Bird of the month is a very hard one with lots of interesting sightings appearing including a Bittern just outside the valley recording area. Given that it was outside the area the Bird of the Month award will have to go to the Female Garganey which was first seen at Darlands Lake on the 20th of February, but not officially identified until the 14th of March due to obstructed views of the bird upon the first two sightings. This bird put the valley on the map to such an extent that it even drew in the famous Lee Evens for what I think might have been his first visit to the patch and thus I have a lot of sightings to go through. Due to the Garganey some other birds that are equally as rare or even rare have been bumped down the list and therefore I will try and keep this as concise as possible despite reports from almost everyday of the month. Lapwing had an interesting month and due to the cold weather at the beginning of the month numbers swelled before tailing off and appearing like we may end up with our first non breeding year. Reports are as follows: 17 W on 1st, 5 on 14th, 2 on 21st, 4 on 26th, Redwing also suffered from a similar pattern with: 24 W on 1st, 169 on 4th, 88 on 7th, 86 on 11th, 6 on 13th, 40 on 14th, 5 on 16th, 40 on 17th, 22 on 18th, 18 + 15 E on 20th, 49 on 21st, 39 on 22nd, 2 on 23rd, 40+ on 25th, 67 on 26th, 11 on 30th. The cold weather at the beginning of the month brought with it the first sighting of Great Black-backed Gull since 2011 with 2 heading Low and E into the Totteridge Valley at just after 9.20am on the 1st. This might just be the second record of this species for the valley, however it is very likely that this species is under recorded and is possibly near annual. Fieldfare had a rather odd month given the time of the year. They started the month with high counts of 82 on 4th, and 62 on 7th however this tailed off to just 6 on 30th. I was going to leave Pied Wagtail out of this round up, however 8 on the 25th was a good count for the time of year. Woodcock had a record breaking month which could have easily made headline news if it wasn't for the Garganey. One was seen on the 4th flying through frith riding stables in atrocious conditions, this was then followed by 3 in Cow Field on the 14th and at least 5 seen on the 21st. Little Egret appeared twice this month back in the usual area on the 4th and 21st. Sparrowhawk were seen on 8 dates during the month with the highest counts being 2 on 4th and 16th and 3 on the 20th. The Teal were present all month with a max count of 18 on 25th and other high counts of 15 on 26th and 23rd. Siskin had another decent month with 15 seen in the trees surrounding Darlands on the 16th being the most seen. The Hawfinch sage continued yet again with the sightings as followed: 4 near substation on 4th as well as one perched briefly at Belmont farm by the show pens then flew E towards Darlands 12:15, one flushed from the bottom of old gropper field near folly brook on 7th, another was seen perched in trees near the substation and then flew towards Partingdale Lane on 14th, 3 were then seen the following day at the tops of the oak trees at the top of the footpath near Laurel Pond, one behind substation off Burtonhole Lane on 17th, 4 were seen along the path from Laurel Pond on the 18th, 3 were again seen in the oaks just down from Laurel Pond on the 21st, on the 24th a group of at least 35 gathered in the oaks to the right of the path from Long Pond between 12:50 and 13:10 before presumably heading off to roost, another attempt at counting those heading into roost was surprisingly successful with 46 seen flying NE between 14:00 and 16:00 on 26th, in poor weather on the 29th only 3 were seen heading into roost briefly, 7 were seen down from laurel Pond on the 31st. Bullfinch numbers in the valley remained high with 7 seen on both the 14th and 15th before the winter flock presumably split up into their respective territories for the start of the new breeding season. Meadow Pipit roost numbers were lower during the month with 17 on the 16th being the best count, however there was some movement noted over head on the 25th which saw 20 birds head E. Common Buzzard number started to rise as some migration was noted on the warmer stiller days with 8N on 11th, 9N on 13th, 9NE on 16th. Other high counts included 9 locals on the 26th. This is another contender for moment of the month due to that fact that it surpassed all previous by more than double the amount. Common Gull numbers soared to a staggering 800 individuals on the 14th with at least 780 still present in the evening. Other triple digit counts from the month were as follows: 164 on 7th, 185 on 25th, and 150 on 26th. Rook numbers steadily rose towards the end of the month with 11 pairs taking up residency for the 2nd year in a row at Darlands Lake which was only the beginning of another successful breeding season for this species. Greylag Geese just about made it into the records for this month with 2 on 4th and 9th and then finally 1 on he 25th. The Farmyards were however seen a little more often with 3 on the 4th and 2 on the 7th, 9th, and 11th. Canada Geese numbers peaked at 45 on both the 4th and 18th with numbers slowly rounded off as pairs started to take up their positions ready for the breeding season. The final winter roost count saw 7 Mandarin Ducks on the 4th with a pair seen then after mainly in the farmland at Folly Farm. Stock Dove had yet another great month with peak counts of 62 on 7th, 61 on 21st, and 48 on 26th making the valley one of the best places to see this species inside the M25. Tawny Owl were only heard twice during the month which unfortunately marks another poor month with 1 on the 4th and 23rd. A Monk Parakeet of unknown origin came in with a flock of Ring-necked Parakeets to roost at 16:22 on the 4th however it hasn't been seen subsequently. This is the second record of this species and unfortunately may not be the last either. A female/1st winter type Black Redstart was found on the farm buildings at Belmont Farm at opening time before flying to the lambing shed and wasn't seen again. This is the first record of this species in the valley itself despite an almost annual appearance of one or two individuals in Autumn across the Ridgeway at Mill Hill School. Starling numbers varied widely throughout the month however the stand out total was of 780 on the 30th with 700+ at Folly Farm and 80+ at Frith marking the biggest flock in the valley for centuries. Grey Wagtails continued to frequent the brooks and Sheepwash Pond with 2 seen throughout the month. The Barn Owl was still around this month and was showing exceptionally well at times in its usual place the sightings are as follows; m hunting in owl field on 7th 17:40, it was then seen hunting in owl field on the 14th at 18:06, on the 21st it was seen again hunting over Owl field at just before 6pm, on the 24th it was again observed hunting in owl field from 17:40 onwards by a mixed group of Brent Birders and Totteridge Valley Birders. Kestrel sightings remained steady throughout the month with at least one pair in the area. Peregrine sightings were yet again on the increase with 2 on 7th circling over Frith riding stables followed by a female in the same area on the 18th. Goldcrest numbers peaked at 5 on the 26th with other decent counts of 4 on both the 7th and 14th. Mistle Thrush also had another good month with 3 on 11th being the best count. Next up was the Garganey and here is the sightings of the bird from this month; an interesting 'Teal' was first seen briefly on the 20th of Feb and then again on the 7th. It wasn't until the 14th that it was seen next and when it was it was found out in the open and finally it was ID as a female Garganey, making it not only one of the earliest in recorded history in London but also the first since 1974 in the Totteridge Valley. It was seen up until the 26th of March and then reappeared on the 1st April. It has been quite a big draw for the valley and has seen quite a fair amount of 1st time visitors to the valley including the infamous Lee Evans! The Coot returned to Long Pond this year with a pair frequenting the area throughout the month. Egyptian Geese were also noted nesting in a tree near Folly Farm however despite the hard work of the parents it would appear that the nest eventually failed. Firecrest numbers this year despite no confirmed over wintering individuals suddenly took a spike in spring with a male singing behind the show pens at 16:00 on the 11th. A female was then found in the hedgerows down from Laurel Pond on the 16th in the holly and ivy bushes close to the path, while the Male was still behind the show pens on the 18th but that was however the last time it was seen or heard. Another or perhaps the same Male was reported on the 20th from the back gardens of Michelham Down, the female still remained in the hedgerow just down from laurel farm pond on the 21st, 22nd, and 24th. Despite the fact that it was outside the recording area.... Just. The record of a Bittern which is potentially the first record for the area and quite an unusual one as well, s it flew low over Mill Hill School heading West during poor weather on the 12th at 14:44. Greenfinch numbers were unfortunately low again this month with 3 on the 14th the best count. Little Owls had a good month though with 3 heard on the 14th, 21st, and 23rd. Jackdaw also set a new valley record this month with 600 into roost on the 14th which makes me wonder if the Beast from the East had an effect on all of the record breakers!? Coal Tit had a decent month with 3 on the 14th and 21st. Treecreeper sightings ramped up during the month as they started to sing with at least two singing birds seen on the 14th being the best count. Lesser Redpoll numbers slowly rose during the month which is unusual for the time of year from just 1 individual on the 15th to 6 on 24th and final 12 on 30th including a couple of singing individuals. The female Reed Bunting that over wintered remained in the area until atleast the 26th and a Kingfisher at Darlands Lake on the 15th is quite an unusual one. A pair of Linnet was seen on the 17th hopefully returning to the valley to breed again. A Male Wheatear was seen on the 18th on the path to Long Pond which is the earliest ever record in the valley and a rather odd one given that I turned up during snowy weather, another or the same Male was then seen on the 23rd feeding in diminishing light. Red Kites started to return to the area ready to breed with the first returning from the 18th, A Drake Goosander was also seen on the 18th on the deck at Darlands Lake, albeit briefly. This is the 5th record now with 4 of the 5 records coming in the last year. A Common Snipe was observed by multiple observes as it flew North at dusk on the 21st. Cormorants were noted on 4 occasions during the month including a high of 3 on the 30th. It would appear that Ravens have moved into the area with one seen soaring with 5 Common Buzzards between 11:30 and 11:45 on 25th, another was then seen distantly soaring with a Common Buzzard on 29th while being mobbed by Crows over Ellern Mede Farm. Chiffcaff numbers started to build from the 26th with at least 6 singing that day. The usual Red-legged Partridge were seen at Belmont Farm on the 26th with 2 seen. And finally the first returning Blackcap was seen on the 26th and it was a Singing Male. Butterflies: The Only other news from the month reported to me regards the first Butterflies with a Red Admiral on the 14th and a Brimestone on the 16th. Contributed by Samuel Levy 26/01/19 Above: female Garganey
Below: Hawfinch
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It is quite hard to pick this month between two birds for the bird of the Month award. I am going to give it to the Raven which I had on the 24th as it flew in at 17:50 cronking loudly whilst circling over the sheep fields before proceeding to roost with the other corvids and it is definitely something that I am not going to forget in a hurry. This is the 3rd Record for the valley since 2011 and marks a recent recovery of this species in this part of the UK. Redwings this month produced some good counts including 104 on 9th, 220 on 14th, and 99 on 25th. The Egyptian geese pair stayed for the beginning of the month mainly at Belmont Farm, bar an outing to Sheepwash Pond, however after the 11th they then went missing. The Coot on Sheepwash Pond remained the only bird of this species in the valley and it was last seen on the 25th just before the cold snap! Nuthatch numbers varied dramatically during the month with 3 on the 4th being the most notable count. Goldcrest numbers started to dwindle towards then end of the month perhaps due to some starting to migrate, although more likely it could be a consequence of the cold weather. The highest count during the month was 6 on 3th. The other contender for bird of the month was the Yellow-browed Warbler which spent at least the morning of the 3rd with a flock of Goldcrest in Oakfields. It was quite an interesting individual with a yellow patch under its wing, however its brief stay didn't help with the potential for further ID. This is only the 2nd record for the valley following one in late 2016. Little Egrets were seen on 3 occasions during the month with most sightings rather interestingly coming from Frith Riding Stables. There was still at least one over wintering Grey Wagtail throughout the month at Belmont Farm. It was an unusually poor month for Fieldfare sightings after what has been a bumper year for them. The maximum this month was 62 on 14th, and another decent count of 53 on bth the 4th and 20th. It was all rather odd, however towards the end of the month during the colder weather Fieldfare were dropping in and migrating West to get out of the Beast. An example of this was the group of 25 seen flying west on the 28th. Common Gull numbers started to increase and reached a healthy 268 by the 20th, before rounding of significantly when the fields froze over and they were forced to return to the local Reservoirs to feed. The only Red-legged Partridge of the month was one on the 4th. Siskin numbers were very good during the month with atleast 15 present at Darlands throughout the month. Although there weren't as many Bullfinch this month there were however some good counts including 5 on 9th. The only sighting of Linnets during the month and the only sighting so far this year was of a group of 12 in the trees surrounding Camden Playing fields on the 4th. Teal numbers ranged from 13 to 11 during the month suggesting that some birds are likely to be moving between other locations away from the valley. Coal Tit were scarce as per usual with the only records this month being 2 seen on the 4th and one on the 11th. As for Common Buzzards 3 on 4th and 3 on 25th were the highest counts and at least two of those individuals are last years youngsters still hanging about. Canada Geese started to disperse during the month. With 44 on the 4th the highest count. By the end of the month all of the valleys ponds had at least one pair nest building, with the only exception being Darlands Lake. Black-headed Gull numbers weren't exceptional during the month however during the cold snap on the 28th at least 102 birds were seen flying East. The only other notable count was 65 on the 20th. Rook numbers were interesting during the month with a bird a Belmont Farm on the 4th not being the first one to wander a bit in recent times. The only other counts were all of birds heading into roost with 39 on 20th, and 62 on 24th. A female Stonechat briefly popped up at Belmont Farm on the 4th which was a grateful and early addition to the year list for this species, although in recent years some birds have over wintered. Treecreepers were easily seen during the month in the woodland surrounding Darlands Lake with at least a pair there for majority of the month. A Female Reed Bunting was encountered in the owl field on both the 8th and 9th. Mandarin Ducks appeared to have slowly dispersed during the month with their numbers ranging from 7 on 9th to 2 by the 25th. A female Peregrine was seen on the 9th near Camden Playing fields carrying a prey item, and another was seen hunting over Frith Lane on the 28th. Starling numbers keep fluctuating dramatically from as little as 3 on 24th to as many as 145 seen on the 20th. The only other high count was of 100 on the 25th. Meadow Pipits continued to use the roost sight however there numbers have started to drop. 21 were seen on the 9th with 19 seen on the 24th. What I can only assume is the re-emergence of the Autumns Barn Owl occurred on the 9th when it was seen flying over Elern Meade Bus Stop at 18:00. Cormorants were seen on 3 occasions during the month marking the continued rise in sightings. The first Red Kite of the year was seen over Belmont Farm on the 14th. Two Skylark were seen on the 15th with another heard calling over Frith riding stables on the 28th. Lapwings had an interesting month when 7 were seen in Lapwing field briefly on the 20th before the start of the cold weather movement towards the end of the month. This saw 5 fly West on the 24th, 21 North West on 25th, and 20 W on the 28th. The Hawfinch saga continued yet again this month with; one perched in tree E of Burtonhole Lane on 20th, one flew over Belmont Farm calling at 08:55 on 25th after a female was seen nearby in Mill Hill Cemetery. Two Lesser Redpoll were seen on the feeders near Laurel Pond on the 24th marking the first sighting of the year for them. The only Kingfisher of the year so far was seen on the 24th. A Common Snipe flew through Cow Field at 18:17 on 24th marking the first sighting since October and my first ever here. The 4th Record of Goosander also occurred this month with a pair seen flying high and South over Cow field on the 24th. The only Little Owls of the month were on the 24th with 2 heard in Cow field. Also on the 24th over 450 Jackdaw came into roost which is very close to a record breaking count in the valley. Finally the only Woodcock of the month was one that flew towards the substation during the snow on the 28th. As for other animal sightings a Muntjac and Wood Mouse were both seen on the 3rd, and also Rabbits and Foxes remained numerous! Contributed By Samuel Levy 13/04/18 Above: Teal Above: Little Egret Below: Hawfinch Above: Lapwing
Below: Rook This month has been quite a quiet month and therefore i have found it hard to nominated a bird of the month award. The bird of the month would have almost certainly gone to the Hirundinidea sp that flew low and South over Mill Hill school at 14:25 on 15th January, however without a proper id i am reluctant to give it the status it might deserve. It was presumed to be a House Martin which would be the earliest/ latest record in London. It is highly possible that in the future some House Martins will winter with the Swallows that stay along the South Coast, but for now we will have to leave this record as a question mark in the history books which is all too frustrating. I am therefore going to give the bird of the month to John's Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which he found in a tree along the Dollis Brook near where it meets Fursbury Avenue on the 18th. It was searched for in the following days, but a combination of bad weather and also a lot of suitable habitat to check mean't that it didn't reemerge in the end. Fieldfare this month had some pretty special counts coming in from various places in the valley with reports of 100+ on 18th, followed by 202+ on 20th, and then 269+ on 24th which are again some very good counts for the time of year, especially as we expect our highest counts from mid March to early April, so this year could potentially be quite special. Redwing were also still around in large numbers, however the highest counts were down a bit from last month. 215+ on 7th was still a good count followed by, 187+ on 20th, 180 on 21st, and 99+ on 24th before numbers started to become shockingly low for the time of year. This suggests that they are covering a wider area this winter and also perhaps suggests their usual roost sight is now more convenient for large thrushes such as Fieldfare. Mistle Thrushes were still about, however they were hard to find with just the odd one or two noted during the month. Mandarin Ducks continued to use their traditional roosting site in the valley with a highest count of 18 on the 20th. Another notable count was 11 on 12th with an average of 7. Looking at the weather conditions more closely the higher counts came on those days that had frost or ice! Teal numbers fluctuated dramatically during the month partially due to the flooding that took place allowing them to spread out more and feed in a wider variety of locations. This made them hard to track down and despite 12 being recorded on the 12, most counts were into the single figures for much of the month. Proving just how difficult they can be to track down 3 were seen feeding on the small pond in John's field on 26th. Sparrowhawks have been patrolling the valley all month with a least 2 seen throughout the month. Goldcrest numbers are high at the moment with the vast majority in the trees surrounding Darlands. 5 on 5th and 6 on 26th were the largest counts. The usual Grey Herons were in the valley mainly at Belmont Farms pond with a max count of 3 there on 20th. Reed buntings have marked their recovery in the valley with a female seen in owl field twice during the month on the 5th and 20th, showing perhaps an early returning bird to breed!? Throughout the month the wintering Canada Geese flock started to pair up and disperse to their normal breeding grounds with a pair back on Sheepwash Pond and Long Pond from 26th. The roving flock started at 53 on 5th and rose to 79 by 20th followed by the slow dispersal from there with just 10 left by the 29th! Rook were easy to see as they headed into roost, however they seem to have changed their feeding grounds at the moment to the Dollis Valley meaning that they can only really been seen and heard around dusk. There were also some odd records of individuals with one seen at Belmont Farm and 2 at Frith Riding Stables during the month. Little Owls made regular appearances at dusk with 3 on 5th, 2 on 12th, 1 on 24th, and finally 4 on 26th marking another good month for them. Bullfinch numbers were much higher than average during the month with 5 on 7th, 3 on 10th, 1 on 12th, 1 on 18th, 5 on 26th, and they were spread out between Old Gropper Field and also Owl Field. A record count of 8 individuals were seen on the 24th in Owl Field at dusk and to be honest there could have been more as the habitat is perfect for them to hide in and feed in at the moment. Kestrels suffered quite a poor month sightings wise with just 3 on 7th, and 1 on 10th! The pair of Egyptian Geese were present all month moving between Sheepwash ponds and Belmont Farms Pond. Cormorants are often a hard species to see in the valley however this month there were 4 records referring to at least 4 individuals flying over the valley. Common Buzzards continued to patrol the area with 2 on 7th and 1 seen on 26th. Pied Wagtails were regularly seen during the month with a max count of 3 on the 26th. Grey Wagtails were seen on the 7th, 14th and 21st and these referred mainly to the individual over wintering at Sheepwash pond, bar one bird seen near where the Folly Brook meets the Dollis Brook. Little Egret were found in a number of locations during the month with 2 on 10th, 1 on 18th, 1 on 20th, and another 0n 26th. The Greylags and Farmyard Geese were still in the area this month with 2 and 3 respectively. They also have been seen at Brent Reservoir on occasion and for some bizarre reason are now being called the Finchley Five despite never being seen in Finchley. Common Gull numbers have slowly crept up and have been recorded on everyday of the month. The highest counts were 180+ on 10th, 112+ on 20th, 146+ on 24th, 180+ on 26th, and 160+ on 30th. The first returning Coot of the year has been on Sheepwash pond since the 12th, however his mate is still yet to return despite him having already got a few potential nests in place. The only Tawny Owl was heard calling from Woodridge on the 12th. The highest count of Song Thrushes during the month referred to several seen on the 30th. Nuthatches were seen sporadically during the month with 2 on 14th, and 1 20th, however i recon they were under recorded during the month due to the fact they were often heard and not seen! The highest count of Stock Doves during the month was 26 flying North on the 14th. Starling numbers continued to fluctuate during the month with just 3 on the 14th, quickly rising to 70+ on 20th, 111+ on 24th, and finally 100+ on 26th. This was perhaps due to the presence of predators on certain days. The only Red-legged partridge of the month referred to the usual 3 seen at Belmont Farm on the 14th. A very high count of Blackbird was recorded on the 20th with at least 70 seen and honestly they were in every bush so there could have been many more. Chiffchaff sightings this month referred to a new individual along the Folly Brook at Woodridge on the 20th, followed by the usual wintering individual at Belmont Farm reemerged on the 21st. The only sighting of Treecreeper during the month was one seen at Darlands Lake on the 20th. The Meadow Pipit Roost was counted twice during the month with 47 on 20th, and 58 on 26th which is the highest count since 67 were seen in 2006! Siskin numbers started at 2 on 20th, and rose to 15+ by the 30th. Although these were the only sightings i recon that they have been present all month at Darlands. Black-headed Gulls were also present throughout the month with an interesting max count of 115+ on 26th. And finally it has been a bumper recording month for Woodcock in the valley with a record count of 3 on the 26th, with one flying low over Darlands and two circling the lower end of Cow field making for an interesting end to the month! Contributed by Samuel Levy 08/03/18 Above: Redwing Below: Sparrowhawk Above: Little Egret Below: Canada Geese alongside the Finchley Five (Spot the pheasant in the back ground!) Above: Redwing Below: Robin Above: Little Egret and Black-headed Gulls
Below: This Fox nearly gave me a heart attack when it crept up on me! The Hawfinch saga continued this month and therefore it isn't really that surprising that they have remained my bird of the month for the 2nd month in a row. There were however only 2 records this month referring to one in the trees near the sheep/ goat pens at Belmont farm on the morning of the 28th before flying towards Belmont School at 10:20, and another was then seen on 31st in Owl field. Redwing were recorded 14 days during the month with the most notable sightings 280+ on 9th, 200+ on 13th, and 265+ on 28th. These are some of the largest flocks that we have had this early in the year for a long time and if the continued run of cold weather movements from the continent we could be up to record breaking numbers by the spring. Fieldfare numbers also slowly increased to around the average number being recorded on 12 days during the month. The most notable counts were 75 on the 5th, 72 on 9th, and 80 on 15th. Pied Wagtail numbers slowly decreased during the month from 3 at the beginning to just 1 being reported after the 5th. Skylarks were only recorded once during the month with 3 on the 1st. Siskin numbers fluctuated this month between a flock of 20 recorded on the 5th to a more humble pair on the 30th. This suggests that there might me a roving flock in the area this winter and hopefully the sightings of these birds will become more regular. Rook numbers despite being present throughout the year for perhaps the first time in recent decades the wintering numbers this year are yet to live up to the full potential. A total of 50 at the beginning of the month and 50 at the end of the month were interspersed with counts of 43 on 9th, and 74 on the 24th. This suggests that this winter there might be another area locally that the flock is both feeding and roosting!? Canada Geese have taken hold this winter with a large flock split between the fields at Folly Farm and also the Fields at Belmont Farm. The Flock at Folly Farm is the biggest with 81 counted on the 24th, and the flock at Belmont Farm numbers 39. This suggests that there could be as many as 120 in the valley at the moment which could be close to a valley record. The Geese flock at Folly Farm this month has held the Greylag Geese along with the 3 Farm yard white geese. These Geese have been present all month and are know locally as the Finchley Five (even despite never stepping foot in Finchley) and they have also been recorded at Brent Reservoir. Mandarin Ducks have had a good month with 10 drakes and 3 females on the 1st, 5 on 9th, 6 on 24th, and finally 7 were seen on the 29th. Teal had an interesting month with numbers fluctuating dramatically suggesting that there are other feeding grounds during the day that they head off to. 13 were seen on the 1st, followed by, 3 on 3rd, 6 on 5th, 2 on 9th, 1 on 15th, 10 on 24th, 1 on 30th, and 6 on 31st. The wintering Chiffchaff at Belmont Farm remained in the willows until at least the 3rd. Goldcrest numbers peaked at 9 on 24th, with other high counts of 8 on the 9th, and 6 on the 3rd. Grey Wagtail were still frequenting the area around Sheep Wash Pond with 2 on the 3rd, followed by one there the rest of the month. Treecreepers were seen twice during the month with one on the 3rd, and another seen on the 31st. Mistle Thrush were seen more regularly during this month than the previous ones with a max count of 5 on the 8th, suggesting that the wintering population this year is of a decent size. Common Gull numbers have been slow to reach the heights that they normally reach in winter, with flocks now starting to return to the fields at Belmont, Folly, and Firth Farms. the largest count was of 115 on 5th. Black-headed Gull are also starting to return with a decent count of 49 heading to roost on the 3rd. Also on the 3rd the 3rd valley record of a Goosander occurred with a presumed female flying in the direction of Darlands Lake/ Long Pond at 15:36 . This is an interesting record as it is the 2nd of the year and also suggests that they fly over the valley more often and simply go under recorded. The 2 young Common Buzzards remained in the valley, however they were only recorded twice during the month proving hard to see. The only Lesser Redpoll of the month came as a surprise on the 9th when one was recorded near the Southern edge of Owl field. A good number of Bullfinch are spending the winter with us this year with a pair recorded on the 9th, and 24th, and 3 on the 31st. Starling are a bit hit and miss at the moment, probably due to the large range in the valley that they are covering. 18 were seen on the 9th followed by a flock of 64 on 28th. Meadow Pipit had a poor month however they have maintained a decent amount of months that they have been recorded in this year, with 2 on 9th, 1 on 24th, and 1 on 31st. The valleys population of Little Owl were heard on several occasions during the month, mainly around the Cow Field area, with the usual three on 24th, and 29th, and one on 9th. Rather surprisingly the only Tawny Owl sighting was one calling on the 9th. After drawing a blank in November a Red Kite was seen on the 14th drifting NW at 11:12 before u-turning and heading E, and another or the same individual was seen the next day heading SW over the Owl field. A Stonechat was seen for the first time in the valley since October with one seen on the far fence in Lapwing field on 24th. A female Merlin flew through Cow field and attempted to catch a Redwing before flying towards the medical research institute on 24th. This is an interesting sighting as it marks only the 4th submitted record for the valley and potentially the first in the 21st century. Woodcock as always were hard to pin down, but one flushed from cow field on the evening of the 24th was followed by another flushed from owl field on the morning of the 31st. Egyptian Geese remained at Belmont Farm throughout the month with 3 on the 28th being the most seen. The usual 3 Red-legged Partridge were still around at Belmont Farm on the 28th and these seem to be the only birds being seen regularly in the valley suggesting a potentially bad breeding season elsewhere. And finally the only Kingfisher of the month was seen on the 30th. Contributed by Samuel Levy 01/02/18 Above: Drake Teal at Darlands Below: Drake Mandarin at Darlands Above: Ring-necked Parakeet in the snowy scenes at the beginning of the month
Below: Stock Doves My bird of the month nomination for November is the Hawfinch. With 12 sightings submitted during the month referring to 62 individuals. These reports are as follows; In 2017 a national influx occurred due to the suspected failure of Horn Beam Trees in Scandinavia. It was however not until November that we got in on the action. The Records are as follows: 15 were seen heading east from ‘Owl’ field between 15:30 – 16:45 on 3rd Nov; 9 were then seen heading south east over Belmont Farm at 08:50 and presumably the same 9 were then seen at 16:30 circling over Darlands before heading west on the 5th Nov; One then flew west over the Ridgeway at 14:10 on 9th Nov; one was then seen in ‘Owl’ field dropping down into a blackthorn bush on 10th Nov; 7 were then seen on a vis-mig between 07:15- 09:45 on the 12th Nov; 3 were then seen perched by Mill Hill School Sports Centre on the morning of the 13th Nov; followed by another the next morning; 4 were then seen flying over the Ridgeway on 16th Nov with another the next day; Another then flew west on the 22nd tried to drop down on trees by the Sports Centre at Mill Hill School before being blown back SE at 16:15; A sky watch on 26th produced yet another which came in at 07:40 from the South East and appeared to drop down in the trees surrounding Darlands Lake it was subsequently searched for but not found; The Hawfinches continued to dominate the news with a flock of 10 in the trees by Mill Hill Sports Centre on the 27th until they were flushed by a Magpie at 08:58 and didn’t return. Teal numbers unusually declined during the month from 12 on the 3rd of the month to one on the 26th. This is unusual and probably due to the unusually large amount of Canada Geese that are roosting on the lake and also due to the below average water levels that remained throughout the month on Darlands. Tawny Owls were heard easily during the month with 6 on the 3rd, 1 on 12th, 2 on 15th, and 1 heard on 26th. Marking the usual up serge during the month. Little Owls were also not just heard but seen during the month with 7 on 3rd, 2 on 12th, 2 on 15th, and 1 on 19th. Despite our efforts this autumn the only rare owl that was seen this month was Simon's Barn Owl which decided to linger in the valley until at least the 3rd. It was seen at the same time and same place as it was 4 days before and also was much appreciated by those who managed to see it! As previously mentioned Canada Geese numbers continued to rise throughout the month with 26 from 3rd till 12th soon being joined by another 8 raising numbers to 34 by the 19th. Skylark have had a decent run of sightings despite low numbers earlier in the Autumn with, 3 on 3rd, 1 on 6th, and 2 seen flying North on 12th. A single Grey Wagtail seems to be spending the winter with us this year and it was noted on 8 occasions during the month. Starling numbers peaked at, at least 93 on 3rd before finishing the month with only 51 birds. However the flock was quite mobile and so it is possible that they all remained in the valley. Stock Dove numbers peaked at 53 on 3rd with another high count of 40 on the 26th being of note. Meadow Pipits are having one of their best runs of sightings for the last few years with at least 21 dropping in to roost on the 3rd. Other sightings involved 1 on 9th, 9 on 12th, 4 on 14th, 5 on 19th, and 2 on 26th suggesting that some might stay the winter this year. Common Gull numbers still remained low however they are slowly returning with 4 on 3rd, 3 on 5th, 8 on 12th, 2 on 19th, and finally 26 on 26th. A male Peregrine on the 3rd was the only sighting during the month, however due to the large amount of Pigeons during the month one would assume that it made more appearances, but went under recorded. The two young Common Buzzards remained during the month being noted on at least 3 occasions. Rook numbers tended to dwindle during the month with 26 on 3rd, 9 on 12th, 20 on 14th, and finally 13 on 25th. Goldcrest were notably recorded on 15 dates during the month with notable counts of 12 on 24th and 7 on the 12th. Mandarin Ducks are always quite hard to see at Darlands due to the large amount of cover that the lake has, however now that the trees have lost their leaves the amount of sightings tend to increase with, 3 from 3rd till 12th, a female on 14th, and 5 were seen for the remainder of the month. Redwings were recorded on 21 days during the month which is probably due to their delayed arrival from the continent. Rather than listing all the counts i will skip to the most notable. This included 127 on 12th, 110 N/NW on 14th, and finally a new valley record of 436 on 26th with birds literally dropping in from all angles and disappearing into the cover. Linnets were seen on 3 dates during the month with 2 on 3rd, 1 on 9th, and 5 on 12th. Three Bullfinches were regulars in and around Owl Field at the beginning of the month before being joined by another by then end of the month and so they look set to winter in the valley this year. Both the reports of Chiffchaff this month respond to the bird that looks to be spending the winter with the Tit flock at Belmont Farm, although others are surely still around, but just not being seen. Pied Wagtail numbers remained high at the beginning of the month with 6 on 5th before numbers slowly rounded off to just a pair by the 30th. The two Egyptian Geese remained in the valley at Belmont Farm and look set to winter again this year. Woodpigeon numbers peaked at 500 seen flying W/SW at dawn on 6th, followed by another 150 S on 9th. Numbers elsewhere in London were similar this month. Fieldfare numbers slowly increased during the month and they were recorded on 10 days during the month. This included notable counts of 30 on 12th and 47 on 26th. There were two sightings of Brambling for the first time since April 2016 including one calling high up over the bottom of Cow field at 10:55 on 9th and another on the 12th over Frith Riding Stables. Siskin have had a good autumn so far with birds seen one vis migs and also visiting the alders around Darlands. This includes 1 on 9th, 1 North on 12th, 3 on 19th, 1 on 26th, and 1 on 30th. Lesser Redpoll are also in a similar situation with 2 on 9th, 3 on 12th, 1 on 19th, and 11 on 26th making what is usually a scarce winter visitor to the valley actually quite common. Despite large numbers of Coal Tits arriving in the UK this Autumn we remained with just the regulars with 1 on 12th and a pair on 14th. Cormorant sightings were more regular than usual with 2 on 12th the highest count. one was also noted on both the 19th and 26th. Perhaps suggesting that there are still water shortages in some parts of the local area. A potential contender for bird of the month if the Hawfinches hadn't turned up was the female Marsh Harrier that drifted from Long Field towards Cow Field at 15:00 on the 15th, marking perhaps only the 2nd record for the valley. Pure White 'Farmyard' Geese have gradually turned up in the valley and look to be spending the winter alongside the Canada Geese Flock with 3 appearing by the 24th. Before this year there had only been 4 previous records of Greylag for the valley, however a pair have turned up and appeared to be spending the winter with the Canada Geese population in the valley. They first appeared on the 24th and are still present. And finally a Kingfisher was seen on the 25th marking the only record this month. Contributed by Samuel Levy 12/01/18 Above: The 2 Greylags and 3 'Farmyards' on Long Pond
Below: Canada Goose. This particular one has an interesting story as it is permanently stuck on Long Pond as it cannot fly. It was unfortunately struck by a car when it was younger. It also has in the last month gone miss so either it has made a miraculous recovery or unfortunately nature might have taken its toll. Either way it will be missed by both me and the local fisher men! October has a couple of potential birds of the month, but with no sign of the Hawfinch influx appearing in the valley any time soon my bird of the month goes to a joint tie between; the Barn Owl that Simon found one evening when walking up the path to long pond and also the Snow Bunting which i flushed when entering an animal pen at Belmont farm the day before. The Snow Bunting is the rarest of the two with this being the first one in the valley for nearly 90 years.
Chiffchaff this year have taken a bit of time for their numbers to come down due to the relatively benine mild conditions at the beginning of the month. 11 seen on the 1st was the highest count of the month, followed by 10 on 3rd, 7 from the 6th till 7th, 3 on 8th, this was followed by 4 on 13th and singles on 10th, 12th, and 16th. Starling numbers started to build during the month before peaking at 77+ on 8th, the number then rounded of to around 50 individuals by the 15th. A Late Lesser Whitethroat on the 1st marks the latest valley record that i can find and was found in a surprise location, near the little pond on the path from St Pauls. Pied Wagtail were numerous during the month with a peak count of 15 on 1st, followed by other high counts of 12 on 10th and 14 on 22nd. Grey Wagtail were seen more regularly during the month of October than recent years, with singles being reported on 3 occasions and 2 on 22nd being the highest count. Mistle Thrush counts have been poor so far this year with singles on 3 dates during the month a 2 recorded twice during the month. Treecreeper reporting remained high with 1 on 1st and 2 on 6th. Coal Tit were around this month and to be honest probably went under recorded with 1 on 1st, 19th, and 22nd, and 2 seen on 13th, and 16th. Meadow Pipit have had a great Autumn so far with them being reported on 16 different days during the month. These reports are as follows: 2 on 1st, 6 on 2nd, 2 on 5th, 1 S on 6th + 18+ on the deck, 14 on 7th, 4 on 8th, 17 NW on 9th, 5 on 10th, 3 on 12th, 4 from 13th - 16th, 1 from 21st - 22nd, 10 on 24th, 4 on 27th The mass arrival of the wintering Canada Geese flock wasn't evident in October with just the locals being recorded. A peak count of 12 on 22nd was a below average count. The pair of Egyptian Geese at Belmont farm were present all month and were joined briefly by a 3rd on the 29th. House Martin were still migrating through during the month, with 10 W on 1st, 1 NE on 6th, 2 S on 9th, and finally 5 stopped off briefly to feed before flying off South on 13th. Red-legged Partridge reports concerned the same 3 individuals at Belmont Farm on the 1st and 22nd of the month. Stock Dove reports were high throughout the month however a winter flock of at least 42 individuals had started to gather alongside a Woodpigeon flock numbering at least 200 birds roaming the valley. Only one Hobby remained into October, however it was last reported heading of high to the South on the 2nd. Despite the early records of Fieldfare during September numbers have so far remained at a poor level with unfavourable migration conditions during the whole month. Records during the month were as follows; 1 NW on 2nd, 5 on 8th, 2 on 9th, 4 SE on 12th, 1 on 16th, 1 S on 24th, 3 on 27th. Common Buzzard remained at a steady count of 2 during the month bar the count of 6 on 3rd being unseasonably high, and 3 on 21st. Kestrel sightings remained at a good level during the month with singles on 7th, 17th, and 29th, and two seen on 3rd and 22nd. Two Sparrowhawk were present from the 2nd - 3rd, with singles then seen on 12th and 27th. During the month there was only one sighting of a Kingfisher on the 3rd at Darlands Lake. Teal numbers started at 4 on 3rd and quickly rose to 7 by the 5th, and then 8 on the 6th, 7 were then seen from 7th - 12th. 9 were then seen on 13th, however 8 were seen subsequently on 15th, 16th, and 21st. A peak count of 11 were seen on the 24th, before only 5 were seen on the 27th marking an unseasonable decline. Redwing trickled through during the month and were a regular feature on sky watches, but no substantial numbers had been recorded yet. Records were as follows; 8 NW on 3rd, 1 NW on 5th, 6 dropped into usual winter roost on 7th, 18 on 8th, 33 NW on 9th, 14 NW on 10th, 1 on the deck + 7 SW on 12th, 4 on 13th, 9 on 15th, 36 on 16th, 6 on 17th, 26 on 18th, 56 on 19th but probably more due to the foggy conditions allowing for only some of the birds to be seen, 3 on 20th, 54 on 22nd, 35 SW on 24th, 7 on 27th, 2 on 29th, Three Stonechat were seen from the 5th - 6th followed by a Female on the 7th, 2 were then seen on the 10th, followed by 3 seen again on 24th, making it one of the best Autumns one record for this species. There were 2 records of Swallow at the beginning of the month with 1 on 5th, and another West on 8th, however this species perhaps went under recorded this month with other parts of the UK and also London receiving a far amount of records throughout the month and through into November. Despite there being only 3 records of Linnet during the month they refer to a good amount of individuals with 1 on 5th, 10 on 12th, and finally 4 on 15th. Goldfinch were regularly seen during the month with an average count of 20 during the month, however 2 counts stood out amongst the others with 50+ seen on 5th, and 37 NW on 9th. Nuthatch were heard more than they were seen during the month, but 2 good counts were noted with 2 on 5th, and 4 on 12th. An interesting peak count of 300+ Black Headed Gull on the 5th was the highest count for quite some time. Siskin counts in October have been the best for some years with 10 S on 6th, 1 on 7th, 1 W on 12th, 3 on 15th, and finally 1 on the 16th. Goldcrest numbers have also been good this year with nine reports concerning 34 birds. The highest count was of 8 on 13th. Lesser Redpoll have also had a good year so far bucking the trend of a sharp decline in this species over wintering with 1 on 6th, 2 NW + 7 SW on 12th, and finally 2 on 15th. Reed Bunting were seen only on 2 dates during the month with 2 on 6th, and 1 NW on 12th. This year is almost guaranteed to become the first year in modern times to have Rook sighted in every month of the year with an average of 25 seen during the month. A peak count of 46+ on 13th buckled the average. A single Little Owl was seen throughout the month on 4 occasions making it an average month for this species. The first and only record of a Common Snipe this year was found by Ian in the Owl field on the 7th but didn't stick around as it flew off high. Common Gull have been another one that have been slow to return with only 1 on 7th, 6 on 10th, and another one on 13th showing that the conditions again have made it hard for them to migrate with the strong South Westerly's all month! A Cormorant was seen on the 10th, but that was the only sighting this month. The first Peregrine seen for a little while was a female that nearly took out a Stock Dove over Mill Hill School playing fields on 11th. Bullfinch have had a very good month with 1 on 12th, 2 on 13th, 1 on 15th, 2 on 24th, and finally 1 was seen on 27th. Woodpigeon are hardly ever worth noting except during their migration with at least 500 flying South West on the 16th was the first sign of this mass movement. However we failed to match the counts of near 30,000 being recorded on a few occasions in East London. Chaffinch is another common resident that also migrates. While other parts of London saw max counts of over 1000 through during the month, we only managed a max count of 85 on 16th! Skylark have had quite a poor year so far and although sightings have increased they are still rather dismal with 1 on 16th and 3 on 27th the only sightings! Only one Blackcap was seen during the whole month and that was a male seen on 24th. As previously mentioned a SNOW BUNTING was flushed from an animal pen behind Sheepwash Pond at 15:53 on 29th, before flying high and to the SE. This is only the 2nd record for the valley following one nearly 90 years earlier. As mentioned before a BARN OWL was seen at 17:15 in Cow field from the path towards Long Pond on the 30th making it the first in the valley for at least 5 years and made a welcome end to the rarer Owl drought that the valley has suffered in recent times! However staying with Owls the only Tawny Owl was noted on the 30th as well marking a rather poor month for them! Contributed by Samuel Levy 14/12/17 My bird of the month nomination is rather unsurprisingly the 3 White Stork that Tony Clancy and I had over 'Owl' field on the 2nd. It was amazing to think that we even managed to pick them up in the first place and if it weren't for the perfectly positioned Sparrowhawks that had drawn our attention thermalling below them they would have stayed hidden. We could see them flying through very high and it was the sort of warm day that you would expect to find something large and soaring coming through. In their journey NW one kept trying to break formation and head North, but each time would return to the other 2. It turns out that these birds were probably the same as the ones seen drifting in off the sea at Beachy Head, Sussex 2 hours earlier. Anyway this month is one of the best recorded in the history of the valley with now five people regularly watching the valley. This means that we have data in the month of September that we have never had access too before and it also suggests that the more time spent out in the field the better the rewards and records and 1st's have been had this month as a reward for the hard work and effort. Whinchats had a good month in the valley with 2 on 1st, 1 on 2nd, 1 on 3rd, 1 on 12th, a large amount of 3 on 13th, and then finally singles on the 16th and 17th. Despite none of these being record breaking counts it is the most times this species has been recorded in the valley in the last few years. Wheatear on the other hand did break records with the usual spot in the valley attracting large amounts. With only 1 on 1st it looked to be a dismal month, however the 10 seen the next day on the 2nd broke the previous record of 8 the year before suggesting that they are becoming increasingly common on migration. Numbers then trailed off with just one on the 6th and a final group of 4 on 17th dropping in briefly between the showers. ommon Redstarts were still numerous during the month with 2 on the 1st and a male on both the 2nd and the 19th suggesting at least 4 more individuals coming through this month. This month I decided to take a look into the amount of times Rooks are being recorded. With 30+ on the 2nd being the most seen during the month. 25 were seen on 10th and 16th, and then this was followed by lower counts, with 13 on 6th, 3 on 12th, 5 on 13th, 4 on 21st, 1 on 22nd, and finally 19 on 27th. Chiffchaff numbers peaked mid month after a dip in numbers either side. This most likely reflects the varying weather conditions during the month. 26 were seen on 2nd, with 12 on 3rd, 4 on 6th, 7 on 12th, 11 on 15th, and a dramatic increase to at least 35 on 16th. This influx didn't last for long because by the next day only 2 were seen, with numbers slowly recovering towards the end of the month with 14 on 21st, 12 on 22nd, and 9 seen on 27th. Stock Doves were seen to be moving about during the month with a peak count of 76 on 2nd which included a flock of at least 53 individuals. Goldcrest numbers had some ups and downs during the month suggesting some movement through the valley with the most being 8 seen on 2nd followed closely by 5 on 21st. As September is one of the best month for migrating Swallow and so I decided to have a look at the total amount seen throughout the month. 31+ were seen on 2nd, with 80+ on the 3rd being a mix of residents with nests still active and also those that had started to migrate through. 53 were seen on 6th, 7 on 10th, 7 on 12th, 11 on 13th, suggests that there was little movement in this time and a few locals were still about. On the 15th the first wave of migrating Swallows was present with 65+ W/SW, followed by 104+ S on 16th, 65+SE on 17th, 10+W on 18th, 1 on 22nd, 5+ SW on 23rd, 20+ S on 26th showing that things had started to round off by the end of the month. Kestrel showed well during the month with 4 on 2nd, 2 on 16th, 5 on 17th, and 1 seen on the 27th. It was another great month for Hobby in the valley with 3 on the 2nd being the highest count, singles were then seen on 3rd, 17th, 20th, and 27th, with a pair seen on 6th, 15th, and 16th. 3 Tree Pipit flew E over 'Cow' field on the 2nd, but the rest of the month failed to add to that total. Teal numbers started to build through the month with 2 records from Long Pond, with 1 on 2nd and 2 dropping in during bad weather on the 21st, being very unusual records. More normally Darlands saw the usual amounts of Teal start to stack up, 1 was seen on 3rd, followed by 2 on 10th, 6 on 20th, 6 on 21st, 7 on 22nd, and 8 on 27th. Yellow Wagtail were unusually seen throughout the month with; 2 E on 2nd, 1 W on 14th, 1 on 22nd, and a very late one S on 29th. Willow Warbler also showed throughout the month in varying numbers and usually mixed in with the Tit flocks; 2 were seen on 2nd, followed by 1 on 3rd, 1 on 6th, 1 on 10th, 1 on 12th, 2 on 15th, 4 on 16th, 1 on 22nd, and finally 2 were seen on the 23rd. Again this month proved that Treecreeper are easy to see at this time of year, with 1 on 2nd, 1 on 6th, and 1 on 13th. Blackcap numbers were still decent during the month with 4 seen on 2nd, 3rd, and 12th, and singles were seen on 6th, 10th, 27th, with 3 on 22nd. Suggesting that there is a brief cross over period between the summer migrants and the winter migrants. Common Whitethroat numbers slowly dwindled with 2 on 2nd and 1 on 15th the only sightings of them during the month. Now to another big mover this month with potentially over 1000 individuals seen during the month. House Martin were noted moving west or south west almost everyday with 6 on 2nd, 10+ on 3rd, then on 12th there was only one noted, however this suggests that the locals had cleared out by this time, but the migrating flocks hadn't come through yet, and so on the 15th the first day of movement was noted with over 358 W/SW, 145+ S on 16th, 60+ SE on 17th, 64+ W on 18th, 40 S on 20th, just one was however then seen on 21st, before 20+ SW on 22nd, 560+ SW on 23rd, then finally numbers started to round off yet again with just 1 S on 26th, 13+ S on 27th, and 29+ S/SW on 29th, making it a very decent count of over 1308 birds seen passing through the valley! September is often one of the best months to see Sparrowhawk in the valley and this year unsurprisingly was no exception. 4 were seen on the 2nd followed by; 2 on 3rd, 2 on 6th, 3 on 10th, followed by 1 on 15th and 16th, and finally 2 were seen on 27th. Common Buzzard were recorded on 14 days during the month making it one of the best recorded month for them. The most seen were 6 on 16th and 5 on 23rd, with most of the other records referring to the 2 local birds that performed well during the month. A Kingfisher was seen 3 times during the month on 3rd, 15th, and 20th! As per usual during September Grey Wagtail turn up to spend their time in and around Sheepwash pond. Sightings usually refer to 2 birds however 3 seen on 3rd was the only interesting record out of the other 6! Unusually the Egyptian Geese were only seen once with 3 on 3rd the only record of them this month. Augusts Common Sandpiper was still around at Belmont Farm on 3rd, but the 2nd valley record for the bird was noted as being rather flighty and sure enough it had soon moved on! Starling numbers started to increase during the month suggesting that it is going to be a good winter for them. With 26 seen on 6th, 50+ on 17th, and 55 on 22nd! There was a notable number of Long-tailed Tit scattered throughout the valley on 6th with at least 79 counted in the valley, which could be the most ever recorded and it proves that a run without particularly harsh winters is very good for this species. For some reason this month has come up as quite a bad month for Coal Tit, however it probably proves that the locals have left and the winter visitors haven't yet arrived with 2 on 6th, and 2 on 21st the only sightings that I have for them! This month was good for Tawny Owl with one heard calling on 10th and one alarm calling on 12th. This good count has also been reflected in the surrounding areas as well! As always Bullfinch were hard to find this month however one of the 2 sightings involved as many as 6 birds on 10th suggesting a good breeding year for them. The only other sighting of them was 1 on 19th. Sand Martin were only seen twice during the month with 1 S on 10th, and 2 S on 16th the only sightings. Meadow Pipit had an unusually good month in the valley suggesting that in recent years there passage through the valley may have gone under recorded. There were 11 sightings this month with the first being on the 12th. 16 on 16th and 34 on 27th were the most notable counts of the month! Little Owl had an unusually poor month for recording them with just 1 on 13th and 2 on 20th. Just outside the recording area for the valley for the 2nd Autumn in a row a Black Redstart was seen at Mill Hill School. This species is still one to never actually be recorded inside the area despite the fact that they are a common summer visitor to the capital and also a scarce winter visitor as well. Stonechat have had a particularly good autumn so far this year. Unusually they were recorded several times throughout September and very unusually a peak count of 3 was seen on 16th all of them being Males. Other sightings included a female in the 'cow' field on the 19th and on the 22nd another or the same female was seen in 'owl' field on the 22nd. Mistle Thrush had a rather poor month with just one seen on the 16th. Mandarin Duck also had a poor month with 3 on 20th, however it is likely that the immense cover that now surrounds Darlands Lake may account for this. The first 2 Common Gull returned during bad weather on the 21st, however they weren't subsequently seen after this. A Reed Bunting dropped into 'cow' field during a brief rest bite in the bad weather on the 21st, but that was the only sighting this month marking a poor autumn for this species. Rather unlike the most of the country Fieldfare were recorded unusually early with 1 NW on 22nd, and 3 on 26th around the Belmont Farm area. However unusually most of the other birds seem to have been held up on the continent and still as I write this in November they are only just starting to arrive in their large numbers. Only one Red Kite was seen this month and that was on the 23rd, this suggests that the local population might have become migratory and this is something that I would like to research into fully in the coming years. The first 2 Redwing were back on the 26th and into the new month the numbers slowly started to build. Skylark are having a poor year so far this year and therefore the one sighted on the 27th at Folly Farm was a surprise to many. Contributed by Samuel Levy 09/11/17 Above: 2 Rook chasing a Hobby Below: Whinchat Above: Common Buzzard Below: Male Stonechat Above: Long-tailed Tit.
In recent years Spring migration has often been better than autumn migration in the valley, however a slow spring might have helped with this bumper autumnal fall of migrants and this run of migrants has even continued all the way through September, making it one of the best on records. This is partially through to the dedicate of the local birders this year and also through better communications between the 5 of us! My bird of the month for the valley is a very hard one to chose. With record amounts of migrants in the valley at times. The bird of the month does have to go to the stunning adult plumage Common Redstart that John found on 24th and stayed up until the 26th. This was my first ever Redstart and almost all of us managed to connect with this amazing bird! Despite what I have just written the month actually got of to a rather slow start! With the first notable sightings coming in on the 6th! Bullfinch showed well throughout the month suggesting breeding was successful this year, with 1 on 6th, 1 on 15th, 3 on 20th, 2 on 22nd, 1 on 25th, 1 on 26th, and finally 1 seen on the 28th. I have decided to include the Chiffchaff numbers throughout the month to monitor the noticeable influxes. This includes 10 on 6th, 17 on 13th and 15th, 22 on 20th, 32 on 22nd. This was before numbers dropped off to just 13 on 24th, 16 on 25th, 8 on 26th, 3 on 27th, 7 on 28th, however numbers dramatically increased to 30 on the 31st. Suggesting that migration for warblers occurs in phases throughout the valley and the weather conditions could play apart in the amount seen and heard. Sand Martins were hard to come by this month with 2 on 13th, 10 on 20th, and 1 on 31st actually making it a poor year for them! Egyptian Geese were present for most of the month down on Belmont Farms pond and numbers peaked at 7 on 13th. Hobby numbers were good throughout the month especially on the warmer sunnier days with lots of insect prey about. The first one on the month wasn't seen until the 13, however by the 25th there were 3 possibly 4 about, with a Juv seen mobbing a Kestrel on the 26th, 3 on 27th, and 4 on 28th. Willow Warblers were hard to find this spring, however this autumn was much easier with some mixed into Chiffchaff flocks and some mixed into the large Tit flocks roving the valley. Numbers stayed quite stable throughout the month with 2 on 13th, 3 on 15th, 3 on 22nd, 5 on 25th, 4 on 27th, and finally 4 on 31st. This was the best month of the year and possibly the best for a long time for the valley's Little owls. The guests at Belmont Farm were delighted to see 2 sitting on the fences up close to the tractor on 13th, with 4 possibly as many as 7 heard around 'Cow' field on the 25th, 2 on 26th, 1 on 27th, 2 on 28th, and 2 possibly 3 were heard near the power station on Burtonhole Lane on 31st, suggesting that there could be at least 14 individuals in the valley at the moment. Grey Wagtails returned mig month with 1 on 13th, 1 on 26th, and 1 on 27th. Red-legged partridge were hard to spot with the only sighting of the month from Belmont farm involving 2 adults and a well grown Juvenile on 13th. Goldcrest numbers were interesting throughout the month with 4 seen on 15th, 22nd, and 26th, as well as 2 on the 27th, 1 on 28th, and finally numbers were back up to 3 on 31st. Coal Tit numbers were also generally high throughout the month 4 on 22nd being the most and singles being seen on 15th, and 31st. Rooks are on track to be present in every month of the year for the first time ever (I think). 4 were seen on 15th, 7 on 22nd, 2 on 24th, 4 on 25th, 5 on 26th, 4 on 28th and finally numbers were up to at least 9 on 31st. Despite Treecreepers being a 'common' species they are notoriously hard to see however one was seen on 4 dates and 2 were seen on 27th during the month suggesting an increase in numbers at this time of year is a possibility!? Linnets were harder to find this month than in previous months, however 2 were seen on 15th, and 3 on 28th suggesting that if they breed this year then they were probably successful. House Martin migration for this month peaked at 64+ on 15th. The autumns only Sedge Warbler so far was found in the hedges surrounding 'Cow' field on the 22nd. After a disappointing autumn migration for Wheatears this month saw 2 on 24th and 25th, as well as 3 on 27th and 31st suggesting a good year so far. Yellow Wagtails this month were mainly recorded as flyovers with 1 on 24th, 5 on 27th, 2 on 28th. This year is probably going to go down as the best year so far for Common Redstarts in the valley with a stunning male gracing us for 3 days from 24th - 26th, there were then 2 fem/juvs on 27th and another not so smart plumaged Male on 28th! Red Kite weren't seen until the end of the month after they were seen successfully hunting voles over the silage field. at least 1 was seen over that field from 25th - 28th, with 2 being seen on 26th and 28th! Whinchat also are having one of their best springs in a long time with 4 on 25th, 1 on 28th, and 1 on 27th. Spotted Flycatchers again came to the valley in almost record breaking numbers this year with 7 on 25th equalling the record. Numbers then slowly rounded off with 4 on 26th and the last sighting of 2 on 28th. Common Buzzards were present all month however a good peak count of 9 was noted on 26th. House Sparrows are showing signs of increasing their range in the valley with 3 seen near the feeders at Finchley nurseries for the first time in quite a while. A Tree Pipit was seen in 'Owl' field on the 26th, however that was the only one seen this month. Tawny Owls were also recorded on 26th with 2 heard calling in the late evening. If one hadn't been seen in May this year then this would have been my bird of the month with a Common Sandpiper at Belmont Farm pond from the 27th and has stayed into the new month. This is only the 2nd ever record for the valley and raises the question of if it actually ever left!? The only sighting of a Tufted Duck this month was the returning female again on Long Pond. Stock Doves showed well throughout the month with their count peaking on 54+ on 28th. Finally now on to the first returning birds. 2 Mistle Thrush were seen on 28th and the first Teal was a female at Darlands on 28th. Probably another contender for bird of the month was the possible Wood Warbler seen at the southern end of 'Cow' field on 25th. It was a very pale warbler with a yellowy head that sat out in the open for a while showing all the characteristics of one, but it wouldn't call or sing and therefore it's id remains open to some doubt. Subsequent searches for the bird unfortunately lead us to find the bird had left overnight. Contributed by Samuel Levy 29/09/17 Above: Young Whitethroat Next 2: Whinchat Above: Spotted Flycatcher Below: m Common Redstart Above: Whinchat Below: Spotted Flycatcher Above: Spotted Flycatcher
Below: Hobby To be honest July was another quiet month for the valley with very little seen during the poor weather that ended the month or the sweltering weather that started the month. 2 good birds were recorded just outside the valley with a Great White Egret mid month along the Dollis Brook at Brook Farm open Space and also a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker spending 2 days in a Finchley garden at the beginning of the month, suggesting that this species still attempts to breed in the area and isn't completely lost. For the valley my bird of the month is hard to chose from since nothing much of interest was recorded. I will however give it to the 8 Hobby that were seen over Belmont Farm on the 17th which came as a surprise to me and many others as this included 3 very early juvenile birds. Tufted ducks were still present at Long pond all month with 2 on the 2nd, 1 on 10th, and 1 on 14th. This is an unusual record as most years they only arrive for spring and depart before the beginning of June. perhaps local breeding will soon exist? Bullfinch were also present throughout the month with 2 on 2nd, 1 on 10th, and 1 on 14th. Barn Swallow had some very good high counts this month with 60+ on 9th, and 100+ on the 17th suggesting a good breeding season for them this year especially as there are still some pairs with youngsters in the nest as I write this. Red kite had a very good month with 3 on 9th, 1 on the 10th, 1 on 14th, and finally 4 on 17th. Chiffchaff count peaked on the 10th with 20 seen, however this number was starting to pick up again towards the end of the month with migrants now moving through. Rook were still around during the month which will make it one of the only July's on record that has recorded this species before. 9 were seen on the 10th, with 4 seen on 12 and 6 on the 18th. Darlands lake suffered 2 extremes during the month. On the 10th it was officially noted as bone dry, but by the 12th July its banks were bursting and the lake had returned in force with above average water levels. Common Buzzards were present throughout the month with a max count of 8 being seen on the 17th. Also on the 17th a max count of 8 Hobby were seen with some unusually early Juveniles around as well suggesting a good year for them. 2 more Hobby were seen the next day on the 18th, but that was the last time they were recorded in the month. Swift numbers built up throughout the month to at least 64 on the 17th before numbers started to recede as their migration season started. The most interesting sighting of the month were the 8 unidentifiable Geese that flew over in v formation very high up on 18th. Linnet sightings were very scarce during the month with only one record of 2 on 18th. It was clear that migration had started towards the end of the month with Willow Warbler numbers starting to build. The first one was seen on the 20th, with 3 following on the 31st with one even deciding to give a brief snippet of their song. This was a pretty average July looking back at the records, however as I look towards writing the August round up i can already see that the migration season for the valley this year has been amazing and well above the yearly average. Contributed by Samuel Levy 14/09/17 Above: Bone Dry Folly Brook Below: Bullfinch Above: Mandarin Family on Bone Dry Darlands Below: Almost Bone Dry Darlands Below: Kestrel
June is quite often a dull month for birding and thus those out birding take to either Butterflies or even to Dragonfly's. This June was unfortunately no different and with the Folly Brook Drying up and Darlands lake becoming just a few small pools it would seem like this June would head the same way that those historically had gone. All the regular species were seen and heard during the month including Grasshopper Warblers, Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Chiffchaff, and Blackcaps. Linnets are breeding in the valley this year for the first time in a while and sightings of the pair kept up throughout the month from various places throughout the valley with 2 on 1st, 1 on 3rd, 1 on 4th, and 1 on 17th. Grey Herons actually became easier to see as the water level dropped with 3 at Sheepwash pond on the 1st and example of this. This month was one of the best months in ages for Red Kites in the valley with 1 on 3rd, 3 on 4th, 2 on 17th, 1 on 18th, 3 on 24th, and 2 on the 25th. We can now also confirm that this is the first time that 2 pairs of Red Kites have breed in the valley and that one of the nest sites has been used continually since 2013! Kestrels were a bit easier to see this month with a pair around: 1 was seen on the third followed by 2 birds on the 4th and 24th. Reed Bunting were present throughout the month with one on the 3rd and 1 on the 24th. Common Buzzard had some particularly high counts during the month including 7 on the 4th and 6 on the 18th. Rook were unusually present during the whole of this month suggesting that breeding might be occurring, with 6 on 4th, 10 on 10th, a June record of 36+ in 'Cow' field on 17th, 17 on 20th, and finally 28 seen on the 24th. Tufted Ducks again were present all month with most of the records coming from Sheepwash Pond; 4 on Long Pond on 4th, a Pair on Sheepwash on 8th, 1 flew S over Sheepwash on 18th, 2 Drakes were at Long Pond on the 20th, and a Female was seen at Sheepwash on the 26th. House Sparrows are now doing reasonably well in the colony at Frith Stables with at least 10 seen on the 10th, however I recon there were more than that. a Bullfinch was heard on the 10th, with 3 then seen on the 20th. The First Cormorant of the year was seen on 18th and was seen 3 more times before the 26th. The highest count of Stock Doves for the month was 45 on the 24th which again is a good June count. Although Treecreepers are numerous in the valley they often prove difficult to see and thus this species was only recorded once this month on the 24th. And finally my bird of the month award has to go to the Kingfisher seen at Darlands on the 24th. This is partially because of the lack of water and the fact that this sighting suggests breeding in the local area. Below are some photos and videos taken during the month of the Red Kites and Buzzards... Contributed by Samuel Levy 16/07/17 |
What can I expect from this blog?A Monthly summary will be written each month starting from May 2017, with photo's and reports of interesting species that have been found, as well as an update on the bird life in the valley. Sightings can be contributed via uploading to London Bird Wiki under the heading Totteridge Valley. Any pictures that have been taken can be submitted by email (This can be found on the contact us page)!!! We thank everyone for their contributions so far! Good Luck! Archives
December 2018
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