Do They Know It's Christmastime?

Robins were singing here, there, just about everywhere when Sue and I did the monthly bird survey on 16 December. In fact, Robins sing most of the year except for a few weeks in July/August when they skulk in the undergrowth and moult. But in December, the frequency seems to be increasing. Do they know it's Christmastime? Well, of course they don't, despite having their likeness featured on Christmas cards for the last 150 years or more. But they do seem to sense that the year has reached a turning point and that the mating season is not far off. We watched a pair chasing each other around the upper part of Eastern Road and it was hard to tell whether it was territorial defence or early courtship.

A Song Thrush was singing in the little wood as well, repeating each phrase three or four times. This bird returned to Hilly Fields last year after a long absence but we haven't seen or heard it since last April. It's good to know that it's still around. Another welcome returnee is the Great Spotted Woodpecker which we saw for the first time in six months in the little wood and then later on upper Eastern Road. You can't tell from the angle of my photo (below) but the bird we saw is a female. The male has a red cap, the female doesn't. Both have red 'backsides'.

Although numbers are still not high, we saw a much greater range of birds than in recent months - 22 species in all. It was nice to see both a male and female Chaffinch - a bird we haven't come across since summer. And another Goldcrest in the garden next to the bowling green. We seem to be getting better at spotting these tiny birds, though there has been a winter influx of migrants to boost numbers. A Collared Dove was also in the garden - not that common in the park, although I hear one often on the other side of Vicars Hill. If you hear a pigeon cooing three times ('U-ni-ted!), it's a Collared Dove. If you hear a pigeon cooing five times ('How are you to-day?'), it's a Woodpigeon.

Finally, in the mild weather we sat outside at the cafe and had a good view of two Mistle Thrushes in the trees opposite. This is another bird with a Christmas connection in that it gets its name from its fondness for mistletoe berries. I don't think we have any mistletoe on Hilly Fields, but luckily the Mistle Thrush will eat all sorts of other berries (including the red hawthorn berries) and is fond of invertebrates too. In fact, you're most likely to see it on Hilly Fields picking about in the grass for worms.

Merry Christmas to all and don't forget that our Big Birdwatch event (in conjunction with the RSPB) will be held on Sunday 31 January from 10.30-12.30. More details in the New Year.

February Bird Survey

26 February: such a cold overcast day that I approached Hilly Fields with low expectations, only to hear a Dunnock singing in the Vicars Hill border as soon as I got there. Joined by Sue and Tony, we started off on our usual path alongside the Veda Road back gardens with Great Tits calling almost non-stop from the trees and bushes. Around the corner, a pair of Jays were screeching to each other from opposite ends of the little wood. Shortly afterwards, I managed inadvertently to flush one out of its hiding place and saw it land on the other side of Eastern Road before flying back over the wood to find its mate. The trees along the road also revealed a pair of Greenfinches, a brief sighting of a Mistle Thrush, a Magpie evidently building a nest there and a flurry of Goldfinches twittering around the high branches before shooting off elsewhere. So much activity! It seemed as if the birds were saying: "we have business to conduct whatever the weather". Greenfinches, by the way, are known for the so-called "wheezing" call they make when trying to attract a mate, although it always sounds like a sneer to me. Have a listen to this RSPB recording...
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greenfinch/index.aspx

Greenfinches: credit DJS Photography

A few minutes later, we saw two Mistle Thrushes driven out of a tree beyond the playground by a group of noisy Crows. On the north field, another tree held about 30 Starlings going through their repertoire of sound effects while a flock of 30+ gulls was spread around the cricket pitch and along the slope. The great majority were Common Gulls (Sue counted 30) which has been the trend since the start of the year, a reversal of the usual Black-headed Gull dominance and unusual for an Inner London park. After that, it was so cold and drizzly on the high ground that we headed quickly for the Cliffview Road border where there were rather more House Sparrows than usual - up to 10, I would say (as reported by "Hilly" in the comments on the previous post) - and then back uphill to the sanctuary of the cafe. A good morning, though, despite the elements with 18 species seen or heard including 12 Wood Pigeons and small numbers of Robins, Blue Tits, Blackbirds, Parakeets and a Chaffinch in addition to those birds already mentioned.

Common Gull on Hilly Fields

The other news is that a few days before our survey, Sue saw a pair of Collared Doves on Hilly Fields which is another "first" for the site, at least during the time that we've been recording. These birds have a softer look about them than the Feral Pigeon which they resemble from a distance, as well as a black ring around the neck. Although numbers in London have increased considerably since 1995, they still seem fairly uncommon in the Inner Boroughs. You'll know if you've heard one though. In fact, you'll wish you hadn't. Their insistent three note cooing makes the Wood Pigeon sound almost lyrical.

Collared Dove: credit Hawk Conservancy Trust