South-west London birding (1 Viewer)

[RipleyBirder]

Hi Jim,

Beddington is right next to Hackbridge Railway Station so is easily reachable. Give me a ring if you're thinking of coming down. Contact details etc on my website below

Johnny

Hello Johnny,

thank you very much. I'll hopefully get down to Beddington SF in the next couple of weeks.

Yours

Jim

 

[SW London birder]

Hello Johnny,

thank you very much. I'll hopefully get down to Beddington SF in the next couple of weeks.

Yours

Jim

If you're staying in Clapham, Barnes LWC is easy to do by public transport. It's only around 10 minutes by train from Clapham Junction and then a 10 minute walk to the London Wetland Centre. This walk takes you through Barnes Common that can produce some species hard to see at the LWC (Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Treecreeper, Woodcock) although I haven't had any Woodcock yet this year.

LWC at the moment has Jack Snipe and Water Pipit.

Cheers
Matt

SW London Birding

 

[gindog]

Today at LWC Barnes - Black Redstart on water, ice actually, to north of Peacock Tower.

Water Pippit seen in same area.

Bittern, 1 of 4 on site, seen high up in reeds to north of Dulverton Hide.

edited to add, and a Common Redpoll, near the tea room shaped like a bug.

obm

 

[billsbirding]

I finally managed to catch up with my nemesis, the Waxwing, after a number of dips and reported sightings just down my road.

I was straight down to Park Lane, Teddington on the bike yesterday morning, and managed some on and off views as the little gems fed and flew about for an hour, before disappearing and not returning.

More on my blog below, and I believe an small article is going up about the birds on the Teddington Community website (with my images attached).

The light was pretty bad so my shots dont exactly show the beauty of the birds!

Bill

 

[JohnnyH]

Barnes WWT today - 2 Bitterns showing very well either side of the main lake, 5 Snipe, 27 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Egyptian Geese.

John.

 

[metcow333]

staines resv is best accessed from staines train station, on a direct line from clapham junction, and then is a 15 minute walk. you could do staines moor on the same trip (and wraysbury gp's if your keen on walking or get the train on to the next station)

 

[SW London birder]

Barnes Scaup

Female Scaup at Barnes London Wetland Centre for its second day. Photos to follow.

 

[JohnnyH]

Scaup still present & showing well today, also Bittern on the res lagoon, nice male Pintail, & Peregrine being today's other highlights.

John.

 

[SW London birder]

Harmondsworth Bewick's Swans

Flock of 16 Bewick's Swans were at Harmondsworth (near Heathrow Airport) at the start of the week. Some pics here http://swlondonbirding.blogspot.com/2011/01/cheeky-work-twitch.html

 

[Northern123]

Nice morning at the Wetlands Centre today. Finally managed to see a Cetti's warbler in the Wildside area. I've heard them at the LWC so many times but never caught a glimpse of one so was really pleased. Couldn't believe it when I then saw another one with even better views at the back of the Dulverton Hide later on.

Also saw distant peregrines on Charing Cross hospital, very brief and partially obscured views of a bittern, water pipit, snipe 20+ siskin, green woodpecker.

There were over 20 redwings and 2 fieldfares on the playing fields outside the centre.

I then decided to go up to Regent's Park to try an look for the firecrests that have been there since last year. Although I think I found the correct area to look, I didn't see or hear anything of them.

 

[SW London birder]

Barnes Brambling

Some pics of last weekend's Brambling at Barnes, along with a few pics of Cetti's Warblers, Water Pipit and Dunlin here

 

[SW London birder]

Migrant flood at London Wetland Centre

After 3 months of June there's finally been a decent run of migrants at Barnes over the last week or so. Birds have included Tree Pipit, Spotted Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Firecrest, Osprey, Garganey, a massive passage of terns that one of the regulars picked up plus regulars like Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat. A few photos of some of these here

 

[SW London birder]

A Spotted Redshank at the London Wetland Centre on Thursday - a fairly decent bird for Surrey and London. A few pics here.

 

[Big Den]

Hi folks,

Looking for a little help and hope that one of you may be able to help me out.

I've got an afternoon free in London two weeks from today and was hoping to find a site in the West / South West that has both Lesser-spotted Woodpecker and Ring-necked Parakeet. We're not privy to these up North

If anyone could give me some idea's I would really appreciate it.

Many thanks

Dennis

 

[Digbert Doobrey]

The parakeets can be found almost anywhere in that part of London. Regents and Hyde parks always have a few kicking around and there are plenty at Barnes wetland centre. They can even be observed on the feeders at Hyde park and Barnes. For the larger flocks of 30+ birds you will have to venture further into SW London. There are one or two famous roosts but I can't remember off the top of my head where they are. Some research on here or elsewhere on the net will reveal them.

LS Woodpeckers however are a much tougher prospect in London. I stand to be corrected but there is certainly no site I can think of close to London north east south or west that you could have a reasonable chance of finding them. To see both species on the same site I would imagine the best chance you have would be one of the wooded areas in the Chilterns along the M40 corridor. Perhaps there are other sites further south that may also be worth checking. I hope this is helpful but I'm from north London so maybe someone from the south west area will have a better idea than me.

 

[angusmcoatup]

Hi folks,

Looking for a little help and hope that one of you may be able to help me out.

I've got an afternoon free in London two weeks from today and was hoping to find a site in the West / South West that has both Lesser-spotted Woodpecker and Ring-necked Parakeet. We're not privy to these up North

If anyone could give me some idea's I would really appreciate it.

Many thanks

Dennis

Hello Dennis,

I rarely venture South of the river but the RN Parakeets now seem to have spread across the area. I saw 3 over Oxford street a week ago, so just keep an ear out and you've a reasonable chance wherever you are. As Digbert says, I don't think there's anywhere with a great chance of LS Woodpeckers. All the ones I've seen have been winter birds that I suspect have wandered.

 

[LeeJohnson]

Hi

You might want to try bushy park lots of Parakeets, and a possibility of LS Woodpecker did see one about 4 winters ago, although don't go much now?

See:
http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/bushy_park/flora_fauna/birds.cfm

 

[honeym]

For LS Woodpecker you could try Lonsdale Road Reservoir, also known as Leg o'Mutton. I used to see them fairly regularly when I frequented it some years ago and there have been recent reports from there - in the 'Black Poplars' between the reservoir and the river. You will also get RR Parakeets there.
Another place for both species is Richmond Park but being larger, it's less certain to see LSW.
Martin

 

[wllmspd]

Bushy park is stacked full of parakeets.... Nasty noisy things!

Cheers

Peter

 

[SW London birder]

First winter Caspian Gull off Wandsworth Park on Saturday. This follows a different bird at Barnes Wetland Centre the previous weekend. Some pics here .