Sunday, April 24, 2011

Pochard at East India Dock Basin

Common Tern at East India Dock Basin, April 2011


Pochard at East India Dock Basin, April 2011

Apart from attracting Common Terns back to East India Dock Basin, the stable high water level pulled in another species today which almost certainly would not have turned up if the silt had prevailed, the male Pochard in the photograph was found on a final sweep of the basin early this afternoon just as I was about to give up adding anything new to my yearlist. Other interest today included two House Martins feeding with Sand Martins over Bow Creek and two vocal Swallows flying west at the basin; four Common Sandpipers were feeding together at Bow Creek on the falling tide and three Little Ringed Plovers were on the Pura Foods peninsula. At least six Reed Warblers were singing throughout the site along with five Common Whitethroats and at least five Blackcaps, although the actual count of this species is probably much higher as several of the birds were very mobile making an accurate count impossible.

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