March

I was thoroughly wrong about the Wheatear then.  After all the trumpet blowing I was blindsided by a thing called the weather.  Whatever, it didn't stop us from having a pretty damn good month with 13 new birds on the list, the same as 2 years ago.  Hang about, that's the alternate year rule popping up again.

Still no sign of Lesser Spot, and its not just here, known LSW sites across London have no reports either, so where have they all gone.  That was rhetorical, you'll get no answer from me!

What we did have was some good stuff and some very good stuff, and thus I introduce the highlights

• Tree Pipit (31-Mar): Hawky's contribution , you can come again
• Kittiwake (25-Mar): all and sundry have had one now, but still quality
• Stone Curlew (24-Mar): Mr Lethbridge scores big 2 years on from the last

• Northern Wheatear (23-Mar): one, yup! just the one
• Marsh Harrier (20-Mar): great find by Tim H (he also had the 2nd Short-eared Owl of the year too!
• Woodlark (19-Mar): Tony B weighs in wth an early record
• Stonechat (19-Mar): Another of Tony's finds
• Shelduck (14-Mar): Should be more, another one for Jono
• Rook (8-Mar): Dan twisting the knife
• 9 Curlew  (8-Mar): Wader man Dan and the first for 42 years

On top of which we had the first Peregrine sightings, a Water Rail was finally pinned down, 3 Golden Plover graced the police scrape and Waxwing invaded Forest Gate (viewable even from the flats). Migrant wise a tad shite, as only the Wheatear, Paul Hawkins' Tree Pipit and a singing Blackcap in Long Wood can be counted.  So April will be mega...

1st
Wanstead Flats: 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Common Snipe (Cat & Dog + Angel ponds), 7 Skylark (including 1 song-flighting), 19 Meadow Pipit, 16 Fieldfare, 2 Little Grebe, 10 + Tufted Duck, Shoveler, Kestrel, 2 Stock Dove (Nick Croft, Tim Harris)

Wanstead Park: Water Rail (first sighting this year) south-east corner of Shoulder of Mutton, 80+ Gadwall, 3 m Shoveler, m Teal, 9 Pochard, 50 + Tufted Duck, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 10 + Siskin, Goldcrest, Redwing, 3 Stock Dove, 4 Great Black-backed Gull (Nick Croft)

4th
Wanstead Flats: 11 Shoveler, 5 Pochard, Teal, 5 Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 3 Skylark, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 4 Litle Grebe (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: Peregrine Falcon (over Heronry), 60 + Gadwall, 6 Pochard, Great Crested Grebe (Heronry, presumably a returning bird), 14 Siskin, 16 Redwing, Little Egret, 7 Stock Dove (Nick Croft)

5th
Wanstead Flats: 11 Shoveler, f Pochard, Siskin, Kestrel, 12 Fieldfare, Redwing, 7 Skylark, 6 Meadow Pipit (Tim Harris/Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 50 + Gadwall, Teal, 10 + Siskin, Sparrowhawk, Stock Dove (Nick Croft); Brimstone, Comma (Kathy Hartnett)

6th
Wanstead Flats: 30 Waxwing west over Capel Point, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, 2 Reed Bunting, 17 Meadow Pipit including 1 singing, 6-7 Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Fieldfare, Egyptian Goose over Esso Copse, 21 Shoveler, 5 Little Grebe, singing Blackcap Long Wood, 2 Goldcrest and a Coot flying over the brooms! (Nick Croft/Tim Harris)

Wanstead Park: Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Little Egret on Roding, 10 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 40+ Gadwall (Nick Croft)

7th
Wanstead Flats: up to 11 Skylark, 10 + Meadow Pipit, 4 + Reed Bunting, Common Snipe, Egyptian Goose, 8 Shoveler, 6 Fieldfare, Redwing, 4 Goldcrest, 4 Little Grebe (Nick Croft/Josh Selfe/Tony Brown)

Wanstead Park: 6 + Siskin, 30 + Gadwall, 2 Teal, Water Rail, Little Egret (Nick Croft/Josh Selfe)

8th
Wanstead Flats: 4 singing Skylark, 2 singing Meadow Pipit + 11 others, 3 Pied Wagtail, 17 Shoveler, 20 + Tufted Duck, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Reed Bunting, Little Grebe, 2 Stock Dove SSSI, Fieldfare (Nick Croft/Tim Harris)

Wanstead Park: 20 + Gadwall, 4 Teal, 3 Shoveler, 2 Pochard, 40 + Tufted Duck, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Little Grebe, Water Rail, 30 + Siskin, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Linnet, 10 + Stock Dove, 5 Goldcrest (Nick Croft)

9th
Wanstead Flats: 9 Curlew (first record since 1971), 100 + Lapwing, Rook (Dan Hennessy/Jonathan Lethbridge)

Wanstead Park: Water Rail, Teal (Jonathan Lethbridge)

10th
Wanstead Flats: 4 Linnet, Pochard, 2 Teal, 2 Shoveler, Chiffchaff, 4 Skylark, 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail (Nick Croft/Jonathan Lethbridge/Dan Hennessy/Marco Johnston)

Wanstead Park: 2 Firecrest, 5 Goldcrest, singing Coal Tit (Bush Wood - NC), Kingfisher, 20 + Gadwall, 3 Shoveler, 3 Teal, pr Great Crested Grebe, 5 Little Grebe, Water Rail, 20 + Siskin, Lesser Redpoll (Nick Croft/Jonathan Lethbridge)

11th
Wanstead Flats: 20 + Fieldfare, 20 + Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, Skylark, 4 Linnet, Reed Bunting, 8 Shoveler, 20 + Tufted Duck, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Little Grebe, Common Snipe, Chiffchaff (Nick Croft/Jonathan Lethbridge)

Wanstead Park: Lesser Redpoll, 20 + Siskin, Stock Dove, 20 + Gadwall, 30 + Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe (Nick Croft)

12th
Wanstead Flats: Short-eared Owl NNW over brooms (TH); flock of 25 Lapwing south-west (TH/TB); 4 Redwing, 10 Fiedfare, 2 Stock Dove, 3 Pied Wagtail, 6 Skylark, 7 Shoveler, 2 Pochard, Kestrel, Common Snipe (Tim Harris/Tony Brown/Nick Croft)

13th
Wanstead Flats: 7 Waxwing visible at Horace Rd viewable from Capel Point, 25+ Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 4 Skylark, 3 Linnet, Reed Bunting, 5 Shoveler, Egyptian Goose, 2 Snipe, Stock Dove singing from Esso Copse (Nick Croft/Dan Hennessy)

Wanstead Park: 60 Gadwall, 1 Shoveler, 2 Great Crested Grebe, many Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, 16 + Stock Dove, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft); Common Buzzard being mobbed by crows over north (Dan Hennessy)

14th
Wanstead Flats: 2 Shelduck over west (JL/DH), 10 + Meadow Pipit, 9 Skylark, Siskin, Linnet, 9 Shoveler, 2 Little Grebe, Kestrel, 10 + Fieldfare, Waxwing (Jonathan Lethbridge/Dan Hennessy/Nick Croft/Josh Selfe)
 
Wanstead Park: Firecrest (Res Wood), 4 Little Grebe, pr Great Crested Grebe carrying nesting material, Pochard, 3 Shoveler, 10 Gadwall, Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, displaying Sparrowhawk pair, Kestrel (Nick Croft/Josh Selfe)

15th
Wanstead Flats: 2 Stock Dove, 2 Goldcrest, 6 Skylark, 10 + Meadow Pipit (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: Gadwall, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, 3 Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, 10 + Stock Dove (Nick Croft)

17th
Wanstead Flats: 27 Waxwing corner Danes Rd/Woodgrange Rd (Bob Vaughan); 12 Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 6-8 Skylark, Fieldfare, singing Redwing, pr displaying Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft/Dan Hennessy)

18th
Wanstead Flats: Chiffchaff, 6 Skylark, 10+ Meadow Pipit, 9 Shoveler, 6 Little Grebe (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe)

Wanstead Park: 40+ Gadwall, Shoveler, Pochard, pr Teal, pr Great Crested Grebe, Siskin, 10+ Stock Dove (Nick Croft)

19th
Wanstead Flats: Woodlark over pub scrub NE, f Stonechat (TB), 4 Lapwing (DH), 15+ Meadow Pipit, 6 Skylark, Siskin (Tony Brown/Dan Hennessy/Jonathan Lethbridge/Steve Thorpe/Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 2 Water Rail in SE corner of Shoulder of Mutton, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Little Grebe, 10+ Gadwall, 20+ Siskin, 3 Lesser Redpoll, Goldcrest, Redwing (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe); Blackcap singing in Bush Wood (Tim Harris)

20th
Wanstead Flats: imm Marsh Harrier east over northern flats towards Ilford (TH/NC), 30+ Meadow Pipit, 5 Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, 8 Skylark, 10 Shoveler, Teal, 3 Grey Heron (Cat & Dog), Fieldfare, Redwing (Tim Harris/Nick Croft/Bob Vaughan/JonathanLethbridge/Steve Thorpe/Dan Hennessy)

Wanstead Park: Water Rail, Little Egret, 3 Teal, 2 Shoveler, pr Pochard, 6 Gadwall, Siskin, Sparrowhawk, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Little Grebe (Nick Croft/Steve Thorpe/Bob Vaughan)

21st
Wanstead Flats: Peregrine Falcon over pub scrub (TB), Lapwing, Common Snipe, Chiffchaff, 3 Siskin, 3 Linnet, 20+ Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 8+ Skylark, 9 Shoveler (Tony Brown/Bob Vaughan/Jonathan Lethbridge et al)

Wanstead Park: 5 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Little Grebe, 10+ Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 2 Pochard, 4 Teal, Siskin, 5 Goldcrest, Redwing, Sparrowhawk, Stock Dove (Nick Croft)

22nd
Wanstead Flats: 2 trilling Little Grebe, 4 Shoveler, 2 Egyptian Goose, Skylark, Meadow Pipit (Nick Croft/Tim Harris)

Wanstead Park: 4 Pochard, 6 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Little Grebe, Meadow Pipit, Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, 8 Redwing, Stock Dove (Nick Croft)

23rd
Wanstead Flats: Northern Wheatear in ditch west of Alex but briefly (TH/JL), 40+ Meadow Pipit, Great Crested Grebe Alex (first for 2 years), Little Grebe, Gadwall, Shoveler, 35 Fieldfare, 3 Redwing, Kestrel, Chiffchaff (Tim Harris/Jonathan Lethbridge/Bob Vaughan/Nick Croft); male Blackcap in garden (Nightingale_Lane) since early Jan (G Gram)

24th
Wanstead Flats: Stone Curlew (JL) (Ldn yr-1st) until mid-morning when it flew off high (Birdguides), 2 Golden Plover (DH), 50 Lapwing, 5-6 Snipe, L Scaup hybrid Alex (Jonathan Lethbridge/Dan Hennessy et al)

25th
Wanstead Flats: Kittiwake east along Cemetery boundary (NC), 3 Golden Plover on police scrape till 08:00 (DH), Aythya hybrid still Alex (JL), m Peregrine Falcon north over brooms, Kestrel, 40+ Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 13 Skylark, 4 Linnet, 10 Fieldfare, 4 Redwing, Shoveler, Little Grebe, 2 Snipe, 2 Chiffchaff (Nick Croft/Dan Hennessy/Jonathan Lethbridge)

Wanstead Park: Firecrest Bush Wood (Paul Meade); 12 Shoveler, 4 Pochard, 6 Gadwall, 6 (3pr) Teal, 4 Great Crested Grebe still, 5 Little Grebe, 30+ Siskin, 6 Stock Dove (Nick Croft)

27th
Wanstead Flats: 6 Linnet on police scrape, 13 Fieldfare SSSI, 20+ Meadow Pipit SSSI, 3 Pied Wagtail, 6 Skylark, 2 Shoveler, Little Grebe, Stock Dove (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 24 Shoveler, 50+ Gadwall, 2 (pr) Teal, 2 (pr) Common Pochard, 50+ Tufted Duck, 2 (pr) Great Crested Grebe, 5 Little Grebe, 30+ Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, 2 Meadow Pipit, 50+ Fieldfare, 5 Redwing, 2 (pr displaying) Sparrowhawk, 10+ Stock Dove, 2 Goldcrest (Nick Croft)

31st
Wanstead Flats: Tree Pipit (north over brooms), Chiffchaff, Lesser Redpoll (Paul Hawkins), Lapwing (Dan Hennessy)