5th January

Regent’s Park

I had my first walk around the park this afternoon and didn’t really see much to get my year list off to a flying start.

Yellow-legged Gull: an adult was on the posts on the NW side of the lake.

Fieldfare: one landed in a Plane tree NE of the football pitches.

Redwing: one flew over my lodge this morning.

 

Below is a brief look back at last years highlights. With me being away from the park during the day, there were many birds that I failed to connect with. I have posted a list of the birds that I can remember being reported it totals a splendid 123. If there are any omission or one’s that I have included and you think shouldn’t be please let me know.

Great crested Grebe

 

Eurasian Hobby

 

Greater spotted Woodpecker

 

Wood Warbler

 

Little Grebe

 

Peregrine Falcon

 

Green Woodpecker

 

Willow Warbler

 

Cormorant

 

Water Rail

 

Woodlark

 

Chiffchaff

 

Little Egret

 

Moorhen

 

Eurasian Skylark

 

Goldcrest

 

Grey Heron

 

Coot

 

Barn Swallow

 

Firecrest

 

Mute Swan

 

Lapwing

 

Sand Martin/Bank Swallow

 

Spotted Flycatcher

 

Brent Goose

 

Common Snipe

 

House Martin

 

Pied Flycatcher

 

Pink-footed Goose

 

Jack snipe

 

Tree Pipit

 

Long-tailed Tit

 

Grey lag Goose

 

Woodcock

 

Meadow Pipit

 

Blue Tit

 

Canada Goose

 

Curlew

 

Pied Wagtail

 

Great Tit

 

Egyptian Goose

 

Greenshank

 

Yellow Wagtail

 

Coal Tit

 

Common Shelduck

 

Common Sandpiper

 

Grey Wagtail

 

Nuthatch

 

Mandarin Duck

 

Black-headed Gull

 

Wren

 

Jay

 

Mallard

 

Common Gull

 

Hedge Accentor/Dunnock

 

Magpie

 

Eurasian Wigeon

 

Herring Gull

 

Robin

 

Carrion Crow

 

Gadwall

 

Yellow-legged Gull

 

Black Redstart

 

Rook

 

Northern Shoveler

 

Lesser Black-backed Gull

 

Common Redstart

 

Jackdaw

 

Common Teal

 

Baltic Gull

 

Whinchat

 

Starling

 

Red crested Pochard

 

Great Black-backed Gull

 

Common Stonechat

 

Waxwing

 

Tufted Duck

 

Common Tern

 

Northern Wheatear

 

House Sparrow

 

Common Pochard

 

Feral Rock Dove

 

Ring Ouzel

 

Brambling

 

Greater Scaup

 

Stock Dove

 

Blackbird

 

Chaffinch

 

Smew

 

Collared Dove

 

Fieldfare

 

Greenfinch

 

Red Breasted Merganser

 

Wood Pigeon

 

Mistle Thrush

 

Goldfinch

 

Goosander

 

Rose-ringed Parakeet

 

Song Thrush

 

Hawfinch

 

Common Buzzard

 

Cuckoo

 

Sedge Warbler

 

Bullfinch

 

Marsh Harrier

 

Short-eared Owl

 

Eurasian Reed Warbler

 

Common Crossbill

 

Red Kite

 

Tawny Owl

 

Lesser Whitethroat

 

Eurasian Siskin

 

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

 

Little Owl

 

Common Whitethroat

 

Lesser Redpoll

 

Osprey

 

Swift

 

Blackcap

 

Reed Bunting

 

Common Kestrel

 

Kingfisher

 

Garden Warbler

     

 

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Curlews are more likely to be seen in early summer than February, this bird was possibly moving due to the freezing conditions at the time. Which also resulted in Redwings stripping the last of the berries from my cotoneaster, a 1st winter drake Smew dropping in and 3 Goosander flying over

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Grey Herons could struggle to find nest sites soon as the Ash tree that held at least 6 nests is beginning to shed limbs. The other nearby trees are not that suitable when it comes to building a nest from scratch. In the past I had man made nest constructed that were very successful.

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Mid March saw a movement of Stonechats through London. The area of Gorse where this bird turned at first also held a Reed Bunting. Though the birds were photographed in a nearby Ash.

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Gulls of interest seen around early spring were Yellow-legged (above) and what I believe to be a Baltic Gull (blelow). When I was growing up it was called Scandinavian Lesser Black-backed Gull.

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Northern Wheatears including birds of the Greenland race past through in reasonably numbers.

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Several Whinchats were also recorded this year, but were soon flushed by dog walkers.

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Tawny and Little Owls both bred, with the female Little Owl finding worms quite easily due to the wet conditions, however she did look shabby at times.

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Two species from the same family that are having totally different fortunes are Great crested Grebe, which were down to 2 pairs, with only the pair on area 8 managing to rear 2 young quite late in the season. While Little Grebes numbered 5 pairs of which all managed to bring off young making this the best year on record.

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It is always good when the Common Terns bring their young from Brent Reservoir to the park. Common Sandpipers also showed reasonably well with one bird spending at least a week in the Long Bridge Sanctuary.

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The passage of migrants during the autumn wasn’t to bad considering the lack of favourable weather conditions from the continent.

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Even though I had good bin views of a Wood Warbler in the Limes in area 39 it failed to show well for a photo.

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The rarest bird of the year was no doubt this female Red Breasted Meragnser. She spent an afternoon in the park and as I rushed home from Bushy Park Dave had the good fortune to watch a Short-eared Owl fly over.

Comments

Morg and Rose said…
Hi Tony. 3 House Sparrows (2m+1f) venturing just into the park near the childrens section of the zoo in area 28 at 4pm.
Cheers, I did see a small group in laurels just across the road from me. We,Sally and I then heard some up by Reddy Money. Even though I am getting older I can remember seeing and hearing them there at the end of 2011.
birdman_euston said…
Tony, Dave's Raven makes 124 for the year list, 210(?) for the Park checklist! :) Btw, what's the story behind the Black Redstart(s)?