2nd January

Below is a checklist of birds recorded last year (the one’s with circles next to them). The number is down on the last few years, which I put down to a lack of suitable weather systems during the migration periods. I am sure that it wasn’t that due to bad birding and lack of effort.

Little Grebe	O	Mediterranean Gull	O	Mistle Thrush	O
Great crested Grebe	O	Black-headed Gull	O	Redwing	O
Great Cormorant	O	Common Gull	O	Song Thrush	O
Little Egret	O	Herring Gull	O	Sedge Warbler	O
Grey Heron	O	Yellow Legged Gull	O	Eurasian Reed Warbler	O
Mute Swan	O	Lesser Black-backed Gull	O	Lesser Whitethroat	O
Grey lag Goose	O	Great Black-backed Gull	O	Greater Whitethroat	O
Canada Goose	O	Common Tern	O	Blackcap	O
Eygptian Goose	O	Feral Rock Dove	O	Garden Warbler	O
Common Shelduck	O	Stock Dove	O	Wood Warbler
Mandarin Duck	O	Collared Dove	O	Willow Warbler	O
Mallard	O	Turtle Dove		Chiffchaff	O
Eurasian Wigeon	O	Wood Pigeon	O	Goldcrest	O
Gadwall	O	Rose-ringed Parakeet	O	Firecrest	O
Northern Pintail	O	Cuckoo	O	Spotted Flycatcher	O
Northern Shoveler	O	Tawny Owl	O	Pied Flycatcher	O
Common Teal	O	Little Owl	O	Red Breasted Flycatcher
Red Crested Pochard	O	Short-eared Owl	O	Long-tailed Tit	O
Common Pochard	O	Swift	O	Blue Tit	O
Tufted Duck	O	Kingfisher	O	Great Tit	O
Greater Scaup	O	Great Spotted Woodpecker	O	Coal Tit	O
Common Scoter		Green Woodpecker	O	Nuthatch
Ruddy Duck	O	Woodlark	O	Treecreeper
Common Buzzard	O	Eurasian Skylark	O	Jay	O
Europea Honey Buzzard	O	Barn Swallow	O	Magpie	O
Red Kite	O	Sand Martin	O	Carrion Crow	O
Marsh Harrier	O	House Martin	O	Rook	O
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	O	Tree Pipit	O	Jackdaw	O
Osprey	O	Meadow Pipit	O	Starling	O
Common Kestrel	O	Water Pipit	O	House Sparrow	O
Eurasian Hobby	O	Pied Wagtail	O	Brambling
Peregrine Falcon	O	Grey Wagtail	O	Chaffinch	O
Water Rail	O	Yellow Wagtail	O	Greenfinch	O
Moorhen	O	Wren	O	Common Crossbill	O
Coot	O	Hedge Accentor	O	Siskin	O
Eurasian Golden Plover	O	Robin	O	Lesser Redpoll	O
Northern Lapwing	O	Common Redstart	O	Linnet	O
Jack Snipe		Stonechat		Reed Bunting
Common Snipe	O	Whinchat	O	Yellow Hammer	O
Woodcock	O	Northern Wheatear	O	Wryneck	O
Whimbrel	O	Ring Ouzel	O
Curlew	O	Blackbird	O
Common Sandpiper	O	Fieldfare	O	TOTAL	116

This table is a checklist I produced at the start of the year with the birds I was expecting/hoping to see. There are one or two that I included that are there because it is nice to have great expectations. I did swap Water Pipit for Rock Pipit and added Wryneck.

Below are a few of my favourite photographs, some may not win prizes but they have meaning to me and the park.

Over-wintering pair of Firecrests

It is a strange why Common Pheasants should choose to travel through London, this one was present for a couple of months.

One of three Tawny Owlets by St Johns Lodge (secret garden).

Watching this Herons nest at eye-level was a real treat

I was surprised by the size of Perch that the BH Gulls and Common Terns could swallow.

These 2 male Common Shelduck kept on scrapping over who would court the only female.

Not ringed in Central London, I wonder where this bird got his bracelet

It was a very good spring for Common Buzzard, autumn numbers were disappointing

Again Sparrowhawks were seen throughout the year and juveniles from August onwards. We still are uncertain as to where they are nesting.

This Wryneck present on 30th April was certainly the bird of the year.

                    

The Little Owls again proved a pleasant early morning distraction and produced 3 young

The both pairs of Kestrels had a good year

                                      

Pergrine Falcon juvenile (top) and Hobby (above) both species bred in London

Common Whitethroats had 2 clutches in the Cricket Pen

Spotted Flycatchers found catching Wasps quite easy.

Whinchats have a tough time finding a spot to rest up and feed. The small patch of gorse by area 36 is always worth checking during August and September. With luck a Stonechat could also drop in.

A Kingfisher played hard to see as it moved from one area to another during the autumn.

Not the best photo, but it was still great to catch one of the 2 birds that flew over the Old Golf and Tennis School during October

The 1st winter drake Pintail was another bird that wasn’t really expected