Reservoir Logs - March 24 round-up

                                                         Woodcock are an expected March maigrant pic @Elliott1758817

      A flock of Crossbills and a Nuthatch - both genuine rarities at the Wetlands  - were the stand-out birds in March. The month also saw the first Brent Geese since 2021, an unprecedented three sightings of Mandarin as well as Woodcock and Short-eared Owl. Our earliest summer visitors also arrived with Sand Martin, Wheatear, Little Ringed Plover, Willow Warbler and Common Tern all recorded.  Last March, however, was a particularly good month with 19 species added to the year list including Alpine Swift. So with just 11 additions this month, the year list at 99 is now two behind 2023's total.   

                                           The first Brent Goose for over two years was wary pic@Chris_Farthing

       The first Brent Goose since November 2021 was found by CF on Lockwood on the 11th. Typically after such a long gap, a group of three - perhaps the same birds with a bad sense of direction - were twice seen going south next day. The Lea Valley flock of Barnacle Geese continued to visit the Wetlands to roost, particularly early in the month, and by the end up to three pairs appeared to be in residence including last year's successful breeders. . 

                                               Drake Mandarins were seen three times this month pic @MLP

      Mandarin is usually just about annual at the Wetlands so to have three separate sightings in one month is exceptional. The first, a male, was found by CF on the 4th which was followed by records on the 16th and 29th. As usual, their appearances were brief despite the seemingly excellent habitat. Shoveler numbers gradually fell during the month although there were still seven on the 19th. A female Wigeon was seen on the 16th & 17th with a pair on the 21st.

                                      Wigeon, unlike last winter, have been regular visitors pic @IvorHewstone

      Four Goldeneye were still on the reservoirs on the 11th with the final record on the 24th, six days earlier than last year,. There was a little flurry of Goosander records mid-month with two on the 8th & 17th before the last on the 18th, exactly the same date as in 2023. The escaped Maccoa Duck continued on West Warwick all month.  

                                              Short-eared Owl passing high over Lockwood pic @HarringayBirder

        As usual, March was a good month for passing large raptors. Single Red Kites were seen on the 9th and 28th with two on the 24th. There were also three Buzzards on both the 16th and 30th with two on the 18th. The first Short-eared Owl of the year was photographed high over Lockwood by HB on the 14th. 

                                                 Little Ringed Plover turned up as seen  pic @HarringayBirder

      Six species of wader were seen with the first Little Ringed Plover found on Lockwood on the 24th, four days later than last year, while a Dunlin was seen on the 11th. March is perhaps the most regular month for Woodcock sightings with SD having the first - and perhaps only - record of the year flying over Lockwood to Tottenham Marshes on the 16th. 

                                                   Three Redshank were seen this month pic @Chris_Farthing

     Common Snipe were regularly seen in the East Warwick island until mid-month with a peak count of five on the 11th and the last sighting on the 20th The tree-loving Common Sandpiper stayed on High Maynard into April. Single Redshank were seen on the 11th, 17th and 29th. 

     Caspian Gulls continued to be recorded with 1Ws on the 18th and 24th on the north side. The first Common Tern of the year - and probably the first in London - spent the morning feeding on Lockwood on the 29th. Passing birds are not usually seen until early April with our breeding birds arriving - hopefully - later in the month. 

                                    An early Common Tern spent the morning on Lockwood  pic  @sjnewton

         March sees the changing of seasons with passerines as well as ducks.  It hasn't been a bumper year for winter thrushes but the last Fieldfare hung on to at least the 25th with a late Redwing still here on the 22nd. The final sighting of Stonechat after the February passage was on the 13th while Skylarks flew over on the 4th and 24th. 

       As they moved out the summer visitors began to arrive. Sand Martins and Wheatears, the traditional early arrivals, were slightly later than usual. The first Sand Martins were not seen until the 17th - six days later than last year - but numbers quickly built up with 50 feeding over West Warwick on the 19th.  DDL found the first Wheatear - one of the milestones of the birding year - on the 16th, two days later than last year. But this was followed by more regular sightings than is often the case including two on the 19th and three on the 22nd.                                                                                       

      In contrast. Willow Warblers appeared in London and at the Wetlands ahead of schedule this year. BW heard the first on the 19th, nine days earlier than last year and, while numbers remained low, five were heard singing from Lockwood on the 30th. Among the Chiffchaffs caught during a ringing session on the 3rd was a bird rung in France.

    But the unexpected visitor of the month and year so far was the Nuthatch seen by SH on the 19th. While they nest not too far away, they are absent from almost all the regulars Wetlands' list with no confirmed record for years. Unfortunately, after a brief showing with a mixed flock, it disappeared towards the No 2 island and has not been seen again.

                              The first Crossbills for years were seen over East Warwick pic @Elliott1758817

        Almost as unusual were the five Crossbill seen - and amazingly photographed - by SD over East Warwick on the 24th. The last record even on the wider patch was four years ago over Walthamstow Marsh. They again fail to appear on most patch lists. 

      In contrast, Siskin were once regular winter visitors to the alders on the Wetlands but in recent years records have largely been restricted to migrant flyovers. So the very approachable flock found by AR on the 3rd were a particular delight. At least 34 were counted on the 11th with one still present on the 30th.                                          A Siskin flock graced the Wetlands for much of the month pic @rom_london

DB @porthkillier

Reservoir Logs - February 2024 round-up

                                      A winter Bar-tailed Godwit is a genuine rarity in London pic @Chris_Farthing

       A resting Bar-tailed Godwit and a Firecrest were the surprise additions to the Walthamstow year list in an otherwise pretty predictable February. The month saw the first Yellow-legged Gull, Blackcap and Common Buzzard of the year along with the early signs of passage as Lapwings and Stonechats moved through. The four additions took the year list so far to 88 which is seven more than last year and also well ahead of 2021 (78) and 2020 (83).   

      The Barnacle Goose flock occasionally used the reservoirs to roost before flying north to feed but often left one bird behind. January's Scaup was seen on the 1st before sadly disappearing after a two-day stay. Five Goldeneye including two pairs were counted on the 15th but most days the numbers were lower. 

      Goosander which have again have been scarce this winter became slightly more regular with singles on the 11th and 23rd and two on the 24th. An escaped female Maccoa Duck discovered by CF on the 25th clearly found West Warwick so similar to its native southern Africa home that it remained into March. 

                       An escaped Maccoa Duck took up residence on West Warwick pic @ Elliott1758817

         The unseasonably warm conditions on the 16th saw 20 Lapwing pass through on a day which also saw raptors moving overhead and an increase in both Stonechat and Chaffinch numbers. There were also single Lapwings on the 1st and 19th. 

      Bar-tailed Godwit is, by far, the rarest of the two godwits at the reservoirs with most records of birds flying overhead in Spring. So the bird found resting on Lockwood on the 7th by CF was a remarkable record given that it is a genuine scarcity even on the shoreline at Rainham in the winter. 

                          High Maynard's tree-loving Common Sandpiper pic @Elliott1758817

       It takes to nine the shorebird species already seen at the reservoirs so far which compares to just four at the end of February last year.  They include the wintering Common Sandpiper which remained - largely on its favourite perch on High Maynard - all month. 

                                      One of two Yellow-legged Gulls recorded this month pic @Callahanbirder

      Closer attention to gulls is confirming that Yellow-legged and Caspian are more regular than had been thought. Following last month's Caspian Gull, 1W birds were also recorded on the 24th & 28th. Yellow-legged Gull was also added to the list with an adult on the 2nd and 1Ws on the 3rd and 27th. 

                                  The Wetlands is becoming a good site for Caspian Gulls pic @Elliott1758817                                    

 

       The first Buzzard of the year was seen in the Spring-like conditions of the 16th. The same day also saw a Red Kite over with a second on the 19th. Single Skylarks were recorded on the 6th, 18th and 25th.  Small numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare continued while it looked for a time that Mistle Thrush might return as a breeding bird after an absence of several years with regular sightings of birds around No 5. 

         The first Blackcap of the year was a bird in sub-song on the 21st, three days earlier than last year. While Goldcrest are annual breeders, Firecrest remains a very scarce visitor with rarely more than one record a year which may be the displaying bird seen by RB on the 28th on the 1/2/3 path. 

                                        Stonechat passage was slightly earlier this year pic @Elliott1758817                                              

             Stonechats are among the earliest migrants through the Wetlands with spikes in numbers in both late Winter and Autumn. The six seen on the 16th and 18th - with good numbers recorded across London - was the same as the highest count last February but a week earlier.  

DB @porthkillier     

   

Reservoir Logs - January 2024 round-up

                                     A Long-tailed Duck dropped onto No 4 for the afternoon pic @IvorHewstone

         The first Long-tailed Duck for five years helped get the New Year off to a flying start. January also saw the first Red-crested Pochard since 2022 as well as a visit from a drake Scaup and a surprising variety of waders - including at least two Jack Snipe - for so early in the year.

                       At least two Jack Snipe were seen during the freezing spell pic @ Elliott1758817

         The traditional scramble to maximise the list on New Year's Day saw 64 species recorded, one less than in 2023. But after this lacklustre start, additional species kept coming right to the end of the month to take January total to a very creditable 83 which is nine more than in 2022 and ten more than in 2021.   

         Our Barnacle Geese flock arrived back from Cheshunt on the 16th when 16 were counted roosting on No  5. They continued to be seen regularly for the rest of the month. Shelduck numbers built slowly with a maximum count of six. The freezing spell mid-month saw a very high winter count of 115 Shoveler on the 18th. 

                              The cold snap encouraged Wigeon to visit this January pic  @MLP

       For some inexplicable reason, Wigeon - usually a regular winter visitor - gave the Wetlands a miss last January with the first record not until June. There was no such problem this month with two on the 5th, three on the 8th, seven on the 9th, five next day and a single on the 30th. It is also a mystery why Red-crested Pochard - regular, for example, on the small boating lake in nearby Finsbury Park - is such a rare visitor to the Wetlands. The one-day drake CF found on High Maynard on the 29th was the first since 2021.

                            Drake Red-crested Pochard (above) and Greater Scaup pics @Chris_Farthing 

               The arrival of a drake Scaup on No 4 on the 31st again raised hopes the regular wintering bird had returned only for it to disappear again after a two-day stay. Duck, indeed bird, of the month ,however, was the first Long-tailed Duck since the very unseasonal pair in June 2018. Found by SH on No 4 on the afternoon of the 5th it showed exceptionally well to all those not hampered by work or school but had disappeared by next morning.                                  

                            

                      The Long-tailed Duck provided wonderful views pic @ HarringayBirder
                        

         Goldeneye numbers remain low. Getting an accurate count was challenging as they moved not only between reservoirs but also - given the changing number of males and females -  between different sites in the Lee Valley but numbers never passed five in a day. Goosander are now becoming irregular and often brief visitors from the larger reservoirs to the north. The first was seen flying over on the 6th with records on six other days and a maximum count of two on the 12th and 19th. 

                                    A displaying drake Goosander on Lockwood pic @MLP

         The first Red Kite of the year passed over low on the 6th but otherwise birds of prey were scarce. Peregrines seemed to prefer the pylons on Walthamstow Marsh although they can be found unusually perching on the trees on the sheltered east side of No 1 island when the wind is blowing strongly from the west. 

              A Red Kite passing low over the Wetlands pic @HarringayBirder   

         It was an exceptional month for waders with eight species recorded in January, compared to just two last year. They included the long-staying Oystercatcher, which was still in residence on the 7th but disappeared as soon as the frost made feeding on the grass verges difficult. The cold snap led to the usual movement of Lapwing with 16 on the 9th, two next day, 73 on the 11th including a flock of 47, nine on 18th and two on the 20th. It may also explain why three different Dunlin - another bird not recorded at all last winter - were seen on the 11th, 16th and 20th. 

                  

                                    Three different Dunlin were seen this month pic @Elliott1758817

                Until very recently, Jack Snipe was considered a rare bird at the Wetlands but records have become more regular in the last couple of years. This trend has continued with at least two - and probably several more - seen in January. The freezing conditions displaced birds to the reservoirs on the 14th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th with records from the wild flower meadow, No 4, High Maynard, Lockwood and, most regularly, East Warwick. In contrast, Common Snipe seem if anything scarcer. Although they were seen regularly after the first record on the 7th, there was not the big build-up in numbers often seen in icy conditions in the past. 

                              Jack Snipe hiding on Lockwood and Green Sandpiper pics @Callahanbirder

  

         The wintering Common Sandpiper was seen throughout the month with two recorded on the 16th. There was also a better than usual showing from Green Sandpipers with two on the 8th and singles on the 17th, 20th and 21st. A Redshank which landed briefly on Lockwood made it a five wader day on the 17th. 

        A Caspian Gull found on High Maynard by SD on the 20th, prompted the traditional blizzard of social media messages. It fortunately hung around -  usually on High Maynard - until the 25th to allow the non-larophiles to try to see its ID features for themselves. It seems possible from photographs that there may even have been a second bird on the 23rd.   

                               The Caspian Gull which launched a thousand messages pic @Elliott1758817

          While the cold snap encouraged a wide range of ducks and waders to visit, it was disappointing for smaller birds. Only a Skylark on the 9th and a Siskin next day were at all out-of-the-ordinary. Far from there being a cold weather movement of winter thrushes there were fewer Fieldfare than last year with just the odd bird seen although a flock of up to 20 Redwing could be seen feeding on the berries by the Engine House throughout the month. At least two Stonechats continued to winter around the reed-beds on the Warwicks where the occasional Meadow Pipit also appeared.   

DB @porthkillier 

                                                                

Reservoir Logs - December 2023 round-up

                                         The Oystercatcher was rarely seen without a muddy bill pic @Elliott81758817

        A long-staying Oystercatcher - an unusual winter record in London - was the highlight of a very dull month at the Wetlands. December also brought a small cold-weather passage of Wigeon and Lapwing but it was the second consecutive month with no new birds added to the year list.

     It means the total for 2023 was stuck on 143 -  one above last year and the same as in 2018 and 2021.The most surprising omissions were Red-crested Pochard, for the second year running, Brent Goose and Sandwich Tern which might be explained by the disastrous impact of avian flu on breeding numbers. Bird of the year was the Alpine Swift which hung around for two days to allow many people to enjoy it, although honourable mentions must go to the extraordinary flock of 11 Spoonbills, the elusive Little Owls and Iceland Gull.    

Barnacle Geese flying in for one of their regular visits pic @Chris_Farthing
                  

      The Barnacle Goose flock made occasional visits to the Wetlands with 15 seen on 8th, 10th and 24th with 16 on the 22nd. Cold weather at the beginning of the month saw nine Wigeon arrive on the 2nd with five more on the 18th. Goldeneye numbers remained low with up to four scattered around the reservoirs throughout the month while Goosander were again scarce with fly-overs on the 5th and 10th before a drake settled for a few hours on No 2 on the 13th.

                                                                                      Wigeon were seen in good numbers early in the month pic @Elliott81758817  

       Four species of wader were seen this month. An Oystercatcher found on the 3rd was an unusual enough record given that they routinely do not return to London even on the Thames at Rainham until late January. But for it to stay throughout the month, largely around No 5 was exceptional. Even a near-death experience at the hands of a Peregrine - forcing it to dive into the water to escape - did not encourage it to move on,.

                                            The Oystercatcher became tamer the longer it stayed pic @MLP 

        A movement  of Lapwing in cold spells is now expected with eight on the 1st and five more next day. Two Common Sandpipers were seen until mid-month with at least one staying into 2024. Green Sandpipers, which seem to be becoming less regular, were recorded on the 2nd and 4th. 

                               Lapwing, like Wigeon, can be expected in cold weather pic @Elliott81758817                                                  

            In what has been a good year for scarcer big gulls, the final Caspian Gull of the year was picked out by RE on the 18th while DC found two Yellow-legged Gulls on the 10th. Single Red Kites were seen on the 1st and 13th. Small numbers of winter thrushes continued to be seen with 15 Redwing feeding on berries near the Engine House on the 8th and six Fieldfare flying over on the 22nd. Up to three Stonechats are wintering. 

                                 A 1W Caspian Gull, an unusually regular visitor this year  pic @wheresrhys

                            

DB @porthkillier

Reservoir Logs - November 2023 round-up

                                     An inquisitive Short-eared Owl circled Lockwood pics @Elliott81758817

       November saw a nice range of scarcities including the second Pintail and third and fourth Woodcocks of the year. There was also an early Scaup, another Short-eared Owl, Turnstone and an unusual run of Dunlin. But the lack of a genuine rarity, which is often a feature of November, meant it was the first month since December 2021 without a new bird being added to the year list. It means the annual total is stuck on 143, still five ahead of last year but the gap is closing.  

                                The year’s second Pintail spent the day on East Warwick pic @Callahanbirder

       After their post-breeding visit to the coast, the first Shelduck normally arrives back in November but this year's first return on the 12th was the earliest in recent years. Two Wigeon were seen on the 13th with another pair on the 17th. Having waited two years for a Pintail to turn up again at the reservoirs, it was always on the cards that a second would arrive just weeks later with a drake this time on East Warwick on the 16th.  

                                           A drake Scaup made a brief appearance on No 4 pic @IvorHewstone 

              The finding of a drake Scaup on the 23rd by DW raised hopes that the regular winterer may have returned particularly as it appeared, as in the past, in the north-west corner of No 4 and, as usual, fell fast asleep. But hopes were dashed when no sign could be found next day. The first Goldeneye - an immature drake - arrived on the 3rd but it wasn't until the 18th when more than one bird was seen with two drakes and a female. The three birds - the same number as last November - stayed until the end of the month. Goosander are becoming much more irregular at the Wetlands with no sighting until a drake on the 26th and 28th. The escaped Ringed Teal, however, clearly enjoyed their one day visit to the reservoirs last month as two males returned on the 14th, 15th and 18th.            

                                                            Two drake Goldeneye arrived mid-month pic @MLP

      The wide shingle edges on Lockwood helped make it a much better November than normal for waders. It was particularly attractive to Dunlin with perhaps as many as five birds this month. Singles were seen on the 16th, a different bird on 17th, on the 19th and two on the 21st. A tame Turnstone was also on Lockwood on the 24th with Redshank on the 5th & 6th and another on the 27th,. . 

                        Turnstone (above) pic @Callahanbirder and Dunlin pic @Chris_Farthing 

         Lapwing were less choosy with both Lockwood and East Warwick providing resting places with four on the 17th, a single on the 21st and seven next day. CF had the third & fourth Woodcock of the year - an unusually high number - with the first near the Dragonfly pond on the 17th with another off the side of Lockwood on the 22nd. Snipe in contrast, seemed either less common or more elusive than normal with only a handful of records. Common Sandpipers continued to be seen with two until the end of the month.                  

                                         One of two Redshank on Lockwood this month pic @HarringayBirder

        November was never likely to match October for scarcer gulls but both Yellow-legged on the 24th and Caspian on the 18th were seen. Common Gulls built up with a count of 52 just on the south end of West Warwick, their favourite haunt, on the 26th. Checking colour-rings this month has revealed that among the Black-headed Gulls wintering are birds from both Slovakia and Poland. 

    Single Red Kites were seen on the 5th and 6th with a Common Buzzard over on the 6th as well. In an Autumn which has seen a major influx of Short-eared Owls into the country, the reservoirs had its third with one showing particularly well over Lockwood on the 12th. 

       Skylarks were seen flying over on four days while male Blackcaps were seen on the 9th and 20th. Winter thrush numbers were low but there were 15 Fieldfare on the 11th with small numbers of this species and Redwing feeding around the reservoirs' berry bushes. Up to three Stonechats continue to winter while another Rock Pipit turned up on Lockwood on the 12th. A small flock of up to eight Siskins were seen regularly around the site this month with single Lesser Redpoll on the 6th and 24th. 

                         The third Rock Pipit of the autumn spent the day on Lockwood  pic @porthkillier

DB @porthkillier

Reservoir Logs - October 2023 round-up

                         The first Scoters of the year spent a day at the Wetlands pic @Chris_Farthing

       October saw five species added to the Wetland's year list with three smart drake Common Scoter and a Pintail - both the first for two years - as well as a Grey Plover the highlights. Lesser Redpoll and a heard-only Firecrest were the other additions in a month which also saw a run of scarcer gulls, a late Arctic Tern, Short-eared Owl and a day count of 1000 migrating Redwing. 

                            A Short-eared Owl visited on the same date as last year pic @Callahanbirder

        The five additions take the year list at the reservoirs to 143 - eight ahead of last year and just one behind's 2020's record high. Red-crested Pochard, which gave the Wetlands a miss last year as well, and Brent Goose are the only obvious gaps so adding new species is going to be hard.

          Three Shelduck made an unseasonal visit on the 18th and a Garganey was found on East Warwick on the 3rd. After being very scarce so far this year, Wigeon returned to form with records on at least seven days with five on the 24th and seven on the 18th. The first Pintail for two years was a female-type found by RE hiding among the Shoveler on No 5 on the 9th.    

           

                           The Scoter eventually settled on East Warwick (pic @Elliott81758817)                           

 

          Common Scoter, like Pintail, are nearly annual visitors to the Wetlands but again none were seen in 2022. This year looked likely to be blank as well until CF found three drakes on Lockwood on the 12th. They were flighty at first but settled down on East Warwick for the day. CF also found three Ringed Teal on No 5 on the 27th but, while very attractive ducks, they seem much more likely to have escaped from a wildfowl collection than flown from their natural home in South America. Unusually, neither the first Goldeneye or Goosander of the winter had arrived by the month's end.  

                  Two of the three Ringed Teal which escaped to the Wetlands pic @ Chris_Farthing 

      After the departure of the wintering Great Egret, the species has been scarce with DC's fly-over on the 14th only the fourth of the year. The only record of Red Kite was on the 3rd but Buzzards were seen on at least four days including a year-high count of six in the air together on the 9th - one of several good days this month for migrants. 

       October is usually light on waders but this year bucked the trend with no less than nine species  compared to just four in 2022. Single Lapwing was seen on the 18th and 27th with two on both the 17th  & 24th. Grey Plover is a very scarce visitor with no records since 2018 before the big freeze last December saw one on Lockwood so DC's record of one flying north over Lockwood on the 2nd was the wader highlight of the month. Black-tailed Godwits are usually much more regular but the four going south on the 12th were surprisingly only the second record of the year. The same date saw a Dunlin on Lockwood.  

      Migrant Snipe were resting on the reservoir banks on several days with two on the 9th but the Jack Snipe that dropped onto the shoreline of East Warwick on the 28th was only the second of the year. The autumn's strong Common Sandpiper passage continued with birds throughout the month, Four were still present on the 24th - a fortnight later than the last bird last October - with two staying to the end of the month to suggest the Wetlands may have wintering birds again. In contrast, the only Green Sandpiper was on the 23rd and Redshank on Lockwood on the 26th. 

                  Up to four young Caspian Gulls have been seen this Autumn (pic @Callahanbirder)

      October now seems the best bet to catch up with scarcer gulls at the Wetlands. Photographs suggest there may have been three Caspian Gulls seen this month (and perhaps four over the Autumn) with 1Ws seen on the 19th, 21st, 22nd, 25th and 28th. The month also seems the best time to catch up with Yellow-legged Gulls at the reservoirs.  The first was an adult found on the 11th by CF remarkably on the same day and the same railings on High Maynard as last year. This was followed by a run of young birds with DC finding a 1W on the 14th, three on 21st - six days later than three were seen last year - with one remaining on the 24th.

                   Adult (pic @Chris_Farthing) and young Yellow-legged Gull  (pic @Callahanbirder)

  

       Late terns have always got a good chance of being Arctic Terns and that seems to be case of the bird photographed by MLP on the 20th. After a two-month stay in which it hardly ever showed, the Little Owl was last heard on the 2nd. The third Short-eared Owl was on the 22nd over Lockwood - again on exactly the same date as last year. 

                           This tern, though to be a young Arctic, made a brief stop (pic @MLP )

      October is also a good month for Jackdaw passage and although numbers did not run into the hundreds as they did in 2019, 54 were seen on the 16th and 42 on 9th with smaller numbers both over and on the reservoirs on other days. Skylark movement was also stronger than last year when only five were seen all month. Birds were recorded on at least six days with three on both the 8th & 24th.                         

      Single Swallows,  which were not seen in October last year, were recorded on the 3rd, 9th and 20th with a late Reed Warbler as well on the 2nd.  Blackcaps are not regular winterers at the reservoirs so the male seen on the 31st may again be a late migrant. The first Firecrest of the year was heard at the north end of Lockwood on the 22nd by DC and was still there, and still hidden, next day. 

     Fieldfare passage, just like last year, was light with just the odd bird over or on the reservoirs until a flock of 50 on the 24th. This was not the case with Redwing although movement was crammed into two days. Over 60 were seen on the 8th before an estimated 1000-plus flew over next day - twice the highest daily count last year. 

                          The rocky shorelines attracted two Rock Pipits (pic @Chris_Farthing)

      A Black Redstart made a brief appearance on the 27th. No Wheatears were seen last October (although like Swallow a winter bird later turned up) but this year there was a single on the 16th, two for the next two days with one remaining until the 23rd. Up to four Stonechats were around the reservoirs usually on West Warwick. 

     The rocky shorelines attracted Rock Pipits on Lockwood on the 15th and No 5 on the 27th. The first Lesser Redpoll of the year was at the north end of Lockwood on the 8th with two more on the 12th. There was a flurry of Siskins with birds on five days with 15 in several small flocks on the 25th the highest count. 

DB @porthkillier