Fairlop Waters Daily Bird Sightings
Fairlop Waters is found in the East of the London Borough of Redbridge, near to Hainault Forest. With 5 lakes and ponds, a stream, farmland, quarry, landfill site, woodland and heathland it is suitable for a wide variety of birds throughout the year. It is possibly best known for the long staying Hume's Warbler in 2004 or for its important flocks of Golden Plover and Lapwing that have both reached over 1000 in the winter. Usually around 110-120 species are recorded here each year. The Site Total stands at 192
Resident all year: Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Pheasant, Lapwing, Little Owl, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stock Dove, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting.
Winter: Regular wildfowl include good numbers of Teal, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Pochard and Shoveler, occasional Wigeon, or rarer duck (Shelduck, Red Crested Pochard, Goldeneye, Gooseander Slavonian Grebe in 2009). 1000+ of various Gulls, 100s of Lapwing and over a hundred Golden Plover in the adjacent fields and the landfill site. Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Short Eared Owl often present and hunting at dusk. Large influx of Long Tailed Tits and Goldcrests. Stonechat. 100s of Redwing and Fieldfare. Occasional groups of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll. Occasional Water Rail, Kingfisher and Woodcock.
Passage: Wheatear, Whinchat, Hobby, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Lesser Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher, Yellow Wagtail. Any wader could show up but usually only on their own. Occasional Black Necked Grebe, Wryneck, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Yellow-Browed Warbler.
Summer: Breeding Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Whitethroat. House Martins, Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows all usually present around the lake.
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