January was confusing. It was like spring: thrushes sang non-stop, Honey Bees buzzed around their hive in Bush Wood, butterfly came out, and it was positively balmy. That'll change, you mark my words...
A new year, new lists to start, new targets to set and get, and of course the unknown. What rarities Will plop themselves down on the shore of Alex for all to see, and what records will be broken, and what bird's mourned by their absence.
Well it all started rather well, Tim, Jono and myself bashing the patch against the weather and coming up winners over last year. Some good birds too: Firecrest, Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Greater Black-backed Gull to name but a few.
Then it sort of petered out to leave us slightly down on last year, mind you we've been everywhere but the patch on many occasion, not year listing for some, and year listing like an idiot for another (yes I am trying for 300 this year!).
The highlights:
Firecrest still roaming Bush Wood
The Lesser spots reappear
Woodcock in the old allotments
A brace of Buzzard over the park
1st Jan
Wanstead Flats: 17 Gadwall, 7 Tufted Duck, c. 20 Shoveler, 7 Teal, 11 Greylag Goose, 4 Stock Dove, 5 Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 4 Skylark, 10 + Redwing, 3 Fieldfare, singing Song and Mistle Thrush, Peregrine Falcon. Kestrel, 2 Greater Black-backed Gull (Tim Harris/Jonathan Lethbridge/Nick Croft)
Wanstead Park: 2-3 Firecrest, 4+ Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, 2 Sparrowhawk, Reed Bunting, 27 Lesser Redpoll, 10 + Siskin, 5 Bullfinch, 7 Little Grebe, 8 Grey Heron, Little Egret, 2 Kingfisher, Water Rail, 30 + Redwing, 8 Egyptian Goose, 68 Gadwall, 5 Shoveler, 73 Tufted Duck (Tim Harris/Jonathan Lethbridge/Nick Croft)
3rd Jan
Wanstead Flats: 2 Reed Bunting, 14 Goldfinch, 13 Gadwall, 40 + Jackdaw, 2 Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail (Nick Croft)
Wanstead Park: 2 Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft)
4th Jan
Wanstead Flats: Common Snipe, 26 Fieldfare (south), 17 Redwing, 5 Egyptian Goose, 7 Tufted Duck, 12 Gadwall, 15 Shoveler, Teal, Goldcrest, 3 Reed Bunting, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft)
Wanstead Park: Egyptian Goose, Fieldfare, Kingfisher (Steve Thorpe), Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 18 Redwing, 3 Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, 9 Teal, 46 Gadwall, 89 Tufted Duck, 11 Shoveler, 41 Pochard, Little Grebe, 2 Water Rail, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff (Nick Croft)
7th Jan
Wanstead Flats:50 + Goldfinch (capel point), 5 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Reed Bunting, 14 Gadwall, 16 Shoveler, 3 Teal, 5 Egyptian Goose, Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, Skylark, Goldcrest, 2 Greater Black-backed Gull, 4 Stock Dove (Nick Croft/Stuart Fisher)
Wanstead Park: 2 Firecrest, 10 + Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, 30 + Redwing (some subsong), 2 Fieldfare, Linnet, 4 Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, 2 Bullfinch, 5 Stock Dove, 3 Sparrowhawk, 2 Water Rail, 2 Grey Wagtail, 64 + Gadwall, c.100 Tufted Duck, 77 Pochard, 10 Shoveler, 4 Teal, 5 Egyptian Goose, 3 Little Grebe, 1-3 Kingfisher, 5 Heron (Nick Croft/Stuart Fisher/Tim Harris)
8th Jan
Wanstead Park: Little Egret, 30 Redwing, Greater Black-backed Gull, Chiffchaff (Nick Croft) Water Rail, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest
9th Jan
Wanstead Park: Woodcock (old allotments), 2 Little Egret, Water Rail, Grey Wagtail, 12 Fieldfare, 9 Lesser Redpoll (Steve Thorpe/Mike Messenger).
10th Jan
Wanstead Flats: 6 Lapwing (west), 11 Fieldfare, Redwing, singing Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush, Great Black-backed Gull, 4 Teal, 14 Shoveler, 7 Gadwall, 9 Tufted Duck, 2 Egyptian Goose, Lesser Redpoll, 40+ Goldfinch, Skylark (Nick Croft).
Wanstead Park: c. 80 Pochard, 92 Tufted Duck, 40 Gadwall, 2 Teal, 2 Water Rail, Little Egret, 6 Cormorant (west), 20+ Redwing, 50+ Fieldfare, singing Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush, Kingfisher, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe).
11th Jan
Wanstead Flats:17 Redwing, 34+ Fieldfare, 6 Mistle Thrush (2 singing), 4 Song Thrush (2-3 singing), 7 Meadow Pipit, 4 Skylark (1 singing), 30+ Lesser Redpoll (SSSI), 10+ Goldfinch, 2 Linnet, 10+ Greenfinch, 2 Reed Bunting, Goldcrest, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel (Nick Croft), C Buzzard (Jonathan Lethbridge).
12th Jan
Wanstead Flats: 20 Lesser Redpoll (SSSI), 8 Fieldfare (Tim Harris), 3 Egyptian Goose (west), 14 Shoveler, 13 Tufted Duck, 4 Gadwall, 3 f Teal, 5 Skylark (Nick Croft).
Wanstead Park: 3 Chiffchaff, 20 + Redwing, 6 Fieldfare, 74 Tufted Duck, 62 Pochard, 38 Gadwall, 1 Shoveler, Little Grebe, 2 Bullfinch, c. 20 Lesser Redpoll, 4 Siskin, 3 Linnet, Water Rail, Heron (Nick Croft) Little Egret, Grey Wagtail (Steve Thorpe).
13th Jan
Wanstead Flats: 62 Fieldfare (mostly west), 5 Mistle Thrush (1 singing), 4 Skylark, 1Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Reed Bunting (Nick Croft)
Wanstead Park: 24 Fieldfare (south west), large numbers of Redwing (singing in the canopy), 5 Goldcrest, Coal Tit (Nick Croft)
16th Jan
Wanstead Flats: Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Meadow Pipit, 3 Skylark, Siskin, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Shoveler, 3 Stock Dove (Nick Croft). 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Eve Wei)
Wanstead Park: 2 Water Rail, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, 30 Tufted Duck, 2 Egyptian Goose, 43 Gadwall, 6 Pochard, 3 Little Grebe, 3 Grey Heron, 10+ Siskin, 30+ Redwing, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft) yesterday Common Buzzard over the plain (Steve Thorpe) reports of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Just to add that we saw the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Sunday last (AR)
17th Jan
Wanstead: Blackcap and Coal Tit on garden feeders (Nick Croft per Sally Hammond).
18th Jan
Wanstead Flats: 7 Shoveler, 6 Teal, 7 Stock Dove, Fieldfare, 4 Redwing (Nick Croft).
Wanstead Park: 3 Linnet, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 10 + Siskin, Little Egret, 4 Grey Heron, 20 + Redwing, 3 Mistle Thrush, Sparrowhawk, 2 Goldcrest, Meadow Pipit flushed from plain, Pied Wagtail, 2 Little Grebe (Nick Croft).
20th Jan
Wanstead Flats: 15 Shoveler, 6 Teal, 7 Gadwall, 4 Tufted Duck, 2 Egyptian Goose (then flew east), 13 Greylag Goose, 2 Redwing, 2 Stock Dove, 16 Goldfinch, 8 Lesser Redpoll (Nick Croft).
Wanstead Park: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Blackcap, Water Rail, 2 Shoveler, 30 + Gadwall, 60+ Tufted Duck, 50 + Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose, 20 + Siskin, 30 + Chaffinch, 20 + Greenfinch, 40 Redwing, 2 Little Grebe (Nick Croft), Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll, Grey Wagtail, Little Egret (Tim Harris).
22nd Jan
Wanstead, private garden: Male Siskin on bird feeder (Chris Legge)
24th Jan
Wanstead Flats: 9 Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 3 Fieldfare, singing Song and Mistle Thrush, Reed Bunting, 4 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Teal, 10 + Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 4 Tufted Duck, 20 Greylag Goose, Grey Heron, 3 Stock Dove, Sparrowhawk (Forest Gate) (Nick Croft).
25th Jan
Wanstead Flats: 8 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, 3 Skylark, 33 Redwing (south), 3 singing Song Thrush, 1 singing (5) Mistle Thrush, 15 Goldfinch, 19 Shoveler, 7 Teal, 2 Gadwall, Lapwing (east) (Nick Croft)
Wanstead Park: 2 Greater Black-backed Gull (south, old sewage works), 10 Linnet, Water Rail, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, 3 Little Grebe, 12 Gadwall, 71 Tufted Duck, 59 Pochard, 2 Shoveler, 20 + Redwing, Stock Dove (Nick Croft).
28th Jan
Wanstead, private garden: 5 Siskin, 2 Long-tailed Tit (Chris Legge)
29th Jan
Wanstead Park: 1 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, in the woods near to the Dell. (Tony Brown)
31st Jan
Wanstead Flats: Skylark, 4 Redwing, 7 Shoveler, 4 Tufted Duck (Nick Croft); 2 Egyptian Goose (Jonathan Lethbridge).
Wanstead Park: Coal Tit, 10 Lesser Redpoll, 8 Siskin, 4 Bullfinch, 30+ Chaffinch, c.100 Redwing, Fieldfare, Grey Wagtail, 2 Little Grebe, 3 Goldcrest, c.60 Tufted Duck, 45 Pochard, 14 Gadwall, 2 Egyptian Goose (Nick Croft).
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