Now it had already been a very good morning already at the Wetland Centre when the news broke of a Bluethroat at Walthamstow Wetlands. Now I am not normally driven to chasing around after birds but there are some species for which I would make an exception – Gyrfalcon would be one and Bluethroat would be another. So it did not take much thought to abandon all previous plans and head off to the opposite side of London to see if I could see a Bluethroat for the first time. Would it still be there when I arrived?
And so an hour or so later I found myself, along with a group of about a dozen others on the banks of the East Warwick Reservoir which makes up part of the Walthamstow complex. The bad news was immediately forthcoming – the bird had not been seen for an hour or so. Then one birder relocated it – it was partially hidden by the vegetation and the bank of the reservoir and it took me a while to get into a position where I could see the area where it had been seen and there it was, standing with its back to me! No sight of the amazing colouration on its throat and chest and then it was gone back into the vegetation. Over the next hour or so I got four brief views and the bird was revealed in all its glory. Sadly too far for any photos but I just enjoyed watching it.
On the way back to the reserve entrance I stooped off for 15 minutes to see if the Little Bunting would appear to crown the day – but no luck – well perhaps I was expecting too much!
Eurasian Magpie (top left), Canada Goose (top right), Greylag Goose (centre right) and Reed Bunting (bottom)
What a day – I think one of the best I have had- some very good birds.
Canada Goose [sp] (Branta canadensis)
Greylag Goose [sp] (Anser anser)
Mallard [sp] (Anas platyrhynchos)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Great Crested Grebe [sp] (Podiceps cristatus)
Grey Heron [sp] (Ardea cinerea)
Great Cormorant [sp] (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Common Moorhen [sp] (Gallinula chloropus)
Eurasian Coot [sp] (Fulica atra)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
Mew Gull (Common) [group] (Larus canus canus/heinei)
European Herring Gull [sp] (Larus argentatus)
Lesser Black-backed Gull [sp] (Larus fuscus)
Rock Dove (Feral) (Columba livia ‘feral’)
Common Wood Pigeon [sp] (Columba palumbus)
Rose-ringed Parakeet [sp] (Psittacula krameri)
Eurasian Magpie [sp] (Pica pica)
Carrion Crow [sp] (Corvus corone)
Eurasian Blue Tit [sp] (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Great Tit [sp] (Parus major)
Long-tailed Tit [sp] (Aegithalos caudatus)
Eurasian Wren [sp] (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Common Starling [sp] (Sturnus vulgaris)
Common Blackbird [sp] (Turdus merula)
European Robin [sp] (Erithacus rubecula)
Bluethroat (White-spotted) [group] (Luscinia svecica cyanecula/namnetum)
European Stonechat [sp] (Saxicola rubicola)
Dunnock [sp] (Prunella modularis)
Common Chaffinch [sp] (Fringilla coelebs)
European Greenfinch [sp] (Chloris chloris)
Common Linnet [sp] (Linaria cannabina)
European Goldfinch [sp] (Carduelis carduelis)
Common Reed Bunting [sp] (Emberiza schoeniclus)
Pete's Favourite Things 