Nathalie

The almost obligatory snowdrop photos... I went into Margravine Cemetery yesterday afternoon to photograph flowers. After all, I started this blog 3 years ago initially to record the passing of seasons. I noticed the first snowdrops about to flower on 25th January, which is 12 days later than last year.

Somehow the carpet doesn't seem as thick as in years past.

A few crocuses have also started flowering, and I managed to find some that were not damaged by the squirrels, who seem to be very fond of them. Unfortunately, I didn't note when I started seeing them appear last year, but I have an entry for 19th January 2008 reading " I also noticed that more crocus flowers had opened" which means that they are also slightly late.

We'll see if I get violets (one of my favourite flowers) on my birthday this year. I could just about guess buds on the ones most likely to flower first.

I had not gone into the cemetery to see the Redwings but I just couldn't miss them. For the second day running, they were at top of trees and very vocal. I managed to count 59 then. Then, on my way out I noticed that most had flown to the ground to feed. They were everywhere! I then managed to count 63, but I probably missed a few hidden behind gravestones and trees or still in trees, so I'd estimate them to be around 80.

They've been around since 12 December, only a few days and it'll be 2 months, numbers fluctuating but with a minimum of 20 every time I checked up on them. They're still as skittish as when they first arrived, but hiding behind a grave stone I managed to take some closer photos of this one by the old chapel of rest.

They've been a welcome addition to the cemetery this winter, especially as I never managed to find any goldcrests which is a shame after the 3 we had last winter.

I spotted another one of these by Wandsworth Bridge about 10 days ago. I don't know how long it's been there, as I do scan those buildings from time to time but had not noticed it previously. That makes it my fourth for London. I wonder how effective they are, but, more importantly, how effective they are at keeping real flesh and blood peregrines away. If so, it could explain the lack of sightings in that area, especially as it is certainly not lacking in pigeons...

In contrast, this photo taken a few days later of a proper killing machine. I wouldn't want to be a pigeon under that gaze...

When I went to the supermarket earlier today, I had the surprise to find on the foreshore this duck. A pretty little thing really, a female Wood Duck I am pretty sure. EDIT: it's a Mandarin... Not a bird I encounter every day on the Thames...

It was associating with the few Mallards around, but seemed rather lost. I heard her calling at one point.

She was also very skittish, always swimming away when she could see me above the parapet It stood at some point on the leaf litter and I couldn't see any ring, but I didn't have much time for it as she quickly ran away back to the water.
Looking at some of the photos, could her right wing be clipped?

I left home early this morning to visit the Lonsdale Reservoir again. Glorious clear blue sky, and it was pretty chilly, but I wasn't quite expecting the reservoir to be partially covered in ice.

First of all, the owl was in the same place and easily visible even from the Thames Path. From there, I managed to find an angle to view that hole I mentioned in my previous post, and, unfortunately, it had been wishful thinking on my part. Nevermind...

Gratuitous shot of a sleepy owl

In the next tree, a pair of Egyptian Geese was very noisy. I noticed one of them had a metal ring on its right leg, so I tried to photograph it and got a much better result than I had thought initially. A quick search told me that I am probably missing 2 digits, so I'll have to try and get the rest of it at another visit.

Almost as soon as I came off the Thames Path and entered the wooded area, after 2 wrens had crossed the path in front of me, my attention was caught by another bird arriving very fast through the trees. It landed in one of the trees bordering the path and was immediately mobbed by a few crows and flew back in the direction of the reservoir: a Sparrowhawk! Brilliant! Year tick #36.
Further on, a pair of Jackdaws were having a go at a Kestrel, just like my previous visit, but, unlike then, it was a female.
Few birds were on the reservoir, but up to about 10 Coots, a pair of Mute Swans (year tick #37), 7 Shovelers and 2 Tufted Ducks were sharing the small portion of open water. Up to around 110 Black-headed Gulls congregated on the ice in a fairly tight area, a lot of them preening. There were 5 Common Gulls among them, and just as I was leaving I noticed a Herring Gull ( year tick #38).

Only 3 additions to the year list, but a very enjoyable walk. And I managed to avoid the mad robin again, which is no bad thing...

A few more photos in my Lonsdale Reservoir album.

I discovered this reservoir in Barnes by accident last year on my way to a Thames21 cleanup by Barnes Bridge. I visited it twice last year, loved it and decided to add it as a second patch. Last Sunday was my fourth visit, my third had been on previous weekend when the reservoir was actually still frozen and the few birds on there were just a few gulls. It also started raining buckets just as I entered the area making scanning the trees rather difficult. Still, I had managed 23 species, but I failed to find the pair of Jackdaws I had since on previous visits, or heard during the cleanups on the foreshore. No such problem this time, I found them almost immediately, very busy mobbing a male Kestrel. It was probably the one I had photographed back in November as it was sitting in a tree above the path.

Kestrel looking straight at the camera
For a bigger version and 2 more photos, click on photo.

On the same tree were a few Stock Doves, another bird I don't get to see on my Fulham patch. It's the same thing for Collared Doves which I saw in my previous visits last year, but I couldn't find any this time.

The reservoir itself had a lot more birds than on my 1st visit (not difficult): a few Shovelers, Tufted Ducks, Mallards and 1 Pochard, Coots & Moorhens, Gulls of the Common & Black-headed variety and 1 Lesser Black-Backed, 2 Grey Herons. But, as hard as I tried, I couldn't find any Little Grebe (apparently they haven't come back since the big freeze).

I am used to seeing Egyptian Geese on the foreshore, so it threw me up slightly when on my first visit I saw 2 up in a tree. They were surrounded by Ring-Necked Parakeets making quite a racket as per usual.

Makes you wonder if this photo was really taken in the UK...

If I had paid more attention to reports of Egyptian Geese I probably would have noticed a few of those were of birds in trees and I wouldn't have been quite so surprised... This photo was taken back in November but I saw a pair in the same tree at my first visit this year. The second visit, it was another tree, but was it the same pair?

When I got about 2/3 round, I met with another birder coming in the other direction. He asked me "Have you seen the owl?" "No, where?" He tells me where, it was around the area when I'd seen the Jackdaws and Kestrel shenanigans, which had obviously distracted me. I wasn't surprised, it had looked good to me and I had checked some of the holes, but obviously not enough of them. I walked a bit further and from the other side saw what could be an owl in that tree & took a photo. When I got to the tree in question I tried to find the hole but just couldn't get an angle on it. I went round the tree and found this one, asleep:

I think no more of the other one until I get home and look at the photo on the computer. Is it just me, or can you see 2 eyes and a beak?

Furthermore, I chatted later that day with someone who'd been to the reservoir and had seen 2 of them earlier in the week. My plan is to go there again early tomorrow morning and have another good look for them. As well as for the grebes.

Total for this year is #35 so far.