At last - a Willow Warbler!

Willow Warblers are almost guaranteed on the patch in early April, and I've been very puzzled, not to say miffed, by their non-appearance this spring. Imagine my relief when I heard one this morning on the station, hidden deep among the Sycamores. Great stuff! Also a Blackcap singing nearby and a Coal Tit in song near Station Road. Also around the station half a dozen Starlings and several Goldfinches.

Bird survey

I did my BTO Breeding Bird Survey this morning. I haven't had time to upload and collate the results as yet so will do this and post the results in the next couple of days. Highlights included a good showing of Blackcaps and a flyover Jackdaw.

Before starting my first transect a Raven flew over Richmond Road and between transects a Cormorant flew over Ashley Hill and a Mistle Thrush was noted once again on St Andrews Park.

St Andrews Park

Well, with overcast skies and a chilly easterly it felt more like November than April but the birds obviously knew it was spring as we saw some signs of nesting. The list is as follows:
Mistle Thrush - 1 singing and another seen carrying food so there must be a nest nearby. We didn't find it but it'll be worth keeping an eye on.
Blackbird - several birds seen
Robin - 1 or 2 seen and heard
Chaffinch - a female feeding on the ground near the Effingham Road entrance and a male 'fighting' with his own reflection in the wing mirror of the park-keeper's truck. The bird repeatedly hovered in front of the mirror pecking at it.
Greenfinch - 1 or 2 singing
Goldfinch - about half a dozen birds
Starling - just 1 bird seen
Wren - 1 singing near the play area
Woodpigeon - several including an individual building a nest
Collared Dove - 1 or 2
Magpie - a few including a nest-building pair near the pond
House Sparrow - a few birds seen
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1 or 2 overhead
Herring Gull - at least 1 overhead
Carrion Crow - 2 or 3 including nestbuilding
Great Tit - a few singing
Blue Tit - 1 or 2 seen and heard
Long-tailed Tit - a few seen
Coal Tit - a pair were displaying in a tree near the top of the park as I left after the walk

Narroways

Today on the reserve:: Blackcap at the gasometer site, Simons Grove (female) and Stony path, Chiffchaff gasometer, Stony path and Boiling Wells, Song Thrush Boiling Wells, Linnet 1 over gasometer site, Greenfinch 1 over cutting, Jay and Grey Wagtail near the brook, Coal Tit climbing centre, Great Tits everywhere. Also Speckled Wood stony path, 1 or 2 Buff-tailed Bumblebees around.

Grey Wagtail

At Fairlawn Road there was an Andrena sp. (mining bee) and an Eristalis pertinax hoverfly. 

Mining Bee

Eristalis pertinax

Orange-tip

An Orange-tip butterfly was new at the station this morning - I had hoped to see one here as they are one of my favourite spring butterflies. Also at the station was a Brimstone, a couple of Small Whites and a Speckled Wood. Two Ravens also flew over and a Blackcap was singing.

Fairlawn Road produced a couple of Harlequin Ladybirds, a Green Shieldbug, a Nursery-web Spider, a Helophilus pendulus hoverfly, a Speckled Wood and a probable Platycheirus hoverfly. A Chiffchaff and a Blackcap were singing nearby.

Harlequin Ladybird

Helophilus pendulus

Probable Platycheirus hoverfly

Nursery-web Spider

Green Shieldbug

It's been a very disappointing spring for bird migrants on the patch so far - lets hope for better things in the next few weeks! 

Sparrowhawk

A Sparrowhawk seen from the station this morning heading in the Redland direction. The Blackcap still singing vigorously, a House Sparrow with a caterpillar in its bill and a Wren were the other highlights.

Speckled Wood

My first Speckled Wood butterfly of the year was basking in the warm sunshine at Fairlawn Road this morning and nearby was a rather flighty Peacock. A Common Bee-fly put in an all-too brief appearance on the Hurlingham Road end of the iron bridge so I couldn't photograph it. A Raven was the only bird of note here.

Speckled Wood

d

Small Tortoiseshell

At the station there was a Small Tortoiseshell and a 'white' butterfly on the disused platform and a Harlequin Ladybird on the footbridge. A Jay, a male Blackcap and 5 Starlings were the birds of note. A Coal Tit was singing in Montpelier Park.

St Pauls Cemetery

Convinced that St Pauls would deliver the goods this morning, I visited the cemetery. Unfortunately it was all a bit quiet, just a few Blackbirds and Goldfinches, House Sparrows, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a singing Wren.

Never mind.

Goldfinch

Herring Gull

St Paul's Park

I always seem to visit the park when they are cutting the grass and I can' t hear any bird calls! Never mind, I did see a Jay, a couple of Great Tits, 4 Blackbirds, a Robin and a couple of Goldfinches this morning despite the racket.

Narroways

Narroways in the rain this afternoon produced a Sparrowhawk over the hill, a female Bullfinch (Simons Grove) a Chiffchaff (cutting) a very confiding Goldcrest near the climbing centre/community garden and a party of Long-tailed Tits and a sub-singing Blackcap near the brook. Also a few Greenfinches and Great and Blue Tits around.

St Andrews Park (also in the rain) was quiet apart from a couple of Long-tailed Tits, a Dunnock, several Goldfinches and one or two Blackbirds.

Sparrowhawk spectacular!

Two Sparrowhawks drifted over the top of St Andrews Road this morning and there was another sighting of a single bird over the station about an hour later. Also at the top of St Andrews Road were 2 Jays and a fly-over Jackdaw. Fairlawn Road produced a male Blackcap and a singing Chiffchaff. There was some Cow Parsley in flower - my first of the year - and also some Ivy-leaved Speedwell.

Cow Parsley

Ivy-leaved Speedwell

Sparrowhawk

Other birds at the station included another flyover Jackdaw, a Great Tit, Blue Tits carrying nesting material and a Wren. A couple of Starlings and half a dozen House Sparrows were near the feeders along with a couple of Grey Squirrels.

Great Tit

Wren

A bee in my bath

Last night I found a bee in my bath (there was no water in it) which looks like a mining bee Andrena. I was able to release it without too much trouble.

At least 1 Blackcap at the station this morning plus about 8 Goldfinches.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

A Great Spotted Woodpecker calling at the station this morning but sadly it remained hidden from view. I looked for it again this evening but no luck. Also at the station was a male Blackcap and a singing Chiffchaff.