Eastside Urchin 2011 year list

[Eastside Urchin]

Wheatear

Spoonbill

Caspian gull

Little ring plover

Kittiwake

 

181 birds so far

[missunderstood]

Wheatear

Spoonbill

Caspian gull

Little ring plover

Kittiwake

 

181 birds so far

 

 

Seen a small flock of crossbills three times in the last few weeks, at HL Park, and each time the flock has got smaller. Also at the same park there has been at least twelve swans die in the last eight days, including some fairly young ones, and no-one has a clue why.

[Eastside Urchin]

Alan are you sure they are crossbills???

They are very very unlikely,especially in small flocks,they have not been reported anywhere near London and if they have it will only be the odd single bird,are you sure they are not siskins or parakeets,maybe even greenfinches??

[missunderstood]

Alan are you sure they are crossbills???

They are very very unlikely,especially in small flocks,they have not been reported anywhere near London and if they have it will only be the odd single bird,are you sure they are not siskins or parakeets,maybe even greenfinches??

 

 

!00% certain, the 1st time I noticed them I was on the bridge in the middle of the lake and I had a great view, I thought they may have been 2 separate birds with odd beaks, or even poorly coloured love birds that had been released, but when I got home I saw they were males and female and not love birds. The second and third time I saw them was in some trees by the boating hut/cafeteria, and both time there was less females, and the flock was down from about 20 to 25, to about 5 or 6 with only 1 female.

 

Regarding the swans dieing, I met someone tonight who said a virus is sweeping the country, and it is only affecting swans, do you know anything about it?

[Eastside Urchin]

Alan,they sound like greenfinches to me,crossbills in this country simply don't flock like that,especially in the south of england.To get numbers like that in a habitat which they dislike is nigh on impossible especially as no one else has seen even one for monthsThey are either greenfinches,chaffinches,siskins or almost as unlikely due to size of flock yellowhammer

[Eastside Urchin]

Not heard about the virus

[missunderstood]

Alan,they sound like greenfinches to me,crossbills in this country simply don't flock like that,especially in the south of england.To get numbers like that in a habitat which they dislike is nigh on impossible especially as no one else has seen even one for monthsThey are either greenfinches,chaffinches,siskins or almost as unlikely due to size of flock yellowhammer

 

 

Absolutly certain they were crossbills because the first time I saw them I was about ten foot away and got a good view, and noticed the beaks. didnt know what they were so spent some time on the internet and as soon as I saw some pictures I was certain.

 

The information about the virus comes from a guy that works for the swan sanctuary in Egham who is a regular visitor to the park.

[Eastside Urchin]

Have spoke to the county recorder and while he says that obviously the bill is a big give away,there is no way that they could be. crossbills,they simply wouldn't stay in that area to be seen every day,they simply dislike that habitat.It is always possible however that one or two birds fly over these areas stopping very briefly but they won't hang around.Many greenfinch suffer from deformaties which affect the beak

Edited April 20, 2011 by Eastside Urchin

[missunderstood]

Have spoke to the county recorder and while he says that obviously the bill is a big give away,there is no way that they could be. crossbills,they simply wouldn't stay in that area to be seen every day,they simply dislike that habitat.It is always possible however that one or two birds fly over these areas stopping very briefly but they won't hang around.Many greenfinch suffer from deformaties which affect the beak

 

 

Havent seen them every day, just three times in the last four or five weeks. It was also the reddy/brown ones I got the best view of. A few others have seen them and think they may have escaped from a avery, we had some bar headed geese a few years ago, and I dont think I have ever seen that on your lists either, one of them got some fishing gear stuck in its throat and one of the regulars had to take it to a local vet. The only other time I have seen them was at Kew Gardens.

 

Its the birds I havent seen this year thats interesting as well, all the cormaronts and herons seem to have dissapeared, as do the pied wagtails, kingfishers, grebes, ruddy ducks, all birds that you could see most days if you know where to look.

[Eastside Urchin]

Night heron182 birds so far

[Eastside Urchin]

Hobby183 birds so far

[Eastside Urchin]

Garden warbler

Swift

 

 

 

 

185 birds so far

[Eastside Urchin]

Black redstart

 

 

186 birds so far

[Eastside Urchin]

Temmincks stint

 

 

187 birds for the year

[Eastside Urchin]

Osprey

Honey buzzard

Fulmar

Puffin

Shag

Roseate tern

Arctic tern

Common sandpiper

 

195 birds so far

[Eastside Urchin]

Montagues harrier

Garganey

Wood sandpiper

 

 

198 birds so far

[Eastside Urchin]

199 birds so far

 

Turtle dove

[Eastside Urchin]

Tree pipit

Whinchat

Spotted flycatcher

Redstart

 

203 birds so far

[Eastside Urchin]

Great White egret just gone over my house

 

204 birds so far

[Eastside Urchin]

Quail

 

205 birds so far