December 2013

December 31st 2013
Mute Swan, 1 at EIDB, 1 flew south at EIDB: Shelduck, 22 at EIDB: Common Teal, 61 at EIDB, 45 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, 16 at EIDB, a male at Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 15 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

December 28th 2013
Mute Swan, 2 at Bow Creek: Shelduck, 14 at EIDB, 2 flew north at EIDB, 2 at Bow Creek: Common Teal, 4 at EIDB, 30 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, 15 at EIDB: Sparrowhawk, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 3 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 30 at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB, 2 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

December 23rd 2013
Shelduck, 10 at EIDB: Common Teal, 59 at EIDB, 80 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, 4 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 5 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

December 19th 2013
Shelduck, 9 at EIDB: Common Teal, 111 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 5 at EIDB  (John Archer).

December 16th 2013
Shelduck, 7+ at EIDB: Common Teal, 200+ at EIDB: Tufted Duck, a male at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

December 13th 2013
Common Teal, 299 at EIDB: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird at EIDB jetty: Sparrowhawk, 1 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer, Neil Preston).

December 12th 2013
Shelduck, 2 at EIDB: Common Teal, 300+ at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 in the copse at EIDB showing characteristics of an eastern race: Chaffinch, 5+ at EIDB  (John Archer).

December 11th 2013
Chiffchaff, 1 in the copse at EIDB showing characteristics of an eastern race  (John Archer).

December 9th 2013
Shelduck, 3 at EIDB: Common Teal, 68 at EIDB: Little Egret, 1 flew west at EIDB: Yellow-legged Gull, 1 on the Millennium Dome Mudflats  (John Archer, James Palmer).

December 8th 2013
Shelduck, 2 at EIDB: Common Teal, 257 at EIDB, 163 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, 5 at EIDB: Peregrine Falcon, 1 flew west at Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 4 at Bow Creek: Common Gull, an adult with a red ring on its left leg inscribed with 3 white letters/numbers at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek: Pied Wagtail, 1 at Bow Creek: Jay, 1 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

December 6th 2013
Mute Swan, 1 at EIDB: Shelduck, 1 at EIDB: Common Teal, 330+ at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 2 males at EIDB: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on EIDB jetty: Yellow-legged Gull, 1 on the Millennium Dome mudflats: Meadow Pipit, 1 flew south at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Pied Wagtail, 2 at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

November 2013

November 30th 2013
Common Teal, 175 at EIDB, 391 at Bow Creek (the combined total of 566 is the second highest count for the Lower Lea following on from 590 on 26/01/2013): Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 25 roosting at Bow Creek: Jay, 2 at Bow Creek: Linnet circa 90 at Limmo Peninsula (site record count)  (Nick Tanner).

November 25th 2013
Shelduck, 2 at Bow Creek: Common Teal, 5 at EIDB, 252 at Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 11 at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek: Jay, 2 at Bow Creek: Chaffinch, a female in the northern scrub at EIDB  (Nick Tanner).

November 23rd 2013
Common Teal, 8 at EIDB, 292 at Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 7 at Bow Creek: Meadow Pipit, 4 flew east at Bow Creek: Pied Wagtail, 2 at EIDB: Chaffinch, 2 females in the northern scrub at EIDB  (Nick Tanner).

November 17th 2013
Shelduck, 2 at EIDB: Gadwall, a pair at Bow Creek: Common Teal, 29 at EIDB, 220 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, a male at Bow Creek: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Grey Heron, 15 roosting together at Limmo Peninsula: Common Sandpiper, 5 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 5 flew in to EIDB at high tide, 22 roosting at Bow Creek: Meadow Pipit, 3 flew west at EIDB, 3 flew east at Bow Creek: Rock Pipit, 1 initially on barges off EIDB then calling in flight over Orchard Wharf (second site record): Grey Wagtail, 2 at EIDB including a singing male, 1 at Bow Creek: Jay, 1 at Bow Creek: Starling, circa 150 at Limmo Peninsula: Linnet, 8 at Orchard Wharf  (Nick Tanner).

November 12th 2013
Common Teal, 74 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Pied Wagtail, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

November 10th 2013
Common Teal, 30 at EIDB, 16 at Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 6 at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at Bow Creek: Linnet, 2 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

November 8th 2013
Common Teal, 23 at EIDB: Little Egret, 3 at EIDB (site record count, only singles previously): Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 2 at EIDB: Pied Wagtail, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer, Paul Hyland).

Little Egrets at EIDB, 08/11/2013 (John Archer)

Little Egrets at EIDB, 08/11/2013 (John Archer)

November 7th 2013
Common Teal, 40+ at EIDB: Tufted Duck, a male at EIDB: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Meadow Pipit, 3 flew over EIDB  (John Archer).

November 6th 2013
Shelduck, 2 at Bow Creek: Common Teal, 58 at EIDB: Mallard, 35 at EIDB, 139 at Bow Creek (combined total of 174 is the site record count): Little Egret, 1 at EIDB then roosting in a tree on the eastern side of BCEP at high tide: Common Sandpiper, 2 roosting at BCEP: Redshank, 10 roosting at BCEP  (Nick Tanner).

November 5th 2013
Common Teal, 115 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, a male at EIDB: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on EIDB jetty: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

November 4th 2013
Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB  (Paul Hyland).

November 1st 2013

Mute Swan, 2 at Bow Creek: Canada Goose, 6 flew over Bow Creek: Common Teal, 82 at EIDB, 3 at Bow Creek: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 11 at Bow Creek: Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek: Pied Wagtail, 2 at EIDB  (Nick Tanner).

Little Egret at EIDB, 01/11/2013  (Nick Tanner)

October 2013

October 31st 2013

Mute Swan, 3 at Bow Creek: Shelduck, 1 at EIDB (first of the autumn, very late this year): Common Teal, 41 at EIDB, 28 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, a male at Bow Creek: Cormorant, 24 on EIDB jetty including the Estonian ringed bird: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 12 roosting on Limmo Peninsula: Grey Wagtail, 1 at Bow Creek: Chiffchaff, 1 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

October 30th 2013

Common Teal, 55 at EIDB, 32 at Bow Creek: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on EIDB jetty: Common Sandpiper, 3 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 6 at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek  (John Archer, Nick Tanner).

October 29th 2013

Common Teal, 84 at EIDB, 14 at Bow Creek: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 12 at Bow Creek: Woodpigeon, 20 flew west at EIDB: Meadow Pipit, 1 over Bow Creek:  Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

October 28th 2013

Greylag Goose x Canada Goose hybrid, 1 at EIDB: Canada Goose, 1 at EIDB: Common Teal, 83 at EIDB, 3 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, a male at Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 6 at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Pied Wagtail, 2 at EIDB: Linnet, 4 at Bow Creek  (John Archer, Nick Tanner).

Common Sandpiper at Bow Creek, 28/10/2013 (Nick Tanner)

October 26th 2013

Common Teal, 30 at EIDB, 104 at Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 1 at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek: Jay, 1 at EIDB: Red Admiral, 1 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

October 25th 2013

Common Teal, 50 at EIDB: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Reed Bunting, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

October 23rd 2013

Common Teal, 52 at EIDB: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 10 at Bow Creek: Red Admiral, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer, James Palmer).

October 22nd 2013

Common Teal, 37 at EIDB: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Chaffinch, 8 flew west at EIDB  (John Archer). 

October 20th 2013

Common Teal, 45 at EIDB, 86 at Bow Creek: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on EIDB jetty: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Redshank, 8 roosting on the western side of BCEP  (Nick Tanner).

Little Egret at EIDB, 20/10/2013 (Nick Tanner)

October 19th 2013
Common Teal, 47 at EIDB, 99 at Bow Creek: Mallard, 139 at Bow Creek: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 10 roosting on western side of BCEP: Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at Bow Creek, Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB: Greenfinch, a flock of 13 flew south at EIDB  (Nick Tanner).

October 18th 2013
Common Teal, 92 at EIDB, 39 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, a male at Bow Creek: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on EIDB jetty: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Sparrowhawk, a male at EIDB: Redshank, 4 at Bow Creek: Meadow Pipit, 2 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at Bow Creek, Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer, Nick Tanner).

October 17th 2013
Common Teal, 113 at EIDB: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on EIDB jetty: Small White, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

October 16th 2013
Common Teal, 20 at EIDB, 25 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, a male at Bow Creek: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird at EIDB jetty: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Common Gull, 3 at EIDB, 2 at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek: Linnet, 3 flew south at EIDB  (John Archer, Nick Tanner).

October 15th 2013
Common Teal, 30 at EIDB, 79 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, a male at Bow Creek: Little Egret, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Meadow Pipit, 1 flew west at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 2 at EIDB including 1 singing: Reed Bunting, 1 at Bow Creek  (John Archer, Nick Tanner).

Little Egret at EIDB, 15/10/2013  (John Archer)

October 13th 2013
Common Teal, 47 at EIDB, 13 at Bow Creek: Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB  (Nick Tanner).

October 12th 2013
Common Teal, 113 at EIDB, 5 at Bow Creek: Sparrowhawk, 1 at EIDB: Merlin, a female or immature at EIDB briefly before flying off north (4th EIDB record following singles on January 15th 2001, January 28th 2007 and December 5th 2010): Common Sandpiper, 4 at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB  (Nick Tanner).

October 8th 2013
Common Teal, 70 at EIDB: Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

October 5th 2013
Common Teal, 25 at EIDB, 64 at Bow Creek: Peregrine Falcon, 1 roosting on the Millennium Dome: Common Sandpiper, 2 roosting on Limmos Peninsula: Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Long-tailed Tit, 6 at EIDB: Jay, 1 at EIDB: House Sparrow, 1 at EIDB  (Paul Hyland, Nick Tanner).

October 4th 2013
Common Teal, 70 at EIDB: Cormorant, 35 on EIDB jetty including the Estonian ringed bird: Sparrowhawk, 1 at EIDB: Meadow Pipit, 1 flew south at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 singing at EIDB  (John Archer).

October 3rd 3013
Common Teal, 50 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Jay, 2 at EIDB: Linnet, 1 flew south at EIDB  (John Archer).

October 2nd 2013
hybrid Greylag Goose x Canada Goose, 1 at EIDB: Common Teal, 22 at EIDB, 78 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, 1 flew west up the Thames off EIDB: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on EIDB jetty: Sparrowhawk, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Redshank, 1 at Bow Creek (first of autumn): Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Pied Wagtail, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer, Nick Tanner).

hybrid Greylag Goose x Canada Goose, EIDB, 02/10/2013 (John Archer)

October 1st 2013
Common Teal, 28 at EIDB: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on EIDB jetty  (John Archer).

September 2013

September 30th 2013
Common Teal, 50 at EIDB: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on EIDB jetty  (John Archer).

September 29th 2013
Common Teal, 24 at EIDB, 55 at Bow Creek: Cormorant, 30 on EIDB jetty including the Estonian ringed bird: Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB  (Nick Tanner).

September 26th 2013
Common Teal, 32 at EIDB  (John Archer).

September 25th 2013
Common Teal, 23 at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

September 24th 2013
Egyptian Goose, 2 at EIDB: Common Teal, 14 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 1 at EIDB: Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).



Kingfisher at EIDB, 24/09/2013 (John Archer)



September 23rd 2013
Great Crested Grebe, 1 on the Thames off EIDB  (John Archer).

September 21st 2013

Common Teal, 2 at EIDB, 23 at Bow Creek: Cormorant, 117 on the Thames off EIDB: Sparrowhawk, 1 at Bow Creek: Kestrel, 1 at Bow Creek: Peregrine Falcon, 1 roosting on the Millennium Dome: Common Gull, 1 at Bow Creek: Stock Dove, 1 at Limmo's Peninsula: Collared Dove, 1 flew north at EIDB: Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Pied Wagtail, 1 at Bow Creek: Blackcap, 1 at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB, 1 at BCEP, 1 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).



Common Gull at Bow Creek, 21/09/2013 (Nick Tanner)


September 20th 2013
Great Crested Grebe: 1 on the Thames off EIDB: Cormorant, the Estonian ringed bird on the jetty off EIDB: Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 in the copse at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

September 19th 2013
Common Teal, 1 at EIDB, 3 at Bow Creek: Cormorant, 39 on the Thames off EIDB including a bird ringed as a large nestling in Estonia on July 3rd 2011 (blue ring EBY): Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Meadow Pipit, 1 over EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer, David Darrell-Lambert).

Estonian ringed Cormorant at EIDB, 19/09/2013 (David Darrrell-Lambert)

September 18th 2013
Common Teal, 2 at EIDB, 4 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek: Kingfisher, 1 at EIDB: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 3+ at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek  (John Archer, Nick Tanner).

September 17th 2013
Reed Warbler, 1 at BCEP: Chiffchaff, 3 at BCEP  (John Archer).

September 16th 2013
Chiffchaff, 3 in the copse at EIDB  (John Archer).

September 13th 2013
Shoveler, 1 on the Thames off EIDB  (John Archer).

September 12th 2013
Common Teal, 2 at EIDB: Reed Warbler, 1 at EIDB: Willow Warbler, a juvenile at EIDB  (John Archer).

September 8th 2013
Common Teal, 10 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

September 7th 2013
Common Teal, 4 at EIDB: Sparrowhawk, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 1 at EIDB: Yellow-legged Gull, 1 at EIDB: Chiffchaff, 1 at EIDB  (David Darrell-Lambert).

September 4th 2013
Common Teal, 25 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 1 at EIDB: Sparrowhawk, a male at EIDB: Peregrine Falcon, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

September 1st 2013

Common Teal, 22 at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, 1 at EIDB, 1 at Bow Creek: Peregrine Falcon, 1 roosting on the Millennium Dome, 1 flew NW over Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 3 at Bow Creek: Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 at Bow Creek: Reed Warbler, 1 sinigng in the pylon reedbed at Bow Creek: Blackcap, 1 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

August 2013

August 27th 2013
Common Teal, 29 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 8 at EIDB: Little Grebe, 2 at EIDB (80th species of the year): Common Sandpiper, 9 roosting at two sites on Limmo's Peninsula: Stock Dove, 1 at Bow Creek: Collared Dove, 1 at Bow Creek: Jersey Tiger, 1 at Bow Creek, 1 at BCEP: Clouded Yellow, 1 at BCEP  (John Archer, Nick Tanner). 

August 25th 2013
Common Teal, 3 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 2 at EIDB: Cormorant, 44 on the Thames, 4 at EIDB: Grey Heron, 15 at Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek: Stock Dove, 1 at Bow Creek: Reed Warbler, 1 at Saffron Avenue Pond: Blackcap, 2 at BCEP: Jersey Tiger, 1 at BCEP  (Nick Tanner).

August 20th 2013
Common Teal, 3 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 2 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 1 at EIDB: Common Tern, pair four have 3 fledged young at EIDB: Willow Warbler, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).

August 19th 2013
Common Teal, 4 at EIDB: Common Tern, pair four have 3 fledged young at EIDB  (John Archer).

August 18th 2013
Common Teal, 8 at EIDB: Mallard, 108 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 1 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 1 roosting on Limmo's Peninsula, 1 roosting at EIDB: Common Tern, pair four have 3 near-fledged young at EIDB: Stock Dove, 1 at Bow Creek: Sand Martin, 1 at EIDB: Jersey Tiger, 2 at Bow Creek, 4 at BCEP  (Nick Tanner).

August 14th 2013
Canada Goose, 39 at EIDB: Common Teal, 6 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 3 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 9 roosting at three sites along Bow Creek (record patch count): Common Tern, pair four have 3 unfledged young at EIDB: Sand Martin, 1 at EIDB: House Martin, 5 at Bow Creek: Grey Wagtail, 1 at EIDB: Jersey Tiger, 10 at Bow Creek  (John Archer, Nick Tanner).

August 11th 2013
Common Teal, 1 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 2 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 8 roosting together on Limmo's Peninsula: Common Tern, 2 fledged juveniles, pair four have 2+ unfledged young, 4 adults at EIDB: Stock Dove, 1 at Bow Creek: Sand Martin, 1 at EIDB: Blackcap, 1 at Bow Creek, Willow Warbler, 1 at BCEP: Jersey Tiger, 10+ at Bow Creek, 5 at BCEP: Silver Y, 1 at EIDB: Holly Blue, 5+ at Bow Creek: Common Blue, 5+ at BCEP  (Nick Tanner).

August 9th 2013
Common Teal, 6 at EIDB: Sparrowhawk, 1 at EIDB: Oystercatcher, 2 on the Millennium Dome mudflats: Common Gull, 1 at EIDB  (Gary A James).

August 7th 2013

Little Egret, 1 flew high west along the Thames at EIDB, the 79th species of the year and the first record since a flock of 3 on October 21st 2011  (John Archer).

August 6th 2013

Common Teal, 9 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 1 at EIDB: Peregrine Falcon, 1 at EIDB: Oystercatcher, 2 on the Millennium Dome mudflats: Common Sandpiper, 2 at Bow Creek: Yellow-legged Gull, an adult and a 2nd-year on the Milennium Dome mudflats, a 2nd-year at Bow Creek: Common Tern, 2 fledged young, pair three have 3 unfledged young, 5 adults at EIDB: Sand Martin, 1 at EIDB: House Martin, 2 at EIDB: Reed Warbler, 1 at EIDB:  Blackcap, 1 at EIDB: Starling, circa 50 flew east: Common Blue, 6+ at EIDB, Azure Damselfly, 1 at EIDB, several at Saffron Avenue Pond: Small Red-eyed Damselfly, 10+ at Saffron Avenue Pond: Common Darter, 3 at EIDB: Ruddy Darter, a male at Saffron Avenue Pond  (John Archer, Gary A James).

August 5th 2013

Common Teal, 4 at EIDB: Common Tern, pair two have two fledged chicks, pair three have 1 fledged chick, pair four have 3 unfledged chicks at EIDB  (John Archer).

August 4th 2013 

Common Teal, 1 at Bow Creek: Common Sandpiper, 2 roosting on a tern raft at EIDB, 2 at Bow Creek: Common Gull, an adult at Bow Creek, first of the autumn: Common Tern: pair two have 2 fledged chicks, pair four have 3 unfledged chicks, 4 adults at EIDB: Sand Martin, 1 at EIDB: House Martin, 8 at Bow Creek: Reed Warbler, 1 singing at Bow Creek: Jersey Tiger, 1 at EIDB, 2 at Bow Creek: Holly Blue, 4+ at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

Jersey Tiger at Bow Creek, August 4th 2013 (Nick Tanner)

August 3rd 2013

Mallard, 103 at EIDB, 15+ 8 newly hatched chicks at Bow Creek: Tufted Duck, 3 at EIDB: Common Tern: pair two have 2 fledged chicks, pair three have 1 fledged chick, pair four have 3 unfledged chicks, 7 adults at EIDB: Sand Martin, 3 at EIDB  (Nick Tanner).

August 2nd 2013

Common Teal: 2 at EIDB: Common Tern, pair two have 2 fledged young, pair three have 1 unfledged young, pair four have 3 unfledged young, 10+ adults at EIDB: Sand Martin, 2 at EIDB: Reed Warbler, 1 singing at EIDB: Comma, 1 at EIDB: Jersey Tiger, 1 at EIDB  (John Archer).  

July 2013

July 30th 2013
Common Teal, 2 at EIDB: Great Crested Grebe, 1 flew up the Thames off EIDB: Oystercatcher, 2 on the Millennium Dome mudflats  (John Archer).

July 29th 2013
Oystercatcher, 2 on the Millennium Dome mudflats: Common Tern, 2 fledged juveniles, pairs two and three both have 2 unfledged chicks each, pair four have 3 newly-hatched chicks, 11+ more adults at EIDB: Sand Martin, 6+ at EIDB  (John Archer).

July 28th 2013
Common Teal, 2 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 14 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 1 at Bow Creek: Common Tern, 2 fledged juveniles, pairs two and three both have 2 unfledged chicks each, pair four still incubating, 11 more adults at EIDB: Sand Martin, 3 at EIDB: Reed Warbler, 1 singing at EIDB: Silver Y, 1 at EIDB  (Nick Tanner).

July 26th
Oystercatcher, 2 on the Millennium Dome mudflats  (John Archer).

July 24th 2013
Greylag Goose, 1 at EIDB: Canada Goose, 18 at EIDB: Shelduck, 1 at EIDB: Common Teal, 2 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 36 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 5 feeding on the falling tide at Bow Creek: Common Tern, pairs two and three have 2 unfledged chicks each, pair four still incubating, 6 adults at EIDB: Common Swift, 30+ flew west at EIDB early evening: Sand Martin, 2 at EIDB: Reed Warbler, 1 singing at EIDB, 1 singing at Bow Creek; Red Admiral, 1 at Bow Creek  (Nick Tanner).

July 22nd 2013
Peregrine Falcon, an adult and two juveniles over EIDB late afternoon, drifted off west (Nick Tanner).
Big Butterfly Count 2013, a fifteen minute count at EIDB produced: 1 Small Skipper, 3 Large Whites, 1 Small White, 4 Green-veined Whites, 1 Peacock, 2 Marbled Whites (first site record), 3 Meadow Browns, 9 Gatekeepers, 1 Speckled Wood and 5 Six-spot Burnets, also seen after the count ended: 1 Essex Skipper, 1 Large Skipper, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Common Blue (John Archer) and 2 Commas (Nick Tanner).

Comma at EIDB, July 22nd 2013 (Nick Tanner)

July 21st 2013
Common Teal, 2 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 46 including the Red-saddled Portuguese female at EIDB: Kestrel, 1 at EIDB: Little Ringed Plover, 2 at EIDB: Common Sandpiper, 7 roosting on the western side of Limmo's Peninsula: Black-headed Gull, c260 at EIDB: Common Tern, pairs two and three both have 2 chicks, pair four still incubating, , no sign of pair six, a fledge juvenile and 10 adults at EIDB: Common Swift, 3 at EIDB, 2 at Bow Creek: Sand Martin, 1 at EIDB: Reed Warbler, 2 at EIDB: Gatekeeper, 5+ at EIDB: Six-spot Burnet, c16 at EIDB: Small Red-eyed Damselfly, 10+ at Saffron Avenue pond  (Nick Tanner).

Six-spot Burnet at EIDB, July 21st 2013 (Nick Tanner)

July 19th 2013
Common Teal, 2 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 32 at EIDB: Hybrid Falcon, a large Gyr-type and a smaller Saker-type together over EIDB: Little Ringed Plover, 2 at EIDB: Common Tern: still at least 1 chick, pairs four and six still incubating, no sign of pair five, a fledged Juvenile and 10 adults at EIDB: Sand Martin, 2 at EIDB: Pied Wagtail, a juvenile at EIDB: Reed Warbler, 2 singing at EIDB  (John Archer). 

July 16th 2013
Tufted Duck, red-saddled Portuguese female at EIDB: Small Red-eyed Damselfly, 5 pairs at Saffron Avenue pond  (John Archer).

Small Red-eyed Damselflies at Saffron Avenue pond, July 2013 (John Archer)

July 15th 2013
Shelduck, 1 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 30+ at EIDB: Common Tern, pairs two and three have at least 2 chicks each, pairs four and six still incubating: Common Swift: 1 at EIDB: Sand Martin, 2 at EIDB: House Martin, 1 at EIDB: Reed Warbler, 1 singing at EIDB: Common Blue Damselfly several 100 at Saffron Avenue pond: Blue-tailed Damselfly, 3+ at Saffron Avenue pond: Red-eyed Damselfly, 50+ at Saffron Avenue pond: Emperor Dragonfly, 1 at EIDB, 4 at Saffron Avenue pond  (John Archer).

July 14th 2013

Shelduck, 2 at EIDB: Common Teal, 2 at EIDB: Tufted Duck, 41 at EIDB: Common Tern, pairs two and three have chicks, pairs four and six still incubating at EIDB, no sign of pair five: Common Swift, 1 at Bow Creek: Sand Martin, 3 at EIDB: House Martin, 5 collecting mud at Bow Creek and flying NE towards Canning Town: Pied Wagtail, a juvenile at EIDB: Reed Warbler, 2 singing at EIDB: Blackcap: 1 singing at EIDB, 2 singing at Bow Creek: Reed Bunting, a female at EIDB: Red-eyed Damselfly, 6+ at Saffon Avenue pond  (Nick Tanner).

July 12th 2013
Common Teal, 3 at EIDB: Yellow-legged Gull, a 2nd-summer at EIDB: Common Tern, pairs two to four incubating at EIDB  (Gary A James).

July 11th 2013
Shelduck, 2 at EIDB: Common Teal, 2 at EIDB, Tufted Duck, 25+ at EIDB: Common Sandpiper: 1 roosting on Limmo's Peninsula, first of the autumn: Common Tern, pair two have 2 chicks, pairs three to six still incubating at EIDB, 7+ on Thames: Sand Martin, 1 at EIDB: Reed  Warbler, 1 at EIDB: Common Whitethroat, 1 singing at BCEP  (John Archer, Nick Tanner).

July 10th 2013
Common Tern, pair two have 2 chicks, pairs three to six still incubating at EIDB  (John Archer).

July 5th 2013
Common Teal, a male at EIDB: Little Ringed Plover, 2 at EIDB: Common Swift, 1 at EIDB: Jay, 2 at EIDB: Grey Seal, one downriver off EIDB at 08:45 (John Archer).

July 4th 2013
Long-tailed Duck, a female at EIDB, first site record: Sparrowhawk, 1 at EIDB: Little Ringed Plover: 2 at EIDB:  Common Tern: pair four incubating on easternmost raft at EIDB: Common Swift, 1 at EIDB: House Martin, 1 at EIDB: Siskin, 2 at EIDB including a juvenile, first July record: Red-eyed Damselfly, a pair mating at EIDB, several at Saffron Avenue pond: Azure Damselfly, a pair mating at Saffron Avenue pond: Common Blue Damselfly, several at Saffron Avenue pond: Emperor Dragonfly, 2 at Saffron Avenue pond   (John Archer).

Long-tailed Duck at EIDB, July 4th 2013 (John Archer)

July 2nd 2013
Little Ringed Plover, 2 at EIDB: Mediterranean Gull, an adult roosting with Black-headed Gulls at EIDB: Common Tern, pair one feeding 2 fledged chicks, pairs two to four incubating on same raft at EIDB  (John Archer).

Mediterranean Gull at EIDB, July 2nd 2013 (John Archer)

July 1st 2013
Egyptian Goose: 1 at EIDB: Sparrowhawk, 1 at EIDB: Common Tern, pair one have fledged 2 chicks, pairs two and three still incubating at EIDB: Common Swift, 7 at EIDB: Sand Martin, 6 at EIDB  (Gary A James).

Second Quarter: April to June 2013 summary



Egyptian Goose at East India Dock Basin



Burnet Companion at East India Dock Basin



Following on from the two records from the last period Egyptian Goose has consolidated its status at the Lower Lea with two on April 14th and 24th, May 17th and 31st and June 5th, singles were noted on April 30th and June 17th, 20th and 23rd, a total of 12 records in 2013 with just two prior to this year. Shelduck numbers remained high during April with a monthly maximun of 24 on the 3rd, numbers dropped off during May with a high count of just nine on the 2nd with the same monthly maximum on June 2nd; as usual and despite lots of territorial behavior, no  firm evidence of breeding was noted. Following on from an exceptional first quarter Common Teal numbers remained very high during early April with a peak count of 412 on the 1st, this number dropped to a singleton by the 24th, which was the last winter record; a male from  May 15th to 22nd and another male on June 21st and 23rd were the only spring migrants; the only other notable dabbling duck was a male Gadwall on May 25th and 27th. Tufted Duck numbers were also on the high side with monthly maxima of 71 on April 13th, 66 on May 8th and 50 on June 12th, the Portuguese red-saddled. female was noted on 15 dates between April 7th and May 28th. Despite a healthy breeding population in the nearby docks Great Crested Grebe can be very difficult to find at the Lower Lea so an adult in breeding plumage at the basin from May 10th to June 5th was very welcome, a second bird was noted on the Thames on the latter date. Sparrowhawk continued to be elusive with singles noted on April 19th and 24th the only records, Kestrel fared much better with singles recorded on 12 dates between April 1st and June 24th. There were no reports of Oystercatcher during April, usually the best month of the year for this species at the Lower Lea with just singles on June 6th and 15th the only records. Common Sandpiper numbers remained high during April with a peak count of seven on the 16th, spring passage continued into early May with five on the 2nd and two on the 8th the last of the season. Redshank numbers dropped off during April with five on the 1st, four on the 3rd and two on the 7th, thereafter one or two were noted until the last on April 20th. A feature of recent summers has been the build-up of Black-headed Gulls, mostly non-breeding bitds in 1st-summer plumage, ten were at the basin on June 17th, 102 on June 23rd and about 200 on June 24th. An early breeding pair Common Terns had three chicks by June 12th and at least three more pairs were incubating by the end of the month, a welcome return to form for this species. One or two Stock Doves were noteed in their usual haunt on Limmo's Peninsula between April 7th and June 20th but as in previous years no breeding has taken place, a Collared Dove on May 20th was the only record for the period.  There was a good passage of Common Swift during May, 20 flew south on the 17th and 30 were recorded on the 20th with two the following day, the only other record was of five on June 17th. Sand Martins were late back this year, the first record of two birds was on April 15th followed by singles on April 24th and May 6th and then no more until two on June 4th and 5th followed by at least four on June 12th, six on June 16th, nine on June 17th and 21st with a peak count of 14+ on June 23rd, no evidence of breeding was noted by the end of June. Swallow passage was fairly light, the first record was of at least four flying north west on April 19th followed by one north on April 24th, two north east on May 20th with one on May 31st the last record. Passage House Martins were in short supply, three on April 16th was the only record for that month, things picked up in June with five on the 5th, ten on the 20th and the last report of two on the 23rd, the only Meadow Pipit of the period flew south on April 14th. Passage Black Redstarts were noted on April 1st and 4th and May 15th, better still was the female Common Redstart in the northern scrub at the basin, only the second record for the Lower Lea; it was a very poor spring for Northern Wheatear with singles on April 13th, 16th and 23rd the only records; Mistle Thrush continued its recent good form with singles on April 7th, May 15th and June 5th. The first Sedge Warbler turned up on April 24th followed by a very good count of three on April 27th and one on April 28th; the first Reed Warbler also turned up on April 24th with numbers building up to a peak of six on May 31st. A fall of at least four Blackcaps on April 15th were the first of the spring with a peak count of six singing on April 28th and May 6th, Lesser Whitethroat passage was restricted to a single singing bird on April 26th and 27th; two Common Whitethroats on April 15th were the first of the spring with numbers building up to a peak count of a least eight on April 27th. Chiffchaffs were noted on five dates in April with a peak count of at least four on the 15th,  it was the vest sping on record for Willow Warbler, two on April 14th, including one singing, were the first arrivals followed by at least 12 the following day, the largest fall ever at the Lower Lea, at least seven were present on the 16th, six on the 19th, seven on the 20th and two on the 24th with at least one on april 26th the last of the spring.A male House Sparrow on June 7th was the only record of the period and a single male Reed Bunting was holding territory until the end of May at least. Lepidoptera sightings included single Holly Blues on April 24th and June 2nd, four male Common Blues on June 17th, two Peacocks and a Comma on April 24th, a Speckled Wood on May 6th, single male Brimstones on May 27th and June 2nd and several Burnet Companion moths on June 17th.

First Quarter: January to March 2013 summary

The red-saddled Portuguese Tufted Duck was noted on six dates between January 2nd and March 17th

A pale-headed Egyptian Goose at the basin on March 3rd was only the third record of this species for the Lower Lea following on from one on March 28th 2010 and two on August 22nd 2010, Shelduck numbers remained high throughout the period with monthly maxima of 33 on January 27th, 30 on February 11th and 24 on March 30th, as usual there was a lot of territorial display from around the end of February but definate breeding has yet to be confirmed here. Common Teal numbers remained exceptionally high throughout with a site record count of 590 on January 26th and monthly maxima of 509 on February 9th and 422 on March 3rd with 364 still present at the end of March; there was a small influx of Gadwall during January with a male on the 19th, five on 26th (three males) and a male on the 27th; the only other notable dabbling duck was a Wigeon on February 12th. Tufted Duck numbers remained a little low with monthly maxima of 44 on January 4th, 29 on February 9th and 36 on March 17th; the female fitted with the red nasal saddle from Portugal was present on January 2nd, 3rd 4th and 6th, February 26th and March 17th; Great Crested Grebe remains as scarce as ever with two on January 19th and one on February 17th the only records. The only record of Sparrowhawk was of a male on January 3rd, this species can be unaccountably scarce early in the year and sightings should pick up during April;  Kestrels fared a little better with one on January 26th, two on February 5th, one on February 10th and, encoragingly a displaying male on February 13th. Records of Peregrine Falcon  have been somewhat confused by the presence of two hybrid falcons in the area; the only reliable records pertain to a female seen on January 6th, 8th and 26th, February 9th and March 2nd and 3rd; the first hybrid presented no identification problems as it was a huge, very pale female, somewhat reminiscent of a Gyr Falcon, this bird was seen on January 4th, February 10th and March 30th; the second bird was more problematic, resembling a small male Peregrine at distance, this bird was seen on January 17th and March 3rd, in the company of the hybrid female on the latter date when the size difference was obvious. It was a good period for waders with seven species recorded, a vocal pair of Oystercatchers were at Bow Creek on  March 21st, the first Little Ringed Plover  appeared on March 26th with two on the 29th and three on the 31st; periods of cold weather during January produced a Woodcock on the 17th, a Common Snipe on the 19th and two Lapwing on the 26th. Common Sandpiper numbers remained high throughout with monthly maxima of six on January 26th, five on February 16th and five on several dates in March; Redshank numbers were about average with monthly maxima of  20 on January 11th and February 3rd and 13 on March 3rd with just five remaining on March 31st. Single adult Yellow-legged Gulls were recorded on January 3rd and March 21st, these were the only notable larids of the period. Two Stock Doves were back on territory on March 30th and singles of Kingfisher and Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen on February 24th and February 9th respecively. A female Black Redstart was a welcome find on March 29th, the fortunes of this once reliable species have taken a turn for the worse in recent years, another just about annual visitor is the Mistle Thrush, a pair in the copse at the basin on March 1st and 28th suggests that breeding may be taking place locally. Overwintering Chiffchaffs made a welcome return to form after the virtual absense of last year, singles were noted on nine dates between January 2nd and March 31st with two on January 3rd and 13th, single Goldcrests were seen on January 5th and 15th and February 3rd, a good showing for this less than annual species. Two Siskins were in the copse on January 26th, and six were in the eastern clump on March 8th, a very good pair of records for this species, a pair of Linnets were recorded on February 24th and March 3nd with five on March 23rd; single Reed Buntings were noted on January 13th and 26th, February 5th and 10th and March 29th with two on January 19th. Finally, a Common Seal was in the Thames off the basin on January 4th.

Third record of Egyptian Goose

Egyptian Goose: East India Dock Basin, 10/03/2013

It was one of those bitterly cold mornings that March can sometimes pull out of the bag, just when you think that winter is over it's back in your face with  interest. I wasn't expecting too much this morning, a lethal north-easterly was blowing right through me and the thought of a hot coffee in the Esso garge was eminently more appealing than a circuit of the patch. I arrived at the basin to find it reasonably devoid of wildfowl with just two Shelduck, three Common Teal and 20 Tufted Duck the only notables, then I saw a movement in the reeds and before I could turn it into the much anticipated Bittern it swam out and revealed itself as an Egyptian Goose, only the third site record following on from a single on March 28th 2010 and two on August 22nd 2010. The pair of Shelduck started to display and the Egyptian Goose decided to join in,  regaling them with a full suite of truly horrible vocals, (a couple of weeks ago I had a flock of nine Egyptian Geese fly over my head in south London making a sound that I could only describe as the sky throwing up). Apart from this much welcome year tick it was pretty much business as usual with more wildfowl coming onto the basin on the rising tide I finished up with 9 Shelduck, 296 Common Teal (77 on the basin, the rest on Bow Creek) and 20 Tufted Duck. The wader roost held seven Redshank and three Common Sandpiper with another one further downstream. It was very quiet on the passerine front with just an incessantly calling Chiffchaff at the basin the only bird of interest.  

Fourth Quarter: October to December 2012 summary



Shelduck at East India Dock Basin: numbers peaked at 16 in mid December



The first Shelduck of the winter arrived on November 12th with two on  the 26th and four on the 30th; numbers picked up during December with ten on the 3rd and 6th and a peak monthly count of 16 on the 8th and 14th. A juvenile Wigeon was at the basin on October 23rd and a pair were on Bow Creek on December 12rh; these two sightings represent the fourth and fifth records respectively which, following on from the flock of seven on the Thames on February 12th, made 2012 easily the best year ever for this species. Other good dabblers included a record-equalling count of six Gadwall on December 12th and two immature male Shoveler from  December 12th to 16th. Common Teal numbers gradually built up during October with 84 on the 9th, 175 on the 18th and 280 on the 29th; numbers dropped a little during November with a monthly maximum of 244 on the 26th before recovering in December with a peak count of 300 on the 14th. Overall it was a very poor period for Tufted Duck with monthly maxima of 12 on October 23rd and November 19th and 21 on December 3rd. with the red-saddled female from Portugal recorded on four dates between November 12th and 18th. Little Grebe has become something of a rarity recently, the only records were of a single at the basin on four dates between October 16th to 28th and two on Bow Creek on December 9th. It was a very poor period for raptors with just single Sparrowhawk on October 24th and Peregrine Falcon on October 25th the only records. Common Sandpiper numbers remained high with monthly maxima of six on October 14th and four on November 5th, December 9th and 15th; Redshank counts remained stable but a little on the low side with no really cold weather to boost numbers; the first autumn record was of eight on October 14th, this built to a monthly maximum of 12 in the high tide roost on the 24th, numbers dropped slightly during November with a peak count of ten on the 5th before picking up in December with a maximum of 20 on the  2nd and 9th. It was a very quiet period for larids with a 3rd-winter Yellow-legged Gull on November 9th the only record of note. A Kingfisher was seen on October 22nd and 23rd but these were the only records for the period, Great Spotted Woodpecker was equally scarce with just singles on October 23rd and December 9th. A rather late Swallow flew south on October 9th, it was the vanguard of what proved to be a very poor period for visible migration, other notables included a Meadow Pipit flying south on October 29th and a record count of 15 Lesser Redpolls flying north-west on November 12th. The two winter thrushes had a very poor showing, a single Fieldfare on December 12th and a single Redwing on October 22nd with three flying west on November 12th were the only records whilst six Song Thrushes on October 22nd were probably migrants. The only record of Blackcap was on October 22nd, Chiffchaffs fared much better with singles on six dates between October 9th and December 7th, two on December 9th and three on October 14th and December 16th; it was also a good period for Goldcrests with singles on October 9th, 11th and 29th and two on October 22nd and December 9th. A site record count of 30 Chaffinch was made on October 22nd, 14 Linnets were noted on October 24th and finally, a Brambling, only the third site record, was found on November 26th

Common Teal record smashed

This morning dawned bright and sunny , the predicted overnight snow did not fall so I was  looking forward to a gentle stroll around the patch with no great hope of anything unusual to enliven my day. I arrived at the basin to be confronted with the site of a massive flock of Common Teal, a systematic count revealed  280, a very good count as this species has struggled to make double figures at the basin recently, I headed for Bow Creek and was amazed to count another 310 Common Teal here, I quickly returned to the basin just to check that the birds there hadn't shifted to the creek but they were still in situ; this combined total of 590 is easily the highest count ever at the lower Lea the previous best being 460 on February 9th 2012. Shelduck were very much in evidence with 22 on the basin and two pairs having a territorial dispute on the Limmo Peninsula, another welcome surprise was five Gadwall, including three drakes, on Bow Creek, this is the third best count for the creek following six on January 10th 2011 and six on December 12th 2012. The main wader roost held 15 Redshank and two Common Sandpipers with another four roosting at three sites further downstream; two Lapwings were also on Bow Creek, the fifth wader species for the year following on from Redshank, Common Sandpiper, a Woodcock at Virginia Quay on January 17th and a Common Snipe flushed from the Lammas Meadow in the ecology park on January 19th. Other year ticks came in the form of a hunting Kestrel over the Limmo Peninsula, an adult female Peregrine Falcon seen several times during the afternoon, a Grey Wagtail on Bow Creek and two Siskins in the copse at the basin, the first time I've had this species "on the deck" here, all in all a very productive visit. 

Off to a Flyer

The first visit of 2013. I have been an infrequent visitor to the area in the last few months, mainly because of work, but I am hoping to visit on a regular basis this year.  With the weather being so mild I did not expect too much this morning. On arriving I met up with fellow birder Paul Hyland who is even a rarer vistor to the site than I am. After checking the Wildfowl on the basin (12 Shelduck was a good count) we headed for Bow Creek and the Ecology Park. A few Redshank were on the creek and a single Common Sandpiper with a number of Common Gulls. Then the Gulls all went up and we had a good view of a Peregrine as it flew across the River Lea towards the Gasworks.  The scrub in the Eco Park revealed a Chiffchaff, its always good to get this species early in the year. Paul thought he saw a Goldcrest, an unusual species here, but could'nt clinch it. We managed to get most of the common species including the two wagtails and on the way out from the Eco  Park checked the scrub again where a decent flock mixed species were feeding. The Chiffchaff was still there but this time the Goldcrest was clinched. A really good species for the year list. Another turn around EIDB yielded a Dunnock to the list. So a nice start to the year.