Another lovely start to the day and it was either do a slow amble around a couple of the smaller pockets of reserve that are part of the Lea Valley or do the Marathon. Unfortunately I couldn’t find my running shoes so the hiking boots have it.
Dunnocks. Why can’t every bird behave like a Dunnock? They sit in the open, let you get quite close and don’t mind having their picture taken. I’d take my hat off to them if I had one.
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| Dunnock |
There were a lot of birds singing.
Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and a single
Willow Warbler. It took me a few minutes to locate the Willow Warbler as it was high up in a willow and unlike the
Dunnock, was half hidden behind foliage. Eventually it moved out enough to be seen properly.
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| Willow Warbler |
Sewardstone is usually good for Cuckoos but not today. Not even a call could be heard, maybe in a week or two this will change. Another absent friend is the Nightingale. They are fairly common just up the road in the Holyfield area of Lea Valley and I have seen and heard them here for many years but not in the last two. I don’t know why this has changed, the habitat is no different, a real mystery.
On the other hand,
Blackcaps seem to on the increase. they are everywhere this spring. I think I counted 18 singing birds here this morning.
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| Blackcap |
I walked up to Enfield Lock and found a
Little Egret and a
Kingfisher in the flood channels. I managed a shot of the Egret but the Kingfisher was too far off...needs to talk to the Dunnock.
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| Little Egret (and Coot) |
Had a look for Grey Wagtails but nothing doing, so decided to walk the path towards the Navigation Inn. So many joggers this morning...shouldn’t they be somewhere else today? A
Cetti’s Warbler chucked out it’s call – very close. It showed for a few seconds in the brilliant sunshine before disappearing low into the reeds. With the sun in my eyes, I turned heel and headed back the way I’d come. Added a tidy looking
Lesser Whitethroat to the list but no chance to photograph it...one day maybe. Still no hirundines to speak of not even a Sand Martin.
I just had time to visit Cornmill Meadows. This was very quiet. Blackcaps aside, there was very little to see or hear/ It wasn’t until I got to the Wake hide that things improved. There were a few
Lapwings, Gadwall, Shelduck and
Teal on the main pool but the main star was a single
Greenshank.
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| Greenshank |
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| Shelduck |
Again, no Yellow Wagtails or Martins but I must be patient. After all, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon
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