Naturelog: Friday 21st February

My friend Keith came up to London from Kent and we spent the day at the London Wetland Centre.

Our first target was a Brambling that had been seen around the feeder area. But this was to elude us all day despite 4 visits. On then to the Peacock Tower hide to try and find a Bittern. We were successful fairly quickly but although we could make out enough to identify the bird hiding in the reed-bed it was not a very good view. We walked back to the reserve centre via the Lagoon path and were rewarded with sightings of both Lesser and Mealy Redpoll, this latter a first ever sighting for me.

Mealy Redpoll
Photo by Ron Knight (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sussexbirder/)

Lesser Redpoll
Photo by Crotach (http://www.flickr.com/photos/crotach/)

We decided that rather than walk around the north side of the reserve we would retrace our steps stopping off again at the feeder area again where we saw Greater Spotted Woodpecker, but still no Brambling, and end up again at the Tower hide to finish off the afternoon. This turned out to be a good decision as we were rewarded with sightings of common Snipe and excellent views of Bittern and Green Woodpecker.

An excellent days birding. Good views of Bittern and a good list of species seen, but the highlight for me was the Mealy Redpoll.

Greylag Goose [sp] (Anser anser)
Canada Goose [sp] (Branta canadensis)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)
Mallard [sp] (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Eurasian Teal [sp] (Anas crecca)
Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Little Grebe [sp] (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested Grebe [sp] (Podiceps cristatus)
Eurasian Bittern [sp] (Botaurus stellaris)
Grey Heron [sp] (Ardea cinerea)
Great Cormorant [sp] (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Eurasian Sparrowhawk [sp] (Accipiter nisus)
Common Moorhen [sp] (Gallinula chloropus)
Eurasian Coot [sp] (Fulica atra)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Common Snipe [sp] (Gallinago gallinago)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
European Herring Gull [sp] (Larus argentatus)
Lesser Black-backed Gull [sp] (Larus fuscus)
Common Pigeon [sp] (Columba livia)
Common Wood Pigeon [sp] (Columba palumbus)
Rose-ringed Parakeet [sp] (Psittacula krameri)
Great Spotted Woodpecker [sp] (Dendrocopos major)
European Green Woodpecker [sp] (Picus viridis)
Eurasian Magpie [sp] (Pica pica)
Western Jackdaw [sp] (Coloeus monedula)
Carrion Crow [sp] (Corvus corone)
Great Tit [sp] (Parus major)
Eurasian Blue Tit [sp] (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Long-tailed Tit [sp] (Aegithalos caudatus)
Eurasian Wren [sp] (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Common Starling [sp] (Sturnus vulgaris)
Common Blackbird [sp] (Turdus merula)
Redwing [sp] (Turdus iliacus)
European Robin [sp] (Erithacus rubecula)
Dunnock [sp] (Prunella modularis)
Common Chaffinch [sp] (Fringilla coelebs)
European Goldfinch [sp] (Carduelis carduelis)
Lesser Redpoll (Carduelis flammea cabaret)
Mealy Redpoll (Carduelis flammea flammea)