5th August

Regent’s Park

Kestrel: a member of the public reported seeing a family group by the reservoir on Primrose Hill, area 48. If anyone else has noticed them could you please let me know how many and when you first noticed them? The pair on the hill were unable to use their nestbox as a squirrel had built a dray in it. It would have been something that would have been dealt with in previous years, but the cuts have meant a lot of work isn’t being carried out.

Common Tern: the adult and juvenile were again present.

Lesser Whitethroat: the first of the autumn was in the Cricket Pen this morning.

Common Whitethroat: singles were in area 31 and 32.

Garden Warbler: singles were in area 31 and 41.

Willow Warbler: 4 birds were present.

Chiffchaff: 6 birds were present.

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The fishermens friend were late (8.00am) leaving their roost on Heron Island, area 8.

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This Herring Gull needed a good shake.

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“Get off my perch”

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Comments

birdman_euston said…
6 Aug:

Mainly cloudy, calm and warm (16C) at dawn after a light overnight shower, clearing by 08:45. Only one flock of migrant songbirds seen all morning - but in birding, quality supersedes quantity...

Pied Flycatcher 1f (in silver birches at NE end of Cricket Pen, area 31 at 09:25).
Tertials with clean, even and relatively narrow white edges; no noticeable wing patch; no spot behind upper mandible. A lifer for me!

Garden Warbler 1 imm (near Pied Flycatcher in Cricket Pen at 09:20).

Common Whitethroat 1 imm (ditto).

Reed Warbler 1 (feeding in bamboo thicket near lake shoreline, NE corner of area 34 at 09:15).

Willow Warbler 6 (in Cricket Pen at 07:30).

Chiffchaff 3 (two in Cricket Pen at 07:30, one calling from SE corner of The Holme garden near Inner Circle at 08:00).

Black-headed Gull 150+ (including five juveniles: one on rowing boats as usual; four in area 9, one on the shoreline and three perched on lake fenceposts).
A good find in an one of the areas favoured by this species. I am pleased that this was yet another lifer and found not in it's breeding area or at a coastal hotspot but in Regent's Park.
birdman_euston said…
Cheers, Tony. Just one more of Dave's 'Fab Four' to go! (I wonder if my next 'lifer' warbler will be a Wood Warbler, or something rarer still! I'm under no illusions as to the difficulty of completing the set - it's tragic that the number of records of this species posted so far this year on the London Bird Club Wiki can be counted on one hand.)
They has been a steady decline of this species in the UK since the 1960's. In London Regent's Park has been one of the best places to see this beautiful leaf warbler. Keep going as you are and I am sure that you will find one. All that is needed is a good movement of Will/chiffs and I am sure there will be one with them. Just beware, some Willows may look slightly Wood Warbler like.

Tony