Showing posts with label Whitethroat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whitethroat. Show all posts

Saturday, 25 June 2011

Wandle fledglings

A trip to the Thames and Wandle with the boys showed some of the local breeding success with a newly fledged Chaffinch alongside Trinity Road where a male had been seen singing and then carrying food earlier in the year.


The Thames held a limited range of gulls, just three species with Herring, Lesser Black backed and Black headed present. Alongside the Wandle a Great Tit carrying food was probably raising a second brood and a male Grey Wag was singing and calling – not sure if this year’s brood has been successful.


Along the Daylight Path the male Whitethroat was singing. I'm not sure if that means he’s still looking for a mate or is just maintaining his territory. As far as I know some birds carry on singing even after they’ve found a mate whereas others stop singing, but I’ve no idea which category Whitethroats fall into. I've certainly heard other Sylvias singing when they’re raising a brood so Whitethroats may well do this as well. The images below are a bit over exposed as I had to quickly manually frig the numbers as the bird hopped up on a twig and down again.


I occasionally hear Stock Doves singing from the tall trees alongside the Wandle but I suspect that they don’t breed here – although I assume they do over in Hurlingham which is where these birds probably come from (although Wandsworth Park is another option although I'm not sure they breed there).


The Coots made famous by Thing’s blog are also trying again to build a nest on the highly tidal delta. This is the latest low-water effort, complete with emergency escape pod disguised as a football.

Sunday, 25 April 2010

Barnes WWT migrant main course

After last weeks migrant taster menu, the meat has arrived. 20+ Swifts over the Main Lake, White Wag on the island near the Obs, 8-10 Swallows and then 2 House Martins over the lake and north, 2 Whitethroat (the first looking all migranty and skulky, the second singing), 3+ Common Tern, 2 LRP, Green Sand on the Wader Scrape, 3 Common Sand, 4-5 Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler, m Wheatear on the Wader Scrape islands. Also 2 Cetti's, House Sparrows carrying nesting material, maybe 3 lapwing clutches. Also a few of the more wintery birds around still: Shoveler, Teal but no sign of the Wigeon here last week.

One of the Reed Warblers from the little loop round the back of the feeding station.