I joined forces with Pete Alfrey today to discover another
section of the Wandle Trail from Poulters Park through to the collapsed bridge
adjacent to the entrance to Ravensbury Park. The objective was to see the
Yellow Browed Warbler that had been reported along the edge of the River Wandle.
The afternoon would then be spent along the permissible footpath at Beddington
farm.
The Yellow Browed Warbler did not take too long to locate
and it was no surprise there were numerous passerines in the vicinity. The
winter midges littered the skies surrounding the spot opposite the industrial
estate.
A couple of Siberian Chiffchaff was also seen amongst the
numerous Chiffchaff that were hawking the insects in the area. These birds were
noticeably greyer than their counterpart with obvious green on the outer
primaries. The full test was applied with response to a tape from the birds.
Other Passerines included Blackcap, Goldcrest and a
Firecrest which was found during the return journey to the mobile observatory. Waterfowl
included Teal, Gadwall, and breeding Little Grebe who appeared to have lost
their chick! A Little Egret was also recorded en route. Not a bad concentration
of species that would grace any day during migration let alone a winters day
which was incidentally calm with glorious sunshine.
The path and public hides added more species to the days
total including an adult Yellow Legged Gull which was seen on the site of the
proposed wet grassland. The gulls were given another bashing before they
departed for their roost sites but still no Mediterranean Gull amongst the Black
Headed masses.
A pair of Stonechat was noted close to the hide on the south
lake. Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Peregrine were observed from the path. Shelduck
and a Wigeon were also seen in a fifty species haul!
As winter bird watching goes today was up there amongst the
best outside the period when the Beast from the East bought the county to a
standstill!
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