May 12th 2009

Fairlop Waters:

• 2 House Sparrows and 2 Starlings by the car park, also 4 Feral Pigeons over
• up to 100 Swifts over the lake.
• 12 Coot and 2 Moorhen on the main lake
• 1 Great Crested Grebe and 1 male Gadwall on the main lake
• 22 adult Mallard on the main lake including 5 with chicks...
• Mallard brood #1 - only 2 ducklings (newly hatched)
• Mallard brood #2 - 3 ducklings (a couple of weeks old)
• Mallard brood #3 - 7 ducklings (a couple of weeks old)
• Mallard brood #4 - 8 ducklings (newly hatched)
• Mallard brood #5 - at least 2 ducklings lost down the drain, distressed mother!
• (total of 44 Mallard Duck on the main lake including adults and ducklings)
• Flock of 20 Starling on the golf course near the remote controlled car club
• 1 Stock Dove flew over the lake
• 1 Mute Swan on the main lake
• 37 adult Canada Geese on the main lake
• 9 adult Greylag Goose on the main lake including 3 broods
• Greylag Goose brood #1 (6 goslings - couple of weeks old)
• Greylag Goose brood #2 (2 goslings - newly hatched)
• Greylag Goose brood #3 (10 goslings - newly hatched)
• total of 27 Greylag Geese including adults and goslings.
• 2 Blackcap singing in the bushes round the lake.
• 1 male Kestrel hunting over the scrub near the main lake
• Whitethroat displaying near the main lake
• 1 Common Sandpiper on the lake bank, near the sailing club
• pair of Chaffinches and pair of Greenfinch in the trees between the main lake and the fishing lake.
• 2 Mute Swan, 3 Canada Geese, 10 Tufted Duck , 4 Mallard and 3 Moorhen on the fishing lake.
• 2 Coot Broods on the fishing lake
• Coot brood #1 - only 1 chick
• Coot brood #2 - only 2 chicks
• at least 1 more Coot on nest on the fishing lake.
• total of 11 Coots on the fishing lake.
• Chaffinch calling near the fishing lake,
• 3 Collared Doves flyaing around the area between the fishing lake and the scrape (the pond on the farmland)
• pair of Stock Dove over the scrape
• Pheasant calling fromthe farmland
• 2 Skylark singing near the scrape.
• 1 pair of Lapwing agitated as i approached the scrape, perhaps nesting nearby
• Mute Swan, 5 Tufted Duck, 3 Coot, Moorhen, 10 Canada Geese and 2 Greylag Geese
• Mallard Brood #6 - 3 ducklings (female is a crossbreed/'farmyard duck')
• Canada Goose #1 - 5 goslings (newly hatched)
• Turtle Dove (flew NE) over the farmland near the fishing lake.
• Chiffchaff singing near the scrape.
• same male Kestrel being mobbed over the plain by a Magpie, and 5 mins later being mobbed by 4 Swifts.
• 2nd flock of about 20 Starlings at the east end of the plain, with 4 Chaffinches.
• 4 Lesser Black Backed Gulls (over, low)
• Lapwing feeding on the plain
• pair of Linnet flying over the plain.
• male Reed Bunting on the plain, and a pair near the 'Painters Road Sign'
• at least 2 more Pheasant calling on the Plain, and another Skylark singing.
• pair of Long Tailed Tit and another 3 Chaffinch on the plain,
• 4 House Martin (over)
• 5 Stock Dove, 18 Feral Pigeon, 6 Collared Dove on the paddock by the stables
• also a further 11 Canada Geese there.
• at least 6 Swallows flying in and out of the barns
• Blue Tit along the hedge
• Green Woodpecker calling in the distance.
• a couple of Starlings busy bringing food to their young in the trees by the stables, near the road.
• 2 Grasshopper Warblers reeling near the painters lane sign
• Mute Swan, 10 Tufted Duck, 3 Coot, 4 Moorhen on the lagoon
• Mallard Brood #6 - 8 ducklings (couple of weeks old)
• Grey Heron (over)
• Garden Warbler near the lagoon also 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Chaffinch and 2 Greenfinch.
• quite a lot of Blackcap, and Willow Warblers and at least 11 Whitethroat throughout the park.
• a further 33 Canada Geese on the driving range, and 1 Greylag Geese
• 2 more Collared Dove and a Pied Wagtail by the main lake again as i returned to the car.
• Also: 9 Wood Pigeon, 4 Carrion Crow, 6 Magpie, 2 Blackbird, 2 Robin, 2 Great Tit

Woodford:

• Little Egret over Snakes Lane at Midday (Peter Hopkins)

Woodford Green:

• pair of Mistle Thrush, pair of Goldfinch, Blackbird, Robin, and Pied Wagtail on Broadmead Estate (Daniel E-Hull)

Roding Valley Park:

• Little Egret on the River Roding, near Woodford Bridge at 7.55am (Alan Hobson)