My Birding Week

Cormorants and gulls, South Dock E14

Sunday 2/1/11

Fully recovered from the New Year festivities and with little else to do on a cold, grey Sunday I decide it’s time to catch up with birdlife in the local area. Up at Hilly Fields Park I’m delighted to see 20+ House Sparrows roosting in the hawthorn hedge on the path adjacent to Cliffview Road. It’s the largest flock I’ve seen in the area since moving in April. The park also yields some common garden species and a sizeable flock of starlings on the playing field. From Hilly Fields I make the short walk down to Ladywell Fields for a quick lap and I’m barely in the gate on when movement on a standing dead tree catches my eye - a Great-spotted Woodpecker. The rest of the park is quiet however and aside from a Song Thrush (the first I’ve seen in months) I see little else.

Species Count: 16 (Jay, Carrion Crow, Magpie, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Starling, Blackbird, Robin, GS Woodpecker, Wren, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Ring-necked Parakeet)

Monday 3/1/11

Forgetting today was a bank holiday and with plans for dull trips to the post office and bank duly scuppered, it seemed the only sensible thing was to head out for more birding! I mull over the possibilities before jumping on the 108 bus from Lewisham and head down to a favourite wandering spot on the Greenwich Peninsular. Alighting at the ecology park I find a flock of goldfinches feeding noisily in some slender silver birch trees. The park is closed but from the outer boardwalk I spot several greenfinches among a throng of tits close to a feeder and two honking Canada Geese flying low overhead.

Black-headed Gulls

A brisk walk along the Thames path brings hundreds of Black-headed gulls, a dozen Teal sheltering close to the river wall and a single male Gadwall resting among Mallards on a jetty. At the O2 I hop on the Jubilee line one stop to Canary Wharf and continue my walk south on the Isle of Dogs. In South Dock upwards of 20 Cormorants make quite a site as they alternately cruise and dive for small fish. I’ve never seen so many in one place. A little further along, my first sighting of a Scaup (adult female) is the highlight on Millwall Dock. To my knowledge this duck is generally a scarce winter migrant in the UK and not typically found inland so I am quite pleased with this. As the afternoon darkens there is little to be seen at Mudchute Farm so I head for the DLR, disturbing a Mistle Thrush on Millwall Park as I go. I finish the afternoon by jumping off at Deptford Bridge for a walk home via Brookmill Park. This sliver of green space between Deptford and Lewisham is a valuable local haven for birdlife and this afternoon, in a shallow rocky pool formed by the river, I observe a Wren and several Long-tailed Tits drinking alongside five bathing Redwings.

Additional Species count: 19 (Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Canada Goose, Coot, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Teal, Cormorant, Mallard, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe, Scaup, Mute Swan, Mistle Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Redwing, Grey Heron, Mandarin, Moorhen)

Tuesday 4/1/11

Routine admin is the priority today with the highlight being a quick lunch by the river at the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. The river is calm and apart from a pair of Pied Wagtails nervously darting about on the shore and the odd Common Gull among the crowd of Black-headed Gulls there is nothing new to add to the list today.

Additional Species count: 2 (Common Gull, Pied Wagtail)

Weds 5/1/11

An early start to the day as I meet a birder friend over at Dulwich Park for a walk around. A singing Coal Tit and a Sparrowhawk flying over are good early ticks. Over at the lake a pair of Greylag Geese has flown in to join the small crowd of Tufted Ducks, Mallards and gulls - a common enough species, this is apparently fairly unusual for Dulwich Park. The highlight of the morning however is undoubtedly a Little Owl that we briefly spot roosting in a hollow branch cavity of an old oak on the lawn at neighbouring Belair Park. 16+ Siskin feeding high in the branches of a row of Aspen trees and a good visual of a juvenile Green Woodpecker in nearby Sydenham Hill Wood complete a successful morning.

Additional Species count: 9 (Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Sparrowhawk, Greylag Goose, Tufted Duck, Little Owl, Siskin, Green Woodpecker, Goldcrest)

Thurs 6/1/1

Worked today so no chance to get out and about but I did spot the Brookmill Kingfisher on my way to the DLR. The sight of that electric blue flash darting over the river is always a reason to stop and marvel.

Additional Species count: 1 (Kingfisher)

Total for week: 47