September 19th 2010

Fairlop Gravel Works:

• south side of Painters Road at dusk:
• 5 Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank (DEH)

South Woodford:

• c4 House Martin, c4 Swallow over (PGordon)

Wanstead Flats:

• No sign of Wryneck by 10:00, but then miraculously reappeared at 12:06 (Tim Harris) normal service,
• f/imm Wheatear (broom field),
• Hobby, 2 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel,
• 3 Yellow Wagtail (south), Pied Wagtail, 10+ Meadow Pipit, 14 Swallow (NW), flock of Sand Martin (reported over),
• 6+ Chiffchaff, Blackcap,
• Song Thrush, 7 Mistle Thrush, 6 Ring Necked Parakeet,
• 10 Gadwall, 1 pr Shoveler, 3 Little Grebe, 2 Grey Heron,
• Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker,
• Also: 4 Cormorant, 5 Skylark, Stock Dove, 2 chaffinch, Greenfinch etc. (Nick Croft).
• Wryneck showing well up to 15-20 feet feeding on ant hills up to 14:30 (S Fisher).
• Wryneck Still present around ant hills in scrub near Capel Rd entrance until 18:30 at least (Stuart Harrington).

Wanstead Park:

• Tree Pipit (golf course),
• Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (OSW),
• Hobby,
• 20 Sand Martin south (S Fisher)
• I only noted one adult swan + six cygnets on Shoulder of Mutton Pond (Wanstead Park), instead of the usual two adults + seven cygnets. I 'phoned Tim Harris, and he explained that he'd seen the missing adult + cygnet on Jubilee Pond (Wanstead Flats), and that the adult was trying to chase the cygnet away. I guess this young one is obviously capable of flying now, and the parent wants to shoo it away to independence!
• Whilst walking around the Ornamental Waters (Wanstead Park), we saw one Little Egret; nine male and six female Gadwalls; six Tufted Ducks;
• and also heard (but didn't see) a Hobby flying above the trees. (KHartnett)
• 4 Ring Necked Parakeet (Gary Capps-Jenner)

Wanstead Park Wildfowl Count numbers:

• Jubilee: 3 Mute Swan (1 cygnet); 85 Canada Goose; 12 Mallard; 1 Grey Heron; 4 Coot; 23 Black-headed Gull
• Alexandra: 6 Mute Swan (4 cygnets); 123 Canada Goose; 8 Mallard; 2 Shoveler; 4 Pochard; 7 Moorhen (1 juv); 46 Coot; 31 Black-headed Gull
• Eagle: 3 Mute Swan; 32 Canada Goose; 14 Mallard; 2 Pochard; 26 Tufted Duck; 1 Cormorant; 6 Moorhen (1 juv); 27 Coot; 44 Black-headed Gull; 1 Common Gull
• Shoulder of Mutton: 7 Mute Swan (6 cygnets); 7 Mallard; 2 Little Grebe; 1 Cormorant; 1 Grey Heron; 4 Moorhen; 20 Coot; 35 Black-headed Gull
• Ornamentals: 8 Mute Swan (6 cygnets); 15 Gadwall; 74 Mallard; 6 Tufted Duck; 3 Cormorant; 2 Grey Heron; 1 Little Egret; 14 Moorhen; 20 Coot; 14 Black-headed Gull
• Perch: 7 Gadwall; 8 Mallard; 1 Shoveler; 8 Tufted Duck; 1 Cormorant; 6 Moorhen; 18 Coot; 3 Black-headed Gull
• Heronry: 10 Mute Swan (8 cygnets); 2 Canada Goose; 6 Gadwall; 15 Mallard; 9 Pochard; 4 Tufted Duck; 3 Little Grebe; 3 Moorhen; 88 Coot; 3 Black-headed Gull; 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (via THarris)
• Basin: 3 Mute Swans (inc 2 cygnets); 3 Mallard; 4 Little Grebe; 1 Great Crested Grebe; 3 Cormorant; 3 Moorhen; 5 Coot (courtesy of Stuart Fisher)