Highgate-Waterlow Park (2 Viewers)

[angusmcoatup]

Another round up for the last few days. The parks been busy so I haven't had the freedom of good uninterrupted birding, unlike when the weather was wet and cold.

Yesterday a drake Pochard was a good record for the park. Plenty of Tufted duck still around and a fair bit of displaying/calling going on.

This morning I had a nice view of a singing Whitethroat just over the fence in the cemetery . Still Blackcaps galore , Chiffchaff and occasionally a Willow warbler. Plenty of Gold- and Greenfinches in the park. A Jackdaw over the park is a rare sight, and a pair of Kestrel over the hospital brings hopes of a rooftop or ledge nest. Still a pair of Grey Wagtail also around the hospital.

 

[angusmcoatup]

Rather a sleepy walk through Waterlow this morning, though a pair of Garden Warblers woke me up a bit. The usual finches, LT Tits, Green woodpeckers, Chiffchaff and wildfowl were around. Lots of young birds to be seen too. I saw a Willow warbler and Blackcap in the small wood on Southwood lane.

Yesterday I had a Red Kite round the corner from my flat in Muswell Hill. Quite a low bird swiftly heading West.A clued up colleague has seen a couple outside Barnet in the last week or so. It appears they are creeping closer to Central London.

Also had a very high, large raptor over Primrose Hill, too distant to ID with any confidence so I won't bother.

On the wander home there was a pair of Mandarins, a few Mallard, 1 Grey Wagtail, a couple of Cormorants, LBB Gull, 3 m Tufted duck and a m Sparrowhawk along the canal in Camden. Not bad considering the chaos ensuing around there. Also a large dying Eel which probably ended up as an ingredient for one of the food outlets if I know Camden! Or perhaps a trendy belt.

 

[angusmcoatup]

An influx of duck has brought in a drake Mandarin, with the Tufted duck numbering over 30. 1 hybrid female Tufted as well, slightly different colouring and head shape, though paired with a male Tufted.

Otherwise all the usual suspects in evidence including a small male Sparrowhawk creating havoc. Whoevers contracted to do the gardening seems to be doing a good job as there's lots of uncut areas, especially around the springs. The plant and buglife definitely appear to be in healthier numbers, as are the smaller birds.

Also a male Kestrel over Highgate wood last night.

 

[angusmcoatup]

I've only had fleeting visits to the park recently as I was in France for a few days, plus the weather wasn't great on a couple of mornings. Not much of note really then. A Nuthatch, a couple of Goldcrests and a singing Willow warbler were good to see. There was a bat fluttering moth-like near the cafe one morning. Not sure if it had been disturbed though I've seen this before elsewhere.

Yesterday I spent most of my time at a family barbecue in East Barnet, idly watching what was passing over. Highlights were a Little Egret, Mallard, several Jackdaws and a distant Buzzard. Not bad, including singing Goldcrests next door.

Last week I was staying with family near Carros outside Nice. Always a hectic time with lots of visiting to do but I usually manage a bit of birding. This time was pretty good with a trip into the mountains as a bonus. Highlights include a pair of Golden Eagles passing food, a male Citril finch, Orphean,W Bonnellis warbler, Nightingale, Scops owl, Indian Silverbill, Crag Martin, Alpine
swift, Goshawk and several other good birds. I haven't been able to find any information
about this area but will continue to visit a couple of times a year so I should build up a decent idea. Also had Fireflies at the bottom of the garden and a neighbour complaining of the damage the Wild boar had caused to the veggie patch. Must invest in that camera trap soon!

 

[angusmcoatup]

Kingfisher on the Middle pond. Using the half submerged tree for a perch.

Also a couple of Goldcrests at the bottom of the main slope. Plenty of young birds of different species around the park.

There was around 20 or so Swifts over the Colney hatch lane/ Alexandra park area this morning, not bad as there's only been 4 or 5 over the last couple of years.

Of note was a Personal trainer and client doing sit ups in the middle of a leafy sodden path. A picture of straining lycra,sweaty brows and much puffing and panting. Whatever happened to dignity I ask you?

 

[angusmcoatup]

A quiet morning in the park, both for people and birds. A Common Buzzard over was a good sighting as always. There are reasonable numbers of Swifts in the area compared to the last couple of years, though I reckon there was an ant swarm as I saw a LBB Gull and a few Starlings flying in that odd flycatching manner they have occasionally.

Talking of LBB Gulls, I watched one carrying what looked like a large piece of moss the other morning. There are a few Herring Gulls in the area also, calling regularly, giving that seaside town feeling.

The Chiffchaffs are still calling, as are the local Goldcrests. There are 20 + Tufted duck around the 2 larger ponds, hopefully nesting in the reedbed. So far there have been young Coot, Moorhen, Canada geese and Mallard on the ponds.

Not much from Muswell Hill apart from 8 House Martins over my flat, and one of the local Fox cubs drew my attention to a Hedgehog. Good to see, though no bats over my garden yet.

I've been following some of the long running threads on here and it reminds me of Bill Oddies words,'Bird-watchers are tense, competitive, selfish, shifty, dishonest, distrusting, boorish, pedantic, unsentimental, arrogant and above all envious'. Spot on to some degree (plenty of pleasant, generous birders around too obviously). I didn't quite get it when I first read it all those years ago, and being generally a solitary birder hadn't really noticed until joining Birdforum. Still, makes for entertaining reading though I'd hate to be stuck in a lift with a few of them.

 

[angusmcoatup]

One Redshank heading east over Archway, to add to my surprisingly long list of birds seen flying over the centre of unlovely Archway.

 

[angusmcoatup]

Another pleasant stroll through the park, though nothing more unusual than a ringed Blackcap was seen. I saw only a couple of other people this morning, do the residents of Highgate summer in Biarritz, Juan le Pins and Monte Carlo still?

Quite a few Greenfinches around, this years consistently running springs have provided quite a good feeding area for these and other breeding residents. I flushed a G.S Woodpecker up from here last week.On Saturday morning there was a male Kestrel hovering over the slopes, which could be one of the Heath birds.

I had a good 5 minutes watching a gent performing Tai Chi. The idea of standing in a public park making strange abstract shapes brings me out in a rash of awkwardness. Its almost as embarrassing as being caught birdwatching.

 

[lazza]

I had a good 5 minutes watching a gent performing Tai Chi. The idea of standing in a public park making strange abstract shapes brings me out in a rash of awkwardness. Its almost as embarrasing as being caught birdwatching.

:-O:-O:-O

 

[Meropes]

Lesser Redpoll

A lesser redpoll spent several hours yesterday dodging the parakeets to feed on nyger in our Jackson's Lane garden. We had over 20 of them daily this winter and spring, but I have never seen them at this time of the year. It had no red on its breast, so I guess it was either a female or a juvenile. Does anyone know if they breed in north London?

The garden birds are doing well this year. We get 23-25 species a week, with robins and dunnocks onto their third broods, blackbirds, song thrush and wren raising families, one greater spotted woodpecker family, gazillions of blue and great tits, one family each of long-tailed tit, coal tit, goldcrest and blackcap, a pair of stock doves are daily visitors and best of all (apart from a random flyover house martin recently - a garden tick after 5 years) a tawny owl appears to have taken up residence in an old oak tree two doors down and likes to hoot us all to sleep every evening.

Matt

 

[angusmcoatup]

Another round-up, spurred on by a Common Tern over Highgate Cemetery at lunch time. This morning was reasonably quiet , though there's still a couple of Chiffchaff belting out song at times. I'm still finding the Goldcrests easily enough and there's at least two Coal Tits around. Two Grey Herons on the middle pond is a 50 % increase on previous records. The odd Blackcap are to be seen, often in the Rhodedendron by the lower pond.
Plenty of Tufted duck, and still a fair few Canada geese (plus goslings ) around. Also a Terrapin on the lower pond (I've got my eye in now), had yellow markings on its head. A quick Google suggested Yellow eared/ bellied slider.

Close by I've seen Sparrowhawk regularly over Muswell Hill, a Kestrel over Highgate woods, and a glimpse from a bus of a probable Hobby again over Highgate woods. Another Shrew in Highgate woods was notable as I thought I was lucky to see the last one a few months back. I'm still struggling to find Bats this year. Just a couple of Pipistrelle (Soprano I think).

Other than that, alls quiet. I've got a few trips coming up (Montenegro, Ireland and Venice) which should spice up my year. With luck the Park will attract a few migrants towards the end of August, nowt like a couple of Wheatears or a Flycatcher to put a spring in my step of a morning.

 

[angusmcoatup]

Briefly, a Tawny owl sat in a tree by the childrens playground entrance around 8am.

Also at least 4 calling Chiffchaffs.

 

[angusmcoatup]

Above the drumming of rain on my brolly this morning, I could hear some broken Warbler song from the reedbed. A very brief glimpse suggested Reed Warbler. Otherwise it was only the locals on view, and not many of them.

 

[angusmcoatup]

Well nothing to set the pagers buzzing. A nice spot of morning birding though, to ease me into a hard day at work.

First up were two pairs of Stock doves feeding on the slopes, also a Green Woodpecker bouncing around in the same area. A couple of Chiffchaff could be heard around the park from here, and a squadron of Parakeets shot through.

The middle pond was quiet apart from the usual waterfowl, though the edges have grown over thick enough to give only partial views which I approve of. Whoevers contracted to do the gardening, whether by design or financing, are pretty hands off when it comes to the wilder parts of the park this year.

Down to the lower pond where a male Blackcap gave a virtuoso performance from a nicely sunlit vantage point. Whilst watching him a juvenile Grey Wagtail flew in. This must be from the hospital, where I've had glimpses of up to 3 birds, though there could be more as they are generally high up. It looks like they have nested near one of the inner courts of the hospital.

Just before leaving I found a Garden Warbler on the cemetery border, which is the second one I've seen here this year.

Finally my first fallen conker (still in its spiny case of course) of the year. Autumn looms!!!

 

[angusmcoatup]

Aside from a Buzzard NE over Muswell Hill and a male Pochard which dropped in briefly on the lower pond there isn't much else to report. Singing Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs around the park though are always a good start to the day.

 

[angusmcoatup]

The good news today is the hatching of two broods of Tufted ducklings, one of 12 and one of 6. About time as well.

Also a handsome male Gadwall completed the duck extravaganza.

 

[angusmcoatup]

I've been away around Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia for the last couple of weeks so nothing to report from Waterlow until today. 1 Common Sandpiper on the lower pond waterfall was notable. Also a couple of newly hatched Tufted duck broods , a good year for them though I'm not sure about the survival rate here as one early brood is down to 2 already. Yesterday a Reed warbler was present in the reed bed, as was a small tit flock which included a Chiffchaff.

 

[angusmcoatup]

Another small round up inspired by a juvenile Lesser Whitethroat this morning in the boggy patch close to the middle pond. Nice and quiet in the park so I got to enjoy it for a while before it flew into the scrub around the pond.
Plenty of Tufted ducks and their diminishing broods around. Ominously I saw a huge Terrapin sunning itself on Saturday. A duckling scoffer perhaps?
Also a superb female Sparrowhawk on scaffolding in Highgate was a pleasure on my way to work the other morning. Also had what looked like a Shelduck at long distance over on Monday, but a bit brief to call definitively.

 

[Archie Whey]

Hi, been enjoying your postings - am a very amateur birder, and go through Waterlow quite often.

Regarding the duckling scoffer. I have a photo of a Tufted with 15(!) babies from 1st July, and have seen a few other big broods, but can't see any growing up. It might well be those terrapins, and you can also see some massive carp in the middle pond when the light is right... We did definitely spot a baby moorhen being plucked out of the water there, and carried off by a herring gull

On a happier note, 1 or probably 2 tawny owls were making a real racket on Hornsey Lane last night, for about an hour, at 3am. Not heard one here for a while.

 

[angusmcoatup]

Hi, been enjoying your postings - am a very amateur birder, and go through Waterlow quite often.

Regarding the duckling scoffer. I have a photo of a Tufted with 15(!) babies from 1st July, and have seen a few other big broods, but can't see any growing up. It might well be those terrapins, and you can also see some massive carp in the middle pond when the light is right... We did definitely spot a baby moorhen being plucked out of the water there, and carried off by a herring gull

On a happier note, 1 or probably 2 tawny owls were making a real racket on Hornsey Lane last night, for about an hour, at 3am. Not heard one here for a while.

Hello Archie,

The ducklings seem to be surviving this year. A fair few large ones around plus two fully grown. Possibly the better cover and consistently high water levels have helped.

I've been away a lot recently plus busy with various things so no time for park visits or posting.

This morning there was a juvenile Reed Bunting in the small reed bed which flew off Heathwards. Also a Nuthatch in a large loose gathering of Tits, which also included two Blackcaps and a scruffy Chiffchaff.

Good to see the Green Woodpeckers with a youngster and Sparrowhawks have bred in Highgate wood.