Christmas report

Pete Lambert Wrote Yesterday:

Did manage walks round the Marsh since my last report on 22 December, but didn’t manage to find time to send details round. Here’s a quick summary.

Wednesday 22 December.
Snow and ice still on the ground and saw 5 shoveler, all males. Two were standing on the ice on the Lee Navigation just south of Stonebridge Lock, while the other three were feeding in the channel just east of this Lock. Probably 3 separate chiffchaff calling at various places around the Marsh. Finally a record 21 gadwall seen from the Chalk Bridge in the channels NE and E of the bridge.

Friday 24 December.
17 fieldfare flew high west over Clendish Marsh at 9.04am, there was a green sandpiper feeding in Pymmes Brook just north of the bridge by the Gasometer at WM West and a female shoveler just north of the Green Bridge. Then as I left the Marsh at 10.39, loads of crows called over the houses east of me as they chased a buzzard NW over the houses and on over Banbury Reservoir.

Monday 27 December.
Very gloomy as I walked towards the Marsh and very icy underfoot. As a result, on the footpath east of Wild Marsh East by the allotments at 8.31am, I was looking down at my feet rather than up in the sky when I heard the long trill of a waxwing! Looked up to see two “starling-like” shapes going west overhead and on across Wild Marsh East. Got my bins on them, but only saw one bird from behind, and couldn’t then see colour of plumage. Waxwing somewhere, and probably these two birds were them, but couldn’t be sure. Interestingly, other movement as well with a jackdaw East over WM East at 8.54am and 5 lapwing east over WM West at 10.59. 4 shovelers in the channel east of Stonebridge Lock and 14 redwing east at Stonebridge Wood. Three different goldcrests seen.

Thursday 30 December.
A much quieter day with all the ice and snow gone from the ground, although most of the Lee Navigation still frozen. 3 male shoveler still in the channel east of Stonebridge Lock and a single mistle thrush (a rarity here) flew SE over Clendish Marsh, perching in the trees by the allotments and singing briefly before flying on SE towards the reservoirs. This made my 10th species of bird singing this morning – wren, robin, song thrush, mistle thrush, wood pigeon, dunnock, great tit, chaffinch briefly, and then collared dove and starling on my way too and from the Marsh. Is this because the days are getting longer now?

DMC

Tuesday Report – unusual sighting

Pete Lambert wrote yesterday:

My usual routine is to visit the Marsh on Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, but this week a change to my routine so that I could be at my grandson’s Carol Concert yesterday. So it was unusual for me to be over the Marsh on a Tuesday and I was rewarded by an unusual bird – at 8.32am a single black-tailed godwit flew west over Clendish Marsh! These birds don’t usually stray far from the coast and this one will have a long way to go west over Tottenham before it reaches the coast.

Not a lot around otherwise, a single male pheasant (dark necked) sitting on a fence inside the Allotments, 2 redwings calling from trees at Stonebridge Wood, plus a goldcrest here with long-tailed tits. 12 gadwall seen from the Chalk Bridge in the channel NE of the bridge and 13 teal in the channel near the Green Bridge. Single lapwing north over the east channel at WM East.

DMC

Areas of Tottenham Marsh – names on aerial views

Sadly I had to miss the December Bird Survey (suffering with the ‘bug’ that’s going around and not up to battling with all the snow & ice) so I thought I’d publish the maps with the names of the various areas.
So now when Pete reports a Firecrest near Chalk Bridge, or refers to WM West, you’ll know where they are!
Debbie

P.S. To view larger versions of the maps: Right Click on a map and choose Open Link in New Window, then you can Left Click to get a magnified image so the names are easier to read.



Aerial views of Tottenham Marsh – with names of areas

Sadly I had to miss the December Bird Survey (suffering with the ‘bug’ that’s going around and not up to battling with all the snow & ice) so I thought I’d publish the maps with the names of the various areas.

So now when Pete reports a Firecrest near Chalk Bridge, or refers to WM West, you’ll know where they are!

Debbie



Sunday Report

Pete Lambert wrote yesterday:

Out this morning crunching through thick snow on my way to join the monthly bird survey of the Marsh, it was nice to see 2 male goosanders feeding in the channel by the Banbury Reservoir. They were just south of the path leading to the East Bridge, so in Walthamstow Reservoir rather than Tot. Marsh, but nice to see. On Wild Marsh East there were 3 pheasants near the west channel. Two were definitely males (neither with white neck collars), the third one I just saw briefly, so could have been male or female. Distant views from the Green Bridge of what looked like a female shoveler in the channel. Met up with the reduced survey team and as we all set out, found a snipe sitting in Pymmes Brook just south of the bridge. Birds were a bit thin on the ground on Clendish Marsh which I helped to survey with Ray and Peter, but we turned up 4 chiffchaffs along the Brook and 2 goldcrests. The highlight though was a flock of 30 skylarks which went SE calling at 10.10. We then went on to survey Stonebridge Wood which was almost dead until we saw another flock of skylark, about 40 this time, going SE again at 11.04.

After a warming cup of tea, I walked back along the towpath and saw a water rail walking along the edge of the channel east of the Lee Navigation, by the barges. Probably this was the same bird that David Cotteridge and Janice had seen from the Green Bridge earlier. Immediately after a peregrine came SE over Stonebridge Wood and on across the Lockwood Reservoir. When I reached the Green Bridge another 5 skylarks flew SE calling, making 75 in total. Walking out of the Marsh by the East Bridge, 4 ducks came shooting high over WM East – they were wigeon! One male and 3 females, these were my first for this year. So I returned home cold, but glad I’d made the effort.

DMC

This week on the Marshes

Pete Lambert wrote today:

Monday 13 December 2010
Another Monday and another foggy day in London Town (and memories of Julie London for those who can remember back that far). So little seen overhead and lots just heard. A male pheasant (one with no white collar on its neck) was sitting high in the trees along the west side of the west channel at WM East – perhaps it roosted there overnight. Two redwings calling from the top of trees along the Lee Navigation near Stonebridge Lock and 2 egyptian geese (the droopy pair) by the Centre. A fox walked through WM West with something in its mouth, then from the Chalk Bridge I could see eleven gadwall in the channel that goes east. A cormorant that flew up from the Lee Navigation had a ‘silver’ head that I mostly only see at the start of the breeding season, hope they’re not going to start breeding again already. A nice looking male goosander was feeding in the channel just north of the Sandpiper Bridge.
Friday 17 December 2010
As a contrast, no fog but very cold and also cloudy so the light wasn’t very good for spotting birds. (What would birdwatchers do if they didn’t have the weather to complain about!) Same pair of egyptian geese at the Centre but nothing much else until I was near the Chalk Bridge when a single linnet flew south calling, from the trees right at the north of Wild Marsh West. Standing on the Chalk Bridge I could see fifteen gadwall feeding in the channel NE of the bridge. Finally, at the SE corner of WM East, waiting for a glimpse of a reed bunting I could hear calling, I then heard a bullfinch call from the trees several times. Hung around but no sight of either bird. Is the bullfinch the same one we saw earlier I wonder?

DMC

Friday Sightings

Peter Lambert wrote today:

Over the Marsh early this morning and no mist this time so I could see birds flying over. A bit of a change to my last walk on Monday morning. Was wondering if I might see the woodcock that both George and Terry have now seen flying around and thinking that if I did this would make my year total for the Marsh 100 birds. (In fact, when I got home and checked my records I found I’d already seen a woodcock over the Marsh in January this year, when we had the other cold snap!)

A small wader flew silently down the side of the Lockwood Reservoir as I walked in from Blackhorse Road. May have been a green sandpiper, but it was too gloomy still to see any plumage details, so without any calls, it remains a mystery. Nine redwings flew SE calling over WM East and on over the houses as I approached the Marsh. A pheasant called from the west side of WM East as I walked over the East Bridge but I didn’t see it, then 3 goosander shot north over the bridge and vanished. I could hear a fieldfare calling as I reached the Sandpiper Bridge and then it flew out of the trees just east of the bridge and went off N. As I walked down the side of the west channel, a couple of teal flew up. A collared dove came high NE at the Green Bridge and there were six tufted duck in the channel there and one little grebe, then 5 teal shot SE from the channel towards the Lockwood Reservoir. The Lee Navigation was still frozen and there were another 11 tufted duck in the channel plus a female teal. Two egyptian geese still by the Centre (looked like LIttle and Large) seemingly unworried by the Lee being frozen over.

Crossing the bridge over Pymmes Brook to Clerndish Marsh, there were 3 pied wagtails, 1 grey wagtail and 1 meadow pipit on the concrete in the channel. Clendish Marsh continues to be very quiet with just a sparrowhawk going NE as I finished my circle round the Marsh. But there were 12 mute swans in Pymmes Brook, an unusually high number, perhaps refugees from the frozen Lee.

On to the Pond and Stonebridge Wood (also very quiet), but then at 8.48am the highlight – a duck came W over the Marsh, circled and went back towards the reservoirs, it was a female goldeneye! My first goldeneye record since 2005 and my 100th species for the year! Soon after I heard a green sandpiper calling and the call seemed to go SE, but I couldn’t see the bird. On to the open part of WM West bouyed up by my goldeneye, I found a grey wagtail in Pymmes Brook by the bridge to Northumberland Park, plus four teal on the concrete with the usual mallards. And a few minutes later, heard redwing calls and 28 small thrushes flew high NW – all redwings I assume.

3 high flying swans looked like worth checking, but they were all mute swans rather than anything more exotic. Reached the Chalk Bridge at 9.18am and heard a ‘zit, zit’ call like a goldcrest but different. Waited searching for movement and a small bird came up in the elders just east of the bridge – a firecrest! In the bins for a second before it flew off, this is presumably the same bird that George saw on 5 December (and maybe the same bird I saw in October?).

Would have been hard to improve on the morning after that. but it was nice to see a female goosander fly N over WM East as I left the Marsh.

DMC

Firecrest Spotted!

Pete Lambert sighted a Firecrest in bushes East of Chalk Bridge this morning. This is one of a number of Firecrest sightings on the marsh over the last week or two.

DMC

Monday sightings

Pete Lambert wrote today:

Returned from the snowy and icy wastes of the North Norfolk coast and back to Tottenham Marsh this morning – to find the Lee Navigation frozen and a lot of mist, so not much seen overhead. And didn’t make contact with George’s two star birds of Sunday – a fircrest at “pond site” with tit flock, and a woodcock at WM East!

Still gadwall north of the East Bridge at WM East (a startling 13 by the time I left the Marsh) and teal in the west channel. A linnet heard calling overhead going north, but not seen. Four redwings up calling from the trees at the west channel and off west. On Clendish Marsh at 8.25am, 8 fieldfare flew west, then a little egret flew north over Pymmes Brook and there was a grey wagtail and a meadow pipit on the concrete in the channel at the bridge.

Chiffchaff at the Gas Bridge at the NW of WM West. Sparrowhawk shot south by the Lee Navigation and there were 2 little grebes in one of the few open patches at the Lee, under a willow. Standing on th Green Bridge I heard a brambling call. Sounded like it was in the trees there, but I couldn’t see it and it didn’t call again. On WM East a snipe flew SE calling.

DMC