Unfortunately I was unable to bird Regent’s Park at the weekend as I was tied up with the cycle events running through Richmond Park. Even then, though I was out and about in that park from 4.30am on both days, the only birds of note that I saw or heard were a Common Whitethroat and 2 Willow Warblers.
Thanks to Birdman there are a few birds of interest to mention from yesterday.
Little Grebe: another pair have hatched 3 chicks in area 7.
Common Tern: 2 adults; today an adult and one chick were seen on the lake.
Swift: 14 over the park, numbers may drop off earlier than usual this year due to the period of wet weather we all had to suffer.
Garden Warbler: one again in area 31.
Willow Warbler: 4 birds were present.
Chiffchaff: two birds present; three today.
Reed Bunting: a unusual record of a female on the feeders in the Cricket Pen, area 31. This may have been a bird from earlier in the year that has remained in the park unnoticed.
The men in the morning, when they returned I didn’t get a chance to photograph them.
Richmond Gate just before the cyclists returned
The women in the morning before the thunder and rain.
Today in Bushy Park
Common Buzzard: the bird was again in the Brew House Field.
Sparrowhawk: the male was again seen flying over the Woodland Gardens.
Swallow: numbers in the park have fallen, though there are still birds feeding young in the stable.
Common Whitethroat: 14 birds were in scrub just north of Dukes Head Passage.
Willow Warbler: two birds present in the same area.
Common Crossbill: one flew south at 7.30am, I could here it coming but the clear blue skies made it difficult to locate. When I finally picked it up it was heading away from me.
Common Crossbill
Green Woodpecker(s) in the paddocks
Comments
Are there any young G C Grebes on the lake?
(Nice shots of our fast-moving silver medallist in the Women's Road Race, by the way - then again, you've had lots of practice!)
31 Jul:
Heavy drizzle at dawn so, in line with the forecast, I entered the Park at 8:30am as the rain became intermittent. Nothing notable until 10:15am when, as I approached the Cricket Pen (area 31), the drizzle finally stopped completely and the sun briefly shone. As if by magic, the following birds appeared in two mixed flocks in and above the Pen:
Garden Warbler 3 (at least two juveniles, probably - but I've just started trying to age this species).
Willow Warbler 2 (at least one juvenile).
Whitethroat 1 (juvenile with dark iris and scruffy, indistinct, greyish-white throat - probably the same bird I've been trying to age for days).
Chiffchaff 2 (one scruffy juv, possibly reared by the adult calling nearby).
Swift 14 (probably local summer residents).
House Martin 3.
The above flock of warblers (accompanied by blackcaps, blue tits, great tits, greenfinches and chaffinches - perhaps 25 birds altogether) made regular sorties from the Cricket Pen to the border-line of trees NW of St John's Lodge, area 30.