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.