Regent’s Park:
Dave had an above average day with one of the “Fab Four” and a species that has become a really scarce spring migrant but regular during the autumn, but in declining numbers.
Common Sandpiper: what could have been yesterdays bird was seen flying over the lake several times this morning.
Hobby: one flew north at 8.00am.
Common Tern: the pair again on the lake.
Swifts: birds were seen throughout the day.
Swallow: a steady but light passage of birds was noted throughout the day.
House Martin: 30 birds moved through.
Northern Wheatear: a female of the Greenland race was present at mid-day.
Whinchat: (one of the “Fab Four”) a female was present by the two gorse bushes from 8.20am onwards.
Spotted Flycatcher: three birds were seen 2 in the Cricket Pen area 31 and one was in the Oaks in area 2. This was a great find and as I have said more often seen as an autumn migrant nowadays.
Reed Warbler: three birds still present.
Garden Warbler: two were seen, one in the same tree as the 2 flycatchers and another in area 41.
Common Whitethroat: 2 pairs and 2 migrants were seen, one of the migrants in a rose bed in Queen Mary’s. They clearly cannot have sprayed the roses yet.
Whinchat; unlike the Stonechat of a few weeks ago, this bird would not as confiding, so I had to make do with distant shots. She looked better with the sun shining on her.
Common Swift over Pen Ponds.
Bushy Park
Northern Wheatear: one was in area 13.
Whinchat: one was around Bartons Cottage area 11 until at least 12.30pm.
Common Redstart: a female was by the Longford River in the SW corner of the Woodland Gardens on trees on the other side of the river.
Lesser Whitethroat: a male was singing and showing well in the same area as the above species.
Common Whitethroat: at least 8 pairs are present.
Swifts: a large number were seen here but also at Richmond Park when I popped there this afternoon.
Comments
I have no idea how you take these great shots of these wonderful fast flying birds
Great photos Tony.
Sedge Warbler 1m: area 34 (initially heard singing by Dave and then briefly seen by me in bamboo thicket at N end of enclosure opposite the Cricket Pen, 09.30-11.15 at least).
Grey Wagtail 1m: area 2 (feeding on the re-exposed 'mudspot' where the reed bed will be extended, at 07.00; a new species for my Park list).
Linnet 2 - heard and seen flying NE by Dave and me at 09.00.
Willow Warbler 1: area 2 at 10.05.
Reed Warbler 5: areas 2, 5, 13, 32 and 34 (singing territorial males).
Reed Bunting 2: male singing in areas 5 and 32 as usual, but in addition for the past several days the pair has regularly been seen defending the patch of reeds in area 5 nearest the boathouse café.
Gadwall 2: a new pair feeding between Long Bridge and Heron Island, area 8; curiously, the drake's body plumage is sooty- / rusty-brown instead of grey; the pair's observed courtship involved 'shimmying' (rocking quickly from side to side) at each other.
Twenty House Martins, ten Swallows, two Swifts and the local, resident pair of Sparrowhawks were seen over area 1 at 10.30, when the cloud lifted briefly.
Four of the six Red-crested Pochard ducklings in area 14 have been predated in the last 24 hours; the drake was seen helping the duck to defend the remaining two.
(In the damaged trunk of the old cherry tree in the corner of area 34 opposite the Cricket Pen, a bright orange-and-yellow bracket fungus has grown from nothing to full size in under two weeks - prompted by all the heavy rain no doubt.)