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Friday 4th November 2016

 * Brent Reservoir: Yellow-browed Warbler heard on Dump close, hid in thick veg so not seen (Magnus Andersson, Christian  , Andrew Verrall); vis-mig 08:00-11:00 271 birds, male Ring Ouzel over our heads, from NW, into deepest allotments, 82 Fieldfare, 41 Chaffinch, 16 Pied Wagtails; also Green Sandpiper, 12 Snipe, Water Rail seen well, 3 Chiffchaff (above 3 watchers+Roy Beddard)
 * Brookmill Park: Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest (Conrad Ellam)
 * Chingford Plain/Connaught Waters : 43 Mandarins (38 on the small pond off Rangers Road before you get to the Butlers Retreat cafe) 18 Goldcrests, 3 Redwings, 2 Song Thrushes. Teals, Gadwalls, Shovelers, Grey Wagtail on Connaught Waters pond. (Simon Worsfold)
 * Crayford Marshes: Curlew Sandpiper east of Darent mouth (same as Fraser's bird below), 20+ Wigeon, 2 Little Egret, 2 Kestrel, c100 Lapwing, c100 Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, 20+ Dunlin, 4+ Yellow-legged Gull, Skylark, Grey Wagtail, Stonechat, 2 Fieldfare, 3 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Reed Bunting (Ian Stewart) plus 2 Marsh Harriers, numerous Redwing (Mike Amos).
 * Field End Rec, Rayners Lane/South Ruislip: 35 Pied Wagtail, Green Woodpecker (Tim Rymer).


 * Hogsmill Water Treatment Works: 5 Teal, 6 Shoveler, 850 Woodpigeon (820 SW, 23 NE), Meadow Pipit E, 210 Redwing W, 10 Fieldfare W, 7 Song Thrush (3 S), Chiffchaff, 90 Starling W, Siskin W (Andrew Skotnicki)
 * Purfleet: 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 60 Golden Plover, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 121 Dunlin, 51 Redshank, 133 Lapwing, 1 Curlew, 13 Shelduck, 28 Teal, 12 Wigeon, 4 Yellow-legged Gull, 34 Great Black-backed Gull (Fraser Simpson)
 * Primrose Hill: Snipe low E over viewpoint 0650, 620 Woodpigeon SW 07:35-08:05, 95 Fieldfare & 9 Redwing mostly W/NW - vismig 06:30-09:00 (Twitter)
 * Richmond Park: m Goldeneye Lower Pen Pond, Buzzard, Common Snipe (Friday Group)
 * St James's Park: Kingfisher showing nicely this morning (Frank Nugent).
 * Staines Reservoir: 2 Black-necked Grebe, Goldeneye. (Jim Sweetland)
 * Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park: Male Firecrest 0820 in Holly at entrance to Horse Chestnut Glade (new bird-no ring), 12+ Goldcrest, 21 Redwing N 0800 (Bob Watts)
 * Wanstead Flats: Short-eared Owl (Bob Vaughan)
 * Woodberry Wetlands 2 Snipe, Water Rail, 3 Wigeon, 3 Teal, 12 Shoveler, Sparrowhawk, pr Blackcap (Chris Farthing)

Thursday 3rd November 2016

 * Battersea Park Lake: 1 Wigeon, 4 Teal, 8 Shovelor, 100+ Gadwall, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest - no sign of Firecrest near Rowan Gate? Grey Wagtail near Zoo, 100+ Carrion Crow (Michael Mac)
 * Bexley Village to Foots Cray Meadows: Kingfisher and 2 Grey Wagtail, f Sparrowhawk, several Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Meadow Pipit, 10 Linnets, 30 Redwings and a few Fieldfares in treetops. 80 Fieldfares low SW (Patrick English)
 * Brent Reservoir: Yellow-browed Warbler on Northbank near Phoenix Canoe Club (may have a feeding circuit as far as rifle-range field and oakwood in this new location), 8 Goldcrest, Redwing, 3 Snipe, 2 Collared Doves, Siskin flew westward by Dump at 10:30 (Simon Worsfold); vis-mig 08:20-10:45 Common Buzzard circling S 09:40-47 chased by 7 Carrion Crows, 754 Woodpigeon, Brambling over calling,1st Reed Bunting of autumn W (Andrew Verrall)
 * Brookmill Park: 2 Little Egret, Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Goldcrest (Conrad Ellam)
 * Fir & Pond Woods NR: 11 Teal 2 m 9 f Old Pond, 4 Common Buzzard (Robert Callf)
 * Hook Wood, Northaw: Woodcock flushed, Tawny Owl heard hooting (Robert Callf)
 * Oxleas Wood Goldcrest Firecrest Coaltit Redwing Fieldfare 11 Jackdaw Common Buzzard Nuthatch Great Spotted Woodpecker Mistlethrush [Ron Turner]
 * Pinner (HA5): 3 Red Kite (12:05 -12:22), female Sparrowhawk, Green & Great Spotted Woodpecker, 15 Redwing north-west, Coal Tit & 5 Goldfinch (Jon Ridge)
 * Purfleet: 1 Grey Plover, 1 Snipe, 39 Golden Plover, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 69 Dunlin, 28 Redshank, 152 Lapwing, 1 Curlew, 2 Shelduck, 14 Teal, 5 Yellow-legged Gull, 15 Great Black-backed Gull (Fraser Simpson)
 * Rainham:  2 Tree Sparrows with 25 Chaffinch in hedgerow along Coldharbour Lane (Fraser Simpson)
 * Richmond Park: Jack Snipe and Common Snipe Upper Pen Pond (B.Whiskin via JW) Little Owl, same Jack Snipe and Common Snipe, Little Egret, Kingfisher heard, Grey Wagtail, Water Rail heard, male and female Tawny Owls calling and seen flying. (P Redmond)
 * Ruxley GPs (permit only): Woodlark NW calling, Snipe (year-1st), c35 Gadwall, 10 Shoveler, 3 Teal, 2 Wigeon, c15 Pochard, c150 Tufted Duck, 3 Little Grebe, 3 Little Egret, 3-4 Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, 6+ Water Rail, 3+ Kingfisher, Meadow Pipit over, 2 Grey Wagtail, 4 Mistle Thrush, 6+ Fieldfare SW, 10+ Redwing, 2 Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaff, 10+ Goldcrest, 3+ Linnet over, 2 Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, 2+ Bullfinch, Reed Bunting. A day-record 62 species for the patch (Ian Stewart, Mike Amos) - Woodlark is a very good record Ian & well done (JR) Cheers, pure luck (IS)
 * Tooting Common: c.30 Fieldfare dropped into treetops at dusk, 300+ Ring-necked Parakeets roosted in their regular Poplar (Alan Wilkinson).
 * Tottenham Marshes: (12.10 - 13.00pm) Fem Stonechat in Mown area N of Allotments (Pr. seen yesterday near Car Park), 13 Fieldfare circling around then flew off S. 2 Meadow Pipit in area. (Davey Leach).
 * Wanstead Flats: 250 + Wood Pigeon s, 40 + Fieldfare, Redwing, 17 Chaffinch, 9 Linnet, 3 Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff, 4 Goldcrest, 2 Skylark, 6 Meadow Pipit, 1-2 Snipe, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, 9 Teal, 3 Shoveler, 32 Gadwall, 7 Tufted Duck (Nick Croft)
 * Wanstead Park: 50 Wigeon, 193 Gadwall, 44 Shoveler, 4 Teal, 3 Little Egret, Kingfisher, 10 Little Grebe, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Redpoll (Nick Croft)
 * Woodberry Wetlands 2 Wigeon, Teal, Reed Bunting, Coal Tit, ~70 Fieldfare heading W, huge numbers of Woodpigeon visible to the E heading S, my guesstimate 15,000 between 7:15 and 8am (Chris Farthing)

Wednesday 2nd November 2016

 * Alexandra Park: Fieldfare, Chiffchaff, passage of Woodpigeon evident pre 7am (Bob Watts)
 * Brent Reservoir: 8,790 Woodpigeon SW, 10 Stock Dove, Yellowhammer, 24 Chaffinch, Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, 2 Meadow Pipit, 5 Lapwing on mud, Green Sandpiper, 10 Snipe (Brent Birders)
 * Brookmill Park: Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Goldcrest (Conrad Ellam)
 * Finchley (Garden): 30 Ring-necked Parakeets SW. (An Autumn garden record. My record count is 505 from the end of May this year.) (Samuel Levy)
 * Crayford Marshes: c40 Wigeon, 20+ Teal, f Pochard SE over Darent mouth, 3+ Little Egret, male Marsh Harrier along Darent creek, Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, 30+ Lapwing, 6+ Redshank, Curlew, Rock Pipit, 10+ Meadow Pipit, 15+ Fieldfare, 4+ Redwing, 4 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Reed Bunting (Ian Stewart)
 * Crossness 2 Little Egret, 7 Fieldfare, 2 Redwing,(Ralph Todd)
 * Foots Cray Meadows: pair Gadwall, 2 Teal, 2 Little Grebe, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Cetti's Warbler heard briefly 3 times, 4+ Chiffchaff, 15+ Goldcrest, Nuthatch, 5+ Siskin, 2+ Bullfinch (Ian Stewart, Mike Amos)
 * Greenwich : 2 Peregrines seen over Woodlands Park Road 0730, female circling low and calling then the male flew by heading to the woods behind Maze Hill Station, the female headed off towards Greenwich Park (Richard Green)
 * Greenwich Ecology Park: Kingfisher, Blackcap f (John Bushell)
 * Hogsmill Water Treatment Works: 8 Shoveler, 1000 Black-headed Gull (970 E), 1040 Herring Gull E, Buzzard, 530 Woodpigeon (500 SW), Skylark over, Meadow Pipit over, Chiffchaff, Bullfinch, 2 Lesser Redpoll over, 10 Linnet (Andrew Skotnicki)
 * Kensington Gardens: Northern Gannet seen flying over by David Element -- picture on my blog (Ralph Hancock)
 * King George V Reservoir: Rock Pipit, Buzzard, Goldeneye, Peregrine, Barn Owl & Diver spp. initially thought to be Red-throated but some doubts have now been raised. Some dodgy photos are on twitter @chris_farthing (Chris Farthing & Tony Butler) - Hi Chris, looking at the first photo, I would say that it was a Red-throated Diver on structure - forget the plumage (JR) Thanks, I agree and also think the first pic shows a slightly upcurved bill, but others have viewed same pictures and favour Black-throated (CF) Chris, agreed photos aren't wholly conclusive but would suggest head posture and lack of white 'wheel arch' (black throat) favour RTD (Dan Barrett) 
 * Lamorbey Park: Egyptian Goose, Little Grebe, 2 Kingfisher (Ian Stewart)
 * Leatherhead: 1 Common Buzzard circling - viewed distantly from Randalls Way (Neil Batten)
 * London Wetland Centre: 1 Water Pipit (Grazing Marsh), 3 Peregrine (Charing X Hosp.), 1 Stonechat (Wader Scrape), 1 Grey Wagtail (between WWF and Dulverton hides) - all 2.30-4pm (Mike Wheeler)
 * M25 Jct 17 ish: 3 Red Kite, 2 Buzzard (Samuel Levy)
 * Oakwood (Prince George Ave, N14): Red Kite 15:00 (Robert Callf)
 * Oxleas Wood: Goldcrests, 2 Firecrest, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, [fm], Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Redwing, Coal Tit (Ron Turner)
 * Purfleet: 1 Raven, 55 Golden Plover, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 54 Dunlin, 42 Redshank, 168 Lapwing, 2 Curlew, 2 Shelduck, 32 Wigeon, 2 Yellow-legged Gull, 20 Great Black-backed Gull (Fraser Simpson)
 * Regent's Park: Firecrest - female trapped and ringed this morning in area with no public access (Bill Haines)
 * Richmond Park: Pen Ponds area - 13 Teal, 65 Pochard, Little Egret, ad m Peregrine perched, Buzzard, 4 Water Rail, Common Snipe, Kingfisher, 4 Skylark NW, 3 Stonechat (J.Wilczur)
 * St Cuthbert's Church Garden, Fordwych Rd NW2: Tawny Owl hooting in early morning (Andrew Verrall)
 * Streatham (looking over Croydon): 07.15-08.00, c2000 Woodpigeons S/SW (Peter Newmark)
 * Sutcliffe Park: 4 Greylag, 2 Tufted Duck, 4 Common Gull, Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting (Conrad Ellam)
 * Thamesmead Golf Course to Crossness Thames Foreshore 425 Teal, 7 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon, 120 Lapwing, 25 Redshank, 62 Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, 20 Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe, 276 Black-headed gulls, 7 Lesser Black-backed gulls, 1 Great Black-backed gull, Cetti's Warbler, Grey Wagtail, Common Buzzard. 2 common Seal (Ralph Todd)
 * Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park: Chiffchaff (Bob Watts)
 * Walthamstow Reservoirs: 2 Rock Pipits by basin behind Lockwood, Green Sandpiper, Kingfisher, Meadow Pipit, Song Thrush and Cettis Warbler (latter 3 around Warwick reservoirs) (Simon Worsfold)
 * Barnes Wetlands: 2 Water pipits at wildside Hide
 * Woodford Green: Song Thrush, Goldcrest, fly over Common Snipe (heading North), Common Buzzard framed by 20+ Ring-necked Parakeets and Red Kite drifting West all am (Ken Murray)

Tuesday 1st November 2016

 * Alexandra Park: 3 Goldeneye found 0645 then flew at 0718 possibly to 2 additional birds, the first site record for 5/6 years, also Fieldfare & Redwing heard (Bob. Watts, Gareth Richards).
 * Battersea Park: 9 Shoveler, 125 Gadwall, 2 Snipe, 1 Water Rail, 3 Skylark S, 2 alba Wagtail S, 9 Fieldfare SW, 4 Redwing, 46 Blackbird, Firecrest near Rowen Gate, 13 Goldcrest, 2 Redpoll sp SW (Nick Senior) did you see Snipe/Water Rail round pond area with low water-level? I haven't been to look (Michael Mac) hi Snipe seen in flight, Water Rail on north side of main lake viewed from south side (NPS)
 * Brent Reservoir: [3 Muscovy Ducks]; Vis-mig 07.30-11.30: 85+ Fieldfare in one big flock, 14 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, 11 Song Thrush (most ever totals this year) 38 Greenfinch (prob highest totals ever also), 21 Goldfinch, 56 Chaffinch, 2nd Green Sandpiper of Autumn migrating high, calling towards west then into fog, Day total 280 birds + Green Sandpiper feeding North Marsh (Magnus Andersson, Andrew Verrall)
 * Judd Street, Kings Cross: Marsh Harrier mobbed by Crows east at 07:33am. (Dante Shepherd) Pictures on Twitter @wildinLDN - photo looks very good - well done : ) (JR)
 * Lamorbey Park: Pair Mute Swan inc ringed 4AOC back again, Egyptian Goose, Little Grebe, 6+ Goldcrest (Ian Stewart)
 * London Wetland Centre: 1 Water Pipit, 2 Siskin, 3 Stonechat, 1 Pintail, 5 Snipe, 9 Redwing (S), 4 Water Rail, 1 Sparrowhawk (WWT Website)
 * Rainham RSPB: 3 Marsh Harrier, 4 Pintail, 1 Avocet, 2 Curlew on Aveley Bay, 2 Common Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk at Ferry Lane (John Cadera)
 * Redbridge Lakes, Woodford Bridge: Kingfisher, up to 2 Snipe, Grey Wagtail, Chiffchaff, Fieldfare, 4 Ring-necked Parakeets, Great Spotted Woodpecker, up to 3 Jays, 2 Long-tailed Tits, Tufted Duck (uncommon here). Also 2 Green Woodpeckers, 5 Pied Wagtails on adjacent cricket pitch (Alan Hobson).
 * Richmond Park: Jack Snipe with Common Snipe west side upper pen pond - view either from east side or causeway, Little Egret, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail (J.Wilczur)
 * Petts Wood: Firecrest with Goldcrests in hollies by bridle path at end of Riverwood Lane, 2+ Redwing, 500+ Ring-necked Parakeet pre-roost c16.20 (Ian Stewart)
 * Sidcup DA15 (York Avenue): Grey Heron N, Sparrowhawk in garden twice, Green Woodpecker, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2+ Goldcrest (Ian Stewart)
 * St James's Park: Kingfisher and 9 roving Redwing (Frank Nugent).
 * Totteridge Valley/Darlands Lake: 4 Redwing, 2 Grey Wagtail, Bullfinch, 8 Teal (John Colmans)
 * Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park: Male Pheasant still also 8+ Goldcrest (Bob Watts)
 * Trent Park: Meadow Pipit, 8 Blackbird, 3 Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, 10 Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, 3 Bullfinch 1 m 2 f feeding on bramble and nettle seeds, Weasel Old Golf Course (Robert Callf) Where were the Bullfinch Robert? HB The Bullfinches were along 'The Gully' at the 'Old Golf Course' at approx TQ 288 977, who is HB? - R Callf. Sorry - where is the "Old Golf Course"? I only know the new one. Thanks Robert. Harringay Birder (HB) The 'Old Golf Course' is the area N of the lakes in Trent Park - grid ref already provided - R Callf
 * Wormwood Scrubs: 1 Woodcock flushed from Chat's Paddock, 3 Fieldfare, 7 Redwing, 1 Skylark S, c40 Goldfinch, 2 Stonechat, 14 Meadow Pipit, 1 Sparrowhawk, (Louis Freeland-Haynes)

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