Monday report – New Record for the Year

Pete Lambert wrote yesterday:

Felt like winter this morning, with frost on the ground and a low mist over the Marsh and the channels.

Walking in on the footpath from Blackhorse Lane, saw a fieldfare in the trees round the Reservoir and a little egret feeding in the channel there. Neither records for Tottenham Marsh itself, but both were the only ones I saw in my three hour walk out this morning. My only redwing of the morning went west over the houses and down to WM East, calling. On to WM East itself and there were three gadwall feeding in the channel north of the East Bridge (although by the time I’d left there were six gadwall here, four males and two females). Green woodpecker flew up near the west channel by the Sandpiper Bridge and went south down the Lee Navigation.. As I walked south along the channel, two female goosanders flew north and two pheasants shot SE across the channel and into cover. Nearer the Green Bridge I heard redpoll calls and the calls went SE but I never saw the bird (or birds). South down the towpath to Stonebridge Lock produced three goldcrests, one on the west bank of the Navigation and two together on the east bank further down.

Outside the Centre at Stonebridge Lock there were two egyptian geese (the Droopy pair) and then another two in Pymmes Brook just south of the bridge to Clendish Marsh. This didn’t look like “Little and Large”, so may be the third pair that’s around. Fourth goldcrest of the morning was in the trees at the SW of Clendish Marsh. Walking down the towpath from the Chalk Bridge I saw a female goosander fly north over the Navigation – perhaps the third of the morning? But the golden moment was at WM East on my way out when I heard a bullfinch call from the SE corner. Walked back and saw a female bullfinch fly up calling, lost it in the trees at the south end. This is my first bullfinch record for the year bringing my year total to 99 species! (Maybe this is the bird seen by David Chapman and Debbie on WM West yesterday.)

DMC