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'''Please do not post details of scarce breeding birds (those included in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, amended 2000). Any such reports will be removed. Please list rarest sightings at top rather than alphabetically.'''

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Thursday 2 December 2010

 * Alexandra Park: juvenile/first-winter (bird still had black rear neck markings) Kittiwake circled over Wood Green Res, then headed north over Blandford at 08.25; also Little Grebe on res; lunchtime - first-winter Goldeneye on WGR, Pochard x Tufty-type Aythya hybrid, 3 Little Grebes (David Callahan).
 * Avenue Road (SE25): Kestrel (Croydon Birders).
 * Beddington Farmlands: 1 Grey Plover, 3 Ruff, 5+ Redshank, 1 Dunlin, 10+ Snipe, 1 Little Egret, 450+ Woodpigeon Shorebird photos here, Jack Snipe, 2 Curlew, 5 Redshank (SBC).
 * Boxer's Lake (Enfield): 8 (5 adults, 3 '1st-winter') Mute Swan; 6 (3 males, 3 females) Shoveler; 4 (2m, 2f) Pochard; 1 female Kingfisher; 1 male Great Spotted Woodpecker; 1 Pied Wagtail; 1 female Blackbird, feeding on sloes; 1 Fieldfare, flew over calling; 1 male Nuthatch; 1 male Siskin, feeding in Alders; 6 Goldfinch (Robert Callf).
 * Bromley-by-Bow and Channelsea: Lapwing still, 4 Redshank, 10 Gadwall, 3 Tufted Duck plus usuals (S Fisher)
 * Burgess Park: adult Mediterranean Gull still on lake 12.15pm; no sign of Ferruginous Duck despite lake being ice free (Richard Bonser).
 * Crayford Marshes: imm m Eider drifting east on the Thames, Spotted Redshank flew west calling, 2 drake Goldeneye, 4 Pintail, Chiffchaff, Bar-tailed Godwit, 16 Grey Plover, Oystercatcher, c 1400 Dunlin (Kev Jarvis).
 * Crossness: 6 Brent Goose west 12:03, red-head Red-breasted Merganser west 14:35, Grey Plover, Turnstone, Little Gull on Thames 12:15, ad Mediterranean Gull west (Birdguides).
 * Dagenham Chase LNR: 2 Mistle Thrush nr Sanoffi aventis, 10 Redwing, 2 Fieldfare, 2 Green Woodpecker, 3 Snipe (2 flying over The Slack and one over Black Poplar Wood), 60 Lapwing and 9 Grey Heron on The Slack, Water Rail in reeds at Hooks Hall Pond (D Allen).
 * East India Dock area: 4 Common Snipe (1 in roost), 7 Redshank (Roost), Gt Crested Grebe, 40+ Common Gulls (influx of this species), 200 Teal. (Gary A James).
 * Fairlop Waters: fem Scaup, pr Goosander (via London Birdwatching).
 * Fulham Reach: 1 Redshank, good numbers Teal & Tufted Duck, 1f Pochard, 1 Shelduck (south), c30 House Sparrow (in usual bush by Crabtree Wharf), pr Peregrine Falcon - Margravine Cemetery: 1 Mistle Thrush (Nathalie Mahieu).
 * Grovelands Park (Southgate): 12 (6 males, 6 females) Pochard; 4 (1m, 3f) Tufted Duck; 1 Common Snipe, flew around and landed at waters edge, 14:37 hrs (very few records for this site!); 8+ Moorhen; 17 Ring-necked Parakeet; 1 Redwing; 3 Goldcrest; 2 (m&f) Firecrest, feeding in Holly, 15:01-15:30 hrs; 6 Long-tailed Tit (Robert Callf).
 * Hampstead Heath: 150 Woodpigeons N at 0930, 20 Common Gulls, 5 Herring Gulls, 300+ Black heads, 3 Gadwall, 15 Shoveler, Pochard, Lapwing on ice, Highgate No.1, 2 GC Grebes,15 Cormorants (Pete M).
 * Holmethorpe SPs: 4 Pink-footed Goose for 1.5hrs before flying south-west (SBC).
 * Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens (brief visit): Common Snipe flushed off Buck Hill and over West Carriage Drive; also 2 Gadwall, 13 Shoveler, 3 Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe numbers down, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Redwing, 10+ Mistle Thrush attending Mountain Ash with a similar number of Blackbird, 4-5 Jay, 5 Goldfinch in Alders (Des McKenzie).
 * Ingrebourne Valley: Kestrel, 2 Woodcock, 15 Fieldfare, 10 Redwing, Siskin (ELBF).
 * King George V Res. (14.00-15.00): 2 Goosander, 2 Goldeneye, 7 Ruddy Duck, 2 Pochard, 2 Teal, 38 Wigeon, 36 Canada Geese, 40+ Meadow Pipit, 20+ Lapwing, 8 Mute Swan, 4 Green Woodpecker, 2 GS Woodpecker, Chiffchaff and 2 Goldcrest with large tit flock (Rob Ayers).
 * Lesnes Abbey Woods: 1 Sparrrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 3 Fieldfare, 3 Redwing, Song Thrush, 6+ Goldcrest with mixed tit flocks including good numbers of Long-tailed Tits, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2+ Nuthatch (AW).
 * Lewisham: Woodcock flew low south at 8.30 (John Archer).
 * London Wetland Centre: 2 Bittern, Water Pipit, 6 Waxwing west, Lapland Bunting west (Birdguides); Shelduck, 190 Teal, Pintail, Peregrine Falcon, 13 Common Snipe, Redshank, 4 Meadow Pipit, 4 Cetti's Warbler, Redpoll south (LWC website).
 * Pinner Park Farm: 1 Woodcock roaming the River Pinn area, disappeared into a private garden (Hatch End side), 2 Snipe in a ditch, 1 Little Egret along the river, 1 Little Owl, 5 Redwing over, 7 Jackdaw, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Canada Goose & 6 Grey Heron. Also: 1 Kingfisher at Headstone Moat (Jon Ridge).
 * Purley (Buttermere Gardens): Ring-necked Parakeet, 2 Woodpigeon, Robin, 3 Blackbird, Song Thrush, Coal Tit, 2 Blue Tit, 3 Great Tit, Jay, Magpie, 3 Carrion Crow, 10 Starling, 7 Chaffinch, Greenfinch, 12 Goldfinch (Croydon Birders).
 * Regent's Park: 4 Common Snipe, 103 Mandarin Ducks, 57 Red crested Pochards, 16 Shoveler, 3 Teal, 9 Gadwall, 240 Pochards, 185 Tufted Ducks (Tony Duckett).
 * Rainham Marshes: imm m Eider on Thames by flood barrier a.m. (Birdguides); still present 13.30, but drifting downstream with the tide (Dominic Mitchell et al); 6 (Dark-bellied) Brent Goose, m Goldeneye, 5 Grey Plover, Turnstone, 3 Little Gull (ELBF).
 * Rotherhithe: pair of Gadwall Canada Water plus 1 Little Grebe, 7 (5 drake, 2 female) Pochard and 238 Tufted Ducks (Richard Bonser).
 * South Norwood CP: Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, 2 Water Rail, Common Snipe, 14 Common Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 6 Collared Dove, 4 Redwing, 3 Jay, 11 Siskin; Pied Wagtail (Love Lane) (Croydon Birders).
 * South Norwood Lake: 8 Mute Swan, 1 Little Grebe, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 14m 9f Shoveler, pair Pochard, 25 Tufted Duck, 10 Cormorant, c60 Black-headed Gull, 7 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 3 Common Gull, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, c30 Goldfinch (John Watson).
 * Stockwell (Hemans Estate Community Garden): 6 Greenfinch in bird-feeder tree (Michael Mac).
 * Stoke Newington Reservoirs (both reservoirs and v.m. session from Lincoln Court roof): Curlew over (personal first at site), total of 16 Common Snipe (1 East Res, 1 west, 7 north, 6 north and one watched landing in very small garden off Dunsmure Rd), c200 Woodpigeons, a few dozen Redwings and Fieldfares, 3 Meadow Pipits on the deck, 3 Red-crested Pochards still; more wildfowl on East Res, but no sign of Wigeon flock or Goldeneye today (interestingly the latter not the bird at Ally Pally today - yesterday's was an adult female); distant flock of c150 ducks, including c10 larger birds, far to the north, heading north-east and just out of ID range at 12:01 (Mark Pearson)
 * Thorney CP: Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Dunnocks, 2 Goosanders, 1 Wigeon, 15+ Pochards, 2 Redwings, 2 LBB Gulls, Stock Dove flew over, 3 flocks of Long-tailed Tits (Sue Giddens).
 * Tower Hamlets Cemetery: 2 Firecrest still south end Sanctuary Wood 8am, also 5+ Goldcrest dotted around, Redwing (h) (Bob Watts).
 * Tyttenhanger GPs: Goosander (f) (Steve Blake).
 * Walthamstow Res: 5 Scaup (2m, 3f)), 37 Wigeon, 8 Gadwall, c100+ Teal, 3 Goldeneye (fs), pr Egyptian Geese, 1 Redshank, 5 Snipe, 3 Green Sands, 2 Lapwing, Skylark, 3 Meadow Pipits (+ another pipit sp. poss Rock/Water) & 2 Buntings sp (most stuff on Lockwood 11-14.00 - Lol Bodini).
 * Walton Res: Velvet Scoter still present (SBC).
 * West Molesey: 2 Waxwing opposite 52 Pool Road (SBC).
 * William Girling Res (13.00-14.00): 1 ad fem Velvet Scoter, 1 male eclipse Scaup, 6 Black-Necked Grebe, 12+ Great Crested Grebe, 4 Goldeneye, 1 Dunlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk, 45 Lapwing, 5 Medow Pipit. (Rob Ayers).
 * Wormwood Scrubs: 1 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Snipe heading west, c16 Fieldfare, c4 Redwing, 1 Linnet, 4 Chaffinch, 100 Woodpigeon east & c1,000 Rose-ringed Parakeets (The Scrubbers).
 * York Avenue (Sidcup): 2 Goosander (1 west with 20 Mallard), Woodcock, 8 Snipe, 40+ Lapwings south, 7 Golden Plover, 4 Greylag Goose north-east, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 15+ Redwing, m Blackcap, 30+ Goldfinch, 3 Jackdaw, Sparrowhawk, Wren (Ian Stewart).

Wednesday 1 December 2010

 * Alexandra Park: c10 Waxwing low east over filter beds (Dominic Mitchell) and then past Birdwatch office window (David Callahan, Ian Lycett); also c100 Lapwing west over radio mast (Gareth Richards); plus 3 Skylarks, 2 Reed Buntings, Fieldfare, 8 Lapwing, Meadow Pipit, first-winter Aythya hybrid (Tunnel Res) (DMi).
 * Beddington SF: 14 Bean Goose flew east this morning (Birdguides).
 * Bromley-by-Bow/Channelsea: 6 Snipe, Redshank, Lapwing on river edge, Chiffchaff, fem Goldcrest (S Fisher)
 * Brookmill Park (Lewisham): 8 Mallard, 5 Moorhen, 2 Coot, 50+ Black-headed Gull, 1 Common Gull, 10+ Woodpigeon, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Ring-necked Parakeet, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Wren, 3 Robin, 8 Blackbird, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Great Tit, 1 Blue Tit, 5 Starling, 1 Jay, 3 Magpie, 7 Carrion Crow, 20+ Goldfinch, 1 Greenfinch (Conrad Ellam).
 * Brunel University Bicentenary Gardens: 30+ Redpolls, 5 Bullfinches, many Goldfinches and Redwings. Also, nearby in my Cowley Garden, at least 6 different Blackcaps (4 males, one with a metal ring) in the last week, four (3 males) were present together today, feeding on berries (Roger Morton).
 * Crayford Marshes: juv Pomarine Skua west along Thames at 12:30. 14 Grey Plover, c2000 Dunlin, 2 Rock Pipit, 4 Curlew, 176 Black-tailed Godwit (Kev Jarvis).
 * Dagenham (Peartree Gardens): 3 Chaffinch (ELBF).
 * East India Dock Basin area: Woodcock (copse) 1st record for site, 13 Redshank (roost), 3 Common Snipe (1 in roost), 225 Teal, 5 Meadow Pipit (Gary A James).
 * Fairlop Waters: 3 female Goosander,1 fem Red-breasted Merganser at 1pm on main lake (Steve Bacon).
 * Fulham Reach (rising tide): 7 Gadwall, 78 Teal (+46 South of Crabtree Wharf), 1f Pochard, 38 Tufted Duck, 41 Mallard, 2 Coot, 2 Moorhen, 2 Grey Heron, 5 Cormorant, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 10 Herring Gull, 2 Common Gull, c200 Black-headed Gull (and hovering/going round military helicopters) (Nathalie Mahieu).
 * Hampstead Heath: 5 Lapwing over (NW), 2 Wigeon (m,f) and 13 Shoveler Highgate No. 1 pond, c50 Redpolls and 4 Siskin in single flock near Stock pond (CB) + 2 juv. Pomarine Skuas W over Parliament Hill at 1230 (Pete Mantle)
 * Highgate Woods: 1 Waxwing nr Rangers cottage, mobile and calling 08.00 (P. Angus).
 * Holmethorpe SPs: 3 red-head Smew (Birdguides).
 * Hyde Park / Kensington Gardens (water bodies c40% frozen): m Goosander low west along Serpentine and toward Longwater 10:03 but not refound either there or at Round Pond (the first since February 1988), 5 Lapwing west, 2 Meadow Pipit flushed from Parade Ground, fem Blackcap, 7 redpoll sp west; also 317 Greylag Goose, 36 Egyptian Goose (new site-record), 3 Gadwall, 10 Shoveler, Little Grebe, m Kestrel, good number of Common Gull (though no count made), Green Woodpecker, 3 Pied Wagtail, 5 Goldcrest, Nuthatch, 2 Treecreeper (Des McKenzie).
 * King's Meads: 17 Waxwing at Tansy Mead a.m. (Birdguides). (surely not in London? between Hertford and Ware so within recording area).
 * KGV Reservoir: Black-necked Grebe, 2 Egyptian Goose, 25 Goosander south towards the Girling, Shelduck, c30 Meadow Pipit (Martin Shepherd).
 * Little Britain: 2 Little Grebe, 3 Lapwing in field, 25+ Gadwall, 3 Goldcrest, 1 Nuthatch, Chiffchaff, 1 Chaffinch, Song Thrush (Sue Giddens).
 * London Wetland Centre: 16 Eider north-west (Birdguides); Shelduck, 62 Wigeon, 177 Teal, 2 Peregrine Falcon nearby, Fieldfare, Rook west (Goosander and Woodcock yesterday) (LWC website).
 * Margravine Cemetery: 3 poss Curlew over at 11:15 going E, pr Peregrine Falcon (stuffed) in area (Nathalie Mahieu).
 * New Covent Garden Market (Inner London): 8 - 10 Waxwing heading north east at 9:05am (Michael Mac).
 * Pinner Park Farm: 2 Golden Plover, 3 Snipe, 1 Lapwing, 19 Jackdaw, 1 Canada Goose & 8 Grey Heron. Also at Headstone Moat: 1 Kingfisher, 1 Mute Swan, 73 Mallard & 2 Coot (Jon Ridge).
 * Rainham Marshes RSPB: 14 Tundra Bean Goose north 10:00 (see Beddington report), 42 Shelduck, 21 Gadwall, 2 Pintail, 18 Cormorant, 7 Golden Plover, 2 Grey Plover, 800 Lapwing, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Knot, 250 Dunlin, 5 Curlew, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, 112 Common Snipe, Woodcock, 82 Redshank, Green Sandpiper, leucistic Black-headed Gull, 3 ad Yellow-legged Gull, juvenile Iceland Gull flew from River Thames to rubbish tip at 12:50, 3 juv Pomarine Skua comprising 2 west past Coldharbour Point 11:40 and another west 12:30 (still 2 lingering in Aveley Bay 15:18; see Crayford Marshes / Hampstead Heath reports), 16 Skylark, 8 Rock Pipit, 2 Water Pipit, 18 Fieldfare, 22 Redwing, 2 Waxwing briefly at the car park then flew west 08:55, 2000 Starling, 80 House Sparrow, 85 Chaffinch, 40 Greenfinch, 50 Goldfinch; Note: the reserve car park is closed today but footpath access still available along seawall (ELBF / Birdguides).
 * Regent's Park: Jack Snipe flushed 8.15am, 3 Common Snipe down (park record), 51 Lapwings west 8.45am, Water Rail (Tony Duckett).
 * South Norwood CP: 9 Canada Goose, 11 Coot, 5 Common Gull, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Robin (Croydon Birders).
 * South Norwood Lake: 1 Dunlin (G H) 8 Mute Swan, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 10m 8f Shoveler, pair Pochard, 5 Cormorant, c70 Black-headed Gull, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 3 Common Gull, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 8 Ring-necked Parakeet, c15 Goldfinch (John Watson & Gavin Hawgood).
 * Stocker's Lake: 2 Smew (1 drake) mid-morning (Birdguides).
 * Stockley Park: 3 Lapwing on grass near lake (Roger Dewey).
 * Stoke Newington Reservoirs: Greenshank south, 1158; 11 Common Snipe in from NW, 1156; 3 Red-crested Pochards still; Linnet, Siskin, several Skylarks and small Redwing numbers over; Jack Snipe low and west 12:57 (presumably flushed by works staff); female Goldeneye fresh-in on East Res 13:00; Rock Pipit (almost trodden on) along southern flank of East Res, 14:45; 7 Wigeon, fresh in, 14:40 (Mark Pearson Hackney Wildlife)
 * Trent Park: 1 Woodcock, flushed, Williams Wood, 12:43 hrs; 1 Teal, Lower Lake (Robert Callf).
 * Tyttenhanger GP: 4 Curlew briefly 11:20 before flying off north (Herts Birding).
 * Valentines Park (Ilford): 4 Egyptian Geese, 4 Pochard, Grey Wagtail, 6 Siskin (via London BIrdwatching).
 * Walton Res (permit access): Velvet Scoter still present (Birdguides).
 * Wormwood Scrubs: 8 Goosander west (1st ever record), c50 Lapwing in 2 flocks heading SW, 1 Golden Plover with Lapwings, 1 Snipe, 1 Peregrine, 1 Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk high heading west, c20 Skylark, c25 Fieldfare, c8 Redwing, c3 Linnet, 1 Pied Wagtail & c1,000 Rose-ringed Parakeet leaving the roost. (The Scrubbers).
 * York Avenue (Sidcup): 8 Goosander west (5 males), 50+ Lapwing south/south-west, 2 Snipe west, 2 fem Siskin, male Blackcap, 30+ Goldfinch, 6+ Chaffinch (Ian Stewart).