St. James's Park

A quick walk while waiting for documents to be processed featured a singing Coal Tit, Great Crested Grebe with young and a Mute Swan pair with seven cygnets, while the feral Red-crested Pochards were probably the most acceptable of the exotic wildfowl on the lake.

St. James's Park, Nonsuch Park and Beddington Farmlands

A long and busy but enjoyable day saw me start by meeting up with Bill H and co for another session of Coot ringing at St. James's Park. This session wasn't as productive as last time but we did still catch four birds. A couple of Little Grebes, a Nuthatch and two Coal Tits were probably the most notable wild birds noted but it was entertaining hand-feeding drake Smew and Hooded Merganser! Later on I met Christian and Josiah C for a chilled walk around Nonsuch Park, highlights being interacting female Sparrowhawks and courting Green Woodpeckers; with this breeding behaviour and the gentle conditions it really felt like spring! We reconvened at Beddington later, racking up five Green Sandpipers and a Water Pipit in the Southeast Corner, along with a handful of Snipe and two Shelducks, plus a fly-over Red Kite, a Buzzard, two Cetti's Warblers and small numbers of Fieldfares and Redwings. It was a joy to see and hear displaying Lapwings, too. We joined Tomos B, Koje and Ms Koje for an owling session, resulting in a magical twilight encounter with two Barn Owls, a memborable end to the day!

Rose-ringed Parakeet at Nonsuch Park

Green Sandpipers at Beddington Farmlands

Redwing at Beddington Farmlands

St. James's Park and Waveney Forest/Haddiscoe Island

I joined Bill H for a session of Coot-catching at St. James's Park in the morning - with a yield of 12 birds - before meeting up with Christian C to head to Norfolk. We had time just for an hour-and-a-half at Waveney Forest, overlooking Haddiscoe Island, before night fell. We failed to find the Rough-legged Buzzard but did note a Short-eared Owl, a Barn Owl, two Woodcocks, a handful of Marsh Harriers, six Pink-footed Geese and three Water Rails.