Blackcap new for the year

Common Teal at East India Dock Basin, 6/4/2012

It's almost the end of the first week of April and still no Sand Martins, I cannot remember a year when I have not recorded this species in March; it seems to be the situation London-wide with only small numbers recorded so far; last year at least one pair were treble-brooded at the basin, at this rate we are looking at a poor breeding season. A male Blackcap in the ecology park was the only addition to the yearlist, it wasn't singing but foraging busily; a Chiffchaff was singing nearby and these two warblers represented the only passerine migrants noted today. Common Teal numbers were up to 42 with some of these almost certainly passage birds, 32 Tufted Duck were on the basin but there was no sign of the red-saddled Portuguese female; four Shelduck were the only other wildfowl of interest. Common Sandpiper numbers remain high with six together in  the high tide roost. at least four Stock Doves were noted and a pair of Kestrels were displaying over the basin. Apart from the two warblers other passerines included a Jay, a singing Chaffinch and a pair of Linnets.