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.

Wandle - female Teal exist!

There've been good numbers of Teal on the Wandle this year (this means up to 5 at any one time) but for some reason they've all been males. Today I have proved the existance of female Teal - one female there with a male. Also a couple of Greylag flying upriver and lots of the resident birds singing: Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Robin, Dunnock, Blackbird.

Wandle Delta

Walk with the kids. 4 Grey Wags on one of the buidlings near the delta. Still 3-4 Gadwall, 1m Teal. Also c10 Tufties, 2 GC Grebes plus other usuals.

Swan Stringing

Had a brief burst of hope and exitement as three big swans flew downriver today. With the local reports of Whoopers I had high hopes of a patch mega for the fraction of a second it took to realise they were Mutes.

Also around: 1 GC Grebe on the Thames, 2 male Teal (why is always males here this year?), 14 Gadwall, 3 Grey Herons, 4 gull spp, including good numbers of Common Gull (at least 30), a couple of Grey Wags. Thought I heard a Mipit go over at one point but it was so faint it could have been any one of a number of squeaky things: kid's bike, rubber duck, reality show pop hopeful. But probably an unticked Mipit.

Teal-tastic

There's a Teal take-over of the Wandle. 5 Teal (all male) dabbling around all nonchalant. Also 9 Gadwall, Grey Heron, c25 Tufties and c20 Chaffinches on the weeds in the new daylight path.