Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Monday 29th Wraysbury & Sunnymeads Pits

Spent yesterday (29th) at one of my old haunts Wraysbury & Sunnymeads Pits it has been quite a while since I have been to these pits and there where quite a few changes. This was one of the first sites that you could see Ringed necked Parrakeets Leaving the station I started by walking to the Sunnymeads pits first and spent quite a bit of time here it was very quite people wise not a soul just me and nature. As I walked the mile or so scanning the pits I had a lone fox on the path ahead of me, This used to be a good spot for Smew but sadly no smew today plenty of ducks to watch and small birds in the bushes. I then walked back and had a look at the main Wraysbury pit again plenty of ducks but still no Smew. Then I walked back to the station and took the path along side the railway I crossed the railway and had a look at the pit to my right where I found 1 male & 2 female Goosander but not a lot else. Then I took the path that leads to the heron pits again plenty of ducks to watch and more RNP. I did find 4 male & 3 female Goleneye, then I returned to the station by now it was getting colder, so the thought of getting on a nice warm train was just what I needed but when I got to the station I find the train is delayed due to a fatality at the station I was heading for (New Malden) this would be the 6th fatality that has held me up this year But still a very quite and pleasant walk

The full list of birds seen is as follows
Mute Swan.....................................Woodpigeon
Canada Goose................................Collared Dove
Mandarin.......................................Grey Wagtail
Wigeon ..........................................Wren
Teal ................................................Robin
Mallard ..........................................Blackbird
Shoveler .........................................Fieldfare
Pochard .........................................Goldcrest
Tufted Duck ..................................Long-tailed Tit
Goldeneye ......................................Blue Tit
Goosander .....................................Great Tit
Great Crested Grebe .....................Nuthatch
Cormorant .....................................Magpie
Grey Heron ....................................Jackdaw
Sparrowhawk ................................Carrion Crow
Kestrel ............................................Starling
Moorhen ........................................Chaffinch
Coot ................................................Greenfinch
Black-headed Gull .........................Linnet
Common Gull .................................Lesser Redpoll
Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Saturday 27th

Spent the morning at the Wetland Centre London, Very quite and very cold.
Only birds of note where the Jack Snipe, Water pipit and 2 Perigrines

Monday, December 22, 2008

Great Bookham Common

As I am off till the 5th and at home in London I have decided to go birding at some of my old haunts. Today I spent the afternoon on Great Bookham Common, this site is owned by The National Trust,This is a site that I know very well I used to work on the edge of the common for six years, so I did a lot of my lunch time birding there. This is a easy site to do by using the train as the station is right on the edge of the common, from the north platform you can go straight on to the common. I left the station and walked east taking the first turning on the right after crossing over the railway this brings you to a car park where there is a lot of clearing going on, scanning to the right this is a good spot to see Hawfinch with a bit of effort I did manage to find one bird, the rest of my walk is just a zig zag across the common, There where two large parties of Long Tailed Tits, a flock of mixed tits including Blue, Great & Coal, there where quite a few Nuthatches that where very vocal a few Tree Creepers, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, lots of Robins, and quite a number of Gold Crests I also found 2 Brambling, as for woodpeckers I did quite well 2 Green, 4 Great Spotted calling and just to make my day I found A Lesser Spotted have only seen them here on a couple of times over the years. In the paddocks on the edge of the common I found a few Mistle Thrushes, Redwing & some Fieldfare. Other birds seen included Carrion Crow, Jay,Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, House Sparrow, Magpie, Kestrel, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush.

This was a very pleasant afternoon mild and clear and very quite I only passed a couple of dog walkers & one jogger.

In the summer this was a good site to see and hear Nightingale not sure what it will be like next year with all the clearing that is going on it is also a good place for butterflies you get White Admiral, & there is a spot for Purple Emperor witch I have seen here, As well as other butterflies

So all in all a very enjoyable afternoon at a site I have not been to for a couple of years, Off to The Wetland Centre tomorrow not really a old haunt but I do remember it when it was Barn Elms Reservoirs

Other sites I am hoping to visit in the next 2 weeks include Stokers Lake, Lee Valley Country Park (Fishers Green) Wraysbury & Sunnymead Pits, Sevenoaks Wild Fowl, .Rainham Marshes, & slightly further a field Slimbridge

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Thorpe Park Pits

Spent some time today at the pits near Thorpe park the object of the trip was to see if I could find any Smew. I had 1 male on the pits opposite Thorpe Park and 2 females on the pit next to the parkwhere there was also a female Scaup. I was just about to leave when a Bittern flew across and landed on the back of the pit

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Birds From Public Transport Part 2

1 that I forgot from the main list Long Tailed Duck.....................B



And from the train coming home from Chichester today
Ring Tailed Hen Harrier near Pullbough and bullfinch
This now brings the list to 120

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Birds Seen From Public Transport

As I have said that I do not drive I would be putting together a list of birds I have seen from Public Transport
The list of 117 species seen from 1980 to 2008 (UK Only)
Please click on the image below to see the full list




Sunday, December 7, 2008

Mistake

If you had seen the post on London Wetland Centre the Common Tern was a typing eror have now removed it

Saturday, December 6, 2008

London Wetland Centre

Spent the morning at the Wetland Centre in London

This is a site I have been watching since the early eighties when it was called Barn Elms Reservoir when it was 4 concrete basins, I do like what the WWT have done here

The reason for today's visit was that a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has been seen in the last week, we did manage to find one with a bit of effort

The only down side was we had to tell some chilldren that you do not throw plastic pots in the lake do wish parents would teach there children what is right after all this a nature reserve not a rubbish dump

A list of 44 Species seen follows


Mute Swan
Wigeon
Gadwall
Teal
Mallard
Shoveler
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Little Grebe
Cormorant
Grey Heron
Moorhen
Coot
Lapwing
Snipe
Great Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon
Woodpigeon
Ring-necked Parakeet
Kingfisher
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Water Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Fieldfare
Redwing
Mistle Thrush
Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Brambling
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Siskin

Monday, December 1, 2008

Selsey Sea Watch

Sunday 30th November Took the bus from Chichester to Selsey I walked to the bill via the main car park lots of gulls on the sea including Herring, Black Headed, Common, and then one gull caught my eye which turned out to be a Mediterranean Gull which was quite close down to 15 feet away. Also on the shore there where Turnstone other birds seen walking to the bill Greenfinch, Blackbird, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock
Set my self up on the bench at bill house for a 2 hour sea watch after settling in. Some birds started to move I saw Cormorant, 20+ Gannets 3 Red Throated Divers, Great Blacked Backed Gull, more Turnstone, Brent Geese, But eventually the cold and the rain got to me on the walk back a Great Skua flew past so it was off for coffee and wait for the bus back