4, 9 and 10/3/10: Marshes amalgam - more on flooded field birds

After each of the Riverkeeper sessions I took the opportunity to check out the flooded fields by Bob Dunn Way (they're actually just over the London border in the Borough of Dartford, which is in the county of Kent).

Flooded fields looking north to the Thames. Darent Flood Barrier in left distance. (About half of the total flooded area is pictured here).

The Duck species present were largely the same on all three days, but there were masses of gulls on the latter two dates.

The bigger counts were made on the 10th when I ventured part way up Bob Dunn Way, as well as along the Cray embankment, and was therefore able to survey the whole site.

On this last date there were:

17 Lapwing
circa 32 Teal
15 Gadwall
7 or 8 Shoveler
4 Shelduck

There were also two squat, shortish-billed waders, and a couple of longer-legged ones which had a white belly, a white tail showing in flight, and may have been some kind of Sandpiper (this is where my birding skills start to fall apart).

22 Starlings flew over Bob Dunn Way and a solitary Little Egret was foraging in the large shallow pond south of this highway, before it crosses Dartford Creek and near the end of Sandpit Rd.

4, 9 and 10/3/10: Cray and Thames Road wetland work

Out with the Cray Riverkeeper Volunteers (we had a decent splash in the hard copy and on-line News Shopper last week - http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/5032210.THAMES21__The_volunteers_who_don_t_mind_getting_their_feet_wet/ )
On the 4th we were picking litter from the river and banks just downstream of Crayford Town centre.

On the 9th there were only three of us, including 'Boss' Ashe Hurst. We were cutting Common Reed and Great Reedmace in the Thames Rd wetland site.

Thames Road wetland panorama

This should have been done last year really, not least because the Reedmace seed heads were now disintegrating, and the tiny 'feathered' seed was getting in our hair, up our noses and in our mouths - even when trying to work 'upwind' of the stems! The ground, Teasel and Burdock heads up on the sewer bank have been covered in this 'grey snow' for days now.

Great Reedmace seeding - this stuff has been used in bouyancy devices .....

I also managed to lose my concentration for a fraction of a second, lost my balance and got a load of water down one side of my chest-waders. Fortunately I had fleece-lined footwear with me, so was able to walk home without the wet sock on and without my foot getting frozen.

On the 10th I was the only volunteer to turn out and Ashe had to go into central London to pick up some kit. I spent several hours carting dumped tyres and rubble from the shady side of the sewer pipe bank round to the south-facing Thames Rd side, then digging them into the slope to make reptile cover/basking sites, as pictured below. In the process I inadvertently disturbed a small (less than 1 year old) hibernating Smooth Newt, which I put into one of the tyre set-ups for safety.

Recycling for reptiles - dumped tyres and rubble used to make cover/basking sites. Common Lizards, in particular, like to bask on tyres, as they warm up quickly.

6/3/10: Erith School to Erith Quarry

22 Starlings over Northumberland Way.

1 Goldfinch in a tall tree in the grounds of my old school - Erith School - on the Ramsden Rd. boundary.

15 House Sparrows seen (and others heard) in the hedge around the school on the Ramsden Rd. corner, and part way along Avenue Rd.

Erith Quarry:

1 Robin
27 Wood Pigeon
Magpie
1 Jay
Blue Tit
Long-tailed Tit
2 Great Tit
Blackbird

Great views of a Kestrel hovering over the site.

2 Foxes.


3 patches of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) on 'dry ground', as above.

Large patch of Fennel plants found.

Some Japanese Knotweed.

Looked at north-west corner this time. Delighted to find another bit of 'heathland' (hurrah).




Several large Gorse - but some have suffered relatively recent and heavy vehicle damage, as in the lower picture.


A number of native Broom plants (above) in several locations nearby.


Also this substantial young Pine that looked self-seeded. Some Poplars. Plus 2 Cotoneaster.


Several clumps of Sedum (probably reflexum) found (pictured above) in the foreground of the following view.

1/03/10: Sparrows, Redwings abound on Gravel Hill

Had to go foraging for vegan fodder in Bexleyheath, so went down to the parkland on the east side of Gravel Hill to see what was about before heading home.


Gravel Hill parkland looking east in the evening sun - young Broom plants at the edge of one of the brambly copses, with scattered large trees in the background

Since I got my first proper view of Stock Doves in east London the other week, I've scanned gaggles of Wood Pigeons locally to see if they harbour any. No such luck. The flock of 17 Wood Pigeons feeding in the grass were clearly all just that.

A Green Woodpecker was on the on ground at the margin of the narrow long grass strip at the north west corner of the site at the top of the hill, and two were later seen feeding together on the grass at the bottom of the hill.

A number of thrushes were hopping about down here, and I eventually managed to get reasonably close, though the widely-spaced trees and shortish turf provided little cover. I counted 44 birds and all of those I could get a positive ID on (the light wasn't great by now, and my binoculars aren't very powerful) were Redwings. They'll soon be heading north again, so this may be the last big flock I see before next winter.

As the light faded a Great-spotted Woodpecker swooped into a tall tree, shortly flying off after two other passing birds, but I could only see these in distant silhouette, so don't know what they were.

Other species in evidence were Carrion Crow, Magpie, Blue Tit, Robin and Ring-necked Parakeet.

As dusk fell the House Sparrows in the dense deciduous hedge along Gravel Hill road, bounding St. Columba's School, had settled down enough to allow a reasonably accurate count. I made it 126 individuals.

1/3/10: Honeybees and Snowdrops

A sunny day, and two Honeybees, my first of the year, were seen feeding on Snowdrops in my front garden in Barnehurst. They were utilising the recently-opened Galanthus nivalis and apparently ignoring the earlier-flowering G.'Atkinsii' variety behind. The latter had first opened back on February 5th so were, perhaps, past their prime.

There was also a large, unidentified Hoverfly active in the back garden.



On my light, sandy soil, I grow Snowdrops in pots of garden compost sunk in the ground. This makes lifting them to split up while still 'in the green' (before the leaves die down after flowering, the best method), or otherwise moving them around, that much easier. It will also mean that I am not going to lose track of where my recent, fairly expensive acquisitions of a couple of choice double-flowered cultivars are! In my experience it also appears to be the case that Snowdrops flower better when slightly congested.

28/2/10: Lambeth Walk

Wandered round a bit of Lambeth, including a couple of small parks. Nothing outstanding.

Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground:

Numerous rosette-like probable Umbellifers. Also Parsley Piert.

Pedlar's Park, Salamanca Street:

Probable Crucifers, Pedlar's park

Lots of large unidentified plants that are probably Crucifers. Germander Speedwell.

Hart's-tongue fern and another fern species high up in the brickwork under the railway bridge over Salamanca Street.

Another, small, unidentified fern high up under a bridge at Vauxhall station.

24+26/2/10: Few 'spots' - apart from Ladybird

24/2/2010

- Fox crossed north end of Barnehurst Avenue in daylight.

- 6 House Sparrows in street tree opposite the 'Royal Oak', Northumberland Heath. Chirruping from scrubby gardens both sides of Northumberland Close.

- 2 Collared Doves in Barnehurst Av. as I made my way home.

- 22-spot Ladybird found amongst Geranium macrorrhizum as I was weeding Couch Grass out of it.

26/2/10

- Fox in the back garden in broad daylight, with a hen's egg in its mouth, looking for somewhere to bury it. Foxes have been leaving eggs round the garden for years now.