Fabulous frozen February

We wanted a change of weather; we got it and with it we got: "Wanstead megas".

Highlights:

Record breaking Lapwing movement
Med Gull returns
Jack Snipe on Alex sets up twitch
Golden Plover over
Smew, then two
20 Goosander 
Grey Plover first for patch
Green Sandpiper seen again on the Roding, and again on the Roding
Woodcock sightings up
Firecrest still
Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers become easier to find for the time being!
Common Sandpiper on Roding just outside patch boundaries.

February was Steve's month.  Not only did he find the Smew, but most of the Goosander, the Common Sand (just outside the area but plans are afoot for affirmative action), co-finding Buzzard, Woodcock and basically hammering the Basin so that I didn't have to.  Great stuff, well done mate!

What a month, what a place!  Just picked up a copy of Dominic Mitchell's "Where to watch birds in London", from the equivalent of the remainders bin at Rainham, and to my horror I find that there is no mention of Wanstead, flats or park!  Dom you need a second edition!

and here is for why...

1^st Feb

Wanstead Flats: c. 40 Lapwing through (various small groups in various directions, though a group of 12 did land on the fairground briefly), 2 Linnet, 7 Skylark (fairground), 2 Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 23 Fieldfare, Redwing, 2 Egyptian Goose, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft/Jonathan Lethbridge from his home)

Wanstead Park: 2 Firecrest (Bush Wood still), 2m Wigeon (The Basin- JL c. 08:45, still at 10:00), 9 Egyptian Goose (The Basin), 2 Teal, Shoveler, Pochard, 100s Redwing in the woods, c.100 Fieldfare over west, Coal Tit, Siskin, 3 Lapwing, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft/Jonathan Lethbridge).

2^nd Feb

Wanstead Flats: 21 Lapwing (south in small groups), 60 + Jackdaw, large numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing, 17 Goldfinch, 2 Stock Dove, 2 Greater Black-backed Gull (east) (Nick Croft et al)

Wanstead Park: Water Rail, 12 Egyptian Goose, Gadwall, Pochard, Shoveler, 4 Little Grebe, Lesser Redpoll, Kestrel, 1 Lapwing (Nick Croft)

3^rd Feb

Wanstead Flats: 100+ Redwing (north), 30 + Fieldfare (north), Reed Bunting (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (north of Heronry), hundreds of Redwing and Fieldfare, 7 Little Grebe, Little Egret, Kingfisher, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 5 Teal (Nick Croft)

4^th Feb

Wanstead Park: 5 Wigeon (the Basin) Jonathan Lethbridge/Tim Harris

5^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: Jack Snipe (Alex), 2 Snipe (south), Woodcock, 6 Golden Plover (west), c. 400 Lapwing (mostly west), Mediterranean Gull (Alex), 6 Meadow Pipit (west over Alex) (Nick Croft/Jonathan Lethbridge/Tim Harris/Steve Thorpe et al)

Wanstead Park: 2 Snipe, Water Rail, 3 Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtail, 5 Little Grebe, 4 Stock Dove, Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch, hundreds of Redwing, Kestrel mating (Nick Croft/Jonathan Lethbridge/Tim Harris/Steve Thorpe et al)

6^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: c. 1,000 + Redwing in and around the park and flats, 200 + Fieldfare, 14 Skylark (fairground - TH), 2 Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, singing Chaffinch, 20 + Goldfinch (Capel Point), 5 Teal, 8 Shoveler, Egyptian Goose (Nick Croft/Tim Harris)

Wanstead Park: Common Sandpiper (Roding - ST), Mediterranean Gull (west over Shoulder of Mutton - MM), 3 Lapwing, Kingfisher, 5 Egyptian Goose, Gadwall, Pochard, Shoveler (THe Basin), 3 Teal (Roding), Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Goldcrest, Siskin, 12 Lesser Redpoll, Sparrowhawk, pr of Kestrel (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe/Mike Messenger)

7^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: c.1,200 + Redwing, c.300 Fieldfare, Woodcock flushed from SSSI (Nick Croft for J Lethbridge).

8^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: 2 Golden Plover (Tim Harris); hundreds of Redwing all day (J Lethbridge)

Wanstead Park (River Roding): Redhead Smew on River Roding(S Fisher for Steve Thorpe/J Lethbridge)

9^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: Grey Plover over at 8:30am (N Croft)

Wanstead Park: 5 Goosander on Basin at 7:15am but gone by 7:45am (J Lethbridge), later one spotted on Roding south of sluice (Paul Ferris), Common Snipe and 2 Water Rail in Reservoir Wood ditch (JL, N Croft, T Harris), and redhead Smew still on Roding, just south of large foot/vehicle bridge to Ilford (JL for NC) again at 15;09 (/Stuart Fisher), 2 Kingfisher, 3 Linnet, 4 Bullfinch (2 male), 14 Siskin, Reed Bunting, Buzzard (h from Cemetry - TH), Grey Wagtail, Sparrowhawk (NC/TH)

10^th Feb

Wanstead Park: f Smew roosting on bank of R. Roding. Park at end of Empress Ave. follow track to river and walk South down West side of river for 400m (Paul Whiteman).

11^th Feb

Wanstead Park: Smew 08.30 on Roding but wary, flew downstream, 3 Bullfinch, Water Rail, Teal. (Bob Vaughan & another guy); Smew on Roding again at 2:30pm, flew downstream again; Kingfisher, Kestrel (Roding); 2 m Goosander flew over Heronry heading towards the Flats 3pm; Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker (near the Dell); Little Grebe on the Basin (Chris Legge).

Wanstead, private garden: 2 Lesser Redpoll, 5 Siskin on bird feeders, at least 12 Redwing (Chris Legge).

12^th Feb

Wanstead Park: 2 redhead Smew on Roding, Goosander (redhead the Basin) (Steve Thorpe), Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Water Rail, Coal Tit (Stuart Fisher).

13^th Feb

Wanstead Park: redhead Smew, 2 Goosander on Roding (ST), 2 Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Little Egret, Bullfinch, Linnet (MJ), Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Kingfisher (Steve Thorpe/Marco Johnson/Nick Croft)

14^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: 4 Reed Bunting, 20 Goldfinch, 2 Meadow Pipit, Skylark, 20 Fieldfare, 30 + Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 11 Tufted Duck (on very small open patch on Alex), 4 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 3 Goosander, 2 Little Egret, 6 possible Golden Plover (ST), Snipe, pr Sparrowhawk, 3 Teal, 2 Water Rail, 2 Kingfisher, Little Grebe, Bullfinch, Siskin (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe)

15^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: 4 Meadow Pipit, 3 singing Skylark, 20 Fieldfare, 4 Gadwall, pr Kestrel, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft).

Wanstead Park: 2 Goosander, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, 17 Teal, 10 Egyptian Goose, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Little Grebe, Siskin, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel, Goldcrest (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe).

16^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: 3 singing Skylark, Fieldfare, 20 + Redwing, 4 Gadwall, Teal, 3 Sparrowhawk, Little Grebe (first of year onAlex) (Nick Croft).

Wanstead Park: f Smew flew down river, 6 Teal, 2 Egyptian Goose, Water Rail, 3 Little Grebe, Siskin, 2 Grey Wagtail, pr displaying Kestrel, 2 Sparrowhawk, Little Egret, 4 Bullfinch, Siskin, Weasel (Nick Croft).

17^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: 4 Singing Skylark (Tim Harris).

Wanstead Park: possible Goosander first thing then flew towards park (Steve Thorpe).

19^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: Woodcock c18:20 flew low east across broom fields, 3 singing Skylark, Meadow Pipit, 10 + Lesser Redpoll, 7 Shoveler, 6 Tufted Duck, 4 Egyptian Goose, 40+ Jackdaw (Nick Croft).

Wanstead Park: Peregrine Falcon (high east over old sewage works), Common Buzzard 15:00 (high east over Shoulder of Mutton - PD/ST), pr Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Water Rail, 4 Grey Heron, 7 Lapwing (west), Meadow Pipit (north over old allotments), Grey Wagtail, 12 Egyptian Goose, 20+Gadwall, 8 Teal, f Bullfinch (TB), Siskin, sub-song Redwing, Fieldfare, 4 Little Grebe, Kingfisher (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe/Paul Davis/Tony Brown).

Wanstead: Common Buzzard high over Lakehouse Estate 10'ish mobbed by four corvids (Bob Vaughan)

20^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: 3 singing Skylark, Meadow Pipit, 3 Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Reed Bunting, singing Song and Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, Redwing, Kestrel (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: Displaying Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Stock Dove, 11 + Teal, 8 Egyptian Goose, 4 Little Grebe, Bullfinch, Siskin, Grey Wagtail (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe)

21^st Feb

Wanstead Flats: 3 singing Skylark, Meadow Pipit, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 trilling Little Grebe, 13 Shoveler, 10Tufted Duck, 2 Teal, 85 + Jackdaw, singing Song and Mistle Thrush, Kestrel (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: Green Sandpiper (River Roding), displaying Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Stock Dove, 2 Teal, 4 Little Grebe, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting (SoM), 62 Tufted Duck, 16 Gadwall, 49 Pochard, 15 Redwing, Goldcrest, Skylark (Nick Croft)

22^nd Feb

Wanstead Flats: 6 Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit, trilling Little Grebe, 12 Shoveler, 6 Tufted Duck, 5 Teal, 6 Gadwall, Kestrel, 30 + Goldfinch capel point (Nick Croft).

Wanstead Park: 75 Gadwall, 91 Tufted Duck, 42 Pochard, 9 Shoveler, 2 Teal, 12 Egyptian Goose, 5 Little Grebe, Little Egret, Kingfisher, Siskin, m Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Goldcrest (Nick Croft).

26^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: 2 Common Buzzard (first high north, second lower going east), Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, 5 Singing Skylark (Tim Harris), singing Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Fieldfare, 2 Lesser Redpoll (Nick Croft/Jonathan Lethbridge/Tim Harris)

Wanstead Park: Firecrest (Bush Wood), 2 Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Woodcock (ST), 2 Little Egret, 2 Kingfisher, 6 Teal, 50 + Tufted Duck (roosting on Shoulder of Mutton), 10 Shoveler over ornamental waters going west, 2 Egyptian Goose, Water Rail, Coal Tit, 6 singing Stock Dove, Grey Wagtail, 5 Little Grebe (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe)

27^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: 9 Skylark, 10 Meadow Pipit, 6 Song Thrush, 7 Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare14 Shoveler, 12 Tufted Duck, Teal, Little Grebe, Kestrel (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 2 Great Crested Grebe (the Basin - ST), 5 Little Grebe, 5 Teal, 5 Egyptian Goose, Chiffchaff, Stock Dove, Greater Black-backed Gull, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Kingfisher, 2 Goldcrest, 4 Heron, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe)

28^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: 10+ Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit, 6 Fieldfare, 10 Redwing, 4 Lesser Redpoll, 20 Shoveler, 10 Tufted Duck, 2 Teal, 2 Little Grebe, Pochard (Nick Croft).

Wanstead Park: 20+ Redwing (east), 10+ Fieldfare, 4 Little Grebe, 14 Teal, only 6 Pochard left it appears, Gadwall, Chiffchaff, Kingfisher, Stock Dove, Little Egret, Water Rail (Nick Croft).

29^th Feb

Wanstead Flats: pr Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (JL) 8+ Skylark, 11 + Meadow Pipit, 11 Fieldfare, 6 Mistle Thrush, 12 Goldfinch, 2 Linnet, 2 Reed Bunting, 15 Shoveler, 12 Tufted Duck, 3 Teal, Gadwall, Little Grebe, 2 Grey Heron, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel (Nick Croft/Jonathan Lethbridge).

Wanstead Park: Green Sandpiper (east towards Ilford - NC), m Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (MM), Lesser Redpoll, 2 Siskin 2 Teal, only 1 f Pochard, Gadwall, Kingfisher, Stock Dove, Goldcrest, 5 Meadow Pipit (south), Bullfinch (MM) (Nick Croft/Mike Messenger).