Spoons and Shrikes: two ticks

OK, not Brit ticks, but a patch tick and a London tick. First, news that a Spoonbill had reappeared at Barnes had me running for the car. I’d missed it (presumably the same bird that has spent most of its time at Rainham) last week, when it turned up just before the reserve shut, so a second chance was really welcome. A quick scan from the Obs showed the Spoonbill sitting on the shingle bank favoured by the loafing gulls. It was, predictably, asleep. I went round to Dulverton to find Johnny Allen already there and watched the bird for a while, during which it woke up briefly a few times to preen. Water levels were high throughout the site and there were no waders around, but the young birds included two Pochard chicks, one Gadwall chick (down from two a week ago) and four Common Tern chicks.

Next up was a run out to Hayes where a male Red backed Shrike had been seen yesterday evening and again this morning. The M4 is closed so I went round in a big loop to avoid it and didn’t run into too many holdups. The shrike was showing less than a hundred yards from the car park – originally buried in a bush but often showing well as it hunted for prey on the ground. Absolutely stunning male and a London tick. I don’t list in London but I do keep a list of birds I've seen there (confusing I know). It’s the kind of thing I had half assumed I would have seen in the London area before, but I hadn’t. Double tick!

Barnes WWT - No Spoonbill

A Spoonbill had been seen at the London Wetland Centre yesterday evening just before it shut, so I headed over this morning in the hope of it still being there. No luck with the Spoonbill and not that much else around but numbers of winter duck are starting to build up with 11 Teal and 3 Shoveler around the site. One Redshank on site – another year when they've failed to fledge young. Four Common Tern chicks with many of the adults fishing on site – some pics below.

Odd Wagtail at Barnes

A morning trip to Barnes on a chilly and grey May day brightened up with a flock of at least 15 Yellow Wagtails on the Grazing Marsh. Initially quite distant they slowly worked their way around the bank. One of them was a very attractive and interesting bird that at first glance I thought might be a Channel Wagtail (a hybrid between flava and flavissima) since the head colour was very pale grey but the grey extended out onto the mantle and scapulars and the supercillium was bright yellow.

I had a look at a few books, mags and websites when I got home and found out that some flava do have yellow supercilliums (called xanthophrys) but I don’t see that a hybrid between a ‘xanthophrys’ flava and flavissima (which might have a yellow supercillium) would also have the pale grey mantle shown by this bird. There is a green tinge to the scaps but it’s mostly grey.

Maybe a hybrid between a Channel Wag and a standard flavissima could show this combination? But I still don’t see where the pale grey mantle comes from. So maybe just an odd Yellow Wag with some kind of colour abnormality? Stunning bird whatever it is. I shall try to do some more homework, but all ideas welcome.

UPDATE - just seen that this has been reported as a Blue headed Wagtail (flava) on Birdguides. I don't see how it can be, but interested in comments.

A good day and a problem

The day started at Staines with four Black necked Grebe fairly close in, a couple of redhead Smew on the North Basin and an adult male and redhead on the South Basin, 30+ Goldeneye including two groups of displaying males, a juv Shag on the tern rafts and later swimming around on the South Basin. There were also two Scaup – one an adult female and the other that was either a dull adult female or a first winter. While grilling the ducks and chatting to another birder he picked up a Short eared Owl over the far side of the North Basin being mobbed by corvids and which quickly ditched into a tree. It was pushed out of the tree after a few minutes and tracked the east side of the reservoirs before turning west over the south bank and heading in the direction of Staines Moor.

Then the problems started. On the way back from Staines I dropped into the Wetland Centre and everything was pretty uneventful until I got to the Peacock Hide. I scanned around a bit and, fairly close on the nearest bank of the Wader Scrape, was a first winter Caspian Gull. It was an immediate stand out bird with a white head, long wings, all dark greater coverts with white tips to the lesser, median and greater coverts forming three pale lines on the wing, and dark pale tipped tertials. After taking it all in I reached for my camera – and that moment a huge troupe of bird tour people clunked, shouted and tramped into the hide and the Caspo flew off across the Main Lake with the other large gulls. And, while some of the other gulls returned, the Caspo didn’t.

Now why is this a problem? Well the problem is that the LWC has a history of reporting Caspians, some of which are, err, well, not always Caspians. I've been birding at the LWC for nearly seven years and in that time I've been shown about a dozen and a half ‘Caspians’ which turned out to be mostly Herring Gulls or LBBs (with a couple of GBBs thrown in). Of the ones that get reported there never seem to be any photos. So, fairly or unfairly, records of Caspians from Barnes tend to be looked on with a certain amount of suspicion, despite the fact that at least some of them are probably gen.

Which brings me back to the problem. I've just had a Caspo at Barnes with no photo. Which feels like I'm just adding to the problem. Do notes still count?

UPDATE: Thankfully someone else also saw this bird - Stephen Menzie - including some great pictures here.

Spotshank dash

I had a quick scan of Birdguides yesterday at 3.30 and saw that a Spotted Redshank had been seen an hour earlier at the London Wetland Centre - potential patch tick! Dashed over and was watching the bird before 4pm. A really smart juvenile that mainly fed in the vegetation around the islands and so was sometimes not that easy to see. It often fed alongside the juvenile Ruff that's been present for a few days. Seeing the two together, the Ruff is very obviously a male since it's around the same size as the Spotshank.

I also took a few videos which I'll sort through and post anything half decent here. A quick scan of the grazing marsh and the rest of the scrape turned up this Whinchat on the purple loosestrife.

This was a bit more distant and taken with the 400mm and the 2x converter.

Just looked at Birdguides again. Whiskered Tern on the Main Lake at the Wetland Centre for 5 mins. Oh well, I've missed a few good birds at Barnes (eg the PGP) and I'm sure this won't be the last.

Barnes migrant bonanza

After the rain on Wednesday morning I was optimistic that it might have brought down a few migrants so headed off to London Wetland Centre. Things looked good straight away with a Wheatear on the playing fields. There were more migrants within the reserve and I quickly picked up a big mixed flock that included 3-4 Chifchaffs and a couple of Blackcaps. After the flock had been through therewere some singles and small groups including a f/imm Whitethroat, more Blackcaps, 2 Willow Warblers and a Lesser Whitethroat. In the WWF Hide I finally caught up with the Garganey that has been seen on and off for almost a week (assuming its the same bird, which it looks like being from the photos on the LWC website). This looks like an adult female rather than a juv.

Numbers of Shoveler have also been rising - now to around 20 birds.

Walking around the Sheltered Lagoon produced a good local migrant - which then proved really hard to get a photo of. Mystery bird photo!

OK, it's not much of a mystery but these were the best photos I could get before the bird was flushed by a family crashing around and screaming at each other.

Following the hedge back round and past the Peacock Hide found another small group of warblers: Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and three Lesser Whitethroats. This juvenile Willow Warbler was part of the pack.

So was this Lesser Whitethroat (one of three). Although it doesn't really show up that well here from the front and side it showed a nearly complete white eyering and faint white super so I assume it's one of this year's birds.

The Willow Warbler and Lesser throat photos took a little time to get since the birds were tearing around the bushes but seemed like time well spent. Until I got to the Peacock Hide to find out an Osprey had flown over about 10-15 minutes ago - which would have been a patch tick for me. Oh well.

There was a Hobby hunting over the grazing marsh, catching dragonflies. The only shot I could get of a catch was pretty distant.

Barnes Brambling

Saturday: a bright sunny day raised hopes of a few migrants in at Barnes (maybe a Chiffy, Sand Martin or LRP). Redshanks are fairly new in - six birds across the site. This one from Dulverton Hide.

Also from Dulverton had a burst of song from a Cetti's and caught a flash of brown that looked Cetti's-like so just picked up the camera reeled off a few shots.

Had great views of the Water Pipit from the WWT Hide feeding on the edge of one of the Main Lake islands. Was able to get a few shots and also a video.

This shot at 800mm with the 2x converter.

In the hide one of the regulars gave me a heads up to a Brambling showing at the WWT Feeders - this would be a 'deck tick'. I've heard a couple overhead in autumn but never one on the deck.

Also on or around the feeders: 3 Reed Bunting (2f, 1m) and a GS Woodpecker. A walk around the Sheltered Lagoon turned up a single Chiffchaff - not calling or singing but presumably fresh in since I've not seen any Chiffies here since the snow.

From the Peacock Hide were 3 Dunlin still in winter plumage, the Water Pipit dropped in to feed on the islands, several of the Lapwings were displaying, another 5+ Redshank (so at least 6 in site), still around 30 Wigeon present and a total of 10 Snipe on site.