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.