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.

Battersea Park / Gadwall envy

Walk out with the family. I have Gadwall envy. There are at least 5 Gadwall on the ponds at Battersea but Wandsworth Common doesn't have any. Can that be fair? Some urgent Gadwall redistribution policies are needed - bread and a brown paper bag at midnight maybe..........

Barnes Firecracker

A wander round the reserve boundary before it opened didn't produce that much (mainly Mistle Thrushes).

When it eventually opened picked up a couple of Willow Warblers (one in the trees around WWT Hide, another singing from around the Sheltered Lagoon), a Greenshank flew over WWT calling while a Sedge Warbler sang from over to the right of the hide, walking over to Peacock Hide a Lesser Whitethroat was singing. Was only singing the first scratchy bit of the song without the final repeated notes. Chatting to one of the LWC guys there when they got a call to say that a Firecrest was showing over in Wildside so wandered round to the dragonfly pool and after a few minutes a female Firecrest was showing in the scrubby trees through the birches. Crown bright yellow with no sign of orange so seems fairly safe to sex. Also around a 3rd Willow Warbler, 2 Wigeon on the grazing marsh, 3 Wheatear (2 on the grazing marsh and one on the east bank) and Yellow Wag acting just like a Yellow Wag should - feeding round the feet of one of the Barnes Highlands.

Also dropped into Staines where 18+ Little Gull, a single Goldeneye and the Great Northern Diver still present.

Chewy Fudge Dip

Quick stop at Chew Valley Res on the way back from a work meeting. No sign of the Fudge Duck on Herriots Pool - just about 30 white arsed Tufties. Also a few Shelduck, some Wigeon still left, on the main reservoice also a single male and a couple of female Goldeneye. On the west shore of the reservoir also a bunch of small birds singing in the woods (Coal Tit, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Wren, Song and Mistle Thrushes, Greenfinch, Goldfinch) and also a Green Sand that flew over calling.

Rich Wet Staines

Or in other words a trip to Richmond Park, London Wetland Centre and Staines Res. Nice range of woodland birds at Richmond including Nuthatch, loads of Mandarins, all 3 woodpecker spp, Treecreeper, Coal Tit, 10+ singing Blackcaps and about the same number of non-singing males plus a few females. Barnes still had 2 (m&f) Wigeon, 2 LRPs, Green Sand (on Wader Scrape), c25 Sand Martins, White Wag on the main lake, 1 or (probably) 2 Cetti's. Staines had a few Common Tern, 3 Oystercatcher, m&f Garganey, GN Diver (spending most of its time underwater), 2-3 Black necked Grebe and still 8 Goldeneye.

Wandsworth Common

Two trips today, both with the kids. Total of 5-6 Chiffchaff across the site, 3, maybe 4, Blackcap, 1 Willow Warbler (in a different place from last week so maybe a different bird), 14 Tufties, mostly paired up, 2 Egyptian Geese.

Springtime for Sheppey

Still 6 Brents hanging on in the fields towards Sheerness, 3 Pintail flying over, f Common Scoter offshore, a couple of Avocet, Yellow Wag and Swallows comin in off the sea.

Wandsworth Common

2 Willow Warbler singing by the top pond plus all the usuals singing.

Wandsworth Common

2 Pied Wag on N Common, 2 Egy Geese on N pond (no chicks), c12 Tufties, 2 Canucks, Mallard, Blackcap singing from near railway bridge but just a brief snatch and v noisy, Dunnock, Robin.

Wandle sings

Another trip out with the kids. Around are 4 Gadwall (hanging on well into Spring this year); 17-20 Tufted; 4 Teal (2m, 2f, 2!! female); Chiffchaff calling again (still not singing maybe it is a female); 1 GC Grebe on the river, no Common Gulls, lots of locals singing (2 Wrens, Robin, Dunnock, 2 Blackbird, Chaffinch, 2 Greenfinch, 2-3 Goldfinch) plus Pied Wag, 3 tit spp.