Site record Linnet count

My personal best count of circa 40 Linnets mentioned in a previous post has grown to double that number and now constitutes a new site record for the lower Lea, 80 Linnets in flight is a wonderful sight and would be a good count anywhere in London. The only addition to the yearlist was Canada Goose, a pair flew in to the basin around mid morning but did not hang around too long, Mute Swans, which tolerate Greylag Geese, do not like these American interlopers.Shelduck numbers continue to rise, 23 were present on the basin this morning but unlike yesterday they remained in situ until dusk, Tufted Duck numbers were up to 22, the Greylag Goose (which stayed at the basin until just after 08:30 before departing west) flew in to roost late afternoon and the female Pintail was still at Bow Creek. A call from John Archer informing us that a few Kittiwakes were heading up the Thames had us watching the river for around 90 minutes, no Kittiwakes appeared but we did have a 3rd-winter Yellow-legged Gull drifting upstream and a good count of 65 Comnmon Gulls heading in the same direction. The wader roost held 16 Redshank and two Common Sandpipers but with Kittiwakes still on our minds Gary and I took the DLR to Gallions Reach, a few miles downstream, and, importantly beyond the Thames Barrier, which as well as stopping London from flooding also seems to prevent any seabirds moving further upstream, our tactics were spot on, within ten minutes Gary picked up a tight flock of four adult Kittiwakes moving west, a London tick for me which puts me on 269. We also had 180 Redshank moving downstream towards Crossness, 60 Lapwing roosting on jetties on the Kent shore, a Common Sandpiper, around 80 Common Teal and a Green Woodpecker calling from riverside scrub.