3 January 2009

Today was the turn of the Thames part of my patch to get a visit. Lovely blue sky, but it was fairly chilly. Both peregrines were busy having breakfast as I left. Some sparrows were in a private hedge on the other side of Frank Banfield Park, and nearby some chaffinches and great tits. I saw some at their nests on the way back, including a female that appeared to be doing some spring cleaning.
Tide was coming in and there were lots of birds:

• black-headed gull: at least 200
  
• mallard:at least 59, including a white (leucistic?) one
  
  
• teal: 81
  
• gadwall: 21
  
• tufted duck: 14
  
• lesser black-backed gull: 2
  
• common gull: 2
  
• herring gull: 1 adult with streaky head
  
• great black-backed gull: the usual pair involved in pairing display - I can't help but finding them a tad ridiculous...)
  
  
• cormorant: a few
  
• Canada goose: 2
  
• moorhen: an adult and young
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• blackbird: on the foreshore in the usual place by the boats (though there is no boat here at the moment)
  
• kingfisher: just as I was looking at the blackbird I noticed this flash of electric blue with a dash of orange, my first ever kingfisher on this foreshore!
  
• pied wagtail: 1 juvenile
  
• great crested grebe: a juvenile
  
• grey heron
  
• parakeets by the pontoon
  
• starlings having a bath in the shallows