News of a Spoonbill popping up at Rainham came just too late for me today, then I thought sod it! I'll give it ago. It was, after all, a Spoonbill that had been the catalyst for all this serious birding nonsense, and on my first outing to Rainham some years back.
The last report from Hawky was not promising. Last seen disappearing into a blizzard towards the shooting butts hide, and no one was daring to go and find it. As I approached the centre I too was engulfed in a blizzard. Hmmm, not looking good. At the centre it brightened up, and the Spoony was asleep on Aveley Flash about a couple of hundred metres from it's observers tucked up in the warmth. Nothing for it I ventured out to get some shakey shots of the slumbering spooner. Then I quickly retired only to be told it had woken up. So out I went again for some more shaking. Job done and I am off to work. A quick chat with the guys on the balcony who procure a Little Gull hawking over the far side of the river, sweet!. The London List staggers on.
A couple of weeks back the Prof. had sent me the account of Steve Connor's record breaking year. From that I gather I am currently 23 birds off the pace. He, like me, had decided that 150 was the target to hit before the spring migrants hove into view. At least he got close to his target.
It's interesting to see how things have changed over the last 10 years. Communication certainly has improved, when Jono and Dom did their attempt a few year's back both had great back-up. At this point I should say thanks to Hawky for he heads-up today. I'll come back to the changes that have taken place in the London avian scene in more detail, when I get more fully into it or when I have failed miserably at the end of the year.
Here's my shopping list of birds I should get and a selection from the a la carte menu of ones I would be very happy to see anywhere in London, but hopefully on the home patch!
Mandarin Duck
Garganey
Red-crested Pochard
Ruddy Duck
Great Northern Diver
Red Kite
Hobby
Little Ringed Plover
Bar-tailed Godwit
Whimbrel
Spotted Redshank
Greenshank
Wood Sandpiper
Caspian Gull
Black Tern
Common Tern
Turtle Dove
Cuckoo
Long-eared Owl
Nightjar
Swift
Wryneck
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Woodlark
Sand Martin
Swallow
House Martin
Tree Pipit
Yellow Wagtail
Nightingale
Redstart
Whinchat
Wheatear
Ring Ouzel
Grasshopper Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warbler
Garden Warbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Whitethroat
Willow Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Pied Flycatcher
Marsh Tit
Raven
Tree Sparrow
Common Crossbill
Hawfinch
49 there, most of which will be seen on the patch. I've included Wryneck on the basis that there's been a twitchable one in London for the last 3 years, 2 very much on the patch. I've got locations for the others so while not a cake walk, a walk in one park or other.
Bewick’s Swan
Whooper Swan
Bean Goose
Pink-footed Goose
White-fronted Goose
Barnacle Goose
Scaup
Eider
Common Scoter
Velvet Scoter
Red-breasted Merganser
Grey Partridge
Quail
Red-throated Diver
Black-throated Diver
Red-necked Grebe
Fulmar
Manx Shearwater
Gannet
Shag
Little Bittern
Night-heron
Cattle Egret
Great White Egret
White Stork
Glossy Ibis
Honey-buzzard
Black Kite
Montagu’s Harrier
Goshawk
Osprey
Red-footed Falcon
Merlin
Spotted Crake
Baillon’s Crake
Corncrake
Crane
Black-winged Stilt
Stone-curlew
Dotterel
Knot
Sanderling
Little Stint
Temminck’s Stint
Pectoral Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Grey Phalarope
Pomarine Skua
Arctic Skua
Long-tailed Skua
Great Skua
Sabine’s Gull
Kittiwake
Bonaparte’s Gull
Iceland Gull
Glaucous Gull
Little Tern
White-winged Black Tern
Sandwich Tern
Roseate Tern
Arctic Tern
Guillemot
Razorbill
Alpine Swift
Red-rumped Swallow
Richard’s Pipit
Bluethroat
Savi’s Warbler
Marsh Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Icterine Warbler
Melodious Warbler
Barred Warbler
Dartford Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Penduline Tit
Red-backed Shrike
Woodchat Shrike
Serin
Mealy Redpoll
Lapland Bunting
Snow Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
Bold denotes birds that would happily fit nicely on my all time London list, thank you very much.
84 there, not all them have been seen in London for a good few years and the likelihood of some being seen again anytime soon is not high, but with more birders out there who knows. That just leaves the "left field", birds not even on anyones radar, at the moment.
Finally the list of birds I've missed: Ferruginous Duck, and Scaup. Both could return, but both act as a little reminder not to be too bloody lazy. I'll make no bones about it, I don't envisage beating Mr Connor's total, but as long as I enjoy it I don't much care about that, but I may just change my tune by the end of the year...
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