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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.'''

Note that records submitted here may be added to the London Natural History Society database for use in the London Bird Report; by posting your news here you are agreeing to have your records copied by the LNHS recorder.

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 (David Callahan).
 * Lewisham: Woodcock flew low south at 8.30 (John Archer).
 * London Wetland Centre: Shelduck, 190 Teal, Pintail, Peregrine Falcon, 13 Common Snipe, Redshank, 4 Meadow Pipit, 4 Cetti's Warbler, Redpoll south (LWC website).
 * 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).
 * Tower Hamlets Cemetery: 2 Firecrest still south end Sanctuary Wood 8am, also 5+ Goldcrest dotted around, Redwing (h) (Bob Watts).
 * 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 Parakeet. (The Scrubbers).

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).
 * 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).