Stoke Newington Reservoirs 0600-0830 LP,MJP,TB
bright, sunny, cool. light/mod W.
Shelduck - pair
Swift - 5
Swallow - 5
Egyptian Goose - 1
Greylag - 2
Canada Goose - 7
Blackcap - 2
An relatively entertaining morning at the reservoirs, with a total of five Swifts hawking overhead in ones and twos before moving on, a handful of Swallows, and two Shelduck - a site scarcity, and the first to be recorded in a couple of years. An Egyptian Goose flew low east just after dawn, the first for a while (after regular sightings during the last few months of 2006).
Summer migrants continue to be hard work, with warblers and hirundines trickling through at best; although some species have been recorded a little earlier than usual this year (Willow Warbler, hirundines, Swift), numbers are very low, and many species are still to arrive (this week being the perhaps expected arrival time for Reed and Sedge Warblers, Common Whitethroat etc.).
The unusually fine, mild, settled weather of the last three weeks is doubtless a major factor, providing many summer visitors with the opportunity to complete their journeys over London and the South-east without the need for stop-offs en route.
Walthamstow Marshes 1100-1245 MJP
sunny, warm. light SW.
Common Whitethroat - 5
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Linnet - 3 (inc male apparently with nesting material)
Meadow Pipit - 4
Swallow - 3
House Martin - 1
Kestrel - 2
Sparrowhawk - 2
other reports:
A Lesser Whitethroat was present at the East Reservoir on the 17th (TB).