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!
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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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