Regent’s Park:
Pretty much the same as the previous few days, with one;
Northern Shoveler: five birds were on the lake, back in the 1990’s this species used to start arriving in the park in July. This changed possibly with the alterations to Barn Elms, which was re-landscaped into what today is the Wetland Centre. It then became a more attractive proposition for this species.
Warblers: The numbers and species were similar to yesterdays figures, though no Lesser Whitethroat was recorded.
Kestrel juvenile in area 39
Three Spotted Flycatchers were in the small enclosure on the site of the Old Golf & Tennis School this morning.
Comments
At dawn, mild (16C) with wind from E but negligible. Thick cloud cleared before 07:00 producing a gorgeous late-summer day, which is forecast to be reproduced well into next week.
Northern Wheatear 4 (07:10-11:00; m&f 'Northern' race joined m&f 'Greenland' race in middle of Cricket Squares, area 37 at 10:30 but all were crowded out of the Park by 11:00).
I had a close-up view of a stunning female 'Northern' race bird at 07:10, perched in the low, newly-planted hawthorn hedgerow at the E edge of the wildlife pen, area 39 - all immaculate beige and tan without a trace of rustiness, very different from the 'Greenland' race females I saw in the spring. Surely the two races are different species - in the making if not already. Wouldn't you know it, the same yapping border collie that helped drive away the common redstart and pied flycatcher four days ago showed up again and flushed the wheatear toward the Cricket Squares, where I caught up with it in the late morning by which time it had been joined by three other birds.
Spotted Flycatcher 6 (five in Old Golf School, area 39 seen by Rose; one near Cricket Pen, area 31).
Garden Warbler 2 (one imm by Leaf Yard Wood, area 31; one ad in Wildlife Garden, area 22).
Common Whitethroat 2.
Willow Warbler 2.
Chiffchaff 7.
Blackcap 10+.
Shoveler 5.
Horse-chestnuts are beginning to drop their fruits.
It is nice of you to follow my blog, I am still more into watching birds than taking photos. I am still not sure on the what setting to use at what time.