Regent's Park Birds May 2020

Regent's Park May 2020 pictorial

May continued where pretty much where April left off with good weather and birds passing overhead, well we presumed they passed overhead although we didn't see them. There were a couple of surprises but overall it was just summer visitors arriving and setting up territories. The Lockdown had it's pluses, fewer cars meant a much more peaceful London. Bird song particularly the dawn chorus seemed louder it wasn't really it was just that the gradual hourly build up of traffic from 5.00am never happened. The social distancing of those using the park did have affect on birds using the habitats with the long grass, cow parsley, small bramble patches were criss-crossed by lots of new pathways as people tried to avoid each other. This caused the 2 pairs of Common Whitethroats to desert their 1st nests. Raptor movement over London particularly that of Common Buzzard and Red Kite continued and by the end of the month around 200 buzzards and 80 Red Kite's were noted. They are possibly birds from the south east counties.

Common Whitethroat

Pied and Grey Wagtail

Kestrel male was bringing food to the incubating female, the eggs hatched in the second week.

Egyptian Goose doing what they always do, Fight.

Cettti's Warbler

Reed Warbler: at one time 18 males were singing from nearly all the parks reed beds

Reed Bunting: 2 pairs are attempting to breed.

Reed Warblers occasionally show well, luck or patients is needed.

Swallow numbers have been very disappointing but not as disappointing as that of our local House Martins. I haven't seen more than 4 in the air at one time, normally it's less.

Common Buzzard on some days were very high, there is not a line the favour, although heading north east is probably favoured.

Green Woodpecker in area 39, the Chat Enclosure

Mistle Thrush juv

Collared Dove, this is a very unusual sighting in the park particularly on the ground and my 4th garden record.

Jay burying peanuts in my lawn.

Only 2 pairs of Great crested Grebes have been successful so far this year.

Little Grebe

Long-tailed Tit

I was very grateful to receive a voicemail from a fiend say that a Whinchat was in the Chat Enclosure. The message was left at 10.00am and I heard it at 1.00pm, luckily the bird was still present.

Kestrel male and Red Kite

Nowhere near the numbers of 10 years ago but on occasions a flock around 30 birds hunts over the park.

This is a loan male grebe, normally we have 4 pairs with the odd single bird dropping in. we thought with the lack of boating on the lack we were expecting better figures.

Blackcaps are by far the most numerous summer visitor, the Chat Enclosure has 2 pairs. However birds can be heard in all dense shrubberies or areas of scrub.