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.