February 23rd 2010

weather: 4C mostly raining

Fairlop Gravel Works:

• 56 Shoveler, 37 Tufted Duck, 28 Teal, 14 Pochard, 11 Gadwall plus the usual Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen
• Gull flock included 10+ Lesser Black Backed Gulls and c25 Herring Gulls
• c300 Lapwing (possibly a lot more), 32 Golden Plover, 2 Green Sandpiper
• 26 Snipe mostly on the wet meadow
• Pheasant (heard)
• Skylark
• Song Thrush
• 7 Pied Wagtails

Roding Valley Park, central:

• Song Thrush
• 6 Long Tailed Tits (AHobson)

Valentines Park:

• 8 Mute Swans (the extra pair are still on Long Water/Ornamental Pond)
• 39 Canada Geese, 2 Egyptian Geese (grazing)
• 1 Grey Heron (boating lake island), 5 Cormorant
• 411 Black Headed Gulls, 11 Common Gull, 1 Lesser Black Backed Gull,
• 1 Mediterranean Gull (Valentino) (on the playing field behind the cafe/playground with about 60 of the Black Headed Gulls.
• 141 Mallard 41 Tufted Ducks, 9 Pochard (8m, 1f), 2 Shoveler (Long Water), 2 Gadwall (Ornamental Pond),
• 61 Coot, 20 Moorhen
• 80+ Carrion Crow, c100 Starling
• 50+ Redwing
• 2 Great Tit, 4 Long Tailed Tits, 19 Goldfinch
• also: Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Chaffinch

Wanstead, Northuberland Avenue:

• 2 pairs of Lesser Redpoll in a garden (JCharter)

Wanstead Flats:

• adult Great Black-backed Gull flew S at 8:20am.
• Snipe,
• 12 Meadow Pipit, 15+ Skylark (3 Song-flighting),
• 11 Fieldfare, Redwing,
• 2 Kestrel,
• 4 Goldfinch (J Lethbridge).

Woodford Bridge, Roding Lane North:

• playing fields off Roding Lane North
• 22 Common Gulls,
• 6 Redwing
• Great Spotted Woodpecker (AHobson)

Woodford Bridge, Vicarage Road:

• Mistle Thrush on the green outside St. Judes Court (AHobson)

Chingford Plain: (just outside the borough)

• 1 Buzzard (Ian Woodward)

Connaught Water: (just outside the borough)

• 1 female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker,
• 1 Nuthatch, 3 Treecreepers,
• 2 Wigeon, 32 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard (Ian Woodward)