Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch 2014: The Results

It rained. Not heavily but fairly persistently throughout our Big Birdwatch event on 26 January. Were we downhearted? No. After all, we're British and used to it, especially this winter. We set out our stall under the sheltering roof of the cafe, stiffened our upper lips and got on with it. And thankfully people came along, many bringing their children to experience that unique phenomenon known as 'the outdoors'. Lard and seed were moulded into fatballs and hung from nearby trees, bird badges were made and, as always, people either took a survey sheet and went round by themselves or came round on one of the guided tours. And by the end of the event, we'd seen 20 species, only one less than last year which considering the weather is a bloomin' miracle.

Bird badge making

Two species tied for highest number present: the Starling and the Black-headed Gull at 50 each. When it comes to ranking them though, I'm going to put the Starling first because there were so many flitting through the trees around the playground (and some on the ground as well) that I'm sure 50 was an underestimate. Next came the Common Gull with 16 being the max count, then a wonderful flock of 12 Goldfinches outside the school which, at one point, rose up together from the ground with a spectacular 'whoosh!'. There were also a pair of Greenfinches with them which are always nice to see (their numbers have fallen in recent years) and we had some very clear views of a Great Spotted Woodpecker just outside the wood and 2 cute little Long-tailed Tits in the garden next to the bowling green.

Starlings [Stock photo]

The full list is as follows:

1. Starling - 50+
2. Black-headed Gull - 50
3. Common Gull - 16 
4. Goldfinch - 12 
5. Feral Pigeon - 7 
6. Wood pigeon - 5 
7. Blue Tit, Crow - 4 of each
8. House Sparrow - 3
9. Blackbird, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Robin - 2 of each
10. Chaffinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, Ring-necked Parakeet, Wren - 1 of each

The gulls are a major presence in the park at the moment and we're still being asked how you tell Black-headed and Common apart. There are various distinguishing features but the simplest details to remember are as follows:

• Black-headed Gull - red legs and bill, black spot next to the eye
• Common Gull        - yellow (or greenish-yellow) legs and bill, slightly bigger

The Black-headed Gull has a white head in autumn and winter and a dark chocolate brown head in spring and summer when it's breeding. From a distance that can look black, which is how it got its name.

Common Gull left, Black-headed Gull right  at Hilly Fields

Thanks are due to Rachel from the Friends of Hilly Fields and Judith from Glendale who ran the stall, to my fellow bird champions Sue, Keith and Terry, to Rachel Hale for bringing the badge making kit, to Fred and Ruth from the cafe and to our ever helpful parkie, Lee. Our next bird event will be the famous Hilly Fields Dawn Chorus Walk (oh, stop groaning) on a date yet to be fixed in late March/ early April. See you all then!

Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch 2014! With Updated Bird List 2007-13

This is your final reminder. The Friends of Hilly Fields Big Birdwatch takes place next Sunday 26 January between 11.00-14.00 on - wait for it - Hilly Fields. This is the weekend of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and we will submit the final results to the RSPB's national survey. Is Hilly Fields a big garden? Well at forty acres, it's big even if you have your own garden. And the RSPB says we can do it in parks (the big birdwatch, that is), so there.

Big Birdwatch 2013

What do you have to do? Well, turning up would be good. With binoculars would be even better but not essential. Our rendezvous desk (or gazebo depending on the weather) will be by the cafe. Take one of our bird id/count sheets and either: (i) go round by yourselves or (ii) go round on one of our guided walks. Remember the RSPB 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. If in any doubt about the rules, ask at the desk.

Big Birdwatch 2012

Children are welcome and and could try their skill at making bird feeders to hang from the trees. Adults can try the Bird Champion Quiz - ten moderately fiendish questions which are more about references to birds in folklore and popular culture than boring ornithological stuff. And of course, the cafe will be open to nourish your bodies and brains.

Jay on Hilly Fields

As regular readers of this blog will know, we do a bird count every month at Hilly Fields. The annual Big Birdwatch also acts as our monthly count for January, so you are helping us to monitor bird life and the health of the park as a habitat. For the last three years, we've counted 21 different species each time. Can we beat that this year? Come along and help on Sunday 26 January between 11.00-14.00.

Blackbird in Hilly Fields wood

That was your final reminder. Don't say you haven't been reminded. See you on Sunday!

Postscript: Here is an updated list of all birds seen or heard in the park since 2007 when the Bird Champion scheme began:

Hilly Fields Bird List: 2007-2013

Everyday

1. Blackbird  (resident)                
2.    Black-headed Gull  (resident - winter months)
3.    Blue Tit  (resident)
4.    Carrion Crow  (numbers vary but thought to be 4 residents)
5.    Common Gull  (resident - winter months)
6.    Goldfinch  (daily visitors in a flock of up to 20 birds on occasion)
7.    Great Tit (resident)
8.    House Sparrow  (resident)
9.    Magpie (numbers vary but thought to be 2/3 residents)
10.  Ring-necked Parakeet  (daily visitors in small numbers) 
11.  Robin (resident)
12. Wood Pigeon  (resident)
13. Wren  (resident)

Regular

14. Blackcap  (summer and winter migrants)
15. Chaffinch  (probably resident)
16. Common Swift  (seen overhead in summer months
17. Dunnock  (probably resident
18. Feral Pigeon (small no, easily outnumbered by wood pigeons)
19. Great Spotted Woodpecker  (resident pair)
20. Greenfinch  (probably resident)
21. Jay  (regular pair - possibly resident)
22. Long-tailed Tit  (unsure whether residents)
23. Mistle Thrush  (regular pair - probably residents)
24. Pied Wagtail  (seen on bowling green and on stone pathways)
25. Starling  (as many as 80 seen in winter months; disappear during summer months)

Occasional

26. Chiffchaff  (heard since 2011 at spring and autumn migration times only)
27. Coal Tit (very occasional)
28. Collared Dove  (very occasional)
29. Fieldfare  (occasional in winter
30. Goldcrest  (possibly visitors from nearby Brockley/Ladywell cemeteries)
31. Green Woodpecker  (also possibly visitors from above)
32. House Martin  (not recorded since 2008)
33. Kestrel  (very occasional)
34. Lesser Black-backed Gull (very occasional)
35. Nuthatch  (very occasional)
36. Redwing   (seen more in winter/early spring 2013
37. Sparrowhawk  (possibly the birds that are known to have bred in Brockley Cemetery)
38. Stock Dove  (very occasional)
39. Tawny Owl  (heard by Cliffview Road residents in  autumn/winter 2012/13, not seen)
40. Willow Warbler. Seen and heard for the first time September 2013

Rare

41. Bullfinch (male, seen by Peter on 19/12/10 on SE edge of the park)
42. Cuckoo  (heard once in May 2011)
43. Mallard  (two seen by Rachel 10/3/08 approx 7am 'waddling up the park end of Eastern Rd')
44. Short-eared Owl  (seen overhead 13/10/12 being mobbed by crows. Probably same bird recorded over London Wetland Centre earlier that day

Updated Jan 2014

Through All Kinds of Weather

The wind was gathering force again as Sue and I met on 27 December for the last monthly survey of 2013. It rained for a while too though we found shelter in the wood where a brief outburst of song from a Wren briefly lifted our spirits. Then, just as we were cursing for not checking the weather forecast, out came the sun and brought a few more birds with it. Eventually, we ended up with a healthy total of 18 species. Blue and Great Tits were very active in the trees and quite vocal with Great Tits calling more frequently as if aware that a new year is on the way. Robins were singing around the park too though were not so easy to spot. Near the bothy, we saw a few Long-tailed Tits, very pretty birds but fast-moving and difficult to photograph. My effort below does at least show the length of the tail although the camera angle makes the tail seem as long as the body when in fact it's longer. When you see them in the trees, you notice how small their bodies are compared, say, to the Blue Tit.

A large flock of gulls was spread across the cricket field with Black-headed Gulls (40) outnumbering Common Gulls (5) on this occasion. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen there too, though keeping its distance from the others. This was the second Lesser Black-backed sighting of 2013. Sue also glimpsed at separate times the male and female Great Spotted Woodpeckers. And the Starlings are back from wherever it is they go to in the summer - a flock of about 30 was moving noisily tree by tree from near the playground down to the north field. Sadly, the RSPB estimate that the Starling population has fallen by 66% since the mid-70s and it is now red-listed as a bird of conservation concern.

In their usual territory - the Cliffview garden hedges - we saw no less than 12 House Sparrows, slightly more than usual. This is another once common, now red-listed bird which still finds a home on Hilly Fields. Elsewhere in the park, we saw 12 Feral Pigeons, 4 each of Woodpigeon and Crow, three Blackbirds, a pair of Magpies and a single Chaffinch and Ring-necked Parakeet. And so it remains only for me to wish you a very Happy New Year and remind you of what will undoubtedly be the greatest birding event of 2014 if not of all time (weather permitting)...

This is part of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch weekend. Bring binoculars if you can. We will provide survey sheets. Children are welcome and we will have material for bird feeder making if they are interested in that. You can also have a go at our Fun Bird Quiz which, without being too ornithological, will challenge your common knowledge of our feathered friends. See you there!

Big Birdwatch Reminder: 27 January

Just a reminder that as part of the RSPB's nationwide bird survey this weekend, we will be holding our own Big Garden Birdwatch on Hilly Fields in conjunction with the Friends of Hilly Fields and Glendale.

Details are as per the poster above. There will fun activities for the little kiddies and a guided bird walk around the park. Or grab one of our bird ID sheets and do your own survey, but report back to the blackboard monitor (see below)! Please bring binoculars if you can. See you there: Sunday 27 January 10.30 - 12.30.

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.

Big Garden Birdwatch: How Do We Compare?

The RSPB has published the results of its national Bird Garden Birdwatch survey, held over the weekend of 28/29 January 2012. We held our own "big garden" survey on Hilly Fields on 29 January and a total of 23 species was identified by all who took part. It is interesting to compare the top 23 birds in the national survey with our list:

  Hilly Fields Survey                                National Survey

  1. Starling                                                    1. House Sparrow

  2. House Sparrow                                      2. Starling

  3. Black-headed Gull                                 3. Blue Tit

4. Common Gull 4. Blackbird

5. Goldfinch 5. Chaffinch

  6. Ring-necked Parakeet                          6. Woodpigeon

  7. Blackbird                                                 7. Goldfinch 

  8. Woodpigeon                                            8. Great Tit

  9. Blue Tit                                                   9. Robin

  9. Greenfinch                                             10. Collared Dove     

  9. Magpie                                                   11. Dunnock

 10. Carrion Crow                                       12. Magpie

 10. Chaffinch                                              13. Long-tailed Tit 

 10. Feral Pigeon                                        14. Greenfinch

 10. Great Tit                                              15. Feral Pigeon

 10. Jay                                                        16. Coal Tit

 10. Long-tailed Tit                                    17. Jackdaw

 10. Robin                                                    18. Carrion Crow

 11. Mistle Thrush                                      19. Wren

 11. Wren                                                     20. Common Gull

 12. Dunnock                                               21. Pheasant 

 12. Great Spotted Woodpecker               22. Song Thrush

 12. Pied Wagtail                                         23. Bullfinch 

There is a 73% match between the two lists, so - as you might expect - Hilly Fields does not differ enormously as a bird habitat from gardens and parks across the UK. Our list is skewed slightly by the winter timing of the survey when there are flocks of gulls on Hilly Fields and the Starling population is at its height. There also seems to have been a larger number of House Sparrows on HF that day than usual (16 were counted - the norm is between 4 and 8).

The six birds which are on our list but not in the national Top 23 are: Black-headed Gull (a very common winter bird in London), Great Spotted Woodpecker (no. 24 on the national list!), Jay, Mistle Thrush, Pied Wagtail and Ring-necked Parakeet. The pesky Parakeet is still predominantly a Southern England bird and, in London, most common south of the river.

The six birds which are in the national Top 23 but not on our list are: Bullfinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Jackdaw, Pheasant and Song Thrush. These can all be seen in the London area with varying degrees of frequency. Locally, Song Thrushes can be seen/heard in Brockley Cemetery and Brookmill Park, Jackdaws in Greenwich Park (when not closed for the Olympics) and I've seen a Collared Dove on top of a bus shelter in Hilly Fields Crescent but forgot to record the date!

The national RSPB survey has drawn attention to the 79% decline in Starling numbers recorded since the Big Garden Birdwatch began in 1979. In fact, both the House Sparrow and the Starling - despite still being the two most recorded birds in our gardens and parks - have declined so much numerically that they are now on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Hopefully, both populations will at least stabilize.

Big Birdwatch Report

Nearly 30 adults and 19 children attended this year's RSPB Big Birdwatch event on Hilly Fields - a good turn-out considering it was a cloudy and cold Sunday morning. Illustrated sheets of the most common birds were handed out and people set off to scour the park in search of them. Some of the children who came along stayed at base camp (outside the Bothy) to make bird feeders and lard and seed balls with heart-warming enthusiasm.

The final tally of species seen was 21 which equals last year's total. The species seen are almost identical as well, except that Chaffinches were seen this year but no Redwings. The 2012 list which will be sent to the RSPB and to BirdTrack is as follows:

Blackbird - 5
Black-headed gull - 14
Blue tit - 4
Carrion Crow - 3
Chaffinch - 5
Common gull - 10
Feral pigeon - 5
Great tit - 3
Greenfinch - 4
Goldfinch - 6
Great spotted woodpecker - 1
House sparrow - 16
Jay - 3
Long-tailed tit - 3
Magpie - 4
Mistle thrush - 2
Ring-necked parakeet - 6
Robin - 3
Starling - 80
Wood pigeon - 5
Wren - 2

Well done to the person who spotted 5 Herring Gulls flying over the park, but we've checked the RSPB website and "flyovers" cannot be counted. The birds have got to be in the garden or in the park. Sorry but rules is rules!  The trouble with birds is that they will fly around and thus double counting - which could mask a decline in bird population levels - is always a risk; hence the other rule about only recording the maximum number of each species that you see at any one time.

Many thanks to all who came along. Thanks also to Rachel of the Hilly Fields User Group who organised this event and Judith from Glendale for her assistance.

NB. After review of the lists submitted, we added 1 Dunnock and 1 Pied Wagtail to the list above making a grand total of 23 species.

Yes, it's the annual RSPB Birdwatch this weekend. We will be leading walkabouts on Hilly Fields to identify and count the birds we see. The stats will be sent to the RSPB and will also be input to BirdTrack, a database used to monitor bird population levels nationwide.

So come along on Sunday 29 January and help. Don't be shy - we are not experts, just enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in birds can join in. Please bring binoculars if you can.

If you want to do a bird count in your own garden as well, you can download a form from:  http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/  But remember the RSPB's golden rule: "We need the highest number that you see at any one time, otherwise you may be counting the same bird twice".

Big Garden Birdwatch results

The RSPB has recently published their full results which can be found here .  The top 20 species for Greater London closely matched our own but included Collard Dove, Chaffinch, Dunnock and Coal Tit which were not seen in Hilly Fields that day.  However, we did enjoy many Redwing, Black-headed Gull, Mistle Thrush, Wren and Great Spotted Woodpecker that didn't feature on the RSPB's Greater London results.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

Another successful birdwatch.  The provisional results are:

Black-headed Gull 10
Blackbird 2
Blue Tit 4
Carrion Crow 6
Common Gull 16
Feral Pigeon 4
Goldfinch 25
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Great Tit 3
Greenfinch 1
House Sparrow 16
Jay 2
Long-tailed Tit 2
Magpie 3
Mistle Thrush 3
Redwing 13
Ring-necked Parakeet 5
Robin 2
Starling circa 60
Woodpigeon 10
Wren 2

That's 21 species, beating our 2009 record!

There were activities for younger birdwatchers too, the most popular being birdbox making.

Making birdboxes

The Redwing return

Had a quick recce around the park in preparation for tomorrows Big Garden Birdwatch and found 13 species.  It would be good to double that tomorrow!

High on the list were 7 Redwing foraging near the tennis courts, 4 Mistle Thrush in a nearby tree and a flock of around 120 Starlings.

Merry Christmas!

I was in the park on Tuesday (21st) not expecting to spot many birds so I was quite pleased to see 7 species (Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Great Tit, House Sparrow, Magpie, Starling).  Only a couple of most of them, but several Sparrows.

The snow had melted and become a little slushy but the base of it was icy and a little tricky to walk on in places. Keith, the park-keeper, had salted the paths but it hadn't yet made any appreciable effect.

Hilly Fields in melting snow

Over beside the school I spotted a bird box I'd not seen before.  How did I ever miss it?  It's so obvious!

Bird box beside Prendergast

Work had started in ernest at Prendergast and the workers village was being erected by a crane that could be seen, I'm told, a couple of miles away.

Prendergast construction starts

Don't forget, we will once more be taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch in Hilly Fields on Saturday 29th January 2011.  I hope to see you there.

With visits to and by family and friends I'm unlikely to be in the park again this year, so
Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch results 2010

The national results for the Big Garden Birdwatch showed that smaller-bodied birds are more susceptible to the cold and suffered from the length and depth of last winter.

The top 20 birds in Greater London gardens were:

Woodpigeon
Starling
House_Sparrow
Blue_Tit
Blackbird
Feral_pigeon
Robin
Great_Tit
Magpie
Collared_Dove
Goldfinch
Chaffinch
Carrion_crow
Dunnock
Ring_necked_parakeet
Long_tailed_tit
Greenfinch
Coal_Tit
Wren
Jay

On our birdwatch we didn't see any Collard Dove, Ring-necked Parakeet, Wren or Jay but we did spot a Common Gull, a Redwing and a pair of Mistle Thrushes.

For more on the BGBW results, click here.

Two more species sighted on Big Garden Birdwatch

We were so lucky with the weather being dry, bright and sunny with little wind.  However, it was only just above zero.  Last year's 20 species record was not beaten, but we did sight three species not recorded in Hilly Fields for over 2 years (see below).
There were a good number of visitors and I took parties of five or six at a time around the park to see what we could find.

I was quite surprised not to find any birds at all in the South Field, Meadow or West Field (compared with two days ago) and very few around School area.  Sports were being played in the North Field so none were spotted there either.  The vast majority were to the south of the Stones Field and east of the East Field (i.e. along the Cliffview Road hedge).

This is the result:

Blackbird (2)

Blue Tit (2)

Carrion Crow (3)

Chaffinch (3)

Coal Tit (2) - First sighting

Common Gull (1)
Dunnock (1) - First sighting

Feral Pigeon (2)

Goldfinch (2)

Greenfinch (2)- First sighting

Great Tit (3)

House Sparrow (11)

Long-tailed Tit (2)
Magpie (2)
Mistle Thrush (2)
Redwing (1)
Robin (1)
Starling (1)
Woodpigeon (4)

[Correction on 01/02/2010: The Dunnock was previously omitted from this list (my error), and today I've seen one in my garden, a mere 50m from where we spotted it on Saturday.]

Long-tailed Tit

We are all indebted to Vicki Wheeler, Nature Conservation Officer, for organizing the event - especially the tea, coffee and biscuits which were certainly needed after wandering around the park in such cold weather.  With Vicki's help, our younger visitors made birdfeeders from pots, lard and birdseed to take home and hang up in their own gardens.

New Year

Well, there's another Christmas behind us. This was no less hectic than previous. Some would say it's my own fault for marrying into a regular cycle of Christmas, wedding anniversary, wife's birthday and New Year all one week but, to be honest, it is a great week.

Miraculously I did find some quality time in Hilly Fields too, on Boxing Day. Sadly, not many birds did, just the usual smattering of sparrows, crows, woodpigeon, blue tit and magpie plus several starlings, some of which were occupying nests near the tennis courts.

Please note that the next RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch will take place the last weekend of January and we will be in Hilly Fields on Saturday 30th January from 11am with activities for everyone

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2009 - national results

The RSPB published their Big Garden Birdwatch 2009 results today, with more than half a million people taking part - more than ever before - and also a surprise new entrant in the Top Ten.

The top 10 for Greater London are:

Starling
Woodpigeon
House Sparrow
Blue Tit
Blackbird
Feral Pigeon
Robin
Great tit
Magpie
Collared dove

and our own results for Hilly Fields (we had a tie for 10th place) are:

Black-headed Gull
House Sparrow
Starling
Feral Pigeon
Woodpigeon
Carrion Crow
Blue Tit, Magpie, Common Gull
Blackbird, Ring-necked Parakeet, Mistle Thrush

The full RSPB results can be found here

Thanks again to all who took part in Hilly Fields.

RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch a great success

There were birds to draw, masks to colour and wear, quizzes to solve, bird-feeders to make from flowerpot, lard and seeds then decorate and hang around the park or take home to hang in the garden.









Best of all, there were more species seen in the park today than have ever been seen since our records began.



All the more rarely seen birds were on display but the star of the day was a newcomer: a Redwing was first spotted with two Mistle Thrushes in the meadow near the road and later seen on the slope in front of the school.



The full list of birds is:-

Black-headed Gull 23
Blackbird 2
Blue Tit 10
Carrion Crow 4
Common Gull 3
Feral Pigeon 6
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Great Tit 2
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 14
Jay 1
Magpie 3
Mistle Thrush 2
Redwing 1
Ring-necked Parakeet 2
Robin 2
Starling 18
Woodpigeon 5
Wren 1

Everyone had a great day.

Special thanks to Lara and Rachel and, of course, the birds of Hilly Fields.

How I got involved

Late 2004

Took part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch counting the maximum number of each species of bird in the garden over a one-hour period and reported a particularly large number of House Sparrows: 22.

Subsequently I received a letter from Chris Orsman (RSPB) asking for further details of how we, and our neighbours, feed the birds.

February 2005

Chris visited and invited us to be a site in the London House Sparrow Project. This is experimenting with supplementary feeding at a number of sparrow colonies, providing live mealworms for the sparrows to feed to their young. We are to be a control site (no live food). Chris makes several visits each year to survey our garden and the immediate neighbourhood.

December 2005

On one of his wildlife walks in Hilly Fields, Mike Keogh admired the green roof of my garage which can be seen from the park. I introduced myself and mentioned Chris and the London House Sparrow Project. That labelled me as a birder!

July 2007

Some eighteen months later Glendale and Lewisham Council are starting a new Bird Champion Project, which aims to survey the park for different bird species and involve the park users in the park’s biodiversity. To this end Lara Al-Jabi asked Rachel Mooney for a Bird Champion for Hilly Fields Park. The rest, as they say, is history.