Regent's Park 17th to 31st August

Regent's Park mid August to the months end.

After what had been a lively start to the month the bread and butter migrants, by that I mean Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Common Whitethroat, their numbers were much much lower than previous years. With numbers being below 10 on most dates after the 14th. We are still waiting for Wheatear numbers to increase the total of 2 singles that have been seen but failed to stay. On the plus side it has been an exceptional month for Spotted Flycatcher with birds recorded almost daily and peaking at 9 towards the months end, most were seen in area 39 and 41. They were accompanied by 3 Pied Flycatchers. At least 5 Common Redstarts were recorded in the last half of the month along with 5 Whinchats. Lesser Whitethroats have been that abundant but 1 or 2 birds have been showing well in the Chat Enclosure, area 39. There wasn't much of a Swallow movement but if they chose to move on those still, warm sunny days they would probably have been flying at high altitudes. 

Below is a pictorial of some of the birds I did manage to connect with.

   Spotted Flycatcher feeding on a damselfly

   You cant beat  a fresh plumaged Lesser Whitethroat in autumn.

   Whinchat in the Triangle Pen

   Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler numbers have been very disappointing.

   DJ and I bumped into an elderly farther and son? who asked us what we had seen as we wearing 

   binoculars. We replied that it was very quiet to which the son said "not over there". We asked what

   he meant? To which he replied "there are Wrynecks over there, they breed in the park". We laughed,

   DJ said "how big are they?" He indicated with his hand about a foot, to which we laughed and said 

   they are Mistle Thrushes. No matter what we said we couldn't convince them. They even said they

   breed in Gunners Park in Essex where they have a board with their photo on. I said they have a 

   probably because they have been seen there but they certainly don't breed there. His identification 

   made us laugh as much as birder from Euston who has amazing eyesight and can ID waders flying 

   over rooftops a mile or more away without a telescope. 

   When Magpies arrive at the bird bath in area 39, everything else vanishes.

   Sparrowhawk

   In recent years unbeknown to me the fish in the lake must have had some years well the bred well.

   I say that because there is an exceptionally high (for the park) number of Cormorants hanging 

   around feeding mainly in the open area of the lake. They depart when the first rowing boats go out.