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Please list sightings in alphabetical order by site. Only report sightings that are of wider interest, rather than listing all common birds. However, DO NOT post details of nesting by scarce breeding birds (those included in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as amended). Any such reports will be removed. Please submit them instead to the appropriate London Natural History Society bird recorder. Note that records submitted here may be added to the LNHS database for use in the London Bird Report; by posting news here you agree to have your records copied by the LNHS recorder. Further information on entering sightings can be found HERE. A scalable map of the London recording area is available HERE.

Thursday 2nd May 2013

 * Alexandra Park: 4 Swifts high over Conservation Pond (Dave Callahan per Bob Watts); another 5-6 through mid-morning (DC).
 * Hampstead Heath: Swift over Parliament Hill at 07:00 (Frank Nugent).
 * King George V Reservoir: 35+ Arctic Tern (Ian Lycett).
 * London Wetland Centre: 1 Blue-headed Wagtail (main lake), 9 Swift, 14 House Martin, 2 Garden Warbler, 8 Blackcap, 1 Wheatear (Adam Salmon).
 * Regent's Park/Primrose Hill: 2 ad Great Black-backed Gull low E from direction of boating lake 0715 - patch tick (birdman_euston)
 * Staines Reservoir: 20 Arctic Tern from 06.30 till 07.13 only. 1 Black-necked Grebe S basin SE corner usually 2 Little Ringed Plover (Bob Warden per FJM).
 * Swanley Park: Turtle Dove still showing well 10am (observer?).

Wednesday 1st May 2013

 * Alexandra Park: 1 Lesser Whitethroat, last seen singing at bottom of slopes to west of cricket pitches at 09:35 (Bob Watts, David Callaghan, Gareth Richards).
 * Brent Reservoir: only 2 Common Terns, feeding flock 24 Swifts, 17 Swallows north, 8 House Martins, 2 Sand Martins, most common warblers (Brent Birders).
 * Canons Farm: female Whinchat, male Wheatear (David Campbell)
 * Cheam Village: Singing Grey Wagtail on rooftops 12.15 (Neil Batten).
 * Crayford Marshes: Short-eared Owl again hunting between Crayford and Dartford Marshes at 06:20; drake Common Scoter feeding in the Thames; 3 Whimbrel, 6 Sedge Warbler, Greenshank, Corn Bunting, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, Wheatear, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Common Tern, 16 Reed Warbler, 28 Whitethroat (Kev Jarvis).
 * Dartford Marshes: 2 Hobby, Cuckoo, 20+ Swift, 10+ Sand Martin, Swallow, Wheatear, 4 Blackcap, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 10+ Common Whitethroat, 3 Cetti's Warbler, 4 Reed Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting (Conrad Ellam)
 * Hampstead Heath: Yellow Wagtail over ploughed field at 07.00, 2 Whitethroat (1m 1f) (Huw Prior)
 * Heathrow Airport: 5 Waxwings in the trees by the bus stop at Northern Perimeter Road, near the junction with Hatton Road North at 0610 (Wendy Marks via AS); Thank you Wendy / AS - Adam Cheeseman Biodiversity Manager, Heathrow; Probable Black Kite over heading north at 13:20 (one was seen over Sunbury an hour earlier) though seen distantly through heat haze, Hobby feeding near Compass Centre and 2 Kestrels. (Adam Cheeseman)possible black kite seen flying over the animal reception centre at Heathrow airport around 12 stuart king
 * Lee Valley RP (River Lee CP, Seventy Acres Lake): 20-25 Common Terns + 1 Arctic Tern through late afternoon mainly 2-3 at a time (all came in high from S then went off high to NE when chased off by Black-headed Gulls), 2 Nightingales, North Met Pit: mixed singing Willow Warbler near canal on causeway (often starting with Chiffchaff song), Electricity substation: at least 5 singing Nightingales. (Roy Woodward); Cuckoo calling 19:30 S of substation, recently fledged broods of Mallard (River Lea), Canada Goose (Seventy Acres). (Matt Reed).
 * London Wetland Centre: 2 Kestrel (displaying), 1 Buzzard (SE), 2 Little Ringed Plover, 5 Redshank, 5 Common Tern, 7 Collared Dove, 14 Swift, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Garden Warbler, 5 Blackcap, 3 Redpoll sp. (WWT website)
 * Morden Hall Park: 2 Common Whitethroat (display and courtship), 3-4 singing Chiffchaff, 1 Grey Wagtail (Andy Lamb)
 * Regent's Park/Primrose Hill: 2 Swift, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler (patch yr-1st) singing in lakeshore dogwoods just R of boathouse café area 5 0745 onward, 2 Grey Wagtail (birdman_euston); 1 Hobby N 0705, 2 Common Tern over lake 0620 (fide Regent's Park Birds blog)
 * Ruislip Lido: 6 House Martin collecting mud (Nigel Sluman)
 * Staines Moor: 2 Hobby, 2 Little Egret, 2 Lapwing, Redshank, Kingfisher, Wheatear, Sedge and Reed Warbler (Paul Boult)
 * Staines Reservoir: 1 Black-necked Grebe (S. Basin), 1 Ringed Plover (N Basin west bank), 2 Little Ringed Plover (S Basin) (A.Luscombe)
 * Stanwell Moor: Grasshopper Warbler, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, 8 Swallow, 3 Red Kite, Cuckoo and a Weasel (Keith Kerr)
 * Stokes Field KT7: pr Bullfinch, 1 Buzzard over, 5 Whitethroat, 6 Chiffchaff, c10 Blackcap (Bill Dykes)
 * Stoneleigh (Chadacre Road): Herring Gull east, Blue-fronted Amazon Parrot again in gardens stripping blossom from trees (Neil Batten).
 * Swanley Park : Turtle Dove showing well 9.30 usual tree see link, Stock Dove, Egyptian Goose (patch 1st), Mute Swan, 2 Slow worm ...thanks CE (Andy Meaton)
 * Walthamstow South Marsh: 5 Ring-Necked Parakeet, 2 Sedge Warbler, 5 Blackcap, 1 Reed Warbler, 2 Swift (John Sellar)
 * Wanstead Flats: 7 Swallow, 2 House Martin, Sand Martin, 2 Swift, 2 Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, singing Reed Bunting, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, 7 Pochard (Nick Croft/Tim Harris); Could Brandon Anderson get in touch regarding his Common Redpoll in Wanstead Park on the 3rd April by the website
 * West Brompton SW5: Nuthatch (very vocal) opposite station in small area of railway embankment scrub by Earls Court (unusual here, no doubt on away day from cemetery) (Matt Reed).
 * Wimbledon Park (Lake):  2 Gadwall, 2 Common Tern, 1 Swift, 3 Swallow, 1 House Martin, 5 Herring Gull over, 1 Blackcap in song (Martin Daniel).08.40-09-00

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LONDON BIRDING NEWS FROM ALMOST EVERY PREVIOUS MONTH SINCE JULY 2002 {C}