2011 Kick Off - Barnes

There is something special about January the first. No matter how much it's an arbitrary date in an arbitrary calendar. The first day's birding of the new year is always fun. Part of the reason for this is the additional excitement you get from really common birds. I tried to explain this to my partner when I said I was going out birding on the first of Jan which she thought was ridiculous, but I bet at least 99% of birders are out there on New Years Day. Not that I do anything that looks remotely like yearlisting. I do keep a list of birds I've seen during the year but (in my head at least) that's quite different. Since my return to UK birding I've spent most of my time on my two local patches with occasional day trips (even, whisper it, twitches) further afield. This means I've frequently seen fewer than 200 species in a year, although a few more day trips mean I've edged over that in the last couple of years.

Barnes is a great place to start the year. Not only is it my most productive local patch but it has a mix of common species with things that are generally hard to get in London (eg Bittern, Jack Snipe, Water Pipit) plus the chance of adding something unusual.

This year Barnes scored well on with pretty much all of the expected common birds, a couple of species that can be tricky (Skylark, Linnet, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll)

Had great views of a Water Rail legging it between the Wader Scrape and the first channel on the Grazing Marsh. On the way out a Cetti's was calling and showed really well in the big entrance lake near the bird feeder. The number of these at Barnes has just exploded over the last year going from one (perhaps two) wintering birds before 2010 to around 4-6 singing males in 2010 and a number of wintering birds in 2010/2011.

The visit ended with 53 spp, but no sign of a number of Barnes regulars I'd expect to pick up in the next month or so (Bittern, Jack Snipe, Water Pipit, Stonechat, Chiffchaff, Peregrine) and also missed some basics like Kestrel, Sprawk, Stock Dove, Redwing, Fieldfare and Greylag. Where have all the Stonechats gone at Barnes? It used to regularly host wintering Stonechats. I didn't pick up a single one last year and no sign so far - the birds are usually in place by late autumn so it looks like this winter period isn't going to see any either.

Also chose to wander around Teddington stalking one of the London Waxwing flocks. Saw bugger all. I must be about the only birder in Britain who hasn't seen a Waxwing this winter. Did pick up Collared Dove and House Sparrow, though. Jan 1st total 55spp.

Wandle - last visit of 2010

High tide visit, not particularly planned – I just forgot to check the tide times before I left. High tide visits can sometimes work out – there's a better chance of Kingfishers and I guess a high tide could be better for bringing some birds further upriver. Generally though it means fewer birds. Today paid off in an unexpected way with my highest Jackdaw count to date – at least 24 birds. Just a few years back Jackdaws were pretty uncommon here but over the last year especially they've become a permanent winter fixture – presumably attracted by the tip from the local populations around Barnes or Richmond Park. Also good numbers of Gadwall (at least 14), 1 Grey Wag feeding in the bushes above the delta, 7-8 Teal, 6 Common Gull and two of the Pochard still present.

Quality patch day

Duck bonanza on the patch today: over 150 Tufties on short stretch of river by the mouth of the Wandle, at least 24 Teal on the Wandle (maybe 27 but flushed by doggy walkers). Whichever, a site record for me. Also 3 Pochard (a year tick for me for this part of the patch). Also c20 Mallard, 8-9 Gadwall, c12 Jackdaw. Walking along the daylight path suddenly had a flock of around 45 finches fly overhead (presumably from the development plot behind the path). All the ones I could get onto (about 40 of the 45) were Linnets. I usually just get ones and twos of Linnets - record flock!! The flock headed over the Thames to the Fulham side, briefly perched on a house roof and then disappeared onto some rough ground.

Wandsworth Common Siskins

Short trip out with the family. Siskins calling from the railway line just north of the North Pond, 6 Shoveler, 2 Egyptian Goose plus Canucks, Tufties, Mallard, Coot Moorhen.

Beddington Crane

The lure of the juv Crane currently at Beddington eventually proved to strong and I headed down to catch up with this London/ Surrey mega. The advantage of looking for 3 foot tall birds is that they often stand out so a 1 second scan of the lake with bins quickly showed the Crane on a gravel island.

Out of interest the first two shots are digiscoped, the rest DSLR.

Spent some time scanning the gulls but nothing out of the ordinary - although what seemed to be a quite a relatively high percentage of argentatus Herring Gulls.

Also around a number of Tree Sparrows at the feeders and surrounding bushes, 2 Reed Buntings and c12 Lesser Redpoll in the bushes by the footbridge.

Barnes still on ice

Trip to London Wetland Centre with the boys - eldest off his reins to hard to get any birding done while keeping him out of ponds and ditches. Although warmer than recently all the small bodies of water are still iced over and even the larger ones are half covered in ice.

At least one Chiffchaff still on site (by entrance lake) also Shelduck, c200 Tufted on Main Lake, a flock of around 25 Redwings behind the Sheltered Lagoon, Bittern at the back of the Reservoir Lagoon, half a dozen Snipe, c50 Wigeon and circa 200 Teal.

Below: London Wetland Centre usually supports a flock of around 50 Wigeon from autumn to early spring.

This Bittern was taken at around 900-1000 feet which (partly) explains the poor quality of the shot.

Dip in Wells

Day trip up to Norfolk to try and catch up with Coue's Roller and Hume's Warbler in Wells plus hopefully some good birding on the Norfolk coast. Still a lot of snow on the coast.

Turned out poorly with roller and Hume's dipped (although I'd seen the Titchwell and Fairlop birds respectively so not even a Brit tick at stake). Did get a number of other redpolls including around half a dozen Mealies, a couple of Woodcock flushed from the cut between the woods and the chalet park, loads of Pink-feet and this Goldcrest hovering against the snow.