UK BIRDING

***MEGA*** LNY: HANTS DARK-EYED JUNCO JUST W/OF BEAULIEU W/OF FURZEY LODGE N/OF B3055 AT HAWKSH... Read more at http://bit.ly/syl0qy

 

UK BIRDING

Male D-E Junco Hawkhill Inclosure SU351019 Seen by non-birder on 24 Dec Still pres 30 Dec Photos have just been sent to me Seen feeding i....

LONDON BIRDING

Juv Gannet flew upriver at Crayford Marshes, 2 Caspian Gulls Rainham landfill.

Walthamstow

Birds are getting harder to get lately at the patch.Just 7 goldeneye today, two of these were males.And here is some london news just come in: Whoa! Apparent adult Azorean Yellow-legged Gull Rainham landfill - getting pics & video (note: no general access).

UK BIRDING

Greater Yellowlegs Loch Fleet Highland.  Blue-winged Teal Longham Lakes Dorset; Lesser Scaup Slimbridge Gloucestershire.Spotted Sandpiper Plym Estuary Devon, Chew Valley Lake Somerset; Red-breasted Goose Bowling Green Marsh Devon.

LONDON BIRDING

1w Kumlien's-type Iceland Gull on Main Lake mid-morning then flew to tip.

LONDON BIRDING

2w Iceland Gull Beddington SF & Water Pipit still.

UK BIRDING

MEGA:Lesser White-fronted Goose Buckenham Marshes Norfolk

KJM TOP BIRDER

MERRY XMAS TO ALL AND GOOD BIRDING.

Walthamstow

While walking around my patch about two months ago i found a african grey parrot which i saved from about 30 carrion crows which were attacking it.I  just photographed  the bird when i found it and then give it to a birder who was working for thames water to take it to hospital, thinking no more of it. Then i tweeted it out later just for a laugh.Now i get this message today saying:(Always worth a google-I've got a 1000 pounds reward for my parrot lost from walthamstow ?).Who's sick as a parrot now?.

Walthamstow

My first day back at the patch for about a week and i go and find myself a rare bird.(RUDDY DUCK) (M).I also had m&2f goldeneye,2 shelduck,green sandpiper,water rail and a few fieldfares and about 50+ teal.

London Birding

Queen Mother Res: Snow Bunting still by gate this morning.

London Birding

Here is another good bird i have seen for london. This (KNOT) was found at beddington s/f. Photo by david campbell.

London Birding

Here is a good london bird i have seen.(WOOD WARBLER).This bird i watched at banstead.Photo by david campbell.

London Birding

Barn Owl Banstead at Canons Farm again in barn by derelict barn at 10:18 (DCm)

London Birding/UK news.

Spotted Redshank Crayford Marshes feeding along creek. http://BirdGuides.com

 

WWT: Rare bird rescue hits new milestone: Slimbridge's Spoon-billed Sandpipers move into the... bit.ly/tErRGD

Mitcham Common (09)

This (FIRECREST) was found by david campbell in 2009 i just missed getting the shout on this bird.Thanks for the photo david let's hope i have not got to wait 6 months for the next one.

London Birding

Crossness: 20 White-fronted Geese flew west @ 10:45, 1 Water Pipit, 5 Grey Plover, 1 Green Sandpiper, 199 Black-tailed godwits, 6 Curlew, 765 Dunlin, 199 Redshank, 261 Lapwings, 1 Little Egret, 4 Shoveler, 13 Wigeon, 81 Gadwall, 515 Teal.

London Birding

 Great Northern Diver Nazeing GP still this morning & 10 Goosander, 5 Common Goldeneye

Goodbye Whitey.

An (the) adult Mediterranean Gull was seen again this morning flying South-east over my house, which means it has been seen more often here than anywhere else on the patch, unless of course we have more than one Bird locally. I still think it is probably the Wanstead Bird but what do I know.

The nights are drawing in; thank goodness it’s only 4 days till the shortest day. But that also means it’s only 14 days till the end of the blog, (unless someone else wants to carry it on? And if they do I would like to know where they were for the last two years?) or at least my blogging. It is nearly three years since Mark Pearson set the thing up, though it never got used until March 2010. It has been an interesting experiment in compiling it and I hope it proves to be useful to new local Birders. The site guide is complete from top to bottom, well actually from bottom to top, and should give first time visitors an idea of what to expect and what the layout of the site looks like.

The weekly (or often more frequent) journal entries should give an idea of the ebb and flow of Birds on the patch, at least for the last 22 months. The highs and, mostly, lows of patch work are recorded for posterity. The year lists are remarkably similar for the last two years, I guess it’s not too surprising how predictable most of the species are, though it also gives one a rough idea of some of the more exciting visitors to occur and, of course, just how rare rarities are.

I will leave all the blog entries and year lists intact for future generations of Walthamstow Birders, you never know, once the place is turned into a Country Park, the habitat is vastly improved; it starts to attract scores of regular Birders, loads of rarities start getting found and Petrol hits £2/litre someone may want to resurrect the thing.

Meanwhile, in case you get withdrawal symptoms; a handy cut out and keep guide to blogging Walthamstow Birding style:

1)   A play on words with the title never goes amiss.

2)   A bit of dithering as to whether to bother visiting the patch.

3)   A bit more dithering as to which bit of the patch to check, the North reservoirs, South reservoirs or marsh.

4)   A moan about picking the wrong one in retrospect.

5)   Some speculation/wishful thinking as to what might be found (this can be made to look more scientific by checking other local sites and websites for current occurrences on the migration front.)

6)   At this point inject a bit of nostalgia of how it used to be in the good old days.

7)   Probably best to insert some blurry photo about now to break up the dry text.

8)   Probably best to insert an apology about now for the blurry photo.

9)   Now a description of the visit itself, this can be long and rambling or more concise according to taste, yours of course, not the poor readers.

10)  Some sort of conclusion, possibly tying all the disparate elements of the blog entry together, is usually best left to the end.

11)  Another dose of nostalgia, if available, preferably gripping readers     off with something really good that was seen aeons ago.

And there you have it. Simples.

Maybe a couple of blog entries left till the end of the year, I might even follow the template.

On this date: 17 12 1996 The Dartford Warbler soon seen on Walthamstow Marsh in loose association with 3 Stonechats, also 2 Chiffchaffs nearby.

PW

UK Birding.

Spotted Sandpiper Chew Valley Lake Somerset.

 

 Greater Yellowlegs East Chevington Northumberland; Desert Wheatear Lerwick Mainland Shetland; Lesser Scaup Wimbleball Lake Somerset.

 

Red-breasted Goose Harwood Dale North Yorkshire; Sharp-tailed Sandpiper & 2 LB Dowitchers Blagdon Lake Somerset.

Blue-winged Teal Longham Lakes Dorset; Desert Wheatear Bempton East Yorkshire; Red-breasted Goose Topsham Devon.

 

 

King Eider Burghead Moray & Nairn; Red-breasted Goose Old Hall Marshes Essex; Penduline Tit Dungeness Kent.

Walthamstow

Not much at the patch again just a green sandpiper and two goldeneye.Just watched david campbells video on his blog and it was great. devilbirder.blogspot.com

Walthamstow

Got a text from pete at 10.00 to say that a (BLACK-NECKED GREBE) was on no5 res yesterday.I went straight to no5 to relocte it but with no joy.Dipping is no fun.This is what i missed.

Walthamstow

Went to the patch today but the weather got the better of me.Hoping to find a PINTAIL or something but no joy.

UK Birding.

 Greater Yellowlegs East Chevington Northumberland; Glossy Ibis Fordwich Kent

 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Chew Valley Lake Somerset; Western Sandpiper Cley Norfolk; Blue-winged Teal Longham Lakes Dorset

 

  Desert Wheatear Newbiggin Northumberland, Bempton East Yorkshire; Bufflehead Helston Loe Pool Cornwall.

London Birding

1w Kumlien's-type Gull Beddington SF on Main Lake.Only one previous London record of this form.

London Birding

 Pec Sand Rainham Marshes on Aveley Pools but no sign since 10:05 & Spotted Redshank.

Google+

Google+  Here is my google+ page.

Walthamstow

Here is a much needed wader at walthamstow which i have on my list.LIFE 115/ YEAR 113.

Walthamstow

Barnie

Old red breast

Here are some rare birds at no 5 res.

Walthamstow

Here is a walthamstow med gull which i have still not seen at the patch.Also of note this photo i could NOT upload in wordpress.Photo by pete lambert.

My new blog

I have started a new blog having problems with wordpress.