December: a big fat turkey

It felt like there were no highlights, but to my surprise there were and I missed most of them

• Jack Snipe: the second for the year
• Woodcock: two sightings which doubled our records for the year to fairly dismal
• Lapwing: just the one record and again a poor year 
• Warblers: both Blackcap and Chiffchaff made it in to the month
• Firecrest: regular for Stu at Snaresbrook and his laurels
• Oystercatcher: Stu's ears pick up a flyover
• Gadwall: records broken and the broken again, how long before the big 500 is achieved?
• Wigeon: in record numbers on the basin
• Red Kite: Gary scores a late bird over the flats
• Buzzard: just the two records
• Water Rail: possibly five on site
• Lesser Spotted Woodpecker: the year's only record, in a garden midway between the park and the flats

Some old left overs....

1^st

Wanstead Flats:44 Gadwall, 12 Shoveler, 2 Teal, 9 Linnet, Fieldfare, 2 Kestrel (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 104 Gadwall, 41 Pochard, 2 Shoveler, Kingfisher, 3 Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, 40 + Goldfinch, Lesser Redpoll, 4 Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, 10 Fieldfare (Nick Croft)

Snaresbrook Crown Court: Strangely, no sign of Firecrest this am (Stuart Fisher)

2^nd

Wanstead Flats: 51Gadwall, 16 Shoveler, 20 + Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard, 2 Little Grebe, 14-18 Linnet, 7 Skylark, 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, 8 Mistle Thrush (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: The Basin 104 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon (Dan Hennessy)

4^th

Wanstead Flats: 60 Gadwall, 15 Shoveler, 8 Pochard, 2 Little Grebe, 21 Linnet, 7 Skylark, 10 + Redwing, 5 Pied Wagtail (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 99 Gadwall, 14 Pochard, 4 Shoveler, 20 + Tufted Duck, 4 Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, 3 Grey Heron, m Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail,3 Lesser Redpoll, 20 + Goldfinch, 3 Goldcrest,Redwing (Nick Croft) The Basin: 117 Gadwall, 9 Pochard, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Grebe (Dan Hennessy)

5^th

Wanstead Park: The Basin 183 Gadwall, 5 Wigeon (Dan Hennessy)

Snaresbrook Crown Court: Oystercatcher heard calling overhead at 06.35 (Stuart Fisher)

6^th

Wanstead Park: 239 Gadwall, 7 Wigeon (all waters counted) (Dan Hennessy) f Bullfinch in garden nr Bush Wood (Lindsay Vaughan). The Basin: 6 Egyptian Geese, 191 Gadwall, 17 Pochard (Tim Harris). Heronry: 7 Little Grebe. Also, 83 Jackdaw, 334 Carrion Crow, 24 Magpie into dusk corvid roost (partial count only) (Nick Croft, T Harris), Water Rail, 2 Goldcrest, Teal, 2 Egyptian Goose (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Flats: 45 Gadwall (Dan Hennessy). Jack Snipe (Angel pond), Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, 5+ Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, 3 Pied Wagtail, 8 Skylark, 13 Linnet, 6 Pochard, Shoveler, Little Grebe, Kestrel (Wanstead Birders)

7^th

Wanstead Flats: WeBS count 33 Moorhen, 107 Coot, 2 Little Grebe, 7 Pochard, 23 Tufted Duck, 68 Mallard, 43 Gadwall, 11 Shoveler, 2 Egyptian Goose, 10 Greylag Goose, 210+ Canada Goose, 4 Mute Swan, 600+ Common Gull, 200+ Black-headed Gull, 7 Herring Gull, 6 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1-2 Snipe, 2 Little Egret over, 3 Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, 8 Skylark, 28-32 Linnet, 3 Goldcrest, Kestrel, 2 Fieldfare, 2 Redwing (Nick Croft).

Wanstead Park: 2 Water Rail (Bob and Lindsay Vaughan) WeBS count: 23 Mute Swan, 3 Greylag Goose, 53 Canada Goose, 338 Gadwall (combined total of 378 a new record for the wider patch), 2 Teal, 85 Mallard, 19 Shoveler, 27 Pochard, 40 Tufted Duck, 8 Little Grebe, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 42 Moorhen, 176 Coot, 278 Black-headed Gull (Tim Harris et al)

8^th

Wanstead Park: Nuthatch and female Bullfinch in OSW (Tim Harris)

Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: 2 Firecrest, 2 Egyptian Geese, 5 Shoveler, 14 Gadwall, 2 Great crested Grebe, 2 Coal Tit, c5 Redwing, 3 Stock Dove, 3 Goldcrest, 10 Goldfinch (Stuart Fisher)

9^th

Wanstead Flats: 20 Gadwall, 4 Shoveler, 21 Grey-lag Goose, Little Grebe, 3 Skylark, 2 Redwing, Kestrel (Nick Croft) 

Wanstead Park: Water Rail, 90+ Gadwall, 5 Shoveler, Little Grebe, Goldcrest, 30+ Redwing, Kingfisher (Nick Croft), 209 Gadwall and 5 Wigeon on Basin (Dan Hennessy)  

Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: 2 Firecrest (one in NW of court near end of laurel hedge, 1 in Ivy covered trees E of Eagle Pond), Fieldfare, 22 Goldfinch, 30+ Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 9 Redwing, 2 Great crested Grebe (Stuart Fisher)

10^th

Wanstead Park basin: 7 Wigeon (J Lethbridge)

Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: 2 Firecrest together at roost site, 7 Goldcrest, Treecreeper, 38 Gadwall, 5 Shoveler, 2 Great crested Grebe, 2 Green Woodpecker (Stuart Fisher)

11^th

Wanstead Flats: 7 Skylark, 4 Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, 21 Linnet, 3 Shoveler, 3 Pochard, 5 Tufted Duck, Little Grebe (Jubilee pond), Redwing (Nick Croft)

12^th

Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: Firecrest, 2 Nuthatch (Gilbert Slade), 10 Lesser Redpoll (Stuart Fisher)

13^th

Wanstead Park: 368 Gadwall (411 for Wanstead today), 7 Wigeon, Teal, 2 Kingfisher, Water Rail, 15 Redwing (Dan Hennessy).

14^th

Wanstead Park: 334 Gadwall, 9 Wigeon (3 Ornamental Waters, 6 Basin), 11 Teal (Ornamental Waters), 17 Shoveler, 2 Coal Tit, Grey Wagtail, Kingfisher (Dan Hennessy)

15^th

Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: 2 Firecrest, 16 Gadwall, Sparrowhawk, 65+ Woodpigeon heading S including a pale leucistic bird, 2 singing Coal Tit, 7 Redwing, Grey Wagtail (Stuart Fisher) 

16^th

Wanstead Flats: 18 Shoveler, 9 Pochard, 47 Gadwall, 2 Egypian Goose, Little Grebe, 7 Skylark, Meadow Pipit, 3 Pied Wagtail, 2 Linnet, 2 Lesser Redpoll, Kestrel (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 199 Gadwall (excluding basin), 22 Shoveler, 4 Teal, 4 Egyptian Goose, Little Grebe, 8 + Stock Dove, 2 Goldcrest, 2 +Siskin, 2+ Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch, Sparrowhawk, 5 Grey Heron (Nick Croft)

Snaresbrook Crown Court: Firecrest, Goldcrest, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Fieldfare over, singing Coal Tit (Stuart Fisher)

20^th

Wanstead Park: 7 Wigeon (Basin), 10 Teal (Ornamental Waters), 24 Shoveler, 315 Gadwall, 3 Great Crested Grebe, Nuthatch, Kingfisher (Dan Hennessy).

21^st

Wanstead Flats, Fairground/SSSI: 2 Egyptian Goose, Common Snipe, 2 Green Woodpecker, 8 Skylark, Mistle Thrush in full song, 6 Linnet (Tim Harris) Red Kite (Gary Hewett) A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has been reported in a garden between the flats and the park - the year's only record

22^nd

Wanstead Park: 8 Wigeon, 10 Teal, 339 Gadwall, 19 Shoveler, 17 Pochard, 31 Tufted Duck, 2 Great Crested Grebe (Dan Hennessy).

Snaresbrook: Tawny Owl calling at Gilberts Slade at c6:30am (Stuart Fisher)

23^rd

Wanstead Flats: 4-7 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, 7 Skylark, 17 Linnet, m Reed Bunting, 3 Shoveler, 4 Pochard, 10 Tufted Duck, Little Grebe (Jub), 8 Gadwall over park, 2 Goldcrest (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: Woodcock at dusk, flew over R Roding on to golf course, 2 Little Grebe, 69 Gadwall (Perch & Heronry), 4 Shoveler, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft)

25^th

Wanstead Park: 3 Nuthatch, Blackcap in garden (Dan Hennessy)

26^th

Wanstead Flats: 41 Gadwall, 9 Shoveler, 5 Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Little Grebe, Kestrel, 5+ Great Black-backed Gull through, 3-4 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Fieldfare, 2 singing Mistle Thrush, singing Stock Dove, 6 Skylark, 2 Pied Wagtail, no sign of any Meadow Pipit or Linnet (Nick Croft/Dan Hennessy)

Wanstead Park: 418 Gadwall (total for park and flats 459, a new record), 16-17 Wigeon (Basin - record count), 5 Teal, 21 Shoveler, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Bullfinch (Old Sewage Works) (Dan Hennessy)

27^th

Wanstead Flats: Lapwing, Common Buzzard, 31 Gadwall, 10 Shoveler, 7 Pochard, 2 Teal, 4 Egyptian Goose, Little Grebe, 17 Linnet, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, 4 Pied Wagtail (Nick Croft/Dan Hennessy/Tony Brown)

Wanstead Park: 263 + Gadwall, 12 + Wigeon, 6 Shoveler, 2 Teal, 10 + Pochard, 8 Little Grebe, 2 Great Crested Grebe, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Kestrel, 2 Lesser Redpoll, Goldcrest, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 5 Grey Heron (Nick Croft)

28^th

Wanstead Flats: Woodcock (Bob Vaughan)

Wanstead Park: still 12 Wigeon on Basin (Tim Harris)

29^th

Wanstead Flats: 26 Linnet, 5 Lesser Redpoll, Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, Skylark, Fieldfare, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, 9 Shoveler,10 Gadwall, 4 Egyptian Goose, 2 Little Grebe, Goldcrest (Nick Croft/Kathy Hartnett)

Wanstead Park: 23 Shoveler (Perch Pond), 12 Gadwall, 2 Teal, Water Rail, Redwing, Grey Wagtail (Nick Croft)

Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: 2 f/imm Bullfinch (Leyton Flats), Treecreeper, 4 Goldcrest, 3 Redwing, 81 Tufted Duck, c500 Black-headed Gull, Kingfisher, Common Buzzard S at 13:16 (Gilberts Slade) (Stuart Fisher)

30^th

Wanstead Flats: 1-3 Common Snipe, 6 Shoveler, 4 Egyptian Goose, 30 Greylag Goose grazing on football pitches in the dark, Meadow Pipit, 10 Linnet, 3 Lesser Redpoll, f Bullfinch, Kestrel, singing Stock Dove (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 365 Gadwall, 5 Wigeon, 21 Shoveler, Siskin (Dan Hennessy), Water Rail, 5 Teal (Manor Park allotments in Aldersbrook), Goldcrest, Bullfinch, Grey Wagtail (Nick Croft)

31^st

Wanstead Flats: 20 Linnet, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 4 Meadow Pipit, 4 Pied Wagtail, 6 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 2 Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Sparrowhawk, Kestrel (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 300 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon, 2 Great Crested Grebe still on the Basin, Water Rail old sewage works on Roding, Teal Manor Park allotments in the Aldersbook (Dan Hennessy), 23 Shoveler, 3 Little Grebe, Water Rail south east corner of the Shoulder of Mutton (possibly up to 5 now on site), Goldcrest, Redwing (Nick Croft)

Snaresbrook Crown Court: Firecrest very briefly at dawn (Stuart Fisher)