It's a Fulham thing

[Thing]

I’ve always thought that local patch is where you go the most. Which makes my break/lunch forays to the Thames my local patch by a long long way. So here goes…

The background is this. The area that I visit is on the north bank of the Thames around Wandsworth Bridge. I’ve been properly watching and recording it for a couple of months now. It is a mixture of luxury flats and heavy industry and includes a view of the outflow of the Wandle (which was recently poisoned by Thames Water, which was nice of them). It is only a mile or two from the London Wetland Centre in Barnes, so there is plenty of opportunity for some lovelies passing by. There are some parks nearby (including the site of the filming of a Monty Python sketch) which I occasionally pop into. The Thames is still tidal at this point, so where I go can be dependent on the water level. High tide is generally not the most productive. No it isn’t the most wildlife managed spot in the country but it might be interesting to see what pops up.

The list currently stands at 52. I expect autumn and winter should get this total up a bit though. Recent highlights have been Common Sandpipers, Tufted Duck and a couple of Grey Wagtails that are hanging about.

I expect this will not be the most rarity filled of pages, on the other hand, I will try to refrain from posting Gull fluctuation stats for you. ;)


Michael

[Thing]

So here is the full list (which is now at 52 with Wednesday’s Sandwich Tern). I have put some max counts on for some species.

Mute Swan 2
Greylag Goose 2
Canada Goose 2
Mallard 25+ (I doubt if any of these are truly wild as with the Geese)
Tufted Duck
Great Crested Grebe 3
Cormorant 20+
Grey Heron 5
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Peregrine
Moorhen 2
Coot 2
Common Sandpiper 2
Black-headed Gull 100+
Common Gull
Lesser Black Backed Gull 10+
Herring Gull 50+
Great Black Backed Gull
Sandwich Tern
Feral Pigeon I don’t count them!
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Rose-Ringed Parakeet 5
Swift
Great Spotted Woodpecker
House Martin
Swallow
Grey Wagtail 2
Pied Wagtail 4
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush 8
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Jay
Magpie
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow 50+
Starling 100+
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet 8
Yellowhammer

Here's to the next 52.

Michael

[Thing]

Today was rubbish, high tide and heavy rain meant that I had to suffice with feeding the gulls. The Black-heads will only eat apple if it is cut up into tiny pieces!

[Thing]

Been away for a week, caught up work wise so went for a wander this lunchtime.

There has been an imm Grey Wagtail knocking about for a while, but today there was an adult, and a fine looking bird too - the vent was almost painfully yellow. The tide was nearly up so there was little else around barring a Pipit that I couldnt identify.

[POP]

A Fulham thing can only really be experienced at the Cottage.

POP

[wetlands_wedge]

Coyw!!

[Thing]

A Fulham thing can only really be experienced at the Cottage.

POP


|;|

I'm not far from there, but I'm not going cottaging at lunchtime...

[POP]

|;|

I'm not far from there, but I'm not going cottaging at lunchtime...

Not a good time.

POP

[Thing]

Top counts on two species today - over 50 Mallard knocking about this lunchtime, and 6 Long Tailed Tits.

No cottages though...

[s. james]

A Fulham thing can only really be experienced at the Cottage.

POP

Heeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyyyy!

[wetlands_wedge]

Heeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyyyy!

No. Reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaalllllly!!!!!!!!!!!!!B (:

COYW

[Grousemore]

A Fulham thing can only really be experienced at the Cottage.

POP

Quite right, Pop...and by the way, can you reassure me that this Sanchez cove knows his stuff; don't like our current position in the Premiership table.

[POP]

My opinion on this man is that he is awful,why the "grocer" went for him goodness only knows.The sooner he is replaced,the better the chance we have of moving up the table.

Possibly be the next manager to leave the premeirship.

POP

[Grousemore]

My opinion on this man is that he is awful,why the "grocer" went for him goodness only knows.The sooner he is replaced,the better the chance we have of moving up the table.

Possibly be the next manager to leave the premeirship.

POP

Oh dear, seem to have spent my life as a Fulham supporter in relegation battles...

[POP]

Oh dear, seem to have spent my life as a Fulham supporter in relegation battles...

Thats why we are special.

POP

[Thing]

Sanchez seems to have restyled himself on Ronnie Kray - very strange.

Anyway there was a Sparrowhawk around this lunchtime, which was nice.....

[POP]

[quote=Thing;1033548]Sanchez seems to have restyled himself on Ronnie Kray - very strange.

And you know what happened to Ron and the boys.

POP

[Thing]

Yesterday brought peak counts on three species.

Common Gull x 6
Tufted Duck x 2
Mute Swan x 4

I have also noted that Common Gulls are rubbish at catching bread in flight compared to the Black Headed...

[POP]

Yesterday brought peak counts on three species.

Common Gull x 6
Tufted Duck x 2
Mute Swan x 4

I have also noted that Common Gulls are rubbish at catching bread in flight compared to the Black Headed...


could be they prefer cake.

POP

[Thing]

Numbers of many species on the rise.

100+ Black Headed Gull
15+ Common Gull
9 Tufted Duck
36 Cormorant

There was a couple of Jackdaws around today, and maybe a couple of Redwings. Maybe.

[Thing]

Yesterday lunchtime was initially pretty quiet, as it was high tide and windy so I was pretty much stuck with a flock of Black Headed Gulls to watch - which turned out to be quite interesting. There was about 80 sitting on the river, spread out over about 200 yards facing into the wind which was also upriver. Each bird would occasionally lift off the water with a few flaps, moving forward to almost hovering then drop back into the water to pick something out. This produced an ever moving petrel like flock that slowly moved up river until they got to a certain point, when they would fly to the back of the group to begin again (much like pursuit cyclists).

I was about to finish up, when three Parakeets brought my attention to a Sparrowhawk that they were pestering.

Will be interesting to see what the storm surge brings across today....if anything, or it's back to counting cormorants...

[Thing]

Number 53 - Ring Billed Gull - and a lifer to boot.:smoke:

[Thing]

10 minute break, great sunset. At least 150 Black Headed Gulls moving up river and about 110 Starlings swarming around too. Lovely.

[TomSmith]

I've been told that pintail are not uncommon on the Tideway in winter - keep your eyes peeled... Also, I'm surprised you haven't had any gadwall - both species drift out of the Barnes WWT site quite regularly, apparently. (I've seen gadwall at Kew, but no pintail yet.)

[Thing]

Nice tip! Pintail would be good, but no Gadwall so far. There are a fair few Mallard knocking around so maybe I should pay them a bit more attention. Because they are really varied in plumage it can get annoying. There was one a few weeks ago that when it flew off, initially looked like a Goldeneye!

It is interesting to see what is turns up at Barnes, it seems to do quite well! But there has been no drift so far for me...

[Thing]

Number 54. Stock Dove. Two present today.

Coot numbers are up (4) as have been Tufties in the last couple of days (13). Noticeable also that 'large' Gulls are on the increase. Herring numbers up and Great Black Backed are now a daily occurence.

Yesterday I saw a Common Gull eat the whole bone from a chicken leg, initially I didnt think it was going to do anything with it but then it tried, its neck looked like it was going to be punctured but it had a stretch and it all went in. It had been 'donated' by a human on the opposite bank and looked like it had barbecue sauce on it. Too much detail?

No Pintail yet...but I keep looking.

[Thing]

Thought I would go south of the river today, to check out the creek that comes from the Wandle into the Thames, basically to go and see how many Tufties are up there and have a better look at the Great Crested Grebes. It took 15 minutes of my lunch break to get there, but it was well worth it. The Tufties and grebes where there, but also the half-expected-hoped for Pintail. Not just one bird, but three pairs! Reasonably assured they were too, so even with me right by the waters edge they continued to stay close and occasionally sleep.

So that gave me number 55 on the list, but there was also a flock of about 10 Siskin (#56) and a Coal Tit (#57). I was only there for half an hour!

On Monday, I intend to wander further up the creek a little to see what else pops up.

:t:

[Indy]

|;|

I'm not far from there, but I'm not going cottaging at lunchtime...

ROFL!!

Indy....

[Thing]

58 & 59! Further up the creek there is a small 'wildlife area' which has its gates locked for the winter, but interesting walking nontheless. As I wandered up the creek, there were 2 Dabchicks - and timid too. Upon returning to the main drag, the Pintail are still there (they seem to sleep a lot - but it might just be that I have seen them at high tide) and swimming with the Mallard today, 3 Gadwall!

[TomSmith]

Now, is there anything else you'd like me to predict for you?

[Thing]

:-O

Go for it Tom - but another lifer would be good!

[Thing]

The rush of work and the inebriated break are over, and normal lunch hours are resumed.

Not much has changed, Pintail and Gadwall are still hanging about - Tuftie numbers keep rising (now at 23) and the usual suspects remain.

Bizarrely, there are two dead Pheasants hanging in a tree by the waste site (i suppose live ones would be odder, but nevermind), and christmas trees are beginning to appear in the river.

It is a bit parky in the wind too....

[Thing]

60!

Bit of a grotty day, it is windy, cold and raining, but nevertheless I went for the brisk walk across the river to the Wandle Creek. Pintail, Gadwall, Tufties, Mallard etc etc. However, hanging around with the Pintail was a solitary drake Teal! The Pintail flew off, but the Teal didnt. It didnt do an awful lot to be honest. But it was there, so 60 species it is.

Through BirdTrack the site has now been defined as a 1km square, so 60 species is not bad going - it will be interesting (well for me at least) to see how many more can be seen in this little spot.

[Thing]

Ring-billed gull again - could well be the same bird as was there at the tail end of last year. Initially right by Wandsworth bridge, but then moved towards the wandle creek and stayed there until I had to leave. When by the bridge it was very close, and feeding just by the rivers edge, when it move it was preening but was on the other side of the river. The same tidal situation existed today as on the previous sighting (low/slack), and this should be the same for the next couple of days, so I'll have another look tomorrow.

Oh, and the Cormorant numbers are back up to about 20 but again this could just be what is about when the tide is low.

[Thing]

Spent lunch hour today looking at all the blummin gulls that i could find - but no concrete ID. There was a maybe on the opposite bank, but without a scope it is difficult to be sure, so no RBG today. Cracking views of a Dabchick before I finished up.

Nice day for it though!

[Thing]

Another lunch hour staring at gulls interrupted by a suprise today. There are birds that I think that I might see round here, and others that I hope to see but on neither of these was Kingfisher. I was looking at the south bank from the North through the optics when one flew straight across my field of view. It then sat on some chain hanging on the bank (for mooring purposes I believe but its part of a disused wharf) for a few minutes and flew off. I heard it call a few minutes later and after about another 10 mins it was back on the chain. I doubt very much if I would have seen it with the naked eye, but will be checking the chains out again. Will be hunting gulls again tomorrow.

61 on the list for Fulham!

[Thing]

nothing much to report today other than a Sparrowhawk.

[Thing]

Bizarrely, I spent 15 minutes of today's lunch break watching a Seal trying to drown a fish.

:eek!:

[Thing]

There was a fair bit of lingering fog this morning, and enough to disorientate a Lapwing which I saw heading upriver at 10:30.

62. Persistence pays off folks!

[Thing]

Havent been able to get out much recently (work commitments etc) but it looks like most of the ducks (Pintail, Gadwall, Teal) have gone although Tufted Duck numbers peaked at 31 yesterday (including one female with lots of white on the face, and another with a white vent).

'Spring' is starting to take hold though, Mallard and Tufted Duck are starting to display more, Goldfinches are singing a lot and some of the BhGulls have full summer plumage. I'm resigned to the fact that winter vagrancy is pretty much at an end, so bring on spring!

[Thing]

Been quiet recently, still some Tufties and Gadwall around last week and a possible Ring-Billed Gull.

Cold today but found a Kestrel, couple of Parakeets, Dunnock singing and a bizarre Barnacle x Greylag (?) hybrid on the river. Obvious escape of some kind, so it's not going on as a tick ;)

[Thing]

Two Great Crested Grebes in courtship display - something I had always wanted to see, but until this lunchtime it had eluded me. Lots of chattering and the head shaking - not the full works but I'll be having another look tomorrow.

Also, Goldfinches and Greenfinches singing, two Tufties remaining and the usual common species.

[Thing]

The last week has been quiet - there are still up to 15 Tufties around, Black-Headed Gulls have all but vanished (there were over 100 sometimes in the winter). Fledged Blackbirds chicks x 2 (one alive, the other decapitated). Nesting activity for Magpie, Carrion Crow, Robin. Fairly regular sightings of a Sparrowhawk. Not a single 'summer' bird yet though.

However, 10 minutes ago an Oystercatcher flew around calling for a couple of minutes. No. 63!

[Thing]

Picture the scene if you will.

It can be a bit noisy where I go for lunch, what with the lorries piling into the large waste plant, the small industrial units, the hum of the electricity station, being under the flight path for Heathrow, the trains going over the bridge, the weir and the inevitable Wrens – but such is the lot of the urban birder (not forgetting being heckled by drunks for staring into an elderberry bush).

In between the peaks and troughs in this riot of noise I was lucky enough to hear an unusual song by one of the patches of waste ground yesterday. After listening to it for a bit, and getting some brief views of the bird, I had no conclusion but to identify it as a Marsh Warbler.

Now I’m aware that this is an unusual bird to have in this neck of the woods, but I am familiar enough with Reed Warblers to be avoid confusion there, and the song was so distinctive. So I am pretty pleased with the find.

Went back this lunchtime (knowing full well that the weather was going to be a bit dodgy), and got caught underneath some spectacular thunder and lightning, hail and rain - so nothing was showing bar the ducks. If by good chance it’s still there tomorrow, I’ll post some more details.

[Thing]

Yesterday didnt produce any result on this, and nor did a visit this morning at 6:30am. But yesterday lunchtime did produce a Peregrine (being carefully followed by some gulls) soaring around for five minutes. Year tick, and I've not seen here for over 12 months.

[Thing]

I've got cold feet on this, and am retracting the claim. I could initially find evidence to support the earliness of the sighting (Collins included), but subsequent study has led me to believe that it couldnt realistically be a Marsh Warbler.

Birdline South East have the earliest arrival between 1997/2006 as May 9th. Although it added up in some ways, it doesnt in all. So away it goes. I'd rather get rid of a record that is a bit stringy than stay loyal to a false id.

It may have been a Reed Warbler, but without any positive ID it will have to stay as an ULBJ. :smoke::smoke::smoke:

Nice Kingfisher today though!

[John o'Sullivan]

Thing,

nice thread. I like these patch type threads rather than those that focus on counties.

No disrespect intended but have you got anyone local that you could ask to come and check out birds that you are not used to (like the above ? marsh warbler).

I'm sure some-one local would be happy to come and look at potential scarcities and sooner or later (rarities) that you find

I find warblers amongst the hardest of species to identify and would always ask for help with e.g. a potential marsh warbler, let alone any of the rarer warbler species.

Good luck with the patch
John O'

[Thing]

Thanks John:t:,

No offence taken. I always take the ID as part of the challenge - but if this one had hung around and the doubts where still there I would have sought help somewhere. If the doubts had been removed, the info may well have been spread beyond this humble thread.

Don't think I'm going out today, as the preciptation is a little on the persistent side - then I'm away until Tuesday - I might miss the place, but I guess sitting around on the beach with a scope in Norfolk will have to suffice.;)

M

[Thing]

Common Sandpiper today.

Breeding status of a few species.

Coot - on nest (second at least as one was flooded out)
Moorhen (one sitting and the other half bringing food - close to the Coot nest but higher up)
Magpie - at nest
Carrion Crow - at nest
House Sparrow - with nest material
Blackbird - fledged young

Present and assumed to be nesting somewhere for assorted reasons
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Starling
Greenfinch
Robin
Wren
Wood Pigeon
Mallard
Feral Pigeon
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Mute Swan
Cormorant


Sitting around not doing much-

Tufted Duck - still at least a dozen every day but there doesn't seem to be a suitable nesting habitat (the banks on the river are pretty sheer) and they just sit in the water occasionally feeding and preening. Nice to watch, but not a lot of action.

This may have something to do with the wall at the end of the river being raised so that the mouth of the wandle is not tidal - but more about that soon.

[Thing]

Half an hour of violence, bullying, harassment, attempted murder, sex and interspecies aggression.

When I got to the river this lunchtime there were some Coots kicking off. Now we all know that they are aggressive little bleeders anyway but today there was a fifth bird (there are normally two pairs that keep a reasonable distance) which was essentially getting the full treatment from one of the residents (kicking, biting, attempted drowning – you know the sort of thing). For a short while a pair of Moorhen joined in (well they don’t get to have a go at a Coot very often). The whole melee got a bit close to a single Mute Swan, so it joined in too – it looked like it might have been to break it up but I think that it was to try and help the interloper expelled. The Swan was in the middle of the dramatic ‘I’m so big and beautiful’ preening session and was obviously annoyed that the attention was not on it.

After this first bout was broken up, the male (I assume) swam back to his mate who was standing by the side of the water stamping her foot constantly in some sort of appreciation or distraction. The interloper then followed for some more and the three of them kicked off again and the main tactic this time was drowning. This fracas then moved a little too close to the other pair of Coots, so they joined in! Tag-team coot fighting! This then meant that the interloper stopped fancying his chances and moved away from the original fight, but remained in the territory of the second pair who then gave him another kicking, and drowning. The first pair then moved to a raised bit of metal junk in the river (this is not your average idyllic scene don’t forget) and there was more foot stamping followed by an attempt at mating.

He got away from this briefly to try and gain some composure, but the second pair pinned him against the back and really got stuck in on the drowning – this then brought the nearby Heron in, who flew in and was within striking distance (and looked like it might go for it) before the now quite bedraggled upstart moved far enough away from any other coot. A Carrion Crow also flew in to have a look – just in case!

It then went up the bank and the little creek calmed down, and my lunch was over.

Obviously the 20 or so Tufties that were there just sat there, and did nothing.

[Thing]

Last week a ‘Voluntary Conservation Notice’ appeared, pinned to the fences to bring to the attention of the public that the weir gate at the mouth of the river was raised and it shouldn’t have been (I assumed, quite wrongly, that this was part of the management of the area). Very knowledgeable it was too on the reasons why it should be raised for biodiversity and detailing a little pertinent history of the site going back to the 90’s.

Unfortunately there were no contact details but there was encouragement to contact the local council and/or the Environment Agency to ask them to lower the gate, so as to produce a more natural river mouth and increase feeding areas for birds at low tide and not to kill the fish.

I contacted the local council’s biodiversity bod and they started digging around – the next day the gate came down (nothing to do with me or the council I might add) and the tidal nature of the river mouth was restored. This meant the Tufties actually did something and left. But they returned the next day. The area is now busier as Grey Wagtails are now feeding there daily, and the Herons are using the area much more. It may have contributed to a Gadwall hanging around and it obviously makes feeding for Coot, Moorhen, GC Grebes, Tufties (which peaked today at 34 – higher than in the winter) etc that much easier as the water level falls, so that is all good.

I have been putting all my sightings into BirdTrack for about 6 months now for this site, and I will now be passing the data to the council so that it can be used for their information regarding the site and possible improvements and for fighting unwanted developments in the area. An unexpected development from all of this, but pleasing nonetheless.:t:

[Thing]

Quiet at the moment because I'm on a cycle of high tides at lunchtime - still picking up around 25 species each day, and there was a Common Sandpiper among them today. There were 2 Grey Wags yesterday, so hopefully there is a chance of some breeding going on.

[Thing]

Got to work early this morning, so went for a walk for 20 minutes just to see what was about and was rewarded with a pair of Gadwall and a Common Tern flying down river - which makes it 64 for the site!

[Thing]

Yesterday lunchtime one of the pairs of coots were mating, and today one was nest building. They have been washed out twice (nest was made in a tyre that hangs on the wall) and this nest was built on some rubbish in the middle of the river (there is a fair bit of it to choose from). Initially I could see if it was floating, but as the river rose over the course of 20 minute or so, the area was slowly subsumed by the rising water until they stopped trying to make it into a nest. Now as these birds are there all the time this makes me think that they have no concept of tide - they just build a nest in a suitable spot until they get one that doesnt get flooded.

I have found where I think that the Grey Wagtails have nested and was lucky enough today to find a juvenile being fed by an adult, so I've got a confirmed breeder and its still early enough for them to have another brood. They must be at about the edge of what is acceptable for the conditions as they regularly feed in a part of the river that collects all sorts of detritus (the total of floating footballs is now 7) but they dont seem to mind, and neither do I. Handsome little birds.

This afternoon at work I won the prize draw of a Nintendo wii:t: and all the moneys that were contributed in ticket sales (fiver a pop) are to go to a charity of my choice - so thats a fair few quid going to the BirdAtlas then and a little box of electronica coming home with me. Splendid.

[Thing]

Yep, the coot was protecting the daft nest site at a lowish tide to the extent that it had a stand off with a Heron. Obviously the Coot won.

[Thing]

Well I reckon it goes like this. The pairs of Coots that are in the tidal area are the youngest pairs around (pairs with an older mean age arrive at the breeding area earlier and get the best and biggest territory). They older and wiser birds are in the best sites further up river where the tide has no affect and breeding continues as normal (at least two nests locally), whereas the youngsters know that they can get food in the area but dont have the experience regarding breeding.

As Coots generally are freshwater species, they dont come across steep sided (artificial) banks in a tidal area much and therefore it isnt hardwired into their collective memory how tides work. Thus when the tide is down and a suitable nest site appears they begin to nest build (seen again yesterday) and when it rises and floods out they have nothing to nest on. In a truly Groundhog Day scenario, the next day a nest site appears and they go through the whole procedure again.

Well that's my theory anyway.

[Thing]

Today brought 3 Common Sandpipers this morning and 4 House Martins at lunchtime. One of the pairs of Coots now sitting on 4 Eggs, and a Mute Swan on a nest too.

[Thing]

Confirmed breeding (Fledged young) for the following in the last couple of days.

House Sparrow
Canada Goose
Blue Tit
Dunnock
Mallard
Grey Wagtail

Coot and Mute Swan on nests

the following are likely breeders

Starling (suddenly very busy in the last couple of days)
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Moorhen
Feral Pigeon
Wood Pigeon

[Thing]

The Coots that have a nest further up the river (just a few hundred yards) were suffering yesterday as the tide is quite high and the bottom of the nest was beginning to flood - there were frantic attempts to raise the nest and also to keep the eggs out of the water. Went back today and they are still sitting, so hopefully the eggs didnt get too wet and have survived. Out of four pairs, there are the best bet at the moment. I think that the Swans may have also suffered from the same plight.

On a brighter note, I saw my first Black-headed Gull since April the 7th today! Who needs rarities with facts like that!

[JWN Andrewes]

On a brighter note, I saw my first Black-headed Gull since April the 7th today! Who needs rarities with facts like that!

Ha! Glad I'm not the only one who gets excited about Black-headed Gulls in summer! We get loads going over the house over winter, but they dry up in April. Got two over yesterday; good record! A summer Common Gull would be even better, but perhaps that's a dream too far....

Good thread, by the way. I enjoy dropping in from time to time.

Cheers

James

[Thing]

Cheers!

Today has started well as I have just been given (for nowt) a nice condition copy of the 1992 imprint of Peterson, Mountfort & Hollom - in spanish.

Yo no hablo espanol!

[Thing]

A short walk this morning brought 11 Canada Geese (with five goslings from 2 broods), with them was a Greylag and the hybrid that had been seen once before. While watching them stretch and doze a family of LTT were nearby, with some young amongst them, another breeding confirmation. Kept scanning the flock for anything else but to no avail.

[Thing]

The only potentially successful Coot brood has been completely washed out. The nest which was getting flooded now barely exists, one egg could be seen in the river. I suppose the top foot has gone, just leaving the shopping trolley base with the mud around it. The birds are still there, and of course they are starting again but at the moment there are four pairs, no eggs, no chicks.

On the way back from seeing that nest, a Common Tern started up the Wandle, but once it got to the more industrialised section (200 yards upstream) it turned back and returned to the Thames.

On a brighter note, I today saw my first Pied Wagtail since April 23rd. Eat my facts!:t:

[Thing]

Yesterday morning there was a Common Tern feeding on the Thames (low tide) which was nice.

Yesterday lunchtime I decided to stride out (literally) and see how practical it was to get to Wandsworth Park. From the north side I have seen that the crows like it over there, and at high tide in the winter there is an accumulation of gulls on the moored barges beside it (they are too far away to make any good id on the whole). It took 24 minutes to get there on foot, and the same to get back which out of an hour long break is, well most of it. But I know that I can get there and can have ten minutes by the bank, and it was worth the visit.

The Ring-necked Parakeets seem to be hanging out there and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a breeding spot as there are a couple of long avenues of Plane trees which are also holding Great Spotted Woodpeckers and there was at least a dozen Carrion Crows on the grass. The view from the river was more interesting – one of the barges seems to have been gardened so that the weeds etc are low and on this there was a pair of Great Black Backed Gulls, one sitting on a nest (I assume) and the other keeping watch. At the other end of the barge there was a pair of Egyptian Geese! I have had a few tantalising glimpses in flight over the last week or so which I thought were Egyptians but with hybrids being fairly common in London I couldn’t be sure. However this was good views and a solid id, so there we have it – number 65.

I should think that I’ll only go there on high tides, as mostly the rest of the birding in the area is rubbish. And definitely in the winter for the gulls as there can be about a couple of hundred roosting between tides there and they are pretty much right in front of the bank. Splendid.

[TomSmith]

The view from the river was more interesting – one of the barges seems to have been gardened so that the weeds etc are low and on this there was a pair of Great Black Backed Gulls, one sitting on a nest (I assume) and the other keeping watch.

These gulls were discussed on the Londonbirders list a couple of days ago. I think the conclusion was that they're the first recorded pair of breeding GBBGs in Surrey, and only the second in London (with the first pair having not been very well documented). Nice find!

[Thing]

These gulls were discussed on the Londonbirders list a couple of days ago. I think the conclusion was that they're the first recorded pair of breeding GBBGs in Surrey, and only the second in London (with the first pair having not been very well documented). Nice find!

Top stuff! I'll keep a closer eye on them methinks...

[Thing]

These gulls were discussed on the Londonbirders list a couple of days ago.

Thanks to that little snippet I've registered with the group to keep abreast of any advances (and obviously for a little more local gen on other stuff ;)) - the Gulls are still there and still sitting. If they have only just laid eggs and with a long brooding time, this could become quite a monotonous posting (gulls sitting, gulls sitting, gulls sitting) so I'm going to shut up about them until something interesting happens.

The nest hole for the parakeets has been found (right by the best point for seeing the gulls). Also at this spot yesterday there were 50+ Carrion Crows and lots of Herring Gulls and another Black-Headed heading up river! Apart from that, it's the usual fare, but as it's low tide at lunchtime at the moment I'm to go up the wandle again this lunchtime to check on the mental coots.

[Thing]

............and true to form, the shopping trolley pair (apologies for the slight move into personification) are sitting again and the low tide groundhogs are still building at low tide!!

[Thing]

Well that didnt take long, GBB has a chick! 2-3 days old max I reckon. Bit chilly today so the adult wasnt moving at all - possibly sitting tight on remaining eggs? So couldn't see if there where any others, but will return shortly.

[Thing]

Looks like there is just the one chick. The adults are not sitting on the original nest part of the barge and with the size of this one, I doubt that there is another hiding. It is getting large quite rapidly and was indulging in a spot of preening this lunch time. Hopefully it is bigger than a passing Herring Gull could easily go for now and will do well.

Not much else of note at the moment, Black Headed Gulls are now back to a daily occurence, but only in ones or twos. There were half a dozen House Martins on Wednesday, which was nice.

[Thing]

Nice start to the week on an early morning peek. A flock of about 20 Swifts feeding in silence over the river and an Egyptian Goose flying by. 6 Black Headed Gulls flew up river too. 6!

[Thing]

Managed to notch up 29 species yesterday lunchtime, and the shopping trolley coots have rebuilt their nest. It's higher than the previous attempt so it may well work this time. Havent been to see them for a while so there is a good chance that they could hatch in the next week.

There were also 5 painted demoiselles flitting about by the nest.

[Thing]

Possible success in one area yesterday, and likely failure today in another. The GBB chick has disappeared and the adults are not on the barge. Bummer.

[Thing]

Been away for a couple of weeks, and low tide is early at the moment so I went out early to see what was about.

Black Headed Gulls are now back up to normal levels with 58 counted, 5 Herons, and Cormarant numbers are rising with a dozen or so knocking about.

A Redshank was on the foreshore of the south bank, flying about and calling (66 for Fulham).

There was a GBB feeding on a fish carcass, which was being watched by an LBB, imm Herring Gull and an imm Heron which were joined by a Yellow Legged Gull. Not that rare on the Thames, but a lifer for me B :t:and obviously a Fulham tick.

Not bad for 25 minutes birding!

[Thing]

Yesterday lunchtime. The shopping trolley Coots had been washed out (from a quick visit the day before) and are sitting again - for the third time - but on what I cannot tell yet. A couple of hundred yards down stream there is another pair that seem to have picked a better location and are on at least two eggs.

The Canada Geese were exibiting some behaviour I had not seen before. They were in a line facing the flow of the water, and sitting in the river closest to the most turbulent water (which was the weir at lunchtime and the gate when the tide was low) with their head and neck fully submerged, but what they were feeding on I have no idea as their beaks were always empty when they came up to breath.

Yellow Legged Gull present again first thing this morning.

Didn't wander far this lunchtime as I had a 'business lunch' at a local hostelry - not many birds about but the next table by the river was occupied by the members and entourage of the young beat combo The Kooks.

[Thing]

YLG present this morning, but not much else is happening, as you might expect.

However, I managed to 'liberate' a camera from work this lunchtime, and took a fair few photos of the area (and the occasional bird). I intend to post up the best of them with some info on what and where.

To test that I have got all this imagery business working, I will start with a picture of the near legendary shopping trolley Coot nest.

[Barn Owls rock]

Raptors Rock,

Approx 7 pm On a loverly trip out in Norfolk on the outskirts of Norwich City towards the east coast, out of the blue there appeared a startling creamy white vision dancing amongst the trees. Which according to my voice of authority and well knowledged guide was a barn owl looking for its supper. My heart has been quite taken. Any raptors in fulham?

[Thing]

Hello you! Not today, but if a Barn Owl does turn up here, you'll be the first to know.;)

[Thing]

Right then, here is the view of the Wandle Delta Creek facing the Thames. This picture is taken from the bridge across the river directly above the weir. The tide is lowish, and can fall another metre or so, and rise at least four more. As this is London, you can see the obligatory traffic cone sitting in the water. The detritus is not too bad at the moment (relatively) - there have been as many as 7 footballs floating around and there has been a TV sloshing about too amongst other things.

The area to the left is the spit area which as been built up as a viewing area (with some 'artwork') which enables you to get good views of this little area of water. Because it is tidal, it is almost bereft of breeding water birds but the trees on either side have had breeding Magpies and Carrion Crows. I suspect that Dunnocks, Blackbirds and Wrens have nested here as they have been present all year and the bushes to the right are always busy. Beyond those bushes there is a disused storage sight, which very rarely has anyone on it (generally just surveyors of one sort or another).

This water has been the most productive for ducks, as they have shelter during the winter. Tufties, Pintail, Teal, Gadwall, Mallard were present most days along with GCG, Coots, Moorhens, Mute Swans etc. Currently it is used by Coots, Mallard Grebes Geese and Swans. It is unusual to see a cormorant in this area. This was also the area that I saw the seal in.

Thats enough for now. Another pic in the next day or so I reckon.

[Barn Owls rock]

A most interesting and detailed thread I enjoy and look forward to reading it. It is indeed novel to hi-light the comings and goings of nature in a city environment to determine how the two co exist and the pertinent variables that give an influence. Nice work.

[Thing]

:cool: ;)

Yellow Legged Gull still here. Seems fairly loyal to the site at the moment as it can be found at almost any time of day.

[Thing]

Had a mini-sit today as it is a bit hot and not conducive to stomping around in steelies. Went to a quiet spot by the waste plant, as this is where the YLG seems to hang around at low tide, and a Common Gull dropped in too! My first since May 28th fact fans.:t:

Full list

Yellow Legged Gull - 2? Possible second bird
Common Gull - 1
Lesser Black Backed Gull - 3
Great Black Backed Gull - 2
Black Headed Gull - 60+
Herring Gull - 1 juv
Great Crested Grebe - 3
Carrion Crow - the usual murder of 50
Starling
Blackbird
House Sparrow - 2
Cormorant - 5+
Heron - 3
Mallard
Canada Goose - 2
Woodpig
Feralpig

No Swifts around in the last day.

[Thing]

Kingfisher today flew up the Wandle from the Thames end, perched a couple of time on the vegetation to the left of the picture below (from last week - a view up the Wandle above the sluice), but not for long.

The picture shows at the top right of the river area where the shopping trolley coots nest, and they are now down to one egg....

[Thing]

This lunchtime brought a Kingfisher again, and six Common Sandpipers over the Thames. The shopping trolley coots have now failed for the third time. Possibly a victim of vandalism as the nest doesnt look washed out but it is disturbed, and there is stale bread on the top and sides. Not suprising in this area to be honest (on Friday there were 4 car tyres and a large filing cabinet in the river - and all of these would most likely have come past the nest). A pair of Moorhens seem to be having another go high up on the bank in the Creek area.

And yesterday, I notched up 200 on my life list. B (: Not at Fulham, but at the Welsh Harp Reservoir - Ruddy Ducks. Marvellous.

[Thing]

Arrived early today, and was going to go for a walk but as it is precipitating rather persisitently I thought I would spend the time showing some more pictures.

The first shows the a view of the Wandle mouth from the north bank. The main point of this picture is to show how steep the bank is, the water level in this picture will rise by a couple of metres during the course of the day. These two effects are what limits waterbirds breeding along the lower sections of the Wandle. The bird on top of the traffic light is a Yellow-legged Gull, and the picture was taken through a monocular. (This is more than likely the first instance of 'Digimonning' that you have come across I'll bet). Where the fence on the bank is pointed is the end of the spit walkway, which is seen in picture 2.

Picture 3 shows the whole of Wandle mouth area. The tide on the Thames here is a little more than half way up. When it is lowering, the foreshore will be exposed with as much as 20m from the bank becoming uncovered. This is popular with Cormorants, Gulls, Geese, Herons and Starlings. With a low tide, GC Grebes, Mallard and the occasional Tuftie will move onto the Thames to feed. The area to the right, onshore, is now a busy building site - and is probably going to produce some flats. Of course, there is a massive shortage of riverside properties in the area, so why not stick another one up eh? It may impact on the wintering birds on the creek due to the noise but that may become evident as time progresses. Over the last year the site has pretty much been waste land but now that it is being converted to the concrete monoculture, it just squeezes the amount of wild space just that little bit more and is more likely to impact on the breeding Crows, Blackbirds, Wrens and Dunnocks. Once a developer finds a use for the old storage yard beyond the greenery to the left, there is going to be almost nothing left. Hopefully the proximity of this site the local tip will hold it off.

And on a cheerier note, have a picture of a damselfly. Banded Demoiselle? Half a dozen males around here anyway. One female seen. Quite popular she was too.

[Thing]

Found another pic of the new development area. You can see in the background, a set of flats, which is next to another identical set, and another after that. If it wasnt for Wandsworth Park, the 'luxury developments' would probably stretch as far as the eye can see. They have to build a good portion of them with sticky-outy angled balconies so that they can add another £500,000 to the asking price for a view which isnt that great to be honest, the Thames is not a pretty river, and on some low tides, it can still honk a bit too! And the gardens that they put up in the courtyards are sooo sterile, I have yet to see a bird in any of them. Horrible places.

I digress, you can see the scant tree cover, and the beginnings of some scaffolding. There were more trees here, but they got taken down in the early spring. Carrion Crows succesfully nested at the top of the furthest tree to the right. Gives a little more idea of the amount of space that is going to be left. I wouldnt be suprised if these trees are going to be felled over the winter too.

[Thing]

Just popped out for a smoke as the rain broke, and was able to watch the dispersal of a Starling roost. No big flock but a steady trickle heading south and west of over 240 birds. Possibly roosting under Wandsworth Bridge. If they also disperse north and east then there is good chance that there are 500 or more birds roosting locally.

And there was a rainbow too.

[wetlands_wedge]

Arrived early today, and was going to go for a walk but as it is precipitating rather persisitently I thought I would spend the time showing some more pictures.

The first shows the a view of the Wandle mouth from the north bank. The main point of this picture is to show how steep the bank is, the water level in this picture will rise by a couple of metres during the course of the day. These two effects are what limits waterbirds breeding along the lower sections of the Wandle. The bird on top of the traffic light is a Yellow-legged Gull, and the picture was taken through a monocular. (This is more than likely the first instance of 'Digimonning' that you have come across I'll bet). Where the fence on the bank is pointed is the end of the spit walkway, which is seen in picture 2.

Picture 3 shows the whole of Wandle mouth area. The tide on the Thames here is a little more than half way up. When it is lowering, the foreshore will be exposed with as much as 20m from the bank becoming uncovered. This is popular with Cormorants, Gulls, Geese, Herons and Starlings. With a low tide, GC Grebes, Mallard and the occasional Tuftie will move onto the Thames to feed. The area to the right, onshore, is now a busy building site - and is probably going to produce some flats. Of course, there is a massive shortage of riverside properties in the area, so why not stick another one up eh? It may impact on the wintering birds on the creek due to the noise but that may become evident as time progresses. Over the last year the site has pretty much been waste land but now that it is being converted to the concrete monoculture, it just squeezes the amount of wild space just that little bit more and is more likely to impact on the breeding Crows, Blackbirds, Wrens and Dunnocks. Once a developer finds a use for the old storage yard beyond the greenery to the left, there is going to be almost nothing left. Hopefully the proximity of this site the local tip will hold it off.

And on a cheerier note, have a picture of a damselfly. Banded Demoiselle? Half a dozen males around here anyway. One female seen. Quite popular she was too.


Brilliant! I have lived nearby and have never seen these particular views!
I will, of course, soon rectify this! This thread is rapidly becoming a firm favourite!
All the very best,
Reg

[Thing]

Thanks Reg, let me know what you see!

Cheers
Michael

[Thing]

Yesterday lunchtime was exceedingly quiet birdwise, but that was probably due to the fact that the new building site has a pneumatic piledriver going for most of the day. Could be heard at least half a mile away, only a couple of stubborn Coots and a handful of Black-heads stuck around.

This morning there was the ubiquitous YLG, three Common Sandpipers, and one Green Sanpiper (which brings the patch list to 68!). I have only located the Common Sandpipers by call in this area, and today I could see why. I heard them out to my left and then located three over the water. When they landed on the far bank, they essentially disappeared. Their colouration matches the foreshore completely when viewed from the opposite (north) bank and I could not relocate them once they had moved around a bit. The Green Sandpiper could be there all the time for all I know as that wasnt seen until it flew upriver. There could be a Wood Sandpiper there too for all I know.

I think that the chances of finding a Stint are now becoming minimal ;)

[Thing]

So far, the pictures that I have shown have all been about the Wandle area. Reader, I shall address this now with a little guide round the north bank of my patch.

The first pic is of the view of a little jetty with some private boats moored. Low tide here is good for Feral Pigeons, Swans, Geese (see pic two, containing the silhouette of yours truly) and occasionally Grey Wagtails. Immediately to the right is Hurlingham Park, the majority of which is in private hands (as far as I know) and cannot be accessed.

To the east is Hurlingham Wharf (pics 3/4) - a disused industrial site. A little research has shown that it doesnt look like anyone will be able to build on the site unless they are moving a substantial amount of freight by boat. It has recently been used to film a scene for The Bill (urban wasteland dont you know). I didnt see it, but even the draw of being able to shout 'that's my patch' at the telly isnt enough to make me want to watch The Bill. Linnets like this area in the winter (there are plenty of Buddleia and other weeds there). Pied Wags, Magpies, Dunnock, Robin are regular on this patch. Occasionally Greylag Geese will be found sitting on the concrete. Last year at high tide a Heron was a regular feature of the bank.

These two areas are linked by a small section of the Thames path (pic 5 - which shows the mooring area a little more). This is the best place to watch the river on the North side and there isnt much more to say about it other than that. It's a path, it has a barrier and it's next to the river.

There are a few more pictures to upload, but not today.


Btw, this morning brought a single Common Sandpiper.

[Thing]

A little sojourn in the drizzle this morning brought the YLG, one Common Sand and a flock of about 30 Common Terns moving up quickly upriver. I thought for a minute that one had a black belly, and that's about as far as that thought got as they didnt hang around.

[Thing]

It's still quite out there. The winter family of Pied Wagtails are settling in - they disappear over the summer, but there are 4 or 5 around now which I expect to hang around for the winter. Gull numbers continue to rise, c100 Black Heads, 5 Juv Herring are hanging around with a few adults, daily LBB & GBB and the YLG is still around.

When this bird arrived it had white patches on the upper wing (identical on either side) which were assumed to be a moulting thing as the patches slowly moved towards the rear of the wing. The feathers that were being pushed out now have gone, so the bird has quite characteristic notches on the rear wing on the secondaries, making it the easiest ID going at the moment. This little idiosyncrasy shows that it is one bird that is site loyal rather than a string of passage birds that drop in. It was eating a discarded pitta bread this morning(I'm guessing that little bit of info isnt in BWP;)), and ate most if whole, while fending off 3 BHG and a Crow.

[Thing]

There was word of a Med Gull flying upriver by London Bridge (?) on Londonbirders, so I dutifully checked out every single gull on a 300m stretch of the river at lunchtime looking for a patch tick. Apart from the usual suspects (and over 10 Herring Gulls) there was 6 Herons, 2 GCG. By Wandsworth Bridge there was a 'funny looking' Herring Gull which had a large white ring on it. Euring have been notified, and I'll post the provenance of said gull while I have it.

Obviously there was no Med Gull in Fulham, but as that is one of my target species (it's a mental list, I'll share it with you one day. Mental as in it's in my head, not that it's a list full of Antpittas or somesuch) I expect one to turn up soon.

[Thing]

A little update – not a whole lot that is unusual going on but there are still birds to be seen…

Yesterday brought a Kingfisher and the YLG. In the last week or so Black Headed Gull numbers have risen to over 90, LBB into double figures, high tide movements of Herring Gulls can be up to 50. Common Gulls are still in ones and twos at the most. High tide is now bringing the Cormorant count to over 60.

No specific news on the Herring Gull with the ring, but a little investigation on the interweb brought me to this cracking site http://www.cr-birding.be/ which seems to be Belgian based, but has a wealth of information within regarding colour ringing in Europe (and not just gulls). It seems that the likeliest location for my bird is Sussex which means that it hasn’t come too far, but is interesting nonetheless.

[Thing]

Here is an outline of the now un-mentalised list. A kind of wish list crossed with a list of things to look for. It is no way a list of all the species that can be expected here. If I was going to go through my handy copy of Guia De Campo De Las Aves De Espana Y De Europa I could obviously come up with lots of possibilities, its more of what I’m looking for and hoping for. (Incidentally the Wood Sandpiper has the unfortunate Spanish moniker of Andarrios Bastardo. Do the Spanish have a problem with a concrete ID?)

Any way, the list(s)

The ‘not unreasonable’ list

Hobby – seem to pop up everywhere else, why not here…
Osprey (fly over?)
Redstart – just because they are nice
Curlew – there is mud, but not much to eat I reckon.
Wood Sandpiper – Common and Green around, why not a Wood?
Med Gull – only a matter of time…
Blackcap
Reed Bunting
Spotted Flycatcher
Little Egret – they get them at Barnes – they have to fly there somehow!
Little Gull – please?
Bullfinch
Pochard
Yellow Wagtail
Waxwing


The ‘Pushing my luck a bit’ list

Bittern – same as the Egret!
Merlin
Pied Flycatcher
Any other Gull that is not mentioned or already on the patch list.
Greenshank
Whinchat
Smew
Black Redstart
Pied Flycatcher

The ‘totally daft’ list

Rose Coloured Starling
Nutcracker
Roller
Bee-eater
Hoopoe
Skuas
Auks
And first for Britain. I don’t ask for much ;)

[Thing]

Been on holiday. Not on holiday now. :C

Fulham is much the same, but I did manage to find a Jay and a couple of Jackdaws today, both of which are pretty uncommon in these parts.

News on the ringed Gull – it was injured and picked up by the RSPCA in London as an adult – transferred to Surrey to recuperate and released after ringing in September 2004 thereafter returning to London. It has been recorded three times in the past in Kensington Gardens, a London bird through and through.

[TomSmith]

Good to hear Fulham is still being well-watched. You should certainly be able to get a Little Egret; I have seen them on the river at Kew. As for your "totally daft" list, there was a juv Guillemot that went upriver as far as Kew Bridge last month, and a thoroughly lost juv Gannet over my postcode in Isleworth! (I missed it...)

[Thing]

Hi Tom,

It's dirty job, but someone's got to do it I guess ;). Although it is precipitating quite stiffly here this lunchtime, so I keeping my sinus infection dry.

I did see the news of the Guillemot on the Londonbirders group, but well after the event. Probably floated all the way through my patch...


Nevermind eh?:-O

Michael

[Thing]

This morning brought TWO Kingfishers, two Common Gulls and three Tufties (the first for a while).

[Thing]

Caught up with the Starlings on the way into their roost a couple of evenings ago, and there was about a thousand circling. I’m hoping that this will increase over the course of the winter (have been told that it can get to double that amount).

Other than that, nothing new to be found, so I’m left with Med Gull hunting and counting the regulars. The YLG is proving to be elusive - perhaps moving about a bit more? There was a high count of 79+ Cormorants at the end of last week, and Common Gulls are now daily with counts getting close to 10. Grey Wagtails are currently more regular than Pied – last year there was a family of 5 Pied knocking around but only the occasional solo bird is around at the moment. The Greys (2 maybe 3) are excitable and move around a lot.

That's enought waffle, I'm off for my hour in the wind.:t:

[Thing]

A brief visit to the riverbank this morning was quite productive.

Seven Greylag flew over, a Sparrowhawk being tailed by a couple of crows, Grey Wagtail, Tufted Duck (1), the usual mixture of Gulls and as I was leaving, a couple of Brambling flew over. Just about the only bit of vis-mig that I’ve seen round here. I don’t really count the Starlings in this way due to the nearby roost, and the Gulls could be doing anything.

Patch tick, and a nice addition my year list.

[Thing]

Peregrine briefly this lunchtime, and a Jackdaw or two also.

[Thing]

The northern corner of the patch was on the local news last week – because the council are ripping up a running track and putting in a polo pitch. Of course all the kids round here have been crying out for a polo pitch to keep them off the streets and give them a good reason to get their ponies out of the stables. The local councilor seems to be particularly detached from reality…..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7709460.stm

Other than that there was a Sparrowhawk on Thursday that sent about 8 Long Tailed Tits into a bit of a frenzy – it was flying quite low so it spooked the gulls and pigeons a bit too. The Starling roost continues, the numbers continue to be around a thousand and the Yellow Legged Gull has up sticks and gone – possibly to Barnes?

Today I took a trip across the river for the first time in ages – been watching the construction and noise from the north bank. The noise that was being created by the piledriver on the site for the flats seems to have been for a new section of bank! The old wall is being taken down and as this happens it has exposed the ironwork behind it. The rubble from the wall is falling into the river during demolition and the cormorants are already using it as a temporary resting place. I think that the Wandle mouth should then be wider, but whether there is further landscaping to do… time will tell. Accross the Wandle to that site, the old storage yard is also now a building site. The contractors have cleared the rubbish and laid a large concrete platform already, so it’s not going to be large building. This area was good for breeding Starlings and Magpies over the summer, but at the moment most of the scrub survives for the moment. Further up the river, the spit area that was once being retained as a wild area has now been utterly flattened, one tree remains and a large sign offering the site to let. With all these three things going on, what was a casually wild area in the heart(ish) of the city is now becoming much more urbanised with much less potential for wildlife to thrive.

Perversely when I got to the now flattened area it produced the best birding I’ve had round here for weeks. I’d already picked up a couple of Gadwall, a female Pintail and a lone Tuftie when I found a tit flock. Nothing out of the ordinary initially, but this was quite a diverse one with lots of hangers on (Chaffinches, Grey Wags and perhaps Blackbirds). Contained in the flock was the usual basis of about a dozen Long-tailed, a few Blues and Greats but there was also a Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff! I haven’t seen or heard a Chiffchaff around here for a long time, and the Goldcrest is a patch tick!

[Thing]

Despite the cold today, it was rewarding enough with 4 Pintail (two drakes), 1 Gadwall, Grey Wagtail, a glimpse of a Kingfisher and a dozen or so noisy Goldfinch.

Great to have the Pintails back, cracking looking birds.

[Thing]

27 species this lunchtime (I think the most I have seen in any lunch hour is 29).

There were two Chiffchaffs today - could get really close while they were feeding, superb views as they worked through the undergrowth. One of them was on some scrub that hangs over the river, and was almost on the water. There is a fair amount of detritus in the water at that point, and Grey Wagtails often feed there at high tide often perched on the rubbish, but the Chiffchaff was not quite so committed. No Pintail or Gadwall today, two Tufties instead.

[Thing]

I’ve been doing a little research on the building works that are happening on the west side of the Wandle mouth (apologies if this is turning into an architectural digest, but it does and will affect the birds ;) ). The Riverside Quarter is to be extended by the erection of four 15 storey buildings behind the existing smaller buildings that are in place. There will be landscaping, gardens etc much like exists in the present format (although the gardens at ground level are pretty sterile affairs).

The works that are ongoing at the moment have, as I have mentioned, been altering the river bank, and lowering the existing level of the wall that is in place while disturbing some of the wildfowl. The drawings that I have of the plans show that what is actually being created is wildlife friendly! An inter-tidal, graduated bank is being created with roosting posts and ‘attenuation ponds’ which I’m guessing are tidal holding ponds for the river water. In tandem with this landscaping a walkway will be in place that will follow the route of the Wandle and then the join up with the existing path on the edge of the Thames. The overall access/viewing for the likes of myself, will then be greatly improved, and the graduated area could prove to be very interesting… A timescale for this I do not have yet, but this area seems to be one of the first parts of the build, so I’m hoping that the walkway is opened sooner rather than later and the extremes of the building site are compressed a little.

I’ve attempted to attach a pdf of the area in question (top right of the diagram) for those that wish to have a look at what I am running on about.

The fact is, however, that the existing works are affecting the populations of birds in the Wandle mouth. Some species do not seem overly bothered by the disturbance, Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot, Gulls and Gadwall for instance. This time last year, Pintail were using the calmer waters of the Wandle rather than the Thames, and there were regularly 3 pairs. In the last week, I have only been able to find 2 pairs, and they were out on the Thames, by Wandsworth Park, about half a mile upstream. Tufties seem to be sensitive to the disturbance – about this time last year there were at least a dozen knocking about, and nearly double that by the new year but for the moment I am restricted to the occasional single bird, which is a pity.

And the rest. Despite the high tides, it has been an interesting week. On Thursday I managed to see 35 species in an hour, which is pretty good going for round here – not so many people about due to the cold, so the birds have been more confiding? Anyway the regulars now include a Little Grebe, 2 Goldcrests, 1 or 2 Chiffchaffs, up to 8 Gadwall, Kingfisher (seen nearly every day last week), a couple Grey Wagtails and the regular Gulls (up to 20 Commons), Finches, Crows etc. A Sparrowhawk was being mobbed by a crow yesterday morning and occasionally a Mistle Thrush drops in. No Med Gulls, No Ring-Billed, No new species…………..yet.

And a final observation. Inner city Gulls don’t eat fruit. They will eat any other rubbish, but turn their nose up at apples, oranges or bananas. Swans seem to like a bit of golden delicious, but not much.:smoke:

[Thing]

Very quiet today. Only 4 Gadwall, no passerines of note bar 9 House Sparrows, a smattering of gulls and a Grey Wagtail. The gradiated bank is coming along a well, there are currently about 50 tonnes of sand waiting to go in.

And that’s it for the year as I’m off work till the 5th, so it will be interesting to see how it all changes over the break…

:smoke:

[Rockbirder]

Hey up Thingy, a great read pal. A completely different enviroment to my workplace. Sadly i only get half an hour for snappin' but during the spring and summer i'll be out before work kicks in. Haven't a clue what the list stands at, i'll tot up and let you know.

cheer

Andy.

[Thing]

Thanks Andy

but during the spring and summer i'll be out before work kicks in. .

Like most places, it should be the most productive - most of the uncommon birds that I have found here have been in the morning (mainly lost waders).

I'll keep my eyes open for your total!

Back out today in the wind, I was hoping that the cold weather had pulled in a Teal or two, but the best I could manage on the water was a single Tuftie and some Gadwall. And Coots...

[Thing]

Geddit?

Got to Wandsworth Park this lunchtime, there were a couple of Pintail on the way and I found 101 Tufties by the barges. Yellow Legged Gull also amongst what was a fairly busy foreshore! Thought I might of heard a Mipit at one point, but couldn's see anything to confirm a patch tick. The YLG was a nice early addition to the tricky year list species though!

[Thing]

Been waiting until I had a camera before starting a blog.

Now I have done both. I aim to run this thread and the blog in tandem - but lets see how it goes, and how my stamina is...

http://countingcoots.blogspot.com/

There is not a lot on it yet, and I've started swearing already. Check it out!

[Thing]

Numbers of Tufties have gone to epic proportions now - my previous high cound was in the low thirties, but last week brought three counts of over 100 - the top being 150 birds out by the barges at Wandsworth park. Other winter ducks include 11 Gadwall and varying numbers of Pintail and a couple of Egyptian geese. Friday brought a chiffchaff by the wandle bringing the year list to 39 or 40, not entirely sure how many. This time of year is daft for list making anyway with year lists to start and finish patch lists for the same, garden lists etc etc. Can never remember if each Dunnock (for example) that I see has been entered on that particular list. Perhaps I should keep less lists, but I feel that is not really an option...

[Thing]

Lunch today brought a Greenfinch and Kingfisher for the year list, which is now at 42 (blimey!). There were a couple of Goldcrests and a chiffchaff in the normal spot. A few Tufties linger on, a pair of Pintail and a patch high on the Gadwall of 16.

Nice.

[Thing]

43 for the year now, with 3 Mistle Thrushes found on Friday.

[Thing]

Managed to bag a photo of a Kingfisher this lunchtime - it's not going to bother any competitions for sure - but if you look hard enough you can see it!

[Thing]

Found a Redwing in the thawing snow today to bring the patch total to 71! :t:

Rubbish pictures of it on my blog...

[Thing]

46 for the year today with a Sparrowhawk at Lunchtime, and a crow did a woopsie on my arm....

[Thing]

Monday brought a Kingfisher (a fleeting glimpse), and a fair few vocal Greenfinches. Two Goldcrests yesterday (I'm reluctant to call them a pair yet) and a late skein of 20 Greylags, which I think is a patch high. I'm running with a series of high tides at lunchtime at the moment, so the water based birds are not so visible (they just leave!).

[Thing]

Found a solitary Stock Dove on the forshore today, bringing 47 for the year. Not the most exciting update, but an update nonetheless...

[JWN Andrewes]

Not the most exciting update, but an update nonetheless...

Always nice to pop in here and see things (or should that be Thing?) moving along though....

James

[Thing]

Cheers!


Great Crested Grebes going for it (a bit) with the weed today. Magpies and Crows flying around with large trees in their beaks. Black Headed Gulls looking fine, Greenfinches singing etc.

I hesitate to say it but, spring is definitely coming.

[Thing]

A sunny morning brought an over flying and vocal Jackdaw, which are only occasional visitors round here. 48 for the year.

[Thing]

Regular readers of this humble thread will be aware of the unfolding saga regarding the ‘Shopping Trolley Coots’ and their continuing struggle to incubate over the course of a few broods last summer.

Well they are at it again, and they have 4 eggs already…

The rest of you (the vast majority I guess) will have no idea what I am talking about.:smoke:


http://countingcoots.blogspot.com/2009/03/off-their-trolley.html

[Thing]

Bogger.

Make that two eggs...

http://countingcoots.blogspot.com/2009/03/and-then-there-was-two.html

[Thing]

Bogger - make that one - and it's floating...

http://countingcoots.blogspot.com/2009/03/snafu.html

[Thing]

Been very quiet of late, but today something actually happened. Found a Great Spotted Woodpecker - which is not even an annual occurence for me round here...

[Thing]

This lunchtime found a singing Blackcap - patch tick number 72B (:

[Stoggler]

Hi Thing

Just found this thread and read it in its intirety. Very interesting and entertaining - think will be a regular visitor now!

Unfortunately I work in the City where there is little in the way of birding opportunities here. Aside from the ubiquotous feral pigeons and gulls, and the odd cormorant down on the Thames, there's not a huge amount round here to get overly excited about. Certainly sounds like you have the better work-based birding ground to me!

Bemused by the polo pitch in Fulham piece...!

S

[Thing]

Why thank you Stoggler, glad you enjoy(ed) it. Persistence will pay off on your patch I'm sure - it's taken years to get to the pitiful 72 and I'm sure that there is more for you to find out there!

The polo pitch is bemusing - and there is going to be a big do there later in the year. As it comes closer to the time I am sure that I will add a sarcaaastic entry to the blog!

[Stoggler]

They say that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. I wonder if that's why I like it so much!! ;)
You never know, you might be able to add a lesser-spotted chinless wonder to your Fulham list before long...! 3:-)

[Stoggler]

You never know, you might be able to add a lesser-spotted chinless wonder to your Fulham list before long...! 3:-)

Inadvertent, but very apt - the field where they will be having the polo pitch is where Monty Python filmed the Upper Class Twit of the Year sketch.

[POP]

Hi Thing

Just found this thread and read it in its intirety. Very interesting and entertaining - think will be a regular visitor now!

Unfortunately I work in the City where there is little in the way of birding opportunities here. Aside from the ubiquotous feral pigeons and gulls, and the odd cormorant down on the Thames, there's not a huge amount round here to get overly excited about. Certainly sounds like you have the better work-based birding ground to me!

Bemused by the polo pitch in Fulham piece...!

S

You should spend some time around the Canary wharf area,plenty of good birding there.

POP

[Thing]

Inadvertent, but very apt - the field where they will be having the polo pitch is where Monty Python filmed the Upper Class Twit of the Year sketch.

Exactly - I thought it one of the reasons for not putting a ******* polo pitch there! The track is gone, but the building is still there. Prime dog walking area, absolutely rubbish for birds!

[London Birder]

You should spend some time around the Canary wharf area,plenty of good birding there.

POP

Ain't that the truth Pop!

Hawkins, decant the strong stuff my good man, I feel a a tad banjaxed ...

[POP]

Ain't that the truth Pop!

Hawkins, decant the strong stuff my good man, I feel a a tad banjaxed ...

Henry pour out a large malt please young Dez is back.Make sure we book a skip for the Serpentine.

POP

[Thing]

Song Thrush at lunchtime - year tick for the patch (52) and another that hasn't been seen for a looooong time. And I caught snatches of Blackcap song again.

[Thing]

Two more year ticks this morning - Common Tern and Swallow. Blackcap still singing and a Stock Dove is knocking about, which is unusual in itself...

[Thing]

And at lunchtime I got a male Sparrowhawk! It's all go here! ;)

[Thing]

First Common Sandpiper of the year today - exactly the same date as the first one last year...

[Thing]

Found some Canada Geese with very young goslings at lunchtime, whichis nice. Don't normally find a nest round here and there is potential for Egyptian Geese to do the same in that area. Cracking.

Larger pics on the blog for those that like little balls of yellow fluff in peril

[Thing]

Lunchtime today brought a couple of Common Terns and a singing Chiffchaff - not a year tick due to the overwintering bird(s) but welcome nontheless.

There was also a scientist! Young lad doing PhD research into heavy metals, mitten crabs, shrimps and stuff in the Thames. Might even be after some info on the birds in the area.

Hopefully he'll send me the results when published, should make for interesting reading.

[Thing]

MEGA! Collared Dove! Honestly, round here that is a mega. Found today. Just one, but thats 57 for the year now.

Also, there are now two families of Canada Goose, and a family of Greylag. All the goslings are a little big for Herons now, so hopefully they will stick about for a while...

[Stoggler]

Are collared doves a rarity in London as a whole? Have to say, can't say that I ever see any.

[Thing]

Are collared doves a rarity in London as a whole? Have to say, can't say that I ever see any.

Not at all! In the Greater London area they are not that hard to find, but it seems that the closer you get to Charing Cross, the harder it is to find them. I reckon that Fulham is right on the edge of the area that they can be found.

[Thing]

Fledglings starting to emerge round here now, Canada and Greylag geese, noisy Great Tits, Blue Tits and Pigeons (but obviously not coots).


Found the Grey Wagtail nest yesterday, which is very nice. Hope to get some pictures later on, which I may or may not post;)

[Thing]

Found the nest, got some photos http://countingcoots.blogspot.com/2009/05/100-proof.html and only in the nick of time - because they've fledged!B (: Three cracking little Grey Wags flicking around with the adults.

And I saw my first damselfly of the year as the male picked it up mid-flight. Superb.

[Thing]

A remarkable 9 (nine) Egyptian Geese on the river this morning (my usual count is 3).

The beginning of an invasion?

[Thing]

..........that there is a Polo Tournament going on in their patch this weekend.

Not many I guess. Regretably I can...

A blog post about a polo tournament and Monty Python (http://countingcoots.blogspot.com/2009/06/upper-class-twit-of-year-revisited.html)

[Thing]

Picked up a Kestrel at lunchtime - first of the year, and 58 in total.

Who said that June was rubbish?

[Thing]

The shopping trolley coots have built a nest that may be able to withstand the highest tide. Note that I say 'may'. Its the biggest nest I have seen on this site, so there is a small chance that breeding may succeed.

[Stoggler]

You got to take your hat off for their perserverence. They seem to be learning too!

[Hotspur]

Not learning very fast though - is this the 4th go this year? And how many times have they tried before?

[Thing]

Yep, 4th go by my reckoning this year, and guess what I found today?

The whole top section washed away. My guess is that the high tide just picked the un-anchored vegetation up and off it went.

Wandle 4 - Coots 0.

[Thing]

59 for the year yesterday when I found a Green Sandpiper B (:

Even got some dodgy digimonoculared images... A proper bird for once (http://countingcoots.blogspot.com/2009/07/proper-bird.html)

[Thing]

A brief visit to the riverbank this morning brought a Common Sandpiper - that's two waders in a week folks - unheard of for this patch!B (:

[Thing]

Believe it or not, the coots are at it yet again! Found them sitting on eggs again today!

Will put some pics on the blog in the morning.

5th nest this year. Mental.

[Rockbirder]

Hey up Thingy, after nearly six years a pair of Coots turned up at work a couple of months ago and they've now got three young. Not bad for a first effort.

Six years to get a Coot on the old list, sad or what!

Andy.

[Thing]

Nice! I'm suffering from Coot envy...

[Thing]

Not a year tick on the patch, but a recent 'dodgy' gull has given itself up as a Yellow-Legged (http://countingcoots.blogspot.com/2009/07/dodgy-gulls-of-winter-part-3.html).

Smooth.B (:

[Thing]

Greenshank! Not more than 20 minutes ago.

73 for the patch!

Brings the year total to 60.

B (:B (:

[JWN Andrewes]

Excellent! Congratulations. Fly through or on the deck?

James

[Thing]

Merely a fly through. On the deck would have been immense!

[htcdude]

Heh well done! Nice to see one no matter if it was flying, sitting, or something else! :-)

[Thing]

Year tick 61 - Jay. As you can guess, if it takes nearly 10 months to find a Jay then they are not very common round here. At all.

2008 - 60 species.
2009 - 61 - and counting...

[htcdude]

Good job! You expecting anything else that you saw last year which you haven't seen this year yet?

[Thing]

Teal and Linnet should be bankers in the winter (the area that I would normally find them was noisy with construction work last winter). Peregrine is well overdue as they are resident not far away. It's not unreasonable to expect another duck (Pochard perhaps) and maybe another gull (a Med would go down a treat) or perhaps even a new grebe? So 65 is realistic, but 70 in a year would be superb...

[htcdude]

Well at Staines Reservoir we've had the Black-necked Grebe back (I've heard they're usually in good numbers) maybe one will pass through you :-) We get a lot of Pochard and a few Linnet every now and then too.

Good luck seeing some more soon!

[Thing]

Fieldfare. 3 flew over yesterday lunchtime.

63 for the year, 74 for the patch.

[htcdude]

What was 62? ;-)

[Thing]

What was 62? ;-)

Linnet!

[Thing]

Counted the Starling roost under Wandsworth Bridge this morning - 4600 birds!