Big Birdwatch Report

The rain stopped just in time for our Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch event on 25th January, but the weather conditions weren't great. Nevertheless a lot of enthusiastic people turned up for the guided walk (19 adults, 5 children, 1 Jack Russell terrier) and we had a fun time going round the park. Birds recorded were 1 blackbird, 20 black-headed gulls, 3 blue tits, 3 crows, 19 common gulls, 8 feral pigeons, 2 goldfinchs, 1 great spotted woodpecker, 3 great tits, 6 house sparrows, 4 magpies, 4 redwings, 2 ring-necked parakeets, 8 robins, 40 starlings, 6 woodpigeons and 1 wren. These stats have been sent to the RSPB as part of their nationwide Big Garden Birdwatch.

Meanwhile, outside the cafe, Rachel gave out leaflets, sold a few copies of our Birds of Hilly Fields booklet and tutored some of the children in the art of making fat balls to feed the birds. She also managed to take a few photographs despite having 'lardy hands'. A messy time was had by all. 

Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch 2026

This year's Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch will be held on Sunday 25 January between 10.30–12.30. A guided walk will commence at 11.00 am. As always, our event is timed to coincide with the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch which will take place that weekend. The results of our Birdwatch will be recorded on our Big Blackboard at the event, then forwarded to the RSPB.

We will have a stall outside the park cafe with leaflets, bird ID sheets and copies of our Birds of Hilly Fields booklet. This costs £5 and all profits are used by the Friends of Hilly Fields for nature conservation projects within the park. There will also be children's activities including making fat balls to be hung on nearby trees. These are excellent high energy foods for birds in the winter months. By the way, children are the bird lovers of the future and are very welcome at this event.

If you wish to go round the park on your own, you're welcome to take a bird ID leaflet from our stall, but please remember the RSPB's golden rules: (i) only count the maximum number of each species that you see at any one time (to avoid duplication); (ii) don't count birds that fly over without stopping - only birds within the park. 

In June last year, we saw a buzzard over Hilly Fields for the first time during one of our surveys. It was flying low enough to be hassled by crows from the park, so it has been officially recorded. This is the 53rd bird species we've seen since the surveys began in 2007. It's unlikely that we'll see a buzzard on Sunday 25 January, but...you never know!

 

Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch 2025

 Our annual Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch event will be held on Sunday 26 January this year from 10.30-12.30. As usual, we will have a stall outside the cafe which will have bird ID sheets if you wish to go round the park on your own or you can use them on the guided walk which will start at 11.00. Our celebrated Big Blackboard will be there to display the results. 

Children will be able to make fatballs and bird feeders at the stall and these can be hung from trees in the park or on trees in your street or garden. Loop them over low hanging branches and you will be helping  birds to get through the winter.

 

We will also have copies of our 'indispensable' guide to the Birds of Hilly Fields with pen portraits of all species recorded in the park since 2007 and many photographs. These are priced at £5 and all money received goes to the Friends of Hilly Fields to help with nature conservation projects.

Our birdwatch is organised by the Friends of Hilly Fields, in conjunction with Glendale, the Lewisham Parks maintenance team. It is timed to coincide with the nationwide RSPB Bird Garden Birdwatch. In counting birds for this event, please remember the RSPB's golden rules:

(i) only count the maximum number of each species that you see at any one time (to avoid duplication); (ii) don't count birds that fly over without stopping - only birds within the park. 

By the way, back in November we were lucky enough to see a kestrel in the park – a rare event these days. It was perched in one of the horse chestnut trees in the north field, watching a flock of sparrows flitting about in some trees below. At one point, it left its perch and hovered in the air above them, but no sparrows were taken as far as we could see. 

We look forward to seeing you on 26 January.

Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch 2024 Report

 We were lucky to have sunny windless weather for the 2024 Big Birdwatch on 28 January. Around 50 people visited the Friends stall where we handed out bird ID leaflets and sold some 'merch' including postcards and our Birds of Hilly Fields booklet. Approx 20 people came on the bird walk and 20 bird species were recorded including great spotted woodpeckers, redwings, a mistle thrush and Britain's smallest bird, the goldcrest. The stats will be forwarded to the RSPB as part of their Big Garden Birdwatch.

A steady flow of children got stuck in (literally) to making fatballs for the birds, several of which ended up hanging from nearby trees. And someone created a new species of leaf bird.                                         

Thanks to Rachel from the Friends for organising the event and managing the stall, to Emily from Glendale for support, to the birders who helped identify the birds (you know who you are), to Sadie, Oliver and Daniel who volunteered at the stall as part of their Duke of Edinburgh course, to anyone I've forgotten and everyone who came along!                                                                                                                

What's next? Why, the annual wassail which happens in the Hilly Fields orchard (down the slope from the stone circle) at 3.30 pm this Sunday 4th February – so plenty of time for you to scrap all your other plans and come along. Please bring a mug if you can to sample the alcoholic or non-alcoholic hot drinks.

Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch 2024

Attention all bird lovers! It's time once again for the Friends of Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch event. Date and time: Sunday 28th January between 10.30 – 12.30. Our stall will be based outside the Hilly Fields cafe as usual. We will have Bird ID sheets  and children will be able to make fatballs and bird feeders. These can be hung from trees in the park or taken home to hang in your own garden. Everything is free.

A guided walk will set off from outside the cafe at 11.00 approx. If you have binoculars, please bring them. Alternatively, you can grab a Bird ID sheet and go round by yourselves, but please observe these basic rules:

(i) only count the maximum number of each species that you see at any one time (to avoid duplication); (ii) don't count birds that fly over without stopping - only birds within the park. 

We will collate the results at the end on our Big Blackboard and submit the results to the RSPB.

It's all about helping people to learn a little bit more about birds and how our parks and green spaces are such important habitats for them. It's also about supporting the RSPB as the whole weekend is part of their National Big Garden Birdwatch. And we still have a few copies left of our celebrated Birds of Hilly Fields booklet which will be on sale at the stall – £5.00 all proceeds to the Friends of HF. We looking forward to seeing you there.

Photo: Rebecca Simmons

Big Garden Birdwatch 2023

 Another year, another Big Birdwatch on Hilly Fields. The Friends of Hilly Fields annual bird watching event will take place this year on Sunday 29 January from 10.30 – 12.30. We will be based outside the cafe, everyone is welcome and it's child-friendly.

There'll be a guided walk starting at 11.00 am. Alternatively you can grab a Bird ID sheet from the stall and go around by yourself/selves. Bring binoculars if you can. On the practical side, there'll be stuff for kids to make bird feeders and fatballs with. These can be hung on trees in the park or taken home to your own garden/balcony/window box. And it's all free...

If you do the Birdwatch by yourselves, please remember the basic rules: (i) only count the maximum number of each species that you see at any one time (to avoid duplication); (ii) don't count birds that fly over without stopping - only birds within the park. We will collate the results at the end on our Big Blackboard and submit the results to the RSPB.

It's all about helping people to learn a little bit more about birds and how our parks and green spaces are such important habitats for them. It's also about supporting the RSPB as the whole weekend is part of their National Big Garden Birdwatch. And we still have a few copies left of our celebrated Birds of Hilly Fields booklet which will be on sale at the stall – £3.50 all proceeds to the Friends of HF.

So come along. You might see a great spotted woodpecker. You might see a jay. You might see a nuthatch. You'll almost certainly see "the UK's only naturalised parrot"! 

Photo: David Chapman

"What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?" Sir David Attenborough.

Red Kite - Bird 52!

A red kite was observed over Hilly Fields on the morning of 25 May, flying over the trees in the north east corner of the park before disappearing further east. Normally we wouldn't count birds which fly overhead without landing as 'park records', but this one was flying just low enough to be mobbed by three crows - our 'avian security guards'. We are therefore adding it to our bird list - the 52nd 'bird of Hilly Fields' to be recorded in the last 15 years.

Credit: eBird

The red kite (Milvus milvus) is a bird of prey and belongs to the same family as buzzards, eagles and harriers. It has a reddish-brown body, a wingspan of almost six feet and can be identified from below by its forked tail. In the middle ages, kites were common birds and scavenged on London's streets, but persecution drove them almost to extinction. Thanks to the RSPB and other conservation efforts, numbers have increased and they can often be seen flying over London again, though not at street level! In rural and suburban areas, there have been reports of them swooping down to take chickens or even picnic lunch food. Scavenging again after all those centuries.

Our booklet 'Birds of Hilly Fields' will be on sale at the Hilly Fields Midsummer Fayre this Saturday 25 June. We will also have tote bags, postcards and other items to buy, as well displays of our plans to make the park even better. Drop by and see us at the Friends of Hilly Fields stall.

Dawn Chorus Walk 2022

We will be holding our first dawn chorus walk since 2019 on Thursday 31 March. Meet outside the cafe at 6 am. If you have binoculars, please bring them. We'll do a circuit of Hilly Fields and and identify common bird songs and calls such as those of the blackbird, robin and wren, as well as the song and mistle thrush and the migrant warblers blackcap and chiffchaff if they happen to be vocal. If we're lucky, we might hear a great spotted woodpecker drumming or a nuthatch calling. We'll point out as many birds as we can whether they're singing or not!

In past years, we've been able to extend the walk to include the Brockley and Ladywell cemeteries. With council permission, a member of the Friends Group would admit us at 7am via a gate on Brockley Grove. That seems unlikely to happen this year as the gate was blocked with an earth bank during lockdown and that is still in place. The walk will finish therefore by 7am. If by any chance, we can gain access to the cemeteries, finishing time will be 7.45 approx. People can drop out at any time though if work calls.

Mistle Thrush

We will have a few copies of our Birds of Hilly Fields booklet for sale if anyone has not yet bought a copy. These are £3.50 and all profits go to the Friends of Hilly Fields.

Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch 2022 Report

Our Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch on 30 January was the first since January 2020 and we had probably the best ever attendance. It was particularly good to see so many children brought along by their parents and  making bird feeders at the Friends stall or coming round on the guided walk. 

22 species were recorded which is not a record breaker, but still a healthy total. Surprisingly, the highest individual total was the Common Gull of which 22 were counted on the north field. Despite its name, this bird is usually outnumbered by the Black-headed Gull which in winter is the most common gull in London and the UK. Next highest were the Starlings at 16 and Goldfinches at 12. 

Common Gull left, Black-headed Gull right

At the other end of the scale, a single Greenfinch and Redwing were seen. It was good to catch sight of the Nuthatch pair who hopefully will be breeding in the park again this year. We had a good view of them on the Lane during the guided walk. Sadly, no Great Spotted Woodpeckers turned up this year, nor did we see any Song or Mistle Thrushes (though a Song Thrush was seen and heard on the Lane on 1st January).

Greenfinch at Hilly Fields

Thanks are due to Rachel who masterminded the stall as usual, to Sue, Judith, Conrad and Lawrence who helped on the guided walk, to Lee the parkie who lugged stuff around for us, to the cafe for all their support and to Debbie who volunteers with the London Peregrine Partnership and brought along two fine displays of bird feathers for the stall. 

For early risers, we'll be doing a dawn chorus walk on Thursday 31 March, starting from the cafe at 6 am. And in the meantime, our Birds of Hilly Fields booklet can be bought from the cafe or via this link.

WASSAIL

 Wake up the trees! Join us at Hilly Fields Wassail on Saturday 12th February, 2022. 3pm in the orchard. 

That is just beyond the stone circle.

Please bring your own mug if you can. We'll have Wassail (mulled cider) and hot spiced apple juice to share. 

The orchard maintenance session will take place at 10-30 until 12.30 in the morning. If you wish to join us, it would be helpful to contact us: email hillyfields4@googlemail.com

Wassail Hilly Fields

Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch 2022

 Pleased to say that the Friends of Hilly Fields are going ahead with the Big Birdwatch this year after last year's lockdown. The event will be held on Sunday 30 January from 10.30-12.30 and is timed to coincide with the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch which takes place that weekend.

If you want to come along to Hilly Fields, the Friends will have a stall outside the cafe. You can either pick up a Bird ID form from there and go round by yourselves or join the guided walk at 11.00. If you have binoculars, please bring them.

There will also be children's activities including a bird quiz and bird feeder making. Children are welcome to come on the walk.

If you go round by yourselves, please hand in your results at the stall afterwards.  The basic rules are: (i) only count the maximum number of each species that you see at any one time (to avoid duplication); (ii) don't count birds that fly over without stopping - only birds within the park. We will collate the results at the end on our Big Blackboard and submit to the RSPB.

And finally we will have copies of our much-praised Birds of Hillyfields booklet on sale for £3.50 if you haven't yet bought one. All proceeds go to the Friends group. 

Hope to see you there.

Sparrowhawk On The Fence

 Thanks to whoever shared this photograph on the Cliffview Road WhatsApp group last month. It shows a male sparrowhawk sitting on a fence in one of the gardens that back onto Hilly Fields. If you look closely, you can see a mouse or vole held between its talons. Proof that these marvellous birds of prey do prey in the gardens that border our park. And that they don't just prey on sparrows as their name suggests.

We have a similar photograph of a male sparrowhawk in our Birds of Hilly Fields booklet along with the following description: 'A woodland predator, it has evolved great skill in flying fast around and between trees and usually succeeds in catching prey through the element of surprise. Its extra long toes also help to catch birds in flight. The male is smaller than the female and has a less fierce, almost dopey look. It has a reddish barred chest and grey back, whereas the female has grey-brown barring to the chest, a white stripe over the eye and brown back.' This photo was taken in 2015 by Keith Ward in his Cliffview Rd back garden.

Our booklet has sold well, but copies are still available from the Hilly Fields cafe or online from https://supportmylocal.org/store/rachel-mooney/ where you can either buy it alone for £3.50 or in various deals with tote bags and other items. Ideal gifts for Christmas and all profits go to the Friends of Hilly Fields.

At the moment, the RSPB still intends to hold their annual Big Garden Birdwatch event at the end of January: 'Simply count the birds you see in your garden, from your balcony or in your local park between 28 and 30 January 2022.' Last year we had to cancel our Big Birdwatch event, but hopefully we will be able to hold it again on Hilly Fields on Sunday 30 January with the usual display table outside the cafe, ID sheets, activities for kids and a guided walk. More details next month.

        

Five Nuthatch Fledglings

Migrant Blackcaps arrived on Hilly Fields in early April this year, perhaps slightly delayed by uncooperative weather. Three males were seen in the park that month, but there was no sight or sound of that other common spring migrant, the Chiffchaff. The highest count during our monthly survey was  60 Starlings. A Greenfinch was heard of which more later. The Black-headed and Common Gulls that had been living off the Hilly Fields worm population all winter were gone. The complete count was 3 Blackbird, 3 Blackcap, 2 Blue Tit, 3 Crow, 1 Collared Dove, 4 Goldfinch, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Great Tit, 1 Greenfinch, 2 House Sparrow, 2 Magpie, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Ring-necked Parakeet, 7 Robin, 60 Starling, 1 Stock Dove, 4 Woodpigeon, 8 Wren.

Starlings gang up on lone Gull.

The highlight of our May survey was seeing five Nuthatch fledglings. This is the second, possibly the third year in a row that Nuthatches have nested in the park. Perched on a maple branch close to where the path separates the north and east fields, they waited while their parents scouted for food. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers was also seen and five Swifts soaring overhead at one point. The complete count was 3 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 4 Blue Tit, 2 Crow, 10 Goldfinch, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Great Tit, 1 Herring Gull, 10 House Sparrow, 2 Magpie, 7 Nuthatch, 2 Pied Wagtail, 2 Ring-necked Parakeet, 10 Robin, 30 Starling, 5 Swift, 3 Woodpigeon, 4 Wren.

Nuthatch fledglings...

...anticipating food.

During our June survey, we were surprised to hear two Chiffchaffs singing. As we haven't heard or seen them in April and May, it's unlikely they've nested in the park, but more likely to be visiting from another local site. We also saw a female Greenfinch on the Lane which is not a common sight. Greenfinches are not fazed by humans staring through binoculars at them or pointing cameras and will stay in the same position for as long as it suits them. You can just about see the 'heavy-looking conical bill' (RSPB).

                     

On the opposite side of the Lane, a female Great Spotted Woodpecker preened for at least five minutes which means I should really have got a better photo. But there you are.

The complete count for June was 3 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 2 Blue Tit, 4 Crow, 2 Feral Pigeon, 6 Goldfinch, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Great Tit, 1 Greenfinch, 3 House Sparrow, 1 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Magpie, 2 Nuthatch, 3 Ring-necked Parakeet, 7 Robin, 3 Starling, 1 Swift, 2 Woodpigeon, 6 Wren.

Incidentally, if you're wondering where 'the Lane' is or any other locations mentioned, take a look at our new site map on the home page and right click on it to get a readable version.

Reminder: our new booklet Birds of Hilly Fields, produced by the Friends of Hilly Fields, has been selling well, despite lockdown. The feedback has been good, but we still have plenty of copies in stock. At present, it's available online (see link below) and can be purchased either by itself at £3.50 or with a tote cotton bag and postcards for £10. The link is https://supportmylocal.org/store/rachel-mooney/ We deliver to your door within a radius of 2 miles and all profits go to the Friends of Hilly Fields.