April was an interesting month with only one Red Kite reported and that was on the 5th. Bullfinch were quite regular during the month of April with one on the 5th, 4 on the 9th, 2 on the 14th, 3 on the 19th, and finally 1 on the 30th, making the Totteridge Valley one of the best places in London to see the species. A Wheatear on the 8th in Owl Field was the only one to be found in the valley during the month of April. Lapwings were reported often with 5 on the 9th being the most however breeding attempts were unsuccessful again and by the middle of the month a fox had taken the place of the Lapwings with records virtually drying up by the end of the month. Willow Warbler has now probably ceased as a breeding species in the valley with only a handful of records in the month, the first was seen singing on the 9th, followed by another on the 14th and also 4 on the 17th, but that was all. Reed Bunting were seen during the month on several occasions and normally in a pair, they were noted down on the 9th, 14th, 17th, and 25th. A Grasshopper Warbler could be heard reeling from 'Owl Field' from at least the 12th and was eventually joined by a second on the 17th. One of the biggest surprises for April was a Redwing that was seen feeding on the Cricket pitch near Finchley Nurseries at 19:45 on the 12th, being the latest for London this year as well as possibly a record breaking latest for the valley. House Sparrows are hard to find in the valley however 4 were seen and heard at Belmont Farm on the 13th, and another 4 at Frith Stables on the 17th, making it a good month for the species. 3 Little Egret were seen on the 17th being the largest amount recorded of this species in the valley this year. One of the most interesting find of the month was a Drake Goosander which flew downstream along the Folly Brook at 10:50 on the 17th April which at the moment would appear to be the second valley record. 4 Tufted Duck were back on Long pond from the 18th which is their usual spring tradition and showed throughout the rest of the month and into May. 2 Sedge Warblers were seen in April including one in a hedge off Partingdale Lane near Frith Stables on the 18th, and one in 'Owl field' on the 23rd. There was only one report of Skylark this month, which is very worrying, and this was off 2 individuals flying over on the 23rd. A Female Shoveler paid a brief visit to Sheepwash Pond at 16:30 on the 24th which seems to be only the second valley record however I will need to check this. Linnets were noted twice towards the end of the month after a long absence with one on the 25th and a pair on the 30th. By the 30th of April there were now 4 Lesser Whitethroats singing in the valley and an unseasonably high count of 11 Rook on the 30th as well.
Contributed by Samuel Levy...
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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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