Regent’s Park
Species wise not that many migrants, although it is still fairly early in the year for the Central London Parks to get many. However today was a Red Letter Day for me, you will see see why.
Great crested Grebe: 2 pairs are breeding on the main lake.
Little Grebe: 4 pairs are present but have not yet set up a nestsite yet.
Common Scoter: while trying to photograph Red Crested Pochards in flight my attention was momentarily drawn to a 2 ducks, one of which was very dark. I put the camera down and looked through my bins in the direcection that these birds had landed. I was astonished to see a pair of adult Common Scoters sitting on the water very close to the Boathouse Jetty. There were already boats on hire out on the lake, so I knew the chances of any other birds connecting with them would be slim. For that reason I enjoyed this spectacle all by myself. In the 37 years that I have been in this park I have only this species once before, that was in October 1987. That concerned 2 females flying SE, heading in the direction of the Thames estuary, probably where these latest 2 were blown in on a gusty wind. Today’s birds took to the air the moment that felt pressured by a nearby pedlow.
Shelduck: the drake from the regular pair that arrive here to breed during the summer was loafing on the bank of area 9.
Shoveler: a late staying drake was on the lake.
Sparrowhawk: a pair were displaying above the Holme.
Wheatear: 2 males were on the cricket wickets at 8.05am.
Blackcap: 8 males were singing.
Willow Warbler: at least 16 birds were present in the park.
Chiffchaff: 11 birds were present.
The pair although very distant looked in cracking condition.
Once a pedlow comes to close they are off.
Fortunately for me though taking off on a SW facing runway, once of the water they banked towards me and flew right over my head.
The Chiffchaffs, like the one below seemed to prefer the upper parts of the trees today.
The pair were displaying until a blooming corvid started to hassle the male, however he was soon back up over his territory.
This is from the nest that had and still has 4 young.
The Crow above must have been watching the Herons gather nesting material from below this Willow, while I am surprised that the bird below can fly.
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