Late October in Regent's Park
This has to be one of the best last weeks of October that I have ever had in my 41 years in the park.
Monday 28th
Mediterranean Gull: 1 flew west at 6.50am.
Woodlark: one flew NW at 7.15am.
Skylark :8 flew NE prior to 9.00am
Ruff: one flew SW at 7.30am.
Lapland Bunting: one was heard calling and eventually picked up heading west after joining a Linnet.
Siskin: 6 flew over, 1 found in trees by area 31.
Wood Pigeon: 550+ headed SW in flocks of 40+.
Tuesday 29th
Ring Ouzel: a male flew west at 7.25am.
Blackbird: there were a few singletons heading west on their own.
Fieldfare: 460+ in small flocks headed NW, not their normally westerly route.
Redwing: 230+ small flocks of this thrush also headed NW again not their normal line.
Starling: 440 birds headed west.
Lesser Redpoll: 1
Chaffinch: 50+
Greenfinch: 30+
Goldfinch: 10, numbers of this finch have been lower this year in the park.
Wednesday
With the wind going around to the east we were expecting a good diurnal passage. It turned out to be very slow, with low numbers of the regulars.
The day was soon to change, we have a set route that is walked almost daily. We scan the lake for unusual gulls and checkout the Shovelers in case a teal or wigeon has joined them. I had just scanned the lake and the water behind the chains near the Holme (private residence). There was a bird that had looked slightly grebe like but the colour was wrong. It's neck was down, that's if it had one. It looked diver like, but a diver in Regent's it couldn't be. I knew Dave was scanning and should pick out anything interesting. He suddenly said "is that a diver," to which I replied "I hope you were going to say that." We debated for a few minutes but the bird was heading away and towards Longbridge. Our route changed, we about turned and headed towards Longbridge. When we were level with the north eastern end of Heron Island, area 8 we picked it up again. It was indeed a diver a Red-throated Diver. This is/was a species that had never been recorded in the park before. It was moving slowly but steadily towards Longbridge and the fence that keeps the collection birds from mixing with the birds on the main lake. This was an outstanding record Dave put the news out on Rare Bird Alert and I tweeted and put it on Birdguides. It took several hours before the first birders started to turn up and on occasions the bird had passed within 3 metres of me. In all the time we watched it, which was between bouts of reed cutting in the Rail Ditch we never saw it eat anything. It snorkelled swimming along with its head underwater but never once did we see it catch anything. The lake has a reasonable supply of small fish but also has plenty of tiny crayfish. Birders continued to come and see the bird until the light became to poor.
This morning again after an initial look at the skies over the park we went in search of the diver. We soon found it and it was moving slightly slower but also looked hunched up. It wasn't looking healthy. During the morning birders would come and go and the bird was staying in the western section of the lake. During our tea break Dave had a call from some friends that were birding the park who said the diver was right down by a metal fence that separated the old stretch of water we kept a small collection of waterfowl from again the main lake. There were photographers going into a shrubbery to get closer to the bird. Dave went out to see what was going on, he took some floating fish based pellets that we feed the fish eating ducks in the collection. Once I had finished my coffee I went to see what was going on. I bumped into Dave as he headed back to the Nature Study Centre. He mentioned that the bird was trying to get through the fence. There was no chance of that happening, the railings and gaps were only 2 inches wide. I said I'd get the boat and try and catch it. This was the only place on the lake where it was narrow and it might be possible. It didn't take me long to get geared up. I approached the bird slowly hoping not to startle it. It worked really well and I glided up to the bird putting the net underwater I scooped it up. As I passed it to Dave you could feel it was lighter than it should be, but it was now in care and we would be able to feed it with fish from St James's Park. We gave the diver 4 Rudd which it swallowed without to much of an effort. We just hope it will be alive in the morning.
This has to be one of the best last weeks of October that I have ever had in my 41 years in the park.
Monday 28th
Mediterranean Gull: 1 flew west at 6.50am.
Woodlark: one flew NW at 7.15am.
Skylark :8 flew NE prior to 9.00am
Ruff: one flew SW at 7.30am.
Lapland Bunting: one was heard calling and eventually picked up heading west after joining a Linnet.
Siskin: 6 flew over, 1 found in trees by area 31.
Wood Pigeon: 550+ headed SW in flocks of 40+.
Tuesday 29th
Ring Ouzel: a male flew west at 7.25am.
Blackbird: there were a few singletons heading west on their own.
Fieldfare: 460+ in small flocks headed NW, not their normally westerly route.
Redwing: 230+ small flocks of this thrush also headed NW again not their normal line.
Starling: 440 birds headed west.
Lesser Redpoll: 1
Chaffinch: 50+
Greenfinch: 30+
Goldfinch: 10, numbers of this finch have been lower this year in the park.
Wednesday
With the wind going around to the east we were expecting a good diurnal passage. It turned out to be very slow, with low numbers of the regulars.
The day was soon to change, we have a set route that is walked almost daily. We scan the lake for unusual gulls and checkout the Shovelers in case a teal or wigeon has joined them. I had just scanned the lake and the water behind the chains near the Holme (private residence). There was a bird that had looked slightly grebe like but the colour was wrong. It's neck was down, that's if it had one. It looked diver like, but a diver in Regent's it couldn't be. I knew Dave was scanning and should pick out anything interesting. He suddenly said "is that a diver," to which I replied "I hope you were going to say that." We debated for a few minutes but the bird was heading away and towards Longbridge. Our route changed, we about turned and headed towards Longbridge. When we were level with the north eastern end of Heron Island, area 8 we picked it up again. It was indeed a diver a Red-throated Diver. This is/was a species that had never been recorded in the park before. It was moving slowly but steadily towards Longbridge and the fence that keeps the collection birds from mixing with the birds on the main lake. This was an outstanding record Dave put the news out on Rare Bird Alert and I tweeted and put it on Birdguides. It took several hours before the first birders started to turn up and on occasions the bird had passed within 3 metres of me. In all the time we watched it, which was between bouts of reed cutting in the Rail Ditch we never saw it eat anything. It snorkelled swimming along with its head underwater but never once did we see it catch anything. The lake has a reasonable supply of small fish but also has plenty of tiny crayfish. Birders continued to come and see the bird until the light became to poor.
This morning again after an initial look at the skies over the park we went in search of the diver. We soon found it and it was moving slightly slower but also looked hunched up. It wasn't looking healthy. During the morning birders would come and go and the bird was staying in the western section of the lake. During our tea break Dave had a call from some friends that were birding the park who said the diver was right down by a metal fence that separated the old stretch of water we kept a small collection of waterfowl from again the main lake. There were photographers going into a shrubbery to get closer to the bird. Dave went out to see what was going on, he took some floating fish based pellets that we feed the fish eating ducks in the collection. Once I had finished my coffee I went to see what was going on. I bumped into Dave as he headed back to the Nature Study Centre. He mentioned that the bird was trying to get through the fence. There was no chance of that happening, the railings and gaps were only 2 inches wide. I said I'd get the boat and try and catch it. This was the only place on the lake where it was narrow and it might be possible. It didn't take me long to get geared up. I approached the bird slowly hoping not to startle it. It worked really well and I glided up to the bird putting the net underwater I scooped it up. As I passed it to Dave you could feel it was lighter than it should be, but it was now in care and we would be able to feed it with fish from St James's Park. We gave the diver 4 Rudd which it swallowed without to much of an effort. We just hope it will be alive in the morning.
Thursday below
The Cormorant was quite sure what to make of the diver dozing by his post
I think the Herring Gulls new that this bird was in a bad way.
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