RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2013 - Our 100th Post!

Firstly, please make a date in your diary or calendar for Sunday 27 January at 10.30. This is during the weekend of the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and we will once again be holding our own bird recording event - the 'garden' in this case being Hilly Fields. We will be based on top of the hill next to the cafe and will have a stall there with bird-orientated craft activities for children. The core of the event, however, will be bird surveying and you can either go round by yourselves or on a guided walk with one of us. We will provide illustrated checklists to assist. Please remember the two golden rules:

1. Only record the maximum number of species that you see at any one time (eg. if you see three Magpies in one location and three in another, that's three - not six!)

2. Don't count any birds passing overhead unless they touch down on Hilly Fields.

These are the RSPB's rules and are meant to avoid duplicate counting and distortion of data. Although some birds are territorial and don't budge much from their pitch, others zoom around all over the place. 

We will collate all the findings on our hi-tech blackboard (see below) and send the final tallies off to the RSPB. If you want to do a survey that weekend in your back garden, then it's a good idea to register beforehand. Details are here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/

Secondly, the Hilly Fields Birdwatch stats department tell me that this is our 100th post! The majority of those posts were written by Keith who started the blog back in 2008, so full credit to him. We are not experts or twitchers, but bird lovers and bird watchers. The blog is not written for "birders", but for anyone who appreciates Hilly Fields and the role that it plays as a 'green space' in supporting nature. Thank you for taking the trouble to read our humble offerings and thanks for the feedback you send in. Hopefully, we will see you on Sunday 27 January at 10.30.

December Bird Survey

Our December bird survey took place on the 21st - a fine sunny day though the ground was still rain sodden in places. It was also the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and, according to some, the day on which the world would end - although the Mayans were saying that was baloney. And of course they were right.

The better weather brought plenty of birds out, but the highlight was a clear view of a female Blackcap in the garden between bowling green and bothy. Blackcaps are warblers with a pretty song which we heard often last spring. They are still mainly spring migrants to the UK and spend the winter in Spain, Portugal or West Africa, but as our climate has warmed, a small population overwinters here (estimated as "3000 and increasing" by the RSPB). By coincidence, Sue had seen a male Blackcap in her garden a few days earlier, so it is gratifying to know that they are hanging on in lovely Lewisham. The male has a black head (hence the name 'Blackcap') and the female a brown head; both have a light grey breast. Our female didn't stay around long enough for me to get a photo, but here's one from the Web.

Female Blackcap

Just before the Blackcap appeared, we saw a Dunnock (possibly two) scrabbling around in the undergrowth. Dunnocks seem to be permanent residents of Hilly Fields, though we've never seen more than one or two at any one time and I doubt that there are many around the park. They are small, furtive birds that tend to creep around close to cover.

Dunnock

In all, we saw 17 different species during our walkabout. The 'big' numbers were 22 Blackheaded Gulls, 13 Starlings, 10 Woodpigeons and 9 Common Gulls. There were 6 House Sparrows in the Cliffview hedge which is slightly more than usual. We heard the high-pitched trilling of Goldfinches quite often, but never saw more than 4 together. Similarly, we heard and saw Robins, Great Tits and Blue Tits galore but never more than 3 at any one time. We also saw small numbers of Magpies, Crows, Blackbirds and Ring-necked Parakeets as well as a solitary Chaffinch and at one point heard a Greenfinch sneering at us from somewhere out of sight. Here's a shot of one of the Starlings high up in a poplar tree -they really do have attractive glossy speckled coats though you need a close-up view to appreciate it.

In other news, the Tawny Owl was heard again earlier this month by a Cliffview resident (thanks, Keith!).  Great Tits which have been quiet since early summer can now be heard calling most days and other birds should be getting more vocal from January onwards. On which 'note', may I thank everyone who takes the time to visit and read (and occasionally comment on) Hilly Fields Birdwatch and wish you all the best for 2013.

November Bird Survey

What a difference a month can make. At the end of October, I was moaning about the "dense foliage" hiding the small birds from view. By 27th November when we did this month's bird survey, the trees were almost bare, having been helped by some strong autumn winds to shed their leaves. As a result, the small birds were much more visible, even through the drizzle that splattered our optical aids. Walking around the park, we saw and/or heard at least 8 Robins, a couple of Wrens moving around tree trunks looking for insects, Chaffinches, Blue Tits, plenty of Great Tits (with a couple calling but not yet in full voice) and a small number of Long-tailed Tits alongside them. Close up, the Long-tailed Tit is an excessively cute little bird as can be seen in this recent photograph by Dave Bushell from the Kent Wildlife Trust page on Facebook.

Winter flocks are building up as well. At one point on Eastern Road, we saw about 20 Goldfinch suddenly rise en masse from a single tree, startled by a Mistle Thrush flying nearby. And at least 20 Starlings were making a communal racket in a tree near the playground. On the lower field, the Black-headed Gulls had returned in force, having been absent for most of the month. Perhaps they'd heard that the weather was about to turn cold. We counted 40 in total with a pair of Common Gulls among them. And along the path that borders the Cliffview Rd back gardens, we found 7 House Sparrows lurking in the hedgerows - which almost does constitute a "flock" these days for what was once the commonest bird in London.

In addition, we saw Wood Pigeons, Feral Pigeons, Blackbirds, Crows, Magpies and our old friend or enemy, the Ring-necked Parakeet. A respectable tally of 18 different species in all.

October Bird Survey

The last day of October was overcast and windy with rain showers also forecast. These are not the sort of conditions which entice birds out into the open, particularly when there's still plenty of dense foliage for them to shelter in. My expectations were low therefore as I trudged up Vicars Hill towards the park. On meeting Terry, however, who joined me for this month's survey, I discovered that he'd had already seen a flock of Long-tailed Tits, a Goldcrest and a Great Spotted Woodpecker all in the Eastern Road area! By the end of our walkabout,we'd clocked a healthy total of 18 different species. The Goldcrest, which I saw later in the garden area was hanging out with the Long-tailed Tits. It is officially Britain's smallest bird and has a quiet high-pitched call. The yellow and black striped head crest (from which it gets its name) is difficult to see from the ground and I'm not sure I would have recognised it without Terry's expert eye. This is only the second time that we Bird Champions have seen one on Hilly Fields, the last being in March 2009. Here's a cute little clip from You Tube:

The other significant feature of our survey was the return of the gulls which are moving back into the city now that the temperature is dropping. Small in number at present - 9 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Common Gulls waddling around next to the cricket pitch - but more will follow. The Starlings are also back - we counted 13 noisily convening in one of the trees on the Northern field - but again more will turn up as the autumn and winter progresses. We counted 80 during the RSPB Birdwatch event last January. Here's a pic of them dropping in to join a gull on the grass.

Also seen or heard: several Robins calling in different places, one briefly singing; 2 Jays in trees between the wood and the orchard; 3 Feral Pigeons, 8 Wood Pigeons; 2 Blackbirds, one a black-billed juvenile; 5 Crows and 1 Magpie (for sorrow); small numbers of Great Tits and Blue Tits calling in various locations; 2 Goldfinches and, in the Cliffview back gardens hedge, the usual family of 4 House Sparrows, males outnumbering female by 3:1; and a solitary Ring-necked Parakeet.

PS. Shortly after posting the above, Sue told me she had seen earlier this week "a Sparrowhawk going from HF across Vicars Hill, a Peregrine Falcon going the other way over Algiers Road and a Green Woodpecker on an ash tree near the garden/bothy on Hilly Fields". This is the first Green Woodpecker that we have spotted on Hilly Fields though they can be found quite often in Brockley and Ladywell cemeteries.

A Dead Duck and An Owl

You know it's a quiet morning when three birders - myself, Sue and Tony - end up staring through our binoculars at a Wood Pigeon sitting in a tree. Later on, we saw a flock of 26 "Woodies" on the East Field, although they were soon frightened off by a Glendale man hoovering up litter. Other than that our monthly survey on 28 September was very nearly a dead duck- as they say. The oppressively gloomy weather had a lot to do with it, I'm sure. Birds that we have little difficulty in seeing on a normal day like Great Tits, Robins and Goldfinches could not be tempted out of their cover and were heard rather than seen. We did get a good view of three Blue Tits at the top of a tree in the Vicars Hill border, though one had flown by the time I got my camera out.

Blue Tits in the Vicars Hill border

We heard a single Wren in the wood, caught a brief glimpse of a blackbird in the Veda Road garden border, saw a Mistle Thrush fly across the lower field into the tree canopy and two House Sparrows at the top end of Vicars Hill. But only those old familiars - the Crows and Magpies - were out and about as usual. At least by the end of next month, the gulls should have arrived for the winter. And the Robins which are ticking and clicking just about everywhere at the moment as they establish territorial rights should be showing themselves more clearly. And of course the trees will be shedding their leaves...

Magpie on the East Field

There has been one piece of good news during September - a Tawny Owl has been heard hooting after dark by residents along the Cliffview Road border. Tawnies are not uncommon in the parks and wooded areas of London, though this is a "first" on Hilly Fields during the time that we've been recording. When the London Wildlife Trust carried out a survey in 1985, over 400 records of Tawny Owls were submitted covering every borough except the City of London. Interestingly, the LWT has just completed another "owl prowl" survey and it will be interesting to see how it compares and whether numbers have fallen like those of many other bird species. If you hear an owl hooting on Hilly Fields, please let us know via the comments box.

Tawny Owl [stock photo]

Goodbye Mr McGaw

Sadly, this week sees the departure of Chris McGaw who has managed the Lewisham Rivers and People project since its inception two and a half years ago. In that time, Chris has led umpteen walks all over Lewisham and shown us many features of the natural world that we never knew existed in our urban surroundings. Hilly Fields has been on the itinerary several times including two dawn chorus walks when Chris drove in from his home in Kent for a 5.00 am start. He even managed to stop the rain for a couple of hours this year and provided the magic key that let us into Brockley and Ladywell cemeteries as part of the walk.

Chris under the Hilly Fields green flag
May 2011

Ladywell Fields Sept 2012

Chris is a birder with a particular skill in recognising birdsong, but he also has a very wide knowledge of nature in general and has identified for us many flowers, plants, trees and tree galls, insects, fish and other aquatic creatures. Always helpful, his enthusiasm for nature has been inspiring. In his new job at the Kench Hill Centre near Tenterden, Chris will be helping inner city school children learn more about the natural world. He will be very much missed in Lewisham.

August Bird Survey

The upper half of Eastern Road and the adjoining wood/nature reserve could almost be designated an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Birdwatching) within Hilly Fields. Apart from the winter Gulls (and, come to think of it, the House Sparrow), almost every bird that frequents the park can be seen there at some time or other and it's particularly favoured by the smaller birds such as Tits, Finches, Blackcaps, Robins, Wrens and by Blackbirds. Obviously the number of trees is a big attraction, as is the cover provided by the sheer density of foliage, particularly the hawthorn scrub on the western side of the road. And at this time of year, the bright red haw berries provide a food source.

Blackbird in Hilly Fields Wood

Eastern Road also contributes one of the few sources of water for birds on Hilly Fields. On this month's survey (24 August), we watched a small flock of adult and juvenile Goldfinches along with a couple of Greenfinches swoop down from the roadside trees to drink from puddles in the gutters and little potholes - a sight we've often noted before. In the wood, we heard a couple of Robins singing for the first time since late spring - a sure sign that they're emerging from the summer moult. Wrens were singing there too. And flitting among the trees on the eastern side of Eastern Road was our old friend the Great Spotted Woodpecker, not seen since early June. In this full zoom photo, you can just about make out its black, white and red colouring.

Elsewhere in the park, we saw Great Tits, Blue Tits, Blackbirds, Magpies, Crows, Feral Pigeons, House Sparrows, Ring-necked Parakeets and Wood Pigeons. In addition, Sue intended to listen to her birdsong CDs to determine whether the "chink" (or was it "pink"?) we heard could have been a Chaffinch calling. This makes a reasonably wide range of species, albeit in small numbers apart from the "Woodies". Still no sign of any Starlings. Earlier in the month, I saw a pair of Mistle Thrushes in the Eastern Road hawthorns and a Jay in the poplars along the Stones Field boundary, so it's good to know they're still around.

Meanwhile, in other news, something is coming to fruition along Eastern Road - yes, it's also an Area of Outstanding Natural Blackberrying. If you haven't been along there with your bowl yet, now's the time.