19th August

Regent’s Park

There must have been a movement of phylloscs overnight as the was an increase in the two commoner species.

Common Sandpiper: present for its fifth day in the Longbridge Sanctuary.

Tree Pipit: one was seen by the rose wheel in Queen Mary’s Gardens at 9.35am. Not an area that you would expect to see this species.

Reed Warbler: three birds seen.

Garden Warbler: one in area 31.

Blackcap: seven birds seen.

Common Whitethroat: five birds seen, 3 in area 31 and 2 in area 39.

Willow Warbler: over twenty birds were present mainly in area 31 but birds could be seen in other suitable locations.

Chiffchaff: over fifteen birds were present mixing with the above and associating with the Long-tailed tit flocks.

Pied Flycatcher: two birds present in area 31, sometimes flying to area 30.

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The above 2 pictures show one of the flycatchers and the three below show the newcomer, though there is a good chance that it was here yesterday.

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A few more Dabchick photos

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Comments

Marc Heath said…
Some more lovely shots. Still awaiting my first Pied Fly of the year at Reculver. Surely soon I Hope!
Mark you do so well at Reculver I am sure one will be along in the not o distant future.
birdman_euston said…
Tony, you've outdone yourself with pic DSC_8560 of a Pied Flycatcher - achieving my 'Mission Impossible', set this morning! The pic 'proves' the bird is an immature female (immature because of the 'stepped' white feather-edging to the middle tertial - by which the experts mean the edging on the outer vane is thicker than on the inner, and female because there's not a jet-black feather on the bird - including the all-important tail feathers and upper tail coverts). A photo fit for a ringing manual!

Among yesterday's photos I've just noticed DSC_7856, showing a parent Little Grebe carrying a fish - thanks for convincing me that they are indeed feeding perch fry to their young - you can see the telltale banding near the fish's tail. I can't see a stickleback among your photos; on reflection, this may not be surprising, as they need crystal-clear water which surely rules out most if not all of the Boating Lake.
birdman_euston said…
Hmm, I've just realised, Tony, that you helpfully distinguished your pics of today's new Pied Flycatcher from yesterday's immature female - and I have to say the first photo of the former reveals faint forehead spots, and the third black tail feathers and, in particular, upper tail coverts, which means the new the new bird is a probable if not definite *male*, not female as I first surmised. Your great photos don't lie...
birdman_euston said…
20 Aug:

Slightly cooler (19C) and clouding over at dawn with S breeze increasing to 15kph thereafter. Less songbird activity than yesterday, when there was a light E wind and sunny skies.

2 Spotted Flycatcher (one at W side of old Holford House field bordering the Leaf Yard Wood, area 40 at 08:15; one at S side of Cricket Pen, area 31 at 08:50).

Willow Warbler 3 (areas 31 and 35).

Chiffchaff 3 (areas 10, 17 and 31).

(Family of 4 or 5 Blackcaps near Leaf Yard Wood feeder, area 41 at 08:30.)