Stasis: February round-up

 
This has been the worst start to the year that I can recall: four less than both 2014 and 2013, and five less than 2012, and probably even worse against 2011.  February's only saving grace is that it is now over and Wheatear are going to be back this month.

I now have the arduous job of trying to make something purse and silky-like out of a real pig's ear of a month, that we call our highlights

• Stuart didn't let us down with regular Firecrest sightings at Snaresbrook, a Treecreeper and at the month's end the third Buzzard
• Marco chipped in with the only Little Egret of the year, and probably the only time they'll make the highlights of this or any other year
• Josh notched up the second Woodcock of the month near Bush Wood with a regular bird being seen at dusk going to play a few holes of golf
• An early Lapwing on the third promised a good month, but lied
• And there was some other stuff...
• ... no there wasn't

Pretty dire stuff and consequently by the end of the month none of us could be arsed to make the effort either.  Where is everything: Hardly any wintering birds (few Redwing, fewer Fieldfare), no over-wintering Chiffchaff, or Firecrest (in Bush Wood), no interesting ducks and not even a Med Gull to liven up the tedium.

Scraping the bottom of the barrel, I note that this is the first year Little Grebe have over-wintered on Alex (how exciting is that?) and what is going on down on Heronry with an adult Great Crested Grebe and a first winter bird displaying to each other?  There goes the neighbourhood.

I am going away now to cry and think about Wheatear

1st
Wanstead Flats: Goldcrest, Fieldfare, 4 Mistle Thrush, 10 Linnet, 2 Pochard, 4 Shoveler, Great Black-backed Gull (Nick Croft/James Heal)

Wanstead Park: 366 Gadwall, 51 Tufted Duck, 26 Shoveler, 4 Pochard, m Teal, 2 Egyptian Goose, 5 Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, 300+ Jackdaw in pre roost gathering Wanstead Golf course north of Ornamental Waters, Kingfisher, Goldcrest, 3 Redwing (Nick Croft)

2nd
Wanstead Flats: 25 Herring Gull, 3 Kestrel, 20+ Linnet, 15+ Goldfinch, 8 Skylark, Grey Wagtail, 14 Gadwall, 3 Pochard, 6 Shoveler, 3 Little Grebe, 2 Redwing (Nick Croft)

Leyton Flats/Snaresrbook: Firecrest (Court), 2 Nuthatch (Gilberts Slade), Redwing, 13 Shoveler, Pochard, 54 Tufted Duck, 8 Gadwall, 400+ Black-headed Gull, Goldcrest, Coal Tit (Stuart Fisher)

 
3rd
Wanstead Flats: Lapwing, 11 Gadwall, 6 Shoveler, f Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Little Grebe, 40 Goldfinch, 10+ Linnet, 7 Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail (Nick Croft/Bob Vaughan/Richard Rae)
 
Wanstead Park: 2 Great Crested Grebe, 20+ Pochard on the Basin (Dan Hennessy)

4th
Wanstead Flats: 12 Gadwall, Little Grebe, Kestrel, 20+ Goldfinch (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 30 Gadwall, 6 Shoveler, Little Grebe, 2 Fieldfare, 10+ Redwing, 20+ Goldfinch, Grey Wagtail (Nick Croft)

5th
Wanstead Flats: 21 Linnet, 11 Shoveler, f Pochard, Common Snipe, 10 Fieldfare, 4 Song Thrush, Great Black-backed Gull (Nick Croft); 18 Fieldfare north of SSSI, Common Buzzard (Tony Brown)

7th
Wanstead Flats: 10 Skylark, 22 Linnet, Reed Bunting, 2 Redwing, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, 17 Shoveler (Jub), 3 Pochard, 10 Gadwall, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Little Grebe, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk (Wanstead Birders)
 
Wanstead Park: Woodcock at dusk over Roding on Ilford golf course, c360 Gadwall, 4+ Shoveler, 2 Teal, 21+ Pochard, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Little Grebe, Redwing, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, 2 Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft/James Heal)

9th
Wanstead Park: cleared area behind Temple- 2 Goldcrest drinking from Tractor puddle 4.00 (G.Gram)

10th
Wanstead Flats: 10 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, 8 Skylark, 22 Linnet, singing Chaffinch, Goldcrest, 3 Mistle Thrush, singing Song Thrushes, 14 Gadwall, 13 Shoveler, 5 Common Pochard, 2 Little Grebe, Kestrel (Nick Croft)

11th
Wanstead Flats: 11 Shoveler, 13 Gadwall, 2 Pochard, 2 Linnet, 5 Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 39 Gadwall, 6 Pochard, Grey Wagtail, 10+ Redwing (Nick Croft)

12th
Wanstead Flats: 6 Skylark, 14 Gadwall, 6 Shoveler, 3 Pochard, Kestrel (Nick Croft)

Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: m Firecrest, c10 Lesser Redpoll, singing Mistle Thrush, c5 Song Thrush, 10 Gadwall, 4 Shoveler, 55 Tufted Duck, Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tit, 2 Goldcrest (Stuart Fisher)

13th
Snaresbrook Crown Court: Firecrest (Stuart Fisher)

14th
Wanstead Flats: 6 displaying Skylark, 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Egyptian Goose, 3 Pochard, 2 Shoveler, 14 Linnet, Common Snipe, Sparrowhawk (Bob Vaughan/Josh Selfe)

Wanstead Park: Woodcock, Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Goldcrest (Josh Selfe/Bob Vaughan)

17th
Wanstead Flats: 6-8 Skylark (including displaying birds), Meadow Pipit, 3 Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, 20+ Linnet, Redwing, Fieldfare, 10 Gadwall, 3 Shoveler, Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose, Little Grebe, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk (Nick Croft/Dan Hennessy)

18th
Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: m Firecrest, m Sparrowhawk, 10 Gadwall on Hollow Pond, 2 Pochard, 11 Mute Swan on Eagle, 4 Greenfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Green Woodpecker (Stuart Fisher)


19th
Wanstead Flats: Peregrine Falcon, displaying Skylark, Meadow Pipit, 6 Linnet, 9 Shoveler, 4 Gadwall, 20+ Tufted Duck, Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose, 3 Little Grebe, 2 Stock Dove (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 3 Nuthatch, 5 Redwing (Chalet Wood), 25 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 2 Teal, 3 Little Grebe, 4 Stock Dove, 2 Bullfinch, Kestrel (Nick Croft/DanHennessy)

 

21st
Wanstead Flats: 9 Linnet, Shoveler, m Pochard, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Pied Wagtail, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel (Nick Croft/James Heal)

Wanstead Park: 183 Gadwall, 10 Shoveler, 15 Pochard, 20 Tufted Duck, 2 Great Crested Grebe, Common Buzzard, Coal Tit, 2 Stock Dove, Sparrowhawk, Kingfisher (James Heal), Woodcock by Roding, 1-2 Water Rail, Teal, 26 Gadwall, 2 female Shoveler, 2 Egyptian Goose, Kingfisher, 2 trilling Little Grebe, 4 Stock Dove, Sparrowhawk, 2 calling Goldcrest (Nick Croft)

22nd
Wanstead: Blackcap f on gdn fdr (Chris Legge)

Wanstead Park: Little Egret (Marco Johnson)

23rd
Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: Firecrest h, Lesser Redpoll, 2 Goldcrest (1 singing), Grey Wagtail, Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 1-2 Nuthatch, 2 Green Woodpecker (Stuart Fisher)

24th
Wanstead Flats: 4 Shoveler, Gadwall, f Pochard, Little Grebe, 4 Mistle Thrush (1 singing), 5 Song Thrush (3 singing), displaying Greenfinch, singing Chaffinch, 5 Linnet, 3 Skylark (2 singing) (Nick Croft)

25th
Wanstead Flats: 7-8 Skylark (with up to 5 singing), 2 Pochard, 4 Gadwall, 12 Tufted Duck, 2 Lttle Grebe (Nick Croft)

27th
Wanstead Flats: 6 Shoveler, 4 Gadwall, f Pochard, 3 Little Grebe, Meadow Pipit, 2+ singing Skylark, Linnet (Nick Croft)

Wanstead Park: 2 Great Crested Grebe (adult & first winter displaying to each other), Little Grebe, 20 Gadwall, 20+ Tufted Duck, 2 Shoveler, Grey Wagtail, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel interacting over Ilford golf course, 4 Goldcrest (Nick Croft)

Leyton Flats/Snaresbrook: Common Buzzard N 12:55, Treecreeper calling (Gilberts Slade), 10 Shoveler, singing Nuthatch, 12 Mute Swan on Eagle Pond (Stuart Fisher)