Richmond Park
I had a couple of meetings to attend in the park this morning one with a member of the bird group. For this reason I was over at Pen Ponds with the mist yet to be burned off. As I drove along the track from the causeway towards Pen Ponds Plantation I scanned the corner of the pond looking for waders. There were none visible but then a call that I was unfamiliar and glimpse of a wader sideways on flying across the lake. I was half expecting it to be a Green Sandpiper but that call I here frequently in Norfolk at this time of the year. This birds upper parts were not dark enough and it had barring on the tail and lacked an obvious white rump. Grabbing my binoculars I jumped out of the car and tried to pick it up, the mist over the water made this impossible and I couldn’t scan all of the banks of Pen Ponds where it may have settled. As I scanned a Snipe called and flew in the opposite direction. I had a good idea but as the views and the mist made it difficult to see the birds clearly I didn’t put the news out as I wanted to wait until I got home and listened to the calls of sandpipers. I new what I thought the bird was but needed to hear their flight call. My thoughts were so clarified when I heard the call of the Wood Sandpiper. Once the mist had lifted which was within 10 minutes I was able to checkout the whole shoreline.
News:
Wood Sandpiper: one flew away from Pen Ponds at 6.55am.
Common Snipe: one flew north at 6.57am.
Water Rail: several birds were calling from the Pen Ponds reed bed.
Sandwhich Tern. 2 birds flew in from the north at 7.08am and landed on the fish refuge by the tern rafts. A couple of the regular park birders were able to enjoy the birds before they headed back northwards at 8.20am.
Kingfisher: a female shot past me on Upper Pen Ponds.
Swallow: 30+ flew north at 7.25am.
Whinchat: at least 4 birds were in the bracken on Lawnfield.
Stonechat: 3 in the same area.
Sedge Warbler: 3 were reported in the same area.
Chiffchaff: 3 in the bracken.
C. Whitethroat: 2 present also.
The sun peeps over the ridge.
The terns stayed put until some old deer decided to take a swim.
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