NPBW day 6
So I've been going on about why to patch watch and all that malarkey, but in the meantime haven't actually mentioned this patch!
So here is a week in summation..
Monday morning.
Low tide. Looking for a Purple Heron (which I knew wouldn’t be there), found the hopefully resident YLG. Apart from that the usual gulls in place, Mallards flighty – so too Parakeets. Best by a mile was a Kingfisher bombing along the river’s edge heading up stream. Always a good day when a Kingfisher is seen.
Monday lunchtime
High tide. Visit to the Wandle to see the shopping trolley coots. Still on the nest, with eggs but are they on the eggs from two weeks ago or another set? That would make it 6 nests this year which is bonkers. On another section, a pair of Mute Swans bring out 7 cygnets. Fuck knows where they came from. The Swans were nesting earlier in the year but I thought that they had abandoned. Found a Heron sitting on the riverbank, posing very well for arty-farty-fotos.
Tuesday
Starlings look like the are forming the flocks for the winter roost already. They can be seen dispersing from the usual site early in the morning. Last winter peaked at about 1500-2000 birds. Lunchtime spent watching cormorants fight over a flat fish (not often that you hear them make a noise, and when they do you are thankful that they are largely silent!), and then following a male Sparrowhawk up and down the Thames path.
Wednesday
PATCH TICK! A bloody patch tick during National Patch Birding Week! How cool is that? Greenshank fly through first thing, cracking. Brings me to 60 for the year and 73 all in for the patch. I’ve equalled last years total and still have to pick up a Peregrine from somewhere and still lack Jay and Linnet!
Thursday
Three Herons flying over first thing. Herons round here generally cannot stand each others company, so three together makes me think that they were interlopers. Yellow-legged Gull in situ as are the expected Black Heads and Herrings. A flypast of a summer plumaged Common Gull was nice. Pretty birds.
Visit to the Wandle at lunchtime. Guess what? The shopping trolley coots are on a nest. I think this might well be the sixth attempt – it might be the remnants of the fifth attempt but those eggs will be a bit off. Not much else around, but Banded Demoiselles provided a little distraction.
Friday
Morning, er gulls.
Lunchtime, a Mr GREvans of Amersham informs Surrey Birders that there is a White Winged Black Tern (yummy!) at Staines, and reckons it is hardly suprising what with all these Black Terns coming through yesterday. Not here sonny!! Anyway that's a good enough reason to check every bleedin' bird that flies over the river for an hour. Of course they are all either gulls flying along the river or Woodpigeons flying across the river. Ho hum.
So here is a week in summation..
Monday morning.
Low tide. Looking for a Purple Heron (which I knew wouldn’t be there), found the hopefully resident YLG. Apart from that the usual gulls in place, Mallards flighty – so too Parakeets. Best by a mile was a Kingfisher bombing along the river’s edge heading up stream. Always a good day when a Kingfisher is seen.
Monday lunchtime
High tide. Visit to the Wandle to see the shopping trolley coots. Still on the nest, with eggs but are they on the eggs from two weeks ago or another set? That would make it 6 nests this year which is bonkers. On another section, a pair of Mute Swans bring out 7 cygnets. Fuck knows where they came from. The Swans were nesting earlier in the year but I thought that they had abandoned. Found a Heron sitting on the riverbank, posing very well for arty-farty-fotos.
Tuesday
Starlings look like the are forming the flocks for the winter roost already. They can be seen dispersing from the usual site early in the morning. Last winter peaked at about 1500-2000 birds. Lunchtime spent watching cormorants fight over a flat fish (not often that you hear them make a noise, and when they do you are thankful that they are largely silent!), and then following a male Sparrowhawk up and down the Thames path.
Wednesday
PATCH TICK! A bloody patch tick during National Patch Birding Week! How cool is that? Greenshank fly through first thing, cracking. Brings me to 60 for the year and 73 all in for the patch. I’ve equalled last years total and still have to pick up a Peregrine from somewhere and still lack Jay and Linnet!
Thursday
Three Herons flying over first thing. Herons round here generally cannot stand each others company, so three together makes me think that they were interlopers. Yellow-legged Gull in situ as are the expected Black Heads and Herrings. A flypast of a summer plumaged Common Gull was nice. Pretty birds.
Visit to the Wandle at lunchtime. Guess what? The shopping trolley coots are on a nest. I think this might well be the sixth attempt – it might be the remnants of the fifth attempt but those eggs will be a bit off. Not much else around, but Banded Demoiselles provided a little distraction.
Friday
Morning, er gulls.
Lunchtime, a Mr GREvans of Amersham informs Surrey Birders that there is a White Winged Black Tern (yummy!) at Staines, and reckons it is hardly suprising what with all these Black Terns coming through yesterday. Not here sonny!! Anyway that's a good enough reason to check every bleedin' bird that flies over the river for an hour. Of course they are all either gulls flying along the river or Woodpigeons flying across the river. Ho hum.
A Damselfly doing delicate
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