14/2/11: Waxwings in London Borough of Bexley

The London Bird Club wiki was listing Waxwing sightings in Russell Close, Bexleyheath, and at Bourne Mead, opposite the playing fields at Hall Place, during the past couple of days, and I couldn't resist seeing the species in my home Borough after three lots of sightings elsewhere in the capital this winter.

I therefore set off on one of my indirect sorties to Bexleyheath Broadway .......

At Bursted Woods and former the Pitch and Putt course (Barnehurst) were 2 or 3 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, Ring-necked Parakeets, Wood Pigeons, Great Tit, Blue Tit and Carrion Crow.

No sign of Waxwings in Russell Close, but there was a large Cotoneaster stripped of berries, and another still laden over the road.

At Martens Grove (Bexleyheath): 2 or 3 Redwing, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Blackbird, 2 male Chaffinch, 8 Goldfinch feeding on the ground, Ring-necked Parakeets, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robin, Magpie, and Carrion Crows.

Bourne Mead (Crayford) - off Bourne Rd, opposite Hall Place playing fields: great - the Waxwings were still there, camped in a tree above a heavily berry-laden Cotneaster, with individuals intermittently coming down to feed. I counted around 30 birds resplendent in the late afternoon sun and, when they finally flew off south east, beyond railway line, there may have actually been around 40 birds in total. 150 had been reported yesterday.

A serious birder was a few yards the other side of the Cotoneaster, with a large zoon lens on a DSLR. He turned out to be a local chap, but said he hadn't managed to get any particularly good photos.

Hall Place North (Bexleyheath): 22 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, Great Tit, Wood Pigeons. 28 House Sparrows in the hedge of the adjacent school. 18 Ring-necked Parakeets over the north end of Gravel Hill.

31/1/11: Barnehurst and Bexleyheath multi-site birding

The white-cheeked male Blackbird was in my Barnehurst garden again today, the first time I'd seen it since I first spotted it early in the month - see 6/1/11 post. There were also 3 female and 2 other male Blackbirds.

Taking a long and round-about route to Bexleyheath Broadway, the ports of call and some of the species seen were as follows:

Bursted Wood (former Pitch and Putt course): 2 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Great Tit, 1 Blue Tit, 8 Wood Pigeon. Within the wood itself were 10 Grey Squirrels within a narrow segment of the eastern end of the site alone .....

Russell Park: Basically a recreational park that is pretty bleak for wildlife, but could easily be improved without compromising its main function. Blackbird, Robin, 2 Carrion Crow, 1 Wood Pigeon, 10 House Sparrow (north west corner hedging, others could be heard from other boundary hedges).

Hall Place North: 4 Blue Tit, 1 Great Tit, 2 Carrion Crow. Much less than usual about, probably because of the racket being made by Council contractors - 1 bloke driving a tractor and trailer, 2 inefficiently creating piles of leaves to scoop up using intrusively loud petrol blowers (a good old-fashioned rake would have been vastly quicker and quieter ....) and 3 more standing around chatting.

One of a number of roads around the Borough, the name of which alludes to a heathland past ....

Looking south from the top of Broomhill Rise, out beyond the A2 and over the valley of the Rivers Shuttle and Cray to the Joydens Wood area on the high ground beyond

Grass verge plants in Broomfield Rd included Parsley Piert, Buck's-horn Plantain and Spotted Medick.

The Warren, off Broomfield Rd. Somewhere I've never been before. A hill-top site with some open grass areas and a small amount of woodland. 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Wren, 3+ Ring-necked Parakeets, 7+ Blue Tit, Great Tit (heard), 1 Blackbird, 1 Carrion Crow, 1 Robin, 1 House Sparrow.

Woodland at The Warren

Norway Spruce at The Warren. Presumably a 'guerilla planted' Christmas throw-out ...

Plant species at the Warren included this Iris foetidissima (a native species, but probably a garden escape here), of which there were about 24 plants, most youngish and clearly self-sown off this larger clump.

There were several Shining Cranesbill (Geranium lucidum) in a front garden on Mount Road, only the third place I've found it in Bexley Borough so far.

There was a Grey Heron flying east over Sandford Rd, near Danson Park, being chased by a lone Ring-necked Parakeet. It was then joined by a second Grey Heron.

Danson Park: There was still a significant amount of ice on the lake, though somewhat thinned out. 1 Green Woodpecker - my first for the site, feeding on grassland near trees south of the lake, 2 (possibly 4) Greenfinch, 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Mistle Thrush, 8 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron (may have included the two seen earlier over a nearby road), circa 80 Wood Pigeon, 36+ Ring-necked Parakeets, 54 Canada Geese, Carrion Crows, 1 Magpie, Blue Tit, 2 Mute Swans, lots of Coot, Moorhen, Mallard and Black-headed Gulls.

A pair of Mallard stand on the still part-frozen lake at Danson Park, with the Mansion in the distance

A male Mallard hybrid (cross with a domestic duck) on Danson Park lake

The late afternoon sun is reflected off the lake at Danson Park

25/1/10: Today's local 'spots'.

14 Starlings on St. Paul's church roof, Mill Road (yes, there used to be a Windmill here), plus Great Tit, Blue Tit and Blackbird in the grounds.

11 Wood Pigeons in trees lining Barnehurst School Drive.

Noticing from a distance that one of the 'lumps' silhouetted in a garden tree on Barnehurst Avenue, opposite Coniston Rd, didn't look quite like a Wood Pigeon, I whipped out the bins. It was a Mistle Thrush, which flew off to a nearby TV aerial where it took minor offence to being joined by a second Wood Pigeon. 2 Long-tailed Tits arrived in the same garden shortly afterwards.

For the second time in four days I inadvertently disturbed a Wood Mouse in one of my back garden compost bins.

12/1/10: Snow Patrol, Barnehurst to Crayford yields Fieldfares

On leaving the house I had a very good close-up view of the local Wren, hopping along a branch in a gap in my Holly 'Golden King' cultivar in the front garden.

A Collared Dove was sitting on a lamp post down the hill from my home.

6 Redwings and a female Blackbird were feeding on large ornamental Hawthorn type fruits in a street tree opposite the bottom of my road.

Another Collared Dove on a lamp post was seen in Beverley Rd.

30+ Starlings took flight over Barnehurst Golf Course. Large numbers of Wood Pigeons were twice spooked into flight. There must have been at least 60 birds along the western, English Elm-lined boundary of the site alone.

A large Thrush was sitting at the top of a tree in an exposed location and I couldn't get too close, but size-wise, and from its quite heavy markings and this behaviour, I judged it to be a Mistle Thrush.

5 Redwing were seen. The Green Woodpecker was feeding on the ground in the wildlife 'rough' again.

Attractive bark on a pine tree, Barnehurst Golf Course

Another shot of Gorse in flower, Barnehurst Golf Course

There was quite a lot of bird activity in the 'horse field' bounded by Mayplace Rd East, Manor Rd, Perry St and the church graveyard. 2 Lapwings were on the ground. Great Tit, Blue Tit and a Long-tailed Tit were seen. 6 Redwing were foraging on clear ground under trees and shrubs, along with a Chaffinch.

I was delighted to see my first Fieldfares - three of them - sitting aloof in a smaller tree in a hedge line bisecting the field.