorious spring afternoon and , a week after the first showing, I finally connected with Sand Martin, just a single bird at the basin, probably one of the breeders, or their progeny from last year as it visited the breeding pipe in the lock wall a couple times; no sign of the four Little Ringed Plovers on the Pura Foods peninsula but there was a single bird on the basin at dusk. Common Teal numbers continue to drop with just 34 present today, other wildfowl included two pairs of Canada Geese, five Shelduck and 34 Tufted Duck. The only other notables were two Common Sandpipers at Bow Creek and a singing Linnet near the entrance to the ecology park.

Little Ringed Plover new for the year

A post-work visit now that British Summer Time has arrived to search for migrants, specifically Little Ringed Plover and Sand Martin, none of the latter but four LRPs on the Pura Foods peninsula were a welcome addition to the year list; lots of territorial behaviour; parallel running and song flighting noted; it's a private site, secure and wardened since last years illegal rave so the birds have a good chance of success. it was a fairly brief visit with four each of Canada Goose and Shelduck, 40 Common Teal, 28 Tufted Duck, a Common Sandpiper and three Pied Wagtail the only other sightings of interest.

Blackcap new for the year

The first day of British Summer Time was a bit of a let down to start with, a cold north-westerly wind had me wishing I'd packed my gloves and the Canary Wharf tower was invisible in the mist; not too promising for migrants but my first Blackcap of the year was tacking in the scrub at Bow Creek although not showing; the only other evidence of passage was a calling Meadow Pipit overhead at the ecology park and it or another briefly perched in a Silver Birch at the basin along with a Linnet. Two Greylag Geese were at Bow Creek and another pair flew up the Thames mid-morning whilst 11 Canada Geese scattered throughout the site was a good count for March; other wildfowl included 53 Common Teal and 42 Tufted Duck. An adult female Peregrine was on the Millennium Dome and presumably the same bird was seen flying up-river shortly later, the only wader noted was a Common Sandpiper at Bow Creek; still no Little Ringed Plover or Sand Martin, but other observers have seen both species and the next few days should see them fall.

Greylag Goose and Sparrowhawk new for the year

Another glorious spring day in London prompted an after work visit in the hope of connecting with a migrant or two, but to no avail, Little Ringed Plover and Sand Martin are well overdue and it's a complete mystery why we haven't had a singing Blackcap yet. I did add two to the year list however, a pair of Greylag Geese on Bow Creek and an immature female Sparrowhawk flying south over the basin being mobbed by Starlings; the year list now stands at 53, a reasonable total considering it contains no migrants. It was high tide so I checked the wader roost, it held two Common Sandpiper and nothing else, that's probably it for Redshank now until the late autumn, unless we get a passage bird or two. Finally a comprehensive wildfowl count produced two Canada Geese, two Shelduck, circa 40 Mallard, 96 Common Teal and 49 Tufted Duck.

Three year-ticks but still no migrants

Pintail at Bow Creek, March 2011

Saturday March 19th: I arrived at the basin in glorious sunshine, cloudless skies and just a hint of a south-easterly wind, perfect conditions for a flyover raptor, a male Kestrel flying north over the Thames being mobbed by a Carrion Crow wasn't quite what I had in mind but was a year-tick nonetheless. Two Oystercatcher feeding on the Millennium flats and a Collared Dove flying north-east were also welcome additions but the conditions really should have delivered something better; we'd already had Little Ringed Plover and Sand Martin by this time last year but no obvious migrants were logged today. Wildfowl included two Canada Geese on the Millennium flats, a single Shelduck flying east, 96 Common Teal, the female Pintail at Bow Creek (I took the above photographs this morning, the flight shot shows really well the long-bodied, narrow-winged jizz of this elegant duck) and 30 Tufted Duck. Redshank numbers have dropped off in the last week or so and only a single bird came into the roost today, three Common Sandpiper were also noted at Bow Creek. A single Stock Dove was display flying over the old gravel works before landing on a warehouse roof, I couldn't find a second bird but a pair is usually present in this area although its not exactly typical habitat for this species something is clearly going on.

Sunday March 20th: A pre-work dawn start in overcast conditions produced a very similar tally to that of yesterday, wildfowl include two Canada Geese on the basin, 2 Shelduck and the female Pintail on Bow Creek, 146 Common Teal throughout the site and 37 Tufted Duck, all but three on the basin; a Redshank was heard and three Common Sandpipers were seen on the creek and a collared Dove flew in from the east and landed in a tree on the other side of the A13. I also returned late in the day and concentrated on covering the Pura Foods peninsula in the hope of a Little Ringed Plover or a Wheatear, no sign of either just around six each of Pied Wagtail and Linnet feeding on the short grass area; the only other notable passerines were two Reed Buntings in the pylon reedbed at dusk and a calling Chiffchaff in the ecology park.

A pair of post-work visits

From around the middle of March post-work visits to the patch become possible due to the longer days, I made two visits this week on Tuesday 15th and Thursday 17th. It's a race against the setting sun to cover the patch completely as I have just over an hour of workable daylight by the time I arrive. The most notable difference between the two days was the fall in Common Teal numbers from 98 on the 15th to 63 on the 17th and a smaller fluctuation in Tufted Duck numbers from 44 on the 15th to 38 on the 17th; in the case of the Tufted Duck I think it's just local movement and I fully expect numbers to rise again before seriously dropping off as the birds pair up and move off to their breeding sites; but I think the Common Teal are definitely moving out, most birds are paired up and lots of displaying is apparent. Six Shelduck were noted on the 15th but only two on the 17th, these birds are very flighty at the moment, no doubt propecting for nest sites, and the drakes are very aggressive towards other species. The Water Rail that has been giving me the runaround since early January was seen on both dates, preening in front of the western reedbed at dusk. Two Common Sandpipers were seen on the 15th with with two Redshank noted on the 17th, finally the only year tick was a Meadow Pipit flying east on the 15th.

Water Rail new for the year

Common Seal: Thames off East India Dock Basin, March 2011

After spending many hours staking out the western reedbed at the basin in an attempt to add the wintering Water Rail to my yearlist I finally connected with it at dawn this morning, no waiting, no fuss, it was just standing at the front of the reeds preening; apart from that it was fairly quiet, the first singing Chiffchaff of the year was in the ecology park along with a second bird that was calling incessantly; they were in an area of the park that held no wintering birds so they could have been the first migrants of the year. Wildfowl included five Shelduck, the female Pintail briefly, 107 Common Teal and 59 Tufted Duck, three Redshank and two Common Sandpipers were at Bow Creek and at least five Pied Wagtails and three Linnets were foraging on the Pura Foods peninsula; an added bonus came in the form of a Common Seal in the Thames just off the basin, the second I have seen here, it caught at least two flatfish, probably Dabs; my personal mammal list at the Lower Lea is not a long one: Pipistrelle sp (probably Common), Red Fox, Common Seal, Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Grey Squirrel and Brown Rat; I'm thinking of investing in a Longworth trap to see if I can catch some of the smaller insectivores and rodents that ought to occur in the various habitats of the Lower Lea.

A record count of Pied Wagtails

Pied Wagtails at Bow Creek, March 2011

I timed my visit today to coincide with high tide, ten Redshank and three Common Sandpiper were in the roost, a good count given the recent mild conditions although today was rather cold with a nagging north-easterly adding to the wind chill. A complete site count of Common Teal produced at least 163, again not a bad count for the time of year; 56 Tufted Duck were on the basin along with a pair of Canada Geese, another pair were on Bow Creek and two Shelduck flew in at Dusk. It was proving to be an unpromising day for passerines until I got on to a flock of at least 12 Pied Wagtails flying west over Bow Creek and coming down somewhere behind the Esso garage, I then realised that there were seven more all sitting motionless on the pavement alongside Bow Creek, at least 19 in total, my best count ever here surpassing the 11 I recorded on April 7th 2007. Presumably, given the time of day, these birds would be roosting locally but I could not find the roost site in the gathering darkness.

The olympic legacy

I met up with Gary at the basin this morning, a clear and sunny day after the washout of yesterday, we both agreed that unless the Water Rail mentioned in my last post does not give itself up soon, that will be it until the first Little Ringed Plover turns up on March 17th (trust me). Gary had attended the last East India Dock Basin Users Forum meeting where he learned that the money earmarked for clearing the silt from the basin has been reallocated to "The Olympic Legacy". I still find it impossible to take on board that a month of running, jumping and swimming can have such a massive impact on people's lives; I remember a group of allotment holders being turfed off their plots, which were on land gifted to them "in perpetuity" by some philanthropic Victorian, simply because the ramshackle nature of the site didn't fit in with the "olympic vision", unbelievable. What this means is that East India Dock Basin will not be a water body in less than ten years time, Alder and Willow will seed in the sediment as the process of turning open water to reedbed then carr and finally dry land begins; when this happens will the area still be considered important for wildlife? I doubt it.

A washout

Heavy rain greeted me this morning as I opened the curtains, so the decision I faced was do I stay at home and stare fruitlessly at the window or do I head down to East India Dock Basin and stare fruitlessly at the western reedbed from the comparative comfort of a covered blind in the hope of finally connecting with Water Rail for my year list? I chose the latter option and spent over 90 minutes failing miserably, if it was a patch lifer I would be in despair (or more likely in permanent residence in the reeds), but as it's only a yeartick I'll just have to let it go, but probably not before I've put in several more hours trying to nail it. In any other walk of life it would be a truism to say that good things come to he who waits but in birding the opposite is often true. Needless to say not much else was noted, two Shelduck and the female Pintail on Bow Creek, 107 Common Teal throughout the site, 45 Tufted Duck on the basin and a female Reed Bunting feeding on the north shore of the basin.

February wader count

Today was the second instalment of the monthly wader count initiated by Dave Morrison, an attempt to count all the waders roosting along the Thames in the London area and to log all the roost sites; Bow Creek is the most westerly site and therefore the closest to central London; today it yielded 16 Redshank and three Common Sandpiper, not a great contribution, but I'm always amazed that any waders choose to use this site at all. High Tide at London Bridge was around 15: 30 today which made for an atmospheric last hour as plenty of wildfowl flighted into the basin including nine very noisy Canada Geese, a pair of Shelduck, 125 Common Teal, the overwintering female Pintail and a year record count of 56 Tufted Duck.

First Jay of the year

Today it rained all day, not optimum birding conditions, the only bonus being that Joe Public rarely ventures forth to disturb the non-existent birdlife during periods of precipitation. A flock of seven Chaffinch was feeding in the understorey at the eastern scrub and while I was going through them in the hope of something better a Jay flew in, my first year tick since the Mute Swan on January 23rd. A single Shelduck was on the basin along with 34 Tufted Duck whilst the majority of the 158 Common Teal were strung out along Bow Creek, other wildfowl included singles of Mute Swan and Canada Goose, both on the Thames. As it was low tide I only managed to find three Redshank, the rest of the day's notables were a Stock Dove flying strongly west, a skulking Song Thrush and three rather tame Goldfinches feeding on Silver Birch buds in the ecology park.

A brief visit on a falling tide

Shelduck at Bow Creek, February 2011

With the recent run of mild weather seemingly firmly established with no sign of a change visits to the patch before the spring migration kicks in are a triumph of hope over expectation, and today was no different except that I very rarely time a visit to coincide with a falling tide so I thought I'd give it a go. Two pairs of Shelduck were at Bow Creek along with around 160 Common Teal, most of these were paired up and numbers will steadily drop from now on as they head north to their breeding grounds, although a cold snap could produce one last big winter count; the only other wildfowl of note was a flock of 22 Tufted Duck on the basin. A few hundred gulls were feeding on the exposed mud at Bow Creek, mostly Black-headed Gulls, around 400 with smaller numbers of Common and Herring Gulls including a probable Scandinavian Herring Gull, darker mantled and with more white in the wings. Passerine interest was negligible with several of the commoner species in song including Dunnock, Wren and Blue Tit but oddly no thrushes.