Weather: cloudy but bright. From 2:30pm.
An afternoon to test the camera & pick-up any early migrants; both locations a short walk from Canning Town tube station.
Bow Creek: a small restored area along the river with mixed scrub & reed areas.
Dunnock (singing enthusiastically), Magpie, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Mute Swan, Coot (one seen later with a chick), Mallard, Pied Wagtail, Crow, Cormorant (over), Goldfinch, Great Tit, Herring Gull, Shelduck, Blue Tit.
14 species.
East India Dock.
Tame Tufted Duck, up to 20; Teal, several still around; Moorhen, Robin, Blackbird, Oystercatcher (on the far riverbank under the O2), Grey Heron (over), Woodpigeon,
Greenfinch.
12 species.
Showing posts with label east india. Show all posts
Showing posts with label east india. Show all posts
Sunday, 5 April 2009
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Abney Park Cemetary & East India Dock Basin, London, 06/12/2008
Weather: bright & sunny, bitterly cold. From 12pm.
For a blog with 'urban' in the title I haven't actually done much urban birding, I mostly head out of the city. However after reading of various excellent sightings at londonbirders wiki & group, I decided to leave the car & explore a couple of sites in the city.
First up was Abney Park Cemetery which I got to after riding the Piccadilly underground line up to Manor House, I then jumped on the 141 bus for a few stops then walked along the south-side of Clissold Park into Stoke Newington. On the walk: Crow, Great Tit, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Starling.
After thinking I'd missed the cemetery, just as I pulled out the map there it was in front of me; once I entered it I found a wonderfully overgrown & ramshackle place just off Stoke Newington high street. There were understandably a few people about, it was Saturday afternoon, but apart from the 3 non-threatening bums enjoying some beers, it was a calm & peaceful place, even more so when I'd grown accustomed to the regular 'plane noise.
I had come mainly in the hope of seeing the reported firecrests. Initially though more common or garden Magpie, Blackbird, Dunnock, & Woodpigeon were seen & a couple of Blue Tit passed close by through the trees, the first of several I saw. Throughout my initial sightings I could hear loud calls of Great Spotted Woodpecker, even some drumming, & as I continued around three soon flew into view chasing each other & drumming enthusiastically - presumably a family party. As I took in the excitable 'peckers my attention was caught by a small bird picking through the trees above the path. I quickly focused, but it was a Goldcrest not its scarcer cousin. I carried on for Wren & Robin flitting amongst the headstones, then Long-Tailed Tit, a few Chaffinch, a couple of Great Tit, a Crow, & a lone Jay above the Isaac Watts statue. I then turned off the main path to a quieter side path & again saw a goldcrest flitting about, but then as I lingered another small bird edged through the foliage, this time noticeably & surprisingly brighter, with a distinctive & stand-out eyestripe: a Firecrest, the new species I had hoped to see. It passed directly over my head down another tree & across the path into the thick ivy behind the Watts statue, & it seemed to be joined by another though I didn't ID the second one - a brief encounter with a charismatic & enigmatic species. After that I wandered for a few minutes longer towards where the firecrests had gone but after no further sightings I decided to move on.
Next, I arrived at East India at 2:30pm after riding the underground to Bank followed by the DLR. The East India Dock Basin reserve is part of the Lee Valley & is a small park & reservoir next to the Thames & I found it to be a little a gem of a place.
After getting off the DLR & heading for the river I immediately noticed a good size group on the shore underneath the Millenium Dome from which I picked out 12 Grey Heron, 11 Cormorant, 6 Great Black-Backed Gull, 6 Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Black-Headed Gull & Herring Gull plus a few Carrion Crow. There might have been a couple of waders but without the 'scope at the distance I was, it was impossible to pick them out.
A few yards along & I entered the reserve & immediately spotted foraging Blackbird, Greenfinch, Long-Tailed Tit, Goldfinch. Then at the far side of the park was the enclosed run-off/reservoir from the river which exposed a good stretch of mud before a reedbed. On the mud were fantastic numbers of really close Teal all squeaking enthusiastically as they dabbled; on the open water were Tufted Duck, Mallard, Moorhen & Coot. After observing the mini-estuary for as long as the cold allowed I made my way back round the park for Woodpigeon, Blue Tit & Dunnock & by the time I had walked to the other side of the basin a couple of Little Grebe had popped up. Then just as I was about to leave a small brown bird lurking at the reeds' edge caught my attention, an unexpected Water Rail, with a curiously grey bill. Luckily I hadn't disturbed it, so it crept out of the reeds & entered the water where it began to wash itself, eventually revealing its red bill that had been covered by the dull mud from a day's foraging. It moved back to the reeds' edge to preen before it inevitably skulked back into the reedbed after about 5 minutes. I then made my way back towards the train but not before spotting a couple of Pied Wagtail on the riverside railings.
Finally as the light was fading I arrived at Island Gardens & headed to the river for a reported wintering ring-billed gull at the end of Glenaffric Avenue but the tide was in so there was no mud. However in the nearby water, far from the bank, was a rather tubby-looking gull with a ring on its bill amongst the black-headed gulls, but without it being closer for a better look, before a boat caused it to take wing, it'll have to remain a common gull.
32 species, 1 new.
For a blog with 'urban' in the title I haven't actually done much urban birding, I mostly head out of the city. However after reading of various excellent sightings at londonbirders wiki & group, I decided to leave the car & explore a couple of sites in the city.
First up was Abney Park Cemetery which I got to after riding the Piccadilly underground line up to Manor House, I then jumped on the 141 bus for a few stops then walked along the south-side of Clissold Park into Stoke Newington. On the walk: Crow, Great Tit, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Starling.
After thinking I'd missed the cemetery, just as I pulled out the map there it was in front of me; once I entered it I found a wonderfully overgrown & ramshackle place just off Stoke Newington high street. There were understandably a few people about, it was Saturday afternoon, but apart from the 3 non-threatening bums enjoying some beers, it was a calm & peaceful place, even more so when I'd grown accustomed to the regular 'plane noise.
I had come mainly in the hope of seeing the reported firecrests. Initially though more common or garden Magpie, Blackbird, Dunnock, & Woodpigeon were seen & a couple of Blue Tit passed close by through the trees, the first of several I saw. Throughout my initial sightings I could hear loud calls of Great Spotted Woodpecker, even some drumming, & as I continued around three soon flew into view chasing each other & drumming enthusiastically - presumably a family party. As I took in the excitable 'peckers my attention was caught by a small bird picking through the trees above the path. I quickly focused, but it was a Goldcrest not its scarcer cousin. I carried on for Wren & Robin flitting amongst the headstones, then Long-Tailed Tit, a few Chaffinch, a couple of Great Tit, a Crow, & a lone Jay above the Isaac Watts statue. I then turned off the main path to a quieter side path & again saw a goldcrest flitting about, but then as I lingered another small bird edged through the foliage, this time noticeably & surprisingly brighter, with a distinctive & stand-out eyestripe: a Firecrest, the new species I had hoped to see. It passed directly over my head down another tree & across the path into the thick ivy behind the Watts statue, & it seemed to be joined by another though I didn't ID the second one - a brief encounter with a charismatic & enigmatic species. After that I wandered for a few minutes longer towards where the firecrests had gone but after no further sightings I decided to move on.
Next, I arrived at East India at 2:30pm after riding the underground to Bank followed by the DLR. The East India Dock Basin reserve is part of the Lee Valley & is a small park & reservoir next to the Thames & I found it to be a little a gem of a place.
After getting off the DLR & heading for the river I immediately noticed a good size group on the shore underneath the Millenium Dome from which I picked out 12 Grey Heron, 11 Cormorant, 6 Great Black-Backed Gull, 6 Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Black-Headed Gull & Herring Gull plus a few Carrion Crow. There might have been a couple of waders but without the 'scope at the distance I was, it was impossible to pick them out.
A few yards along & I entered the reserve & immediately spotted foraging Blackbird, Greenfinch, Long-Tailed Tit, Goldfinch. Then at the far side of the park was the enclosed run-off/reservoir from the river which exposed a good stretch of mud before a reedbed. On the mud were fantastic numbers of really close Teal all squeaking enthusiastically as they dabbled; on the open water were Tufted Duck, Mallard, Moorhen & Coot. After observing the mini-estuary for as long as the cold allowed I made my way back round the park for Woodpigeon, Blue Tit & Dunnock & by the time I had walked to the other side of the basin a couple of Little Grebe had popped up. Then just as I was about to leave a small brown bird lurking at the reeds' edge caught my attention, an unexpected Water Rail, with a curiously grey bill. Luckily I hadn't disturbed it, so it crept out of the reeds & entered the water where it began to wash itself, eventually revealing its red bill that had been covered by the dull mud from a day's foraging. It moved back to the reeds' edge to preen before it inevitably skulked back into the reedbed after about 5 minutes. I then made my way back towards the train but not before spotting a couple of Pied Wagtail on the riverside railings.
Finally as the light was fading I arrived at Island Gardens & headed to the river for a reported wintering ring-billed gull at the end of Glenaffric Avenue but the tide was in so there was no mud. However in the nearby water, far from the bank, was a rather tubby-looking gull with a ring on its bill amongst the black-headed gulls, but without it being closer for a better look, before a boat caused it to take wing, it'll have to remain a common gull.
32 species, 1 new.
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