Sunday 7th June
Connaught Waters (Epping Forest)
2 Common Terns
1 Chiffchaff
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Mandarin ducks
5 Blackcaps
1 Sparrowhawk
4 Great Crested Grebes (2 well grown juveniles)
1 Red Crested Pochard
8 Tufted Ducks
4 Moorhens
1 Grey Heron
Lots of Coots on the islands
plus lots of the usuals

NB: theBearded Tits appear to have re-located to the boating lake in Regent's Park as of yesterday (Sun).

I've never birded London before but am down this week and am quite keen to try and see the Beardies at Hyde

The best starting point for sightings is the London Wiki

http://londonbirders.wikia.com/wiki/LatestNews

This is updated throughout the day and (if the sightings have been added correctly) contains links to pages giving a good description of most of the popular and well birded sites.

The info here is well supplement by blogs which give you photos and usually more detailled info. There is also an email group and a twitter feed (for those into that sort of thing). Run by Dominic Mitchell of Birdwatch magazine

https://mobile.twitter.com/birdingetc

It is still worth referring to the Wiki for details on the locations of sites etc.

The blog for Hyde Park has been discontinued, but there is an excellent site for Regents Park, run by Tony Duckett who used to be responsible for birds in the park. Check the sightings blog and the detailled site map (essential)
http://www.regentsparkbirds.co.uk/

The water bodies at this time of year can hold Mandarin, Red-crested Pochard, Shelduck and R***y Duck. There is a 'rail ditch', with at least one wintering Water Rail by the main (boating) lake. Sparrowhawk and Kestrel nest in the park and nearby Peregrines drop by. Tawny and Little Owl also nest and there have been regular sightings of Firecrest over the Winter.

Hyde Park also has a number of pairs of Little and Tawny Owl and the nest of one of the pairs of Tawnys is very well known by regular users of the park. There are good numbers of Egyptian, Greylag and Canada Geese, the common ducks and Grebes etc, but there has also been Mandarin and Red-crested Pochard recently, a Scaup during January and a dodgy Barnacle Goose. In the quieter areas (near the Police House), there can be Siskin, Goldcrest, nuthatch, treecreeper, Coal Tit etc and there are plenty of Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker about at the moment. There has also been a wintering Blackcap, though I have dipped on that. Sparrowhawk is fairly regular and the Westminster-based Peregrines drop by from time to time.

The Bearded Tits have become a bit more mobile of late, commuting between the reed bed near the Diana Memorial Fountain,which is on the south (Kensington) side of the serpentine, to the west of the cafe, between the cafe and the bridge over the Serpentine. It is no more than 2m from the path and no more than 2m in depth. Alternatively, they are in the reed bed at the Eastern End of the Serpentine (towards Westminster and the West End), known as the 'fishermans keep' reed bed.

As to what else is on offer, it very much depends upon where you are staying and working. Peregrines have colonised much of the Thames, from Greenwich (The O2) down to Hamersmith and Kew, Parakeets are everywhere and if the weather gets colder there is always the chance of something out of the ordinary. The parks are open from just before dawn, for the joggers and dog-walkers more than birders but an early walk can produce 40 species and oh ... Bring wellies - we've had loads of rain and off the paths, the ground is very muddy.

If you have any further questions, I'm happy to help




-- Edited by Charles Farrell on Monday 18th of February 2013 12:06:49 AM

2 Bearded Tits still present this morning at Hyde Park



-- Edited by James Walsh on Thursday 24th of January 2013 05:17:28 PM