Birding Braunie

Just a quick stroll around Wanstead Flats this morning in search of Ring Ouzels. The Flats were busy with numerous footie games being played out so birdlife was muted  to say the least. The usual spots for the Ouzels were quiet with only a female sparrowhawk and a kestrel adding any interest. Kestrel With the rain starting to come down, I gave up any chance of seeing any of these wonderful thrushes and headed back to the car park. The walk back was better with 8 skylarks, 3 meadow pipits, 12 swallows, one male stonechat and a green woodpecker to make the trip worthwhile.

Well, every other London birder seemed to have seen the tern this week so why not join the list. Tubed it over to Hyde Park Corner at dawn and took a stroll around the Serpentine. Ring-necked Parakeets called loudly as they flew over and I estimated there were around 10-15 in the trees around the lake. The Serpentine, Hyde Park On the water, gulls including Black-headed, Great Black and Lesser Black-backed and Herring woke from their roost. Egyptian, Greylag and Canada Geese honked at joggers as they well jogged by on their early morning fitness regime. Cavalry horses marched along the Serpentine Road as the sun dispersed the early morning fog that lifted from the lake. No sign of the tern yet but it had been seen up by the bridge and as I approached I saw a small tern skimming the water and then it was gone. Where was it? Below the bridge, was a line of posts and the white-winged black tern sat perched on the edge of one of the posts. Don’t bloody move I thought and I found a...