William Girling Reservoir, Chingford, London, 23/01/2010

12:30 to 2pm. Weather: cold, dull & grey; easterly breeze.

Out to Mansfield Park in Chingford to get the 'scope on William Girling Reservoir where there is no public access. Although from the park the reservoir is probably a mile away it was possible to identify the birds on the reservoir with the 'scope & with my new 'scope, a Kowa TS-663 ED the dull light wasn't much of an issue either.

Green Woodpecker - flew off from the ground as I reached the top of the hill in the park.
Great Crested Grebe - the first species picked out from my far-off vantage point; most still in winter plumage but a couple of males with a breeding season crest.
Tufted Duck- the most numerous species on the water in a few flocks of several individuals.
Goldeneye - six to ten dotted about the margins of the reservoir.
Cormorant - a few fishing low in the water.
Great Northern Diver - the first target species I hoped to see, spotted next to one of the cormorants where its distinctive stocky, heavy-billed shape appeared in contrast. It soon submerged & despite waiting for it to reappear it didn't within my field of view. Later I saw another on a different part of the water.
Canada Goose, Coot - a few of each scattered in the water near to the far bank.

Black-Necked Grebe - the next target species & more difficult to pick out from so far away but I did eventually pick out the smaller, upright with steep forehead & generally darker colour, particularly on the neck, of a couple of this new species, a life tick. I saw about half a dozen at various points across the water with more likely to have been present but I was unable to pick them out from so far away. As I descended the park's hill I found another spot down the slope that gave better views of a closer section of the water where fortunately a couple of individuals were swimming through & I was able to get a nice view, even showing a passerby through the scope who asked what I was looking at.

Black-Headed Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull - several of each species, flying, swimming &/or washing in the water.
Mute Swan - 1.

Great to connect with the two target species in such a straightfoward manner. Although the viewpoint is very distant the new 'scope made fairly light work of it. However if/when I return for a second look I will spend much more time at the mid-way point up the park's hill as this gave a flatter, seemingly closer, perspective across the water & which made more of the light. Also nice to know that within 30 minutes of my inner city flat it is possible to see nationally important numbers of scarce species.

13 species, 1 new, 1 UK first.

Hampstead Cemetery, London, 10/01/2010

12:20 to 1:40pm. Weather: cold, grey, snow flurries & snow on the ground; slight Easterly breeze.

Patch visit to see if the harsh conditions had pushed anything different into the area. About an inch of snow lay all about & it was with the satisfying crunch of it underfoot that I made my way around.

Fortune Green Entrance:
Great Tit - 2 initially but the most frequently seen species.
Crow, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Robin.
Goldfinch - 3 over initially, several more seen later.
Green Woodpecker - 1 just off the main path, foraging in the snow before flying off. The same or another seen later, near the brambles, flew up from the ground & then off into the trees near the chapel.
Long-Tailed Tit - 2 feeding parties of several individuals seen.
Coal Tit, Blackbird.

South-side:
Sparrowhawk - what looked like a male cruised through, putting up woodpigeons & other birds in the vicinity.
Redwing - 3 over initially, up to 20 over &/or at various points in the cemetery.
Song Thrush - 1 possible quickly into shrubs, watched another foraging amongst a tree's branches as yet another sang nearby.
Chaffinch, Wren, Greenfinch, Blue Tit.
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 flew north then again seen in the east-side.

UCL Sports Grounds:
Fieldfare - 1 over as I looked over the sports fields, then as I walked the east-side one alighted & rested in a nearby shrub where it took on a classic winter pose - a nice site tick.
Black-Headed Gull, Common Gull, Starling - all over the almost deserted snowbound field.

East-side:
Jay - flitted over the path to the remembrance garden.
Goldcrest - 1 heard in the eastern sector.

24 species.

Heacham Manor Hotel, Heacham, Norfolk, 01/01/2010

10am. Weather: bright, sunny & freezing cold.

Barn Owl - my first bird of the year & the new decade & my favourite one. Kim & I saw one quartering the golf course when we checked-in for new year's eve & as we sat at breakfast the next day we had a good view of another as it did the same, before flying off behind the trees & further out onto the course towards Hunstanton.