Stoke Newington Reservoirs and Clissold Park 0630-0930hrs
Light SE winds, cool & clear.
The first cool night-morning of the autumn so far, and hopes of something interesting were high.
Generally warbler numbers have increased, with the bias switching from Willow Warblers to Chiffchaffs, of which some of each species were in song.
Blackcaps were also more evident. Suprisingly hirundines were represented by a single Sand Martin which quickly headed south.
The first Common Gull, an adult, was present upon the 'gull pipes'.
But, our high hopes were not redeemed until an immature Black tailed Godwit came in low from the west! The bird circled low over the east reservoir, several times, almost wetting its feet. But due to ever high water levels there was no suitable areas for it to set down. It then continued south. The joy of this occurence was great and the record itself wholly unexpected. The reservoirs are almost always filled to brimming, only the exposed concrete margins of the west reservoir provide some attraction to Green and Common Sandpipers. This, and the reservoirs small size, seem to be the main reason interesting wader records are confined to the periods when they are semi drained... Which is not very often.
Laurence Pitcher and Mark Pearson.
full counts:
Clissold Park 0630-0740 (MJP,LP), & 1230-1545 (MJP)
Northern Wheatear - 1 west (at tree height), 1340
Linnet - 1 south west, 1250
Chiffchaff - 4 (a.m.)
Sparrowhawk - 1
Kestrel - 2
Long-tailed Tit - 15
Woodpigeon - 160 (a.m)
Goldfinch - c25
Stoke Newington Reservoirs 0745-0930 (MJP,LP)
Black-tailed Godwit - 1 imm.(see above)
Kingfisher - 1
Chiffchaff - 16
Willow Warbler - 12
Blackcap - 5
Reed Warbler - 1
Sand Martin - 1
Grey Wagtail - 6
Pied Wagtail - 5
Red Crested Pochard - 2
Shoveler - 23
Canada Goose - 3 (other wilfowl as is)
Common Gull - 1 ad.
Black-headed Gull - 10
Cormorant - 21
also: Speckled Woods and Red Admirals, omnipresent foxes at the res and in Abney.
additional: 2 Spotted Flycatchers, East Res., 7th Sep (TB)