Being at my parents' for the weekend, I had a lazier than usual start to the morning before making my way to Poulter Park in Mitcham for the local wintering warbler fest along the River Wandle. It was immediately obvious why this stretch of river was so popular with insectivores, with a continuous cloud of midges along the path and over the water. It feels like a real local winter goldmine of a site for uncommon and rare passerines - hopefully now it's on the map half an eye will be kept on the area The
Yellow-browed Warbler - the star attraction - was soon located and went on to perform almost continuously (and occasionally calling) over the time I spent on site, along with a couple of lovely
Siberian Chiffchaffs, two
Firecrests and two
Blackcaps (one heard singing and a female). Other birds included a
Kingfisher, up to 10 nominate
Chiffchaffs, two
Grey Wagtails, a
Sparrowhawk, a
Kestrel, a
Little Egret and two
Egyptian Geese. It was great to catch up with Paul Goodman, Shaun Ferguson, Nick Gardner, Ian Ward and Arjun Dutta.
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| Yellow-browed Warbler at Poulter Park |
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| Yellow-browed Warbler at Poulter Park |
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| Siberian Chiffchaff at Poulter Park |
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| Firecrest at Poulter Park |
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| Firecrests at Poulter Park |
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| Grey Wagtail at Poulter Park |
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| female Blackcap at Poulter Park |
Paul and I then went to Beddington Farmlands for a quick look from the hides. It was quiet, with a
Water Rail, two
Stonechats, four
Shelducks, 19
Lapwings, a
Kestrel, three
Buzzards, 11
Grey Herons and two
Redwings the best on offer. Another
Redwing and a singing
Treecreeper were in Beddington Park.
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| Kestrel at Beddington Farmlands |
