March 20th 2010

weather: 10C, rainy

Fairlop Gravel Works:

• c20 Shoveler, 20 Tufted Duck
• male Shelduck
• Snipe, Green Sandpiper, 2 Redshank
• male Goshawk*, flew out of the trees near Aldborough Hall Farm, and flew low over the gravel works.
• 2 Stock Dove
• Jackdaw
• c20 Pied Wagtail, 5 singing Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit
• 11 Linnet (Anon)

Gants Hill, Roll Gardens:

• Sparrowhawk - Seen at 2.10pm circurling over residential gardens in Gants Hill pursed by single crow eventually heading over towards Barkingside area.
• Grey Heron - seen roughly around 11.35am flying low over my garden and surrounding gardens - second time within a couple days now probably checking our pond out for any sign of fish as we are about to re-line & design it.
• Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 Male
• Goldfinches - 3, Greenfinches - 7, Chaffinch - 7
• Great tits - 3, Blue tits - 3
• Blackbirds - 2, Wren - 1, Dunnock - 1, Robin - 1
• House Sparrows - 9, Starlings - 8
• Wood Pigeons - 2, Feral Pigeons - 9 (Alan Thomas)
  

Wanstead Flats:

• 18 Shoveler (15 male, 3 female) on Alexandra Lake
• pair of Little Grebe (Alexandra Lake
• singing Chiffchaff (Paul Ferris)
• 11 Ring Necked Parakeet: A flock of 4, followed later by another flock of 4, followed at irregular intervals by 3 individuals All flying south - north over Alexandra Lake area of Wanstead Flats, perhaps heading for Wanstead Park. Similar flocks have been noted in the evening, heading south. Are these commuting?
• Carrion Crow found dying by lake - so the poisoning is still having an effect. read more
• Sparrowhawk accros the Flats towards the City of London Cemetery at 7am
• c40 Redwing, 10 Fieldfare (Paul Ferris)
• 2 Wheatear** at last! (5 days later than the first Wheatear of 2009) (JLethbridge)

Wanstead Park:

• Water Rail still in the Dell (PFerris)

* First sighting of Goshawk in the borough during 2010 (and the 105th species this year)
** First Wheatear sightings in the borough of 2010 (and the 106th species this year) This is 5 days later than the first Wheatear sighting on 2009, which was also of 2 birds, on Wanstead Flats!
***By the end of March 2009, we had seen 107 species in the borough, with 11 days to go until the end of March we are already at 106 this year and it is very likely that we will see Little Ringed Plover, Sand Martin and Swallow by then putting us 2 ahead.