Winter on the Way

November 23rd was a quiet and windless autumn day for our monthly bird survey. We heard the Ring-necked Parakeets more than usual, perhaps because they're building up to their breeding season which starts in January, earlier than other birds. They did seem to be checking out an old Ash tree by the school access road which they've nested in before.

Robins were singing and clicking along our route and we heard the occasional Wren too. The resident family of Blackbirds which hang around the Upper Eastern Road area were very active and one of the male juveniles was foraging in the shrubbery at the back of the school. Maybe because he's still young and less wary, I could get closer to him and the photo below shows the plumage not glossy black yet and the bill still turning orange.

On the north field, we saw a juvenile Pied Wagtail (as per last month) but only four gulls - two Black-headed and two Common - so numbers have still not built up. We also saw a couple of Starlings. Like the gulls, their numbers will increase as winter sets in and they flock to the less exposed inner suburbs. A pair of Mistle Thrushes were in the trees showing their fine speckled breasts. They like the red berries on the nearby Whitebeam.

Whitebeam tree in the foreground hung with red berries

A single House Sparrow could be seen in the Cliffview hedge, but others were chirping nearby. Our final bird before absconding to the cafe was a Blue Tit silhouetted on the Vicars Hill border. In all, we recorded a better-than-expected 18 species: 12 Feral Pigeons, 9 Robins (at least), 7 Blackbirds, 5 Woodpigeons, 4 each of Blue Tit, Crow and Parakeet, 3 Great Tits, 2 each of Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Goldfinch, Magpie, Mistle Thrush, Starling and Wren, 1 each of House Sparrow, Jay and Pied Wagtail.

Finally, last month I mentioned the beautiful pink fruits and orange seeds of the Spindle tree near the bothy. One month later, the seeds have all gone, fallen to the ground or eaten by birds, and the lobes of the fruit are darker and decaying. It's autumn still, but winter is on the way.

A Rainy Day In Autumn

Rain was threatening from the outset on Wed 29th October when Sue, Judith and I did our monthly bird survey. It held off for about an hour and a half but by 11.15  was seriously hampering our efforts (will no-one invent 'windscreen' wipers for glasses and binoculars?) and we decamped to the cafe. Luckily, by then we had seen or heard 17 species, so not a total washout. As so often in the past, we had a quiet start along the Veda Rd border but things picked up on reaching the little wood and the upper half of Eastern Road. Here we saw a family of four Blackbirds including a juvenile male born earlier this year. A couple of Wrens were lurking in the bushes, a Long-tailed Tit was briefly glimpsed, a Great Spotted Woodpecker briefly heard and a fine flock of about ten Goldfinches seen and heard between school and tennis courts. We also had an excellent view of a Mistle Thrush in the trees behind the school.

Juvenile male Blackbird, bill just starting to turn yellow

From then on, the rain got steadily worse. Not even a solitary Black-headed Gull on the north field could lift our spirits even though it indicated that the winter gulls are on their way. The rest of the count consisted of at least 9 Robins in different territories around the park, 6 Blackbirds (including the 4 mentioned earlier), 4 each of Great Tit, House Sparrow, and Woodpigeon, 3 Crows, 2 each of Blue Tit, Feral Pigeon, Greenfinch (heard sneering but not seen) and Magpie and a solitary (hurray!) Parakeet. And on her way home from the cafe, Sue saw a Lesser Black-backed Gull on the north field making a grand total of 18. Not bad for a rainy day in autumn.

Robin singing against a grey, grey sky

First sighting this year of a lesser Black-backed Gull, seen twice in 2013

Footnote: I should also mention the impressive flock of about 50 geese that we saw flying high overheard in V-formations around 10.30 am. From enquiries with other birders, these were almost certainly Brent Geese arriving for the winter either from Arctic Canada or Siberia. Several movements of these geese were seen over London that day including a flock above Greenwich Park earlier in the morning.

Photo from http://www.birds.deansfamily.com/

Heading Towards Autumn

It was still fairly quiet on the avian front when Sue and I did our monthly bird survey of Hilly Fields on 29th August. In the aftermath of the breeding season, there are quite a few juvenile birds about and we were welcomed at the lower Vicars Hill gate by a pair of young Blackbirds perched on a tree. As we worked our way along the green border towards the little wood, we saw or heard Great Tits, Blue Tits, a Wren or two and plenty of Robins which are starting to sing again after their annual moult.

Juvenile Blackbird at Hilly Fields

On Upper Eastern Road, we were pleased to see a Great Spotted Woodpecker digging for insects in the bark of a dead tree. We heard a Chiffchaff calling from the little wood ('hui') and also glimpsed a Long-tailed Tit in this area. Later on near the Bothy we heard a Coal Tit calling, which is quite unusual for the park, but it was well hidden. A few House Sparrows could be seen in the usual hedge on the Cliffview border. As always, Crows, Magpies and Wood Pigeons were about on the grassland which is covered in some areas with the small dandelion-like flower Autumn Hawkbit.

Magpie amidst the Autumn Hawkbit

A flock of 10 or more Goldfinches was seen and the dulcet squawks of Ring-necked Parakeets were heard from time to time. Finally, as we sipped coffee at the cafe, a lone Feral Pigeon waddled into view raising the total of species seen to 16 which is respectable for the time of year. We also noticed much fruit on the bushes and trees, a sign that we are heading towards autumn. The blackberries ripened early and have nearly all been picked, but the red haws are plentiful on the hawthorns, the hips are out on the dog roses and elderberries and sloes can be found in the Veda Road border.

Grey Squirrel sampling the haws

Elderberries

Sloes