An aerial view

East India Dock Basin: Dave Morrison

Dave Morrison took this photograph from a local tower block. it's an interesting perspective on the patch and shows quite well what a compact site it is; the largest area of woodland to the left is the copse at East India Dock Basin, the smaller area to the right on the other side of the dock is the eastern scrub, the green area above this is the meadow where I found a March 1st Wheatear in 2009. The eastern reedbed can be seen immediately to the right of the copse and just behind this the northern scrub where London's eighth Barred Warbler was found in September 2006. The building in the centre is the mothballed housing development on the Pura Foods peninsula, to the left of this a small section of Bow Creek is just visible; the flyover in the distance is the A13 road which marks the northern boundary of the patch. Many thanks to Dave for allowing me to use his image here.

Sunny

Not a cloud in sight and bright sunshine, the dock put on a new coat today, unfortunately it was'nt one of many colours. February continued to be mundane as far as birds were concerned. The only species of note were a Stock Dove flying south and a male Reed Bunting flying over the road. A few birds were singing in the copse, including a Chaffinch, and still no sign of the elusive Water Rail.

Redshanks: Slight Return

Another grey day, and another day of few birds. EIDB was very quiet, just 1 Teal and 20 Tufted Ducks. The copse was empty apart from a single flowering Daffodil (hardly Wordsworth). A Grey Wagtail was feeding on a pool on Orchard Wharf. There was 130 Teal on Bow Creek and 15 Redshanks were in the roost with a Common Sandpiper. This is the highest Redshank count this year, but still way below what is usually present at this time of year. Met up with Nick, and we watched the Thames for awhile and talked about Gull identification, though this did not induce any interesting Gulls to pass by.

What a Brown and Grey day

Another gloomy dank morning on the River Thames. Water,mud and sky all merged into one (like a ECM Records cover). Tufted Duck count was 30, but no Teal were present on the Basin, and only about 50 on Bow Creek. The dock area was very quiet, and the Copse had just a few Chaffinch and Blue Tits.

A circuit of Bow Creek and the Ecology Park fared little better, with just 2 Redshank, continuing the very quiet start to 2011. Five Great Black-backed Gulls ( 2 adults, 1 2nd win and 1 1st win) were also on Bow Creek, with six adults on the Thames. Another stroll around the Dock revealed a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the Copse, the first of the year, and number 50 for me in 2011, though its been a hard slog to reach that total. I know you should'nt wish your life away, but I will be glad when March arrives and the expectation increases, with perhaps a little colour to brighten up the place.

2010, an outstanding year

Just a short post to tie things up for 2010. The site total for the year was 104 species, amazingly Gary managed to see all of them whilst I finished on 88, still my best year ever on the patch. Severe weather at either end of the year and some fine clear days during the spring passage period were undoubtedly contributing factors to the high total, that and lots of hours spent in the field gazing expectantly at (more often than not) raptorless skies. Below is a full list of the species recorded in 2010, those in bold type are first records for the patch:

Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Scaup, Common Scoter, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Spoonbill, Red Kite, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Osprey, Kestrel, Merlin, Hobby, Peregrine, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Dunlin, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Woodcock, Curlew, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, (feral) Rock Dove, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Ring-necked Parakeet, Common Swift, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Firecrest, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Reed Bunting.

Fireworks and crackers: November and December 2010 summaries

Great Crested Grebe at East India Dock Basin, December 2010

November got off to a good start with a female type Black Redstart at East India Dock Basin on the 4th, but it proved to be very elusive, not being seen again until the 28th; a very good monthly maxima of 230 Common Teal was also made on the 4th along with a good local count of six Pied Wagtails. The 7th was a good day for passage with the following species logged: 570 Woodpigeon south-west, a record count of 325 Starling, 97 Redwing, ten Chaffinch, two each of Ring-necked Parakeet and Skylark and single Lapwing and Mistle Thrush flying south and west respectively; also noted on the 7th were single Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Kingfisher, the latter being unaccountably elusive this year. Four Little Grebe were on the basin on the 14th with the Redshank roost peaking at 13 on the same date; an adult Yellow-legged Gull was noted on the 17th then things became a little slow until the 21st when the first Dunlin of the year was at Bow Creek and a Great Spotted Woodpecker and six Redwing were also noted, the following day saw a peak count of four Common Sandpiper in the roost. Fifteen Lapwing flying north on the 28th was the best count of the year, also noted were a male Blackcap and a Chiffchaff. The month ended on a high when a Golden Plover flew east on the 30th, only the second site record, six Lapwing were also noted along with a monthly maxima of nine Shelduck.

December got off to an excellent start with the first site record of Woodcock, flushed from the copse at East India Dock Basin, an often punted species for the lower Lea and now firmly on the list; 13 Redshank and three Common Snipe were also seen on the 1st along with a good local count of five Meadow Pipit. A very good count of 40+ Common Gull was made on the 2nd, there was clearly an influx of this species into the London Area in early December as several other localities noted an increase in numbers during the same period; other notables on the 2nd included four Common Snipe and a Great Crested Grebe. The female type Black Redstart put in an appearance on the 4th, it was a little more accommodating this month being seen on a total of four dates until the 30th; Common Teal numbers rose to 410 on the 4th, but this count was beaten on the 12th when c430 were noted; Redshank and Common Sandpiper numbers peaked on the 4th at 14 and three respectively and six Lapwing and a Ring-necked Parakeet passed through. A male Merlin flew west on the 5th, only the third site record, then nothing much was noted until the 9th when a Curlew was found at Bow Creek , the first site record, also on the 9th, the first Shoveler of the year, the second Dunlin and a Mistle Thrush which averages about five records annually. A female Pintail at Bow Creek on the 11th was the first record for over four years, it appears to be overwintering and was still present at the end of the year, with two Redwing and a Chiffchaff noted also on the 11th. Three Great Crested Grebe were found on the 12th, the first multiple count of the year, along with two Reed Bunting, scarce this year, two Chiffchaff and a male Blackcap. The 19th saw a record count of 11 Common Snipe and a Jack Snipe at Bow Creek along with six fly-over Lapwing and eight Redshank and a Common Sandpiper in the roost, making it a five wader day; at least two Peregrines were in the area, possibly three, and good counts of five Meadow Pipits and four Reed Buntings were made; finally a monthly maxima of 20 Shelduck was noted on the 22nd.

Five Waders,from a Jack to a Lapwing. Sunday 19th December

This visit was timed to coincide with the co-ordinated wader counts on the Inner Thames. The Basin was 80% frozen and only held a few Teal and some Gulls. The copse was empty but a 1st winter Black Redstart was foraging around the lock gates. Had a spell watching the Thames, but this too was quiet. Time to check the Creek for waders and wildfowl. Plenty of Teal were present spread out along the river, on checking the reed-bed I leaned over the railings, and was confronted by a Jack Snipe on the edge of the mud, 5 Common Snipe were also here and 3 more were across the river. Five Meadow Pipits were feeding on the wet grass at Bow Eco Park, this area remains unfrozen due to the water being fed by a pump. The snow was quite deep in this area. Snow can change the look of an area, make quite ugly places seem inviting, like a new coat of paint, but in the East India dock area its just bleak.

On the way back to the Basin a female Pintail was feeding on the mud. The tide was flowing into Basin when I returned and 2 Common Snipe were feeding out in the open on the mud. Met up with Nick and it was time to check the wader roost at Bow Creek as the tide was almost full. A Common Sandpiper was roosting on the river wall, and

8 Redshanks were in the roost with a number of Teal and a Common Snipe. The Redshank are considerably down in number, at this time of year the roost usually holds as many as 50 individuals. It is likely that the severe weather has moved the birds on to other areas, probably to the south west or perhaps the Emerald Isle. Some years ago I did a survey of bird corpses in coastal Essex, after a week of sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow. Redhanks were by far the most commonest casualty.

A small number Lapwings flew over, making it 5 wader species for the day. Another check of the Thames and the Basin revealed her majesty the Pintail on the Basin, after flying in from up the Thames. This is a wary and flighty bird, but Nick did manage to get some pictures, which may appear on this blog. Nick then went off to work and I made my way home, for thawing out bowl of soup and some crumpets.

Spoon-fed mega fits the bill: October 2010 summary

Little Grebe at East India Dock Basin, October 2010

Two juvenile Common Terns on October 3rd were the last of the year, the only Yellow-legged Gull of the month was also on the 3rd and two Swallows passed through. Two Little Grebes were at the usual wintering spot in the north-west corner of the basin on the 8th, two Lapwings and a Common Snipe were also noted on the 8th along with two Chiffchaffs and 20 Goldfinches. A very good October count of circa 240 Common Teal was made at high tide on the 10th which was an excellent day for passage migrants; a Wheatear was in the gravel works, after a good spring passage this one turned out to be the only autumn record, seven Stock Doves flew south and two Collared Dove passed through, a flock of seven Skylarks flew east, a record number for the basin and 148 Redwings flew south; two Redshank in Bow Creek were the first of the autumn along with two Common Sandpipers; five Swallows a Lapwing and a Sparrowhawk also passed through and single Great Spotted Woodpecker and Chiffchaff were on the reserve. The last Common Whitethroat of the year was noted on the 13th along with ten Long-tailed Tit. A small passage of Meadow Pipits was noted on the 17th with eight flying west and four north, the only other migrant that day was a Skylark flying west, two Linnets were on the reserve with three Redshank and two Common Sandpipers in the high tide roost. A Common Buzzard flew north on the 18th and a Collared Dove passed through, a Green Woodpecker was on the meadow at the basin and a Peregrine, 12 Chaffinches and a Chiffchaff were also noted. The 24th seemed like a very unpromising day with just 13 Chaffinches the only birds of note, that is until we received a text message from John Archer downstream at Crossness informing us that a Spoonbill was heading our way; after half an hour it was located on the Millennium mudflats before flying off west only to return a few minutes later giving us excellent views of this totally unexpected vagrant, needless to say the first record for the Lower Lea and easily the best bird of the year (so far). The month ended quietly with four Little Grebes on the 31st, a single Chiffchaff and a very good local count of 20+ Long-tailed Tits.

Return passage: September 2010 summary

September got off to a good start with a Red Kite flying north-east and a Common Buzzard flying east at East India Dock Basin, both on the 4th, with single House Martin, Sedge Warbler and Common Whitethroat also noted, the Teal flock numbered 42 on the 4th but had risen to 130 by the end of the month. A Black Tern was on the river on the 5th with 25 Common Terns, two Sparrowhawks were also seen, the only record this month along with a single Peregrine, the only other sighting of this species being on the 19th. The only wader species recorded was Common Sandpiper with a single on the 7th, two on the 9th and four on the 19th. Single Kingfisher and Willow Warbler were seen on the 9th, the only sightings of both species this month. A Rook flying east on the 12th was the first record for the Lower Lea, it was also a good day for warblers with single Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat and four Chiffchaffs along with the first two Meadow Pipits of the autumn. A male Black Redstart was seen on the 19th along with seven Swallows, four Meadow Pipits and three Chiffchaffs whilst on the river a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull flew west, 15 Common Terns passed through and a Great Crested Grebe was noted. The 26th saw an unprecedented passage of House Martins when at least 197 passed through including a flock of around 140 along with 12 Sand Martins and a Swallow all the hirundines were flying north-west; five Skylarks flew north-west and single Chiffchaff and Great Spotted Woodpecker, the only record this month, were noted. The month finished on a high when the fourth Green Woodpecker for the Lower lea was on the meadow at East India Dock Basin on the 30th.

Tern, Tern, Tern: August 2010 summary

Black-headed Gull at East India Dock Basin, August 2010.

River watching from the pier at East India Dock Basin during August was rewarded with a good tern passage, broken down as follows; Sandwich Tern, three flew east on the 15th. Common Tern, two on the 10th, 85 on the 15th. 20 on the 22nd and 12 on the 23rd. Arctic Tern, two flew north on the 7th and seven flew north on the 23rd. On the 3rd an adult Mediterranean Gull flew west, a Peregrine was over the basin a Garden Warbler was in the copse and the first two Teal of the autumn were noted, this number had risen to 30 by the 29th. Three Peregrines and a Sparrowhawk were seen on the 7th along with a Great Spotted Woodpecker and two Sand Martins. A single Common Sandpiper was seen on the 8th, the vanguard of a good August passage which peaked at seven birds on the 15th with two on the 23rd and singles on the 22nd and 29th. A Sedge Warbler was found on the 10th along with single Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff and Sand Martin. A Sparrowhawk, two Stock Doves and three House Martins were noted on the15th, it was a good month for the latter species with five through on the 22nd and two on the 28th. Two Egyptian Geese were seen on the 22nd, only the second site record along with a peak count of around 80 Starlings on the pylon by the entrance to the eco park and a Jay. The first returning Little Grebe was at the basin on the 28th along with a Kingfisher, unaccountably elusive this year, a Swallow, two Garden Warblers and a Willow Warbler. A comprehensive Mallard count on the 29th produced a site record total of 166 birds, also noted was a single Sparrowhawk. The month ended with single Peregrine and Reed Warbler on the 30th.

Conkers end?

Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella

on infested Horse Chestnut leaf, October 2010

It would seem that the health and safety wallahs are getting a helping hand in their crusade to ban conkers from the nation's playgrounds in the form of a tiny moth with a big name, the Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner. This moth was unknown in Britain prior to 2002 when the first examples were found in Wimbledon, since then it has expanded alarmingly and is now found commonly all over south-east England. It lays its eggs on Horse Chestnut trees and the larvae burrow into the leaves, hence the name, and eat them from within. The damaged leaves cannot photosynthesise the photons from sunlight which they need to grow and if a particular tree is heavily infected, as several of the 30 or so Horse Chestnuts in the Lower Lea are, then it will ultimately die. At the moment the moths have no known predators to keep them in check , obviously opportunistic birds will pick them off but a single large tree could probably produce several thousand moths, so this problem could prove very difficult to resolve unless nature comes up with its own solution, perhaps in the form of a parasite to keep the numbers down. The worse case scenario is that the Horse Chestnut could go the same way as the English Elm, decimated by two species of 0phiostoma fungi spread by the Elm Bark Beetle. A mature Horse Chestnut in full flower is a wonderful sight and a quintessential part of the English spring it would be such a tragedy to lose it.

Rook and Roll

Firstly it took me two hours to get here from Leytonstone, owing to a shambolic Jubilee Line. Went to view the copse which has suffered severe habitat management, a considerable part of the understorey has been cut away, needless to say it was birdless. Teal numbers have now reached 95, but little else was on the basin. Seven Common Terns flew west along the Thames which was otherwise quiet. I decided to give the Ecology Park a go and whilst ambling over I noticed a 'crow' flying oddly, a quick look through the bins confirmed my suspicions of a Rook, a first for the site. It headed off east at 11.05. Buoyed by this sighting, there was a spring in my step as I entered the Ecology Park, to be greeted by more severe habitat management. The park was devoid of birds, and in fact my mornings tally was only 18 species, the lowest I have ever recorded here in the 12 years I have been watching the area, but strangely the 18 included a first for he site. I noticed later from the wiki site that David C had had some migrants, but i guess he wasn't thwarted by bungling Boris. Certainly a very strange visit, and now I am getting into my flying teapot and listen to some Gong, to complete today's weirdness.

Gary

High Summer: June and July 2010 summaries

Gadwall at East India Dock Basin, June 2010

June and July are usually fairly quiet months in the birdwatching calendar with many observers switching off until the autumn, but a few surprises can be had for those optimistic enough to venture into the field. The undoubted highlight of June was the first Red Kite for the Lower Lea which flew south-west over East India Dock Basin on the 12th; the rest of the month was fairly uneventful with a Hobby just east of the basin on the 6th the only other notable sighting. Two pairs of Little Ringed Plovers were hanging on but apart from a few song flights and the odd territorial dispute it seems unlikely that breeding was successful; the only other wader noted in June was an Oystercatcher flying up the Lea on the 6th. Two pairs of Common Terns were nesting on the basin rafts, it seems that the combination of silt and oversummering Black-headed Gulls is making East India Dock Basin an unattractive prospect for this species. Three pairs of Sand Martins were nesting in the basin with another pair seen regularly at the ecology park, at least nine were seen on the 6th and two House Martins were noted on the 12th. An eclipse drake Gadwall was at East India Dock Basin on the 20th along with 39 Tufted Duck, a good count for June; two Sparrowhawks were in the eco park on the 23rd and a Mistle Thrush, just about annual at the Lower Lea, was seen on the 30th.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was noted on July 9th along with ten Common Terns and a Common Swift. The first Yellow-legged Gull of the "autumn" was seen on the 14th, with two Peregrines, probably the resident pair from the Isle of Dogs, and two Common Swifts. Five House Martins passed through on the 18th when two Common Swifts, two Peregrines and an Oystercatcher were also seen. Eight Great Black-backed Gulls were noted on the 23rd with two Little Ringed Plovers, and single Sparrowhawk and Peregrine. A Little Egret on the 29th was the highlight of the month with the first passage Common Sandpiper also noted on this date along with two Peregrines an Oystercatcher and a local high count of ten Goldfinches.

Peregrine Pandemonium

Early August at EIDB is usually quiet, but can throw up a few good birds. Today was just like that. The first circuit of the site produced just a few Common Terns (only one young was raised this year at EIDB) and a number of juvenile Reed Warblers. A watch of the Thames at high tide also produced very litte, until an adult Mediterranean flew past going west. Late July/early August is good for this species at the dock. The copse contained just a Blackbird. A Garden Warbler was feeding in the NW scrub, the first migrant Warbler of the Autumn. Over 10 juvenile Reed Warblers were in this area, mainly in the reeds, but two birds flew sorties into the scrub to buzz 2 Greenfinches. This went on for a couple of minutes until the Greenfinches had had enough and moved off. Searching through the loafing Mallards on the island produced 2 Teal, the first since April. It was at this point that a female Peregrine swooped over the island, probably after the young Mallards. The Peregrine tried another twice to grab some prey, but failed. Pandemonium broke out amongst the birds present on the dock, Coots and Moorhens made for the reeds, Gulls and Terns on mass attacked the Peregrine, ducks hid in vegetation on the island, and Crows and Magpies just made a lot noise. The Peregrine circled over the dock for about 5 minutes finally flying away west towards Canary Wharf. Life settled down again and all was quiet in the August sunshine.

A bit of a curate's egg: May 2010 summary

Shelduck at East India Dock Basin, May 2010.

May 2010 was a curious month, many migrants struggled to get through and the birders searching for them really struggled to find them, but there were one or two highlights, chief amongst them the first Osprey for the Lower Lea which drifted slowly north-east on the 6th. The month got off to a good start with a singing Garden Warbler in the copse at East India Dock Basin, also on the 1st four Little Ringed Plovers were at the basin, three Oystercatchers passed through on the Thames and a single Swallow was noted. There was a small movement of Common Terns on the 2nd involving 18 birds and two Arctic Terns flew east along the river, five Pochard arrived on the basin and a female Black Redstart was typically elusive around Virginia Quay. A Common Buzzard passed through on the 4th along with two Swallows but then nothing else of interest until the aforementioned Osprey on the 6th with a Common Swift and two Common Sandpipers passing through on the same date. On the 9th, three Arctic Terns flew west, three Common Sandpipers dropped in on the Thames, three Common Swifts passed over the basin and a briefly singing Lesser Whitethroat was in the Ecology Park. A singing House Sparrow by the Blue Bridge on the 11th was the vanguard of a mini invasion which also saw two females on the 23rd and two males and two females on the 30th; also on the 11th five Swallows flew north west. Another local rarity, House Martin, put in an appearance on the 23rd when two were hawking insects over the Ecology Park with two Sand Martins, (at least five more were visiting three nest holes at the basin making it the best year ever for this recent colonist). Also on the 23rd two Ring-necked Parakeets flew west, a single Stock Dove flew north and at least seven Reed Warblers were singing throughout the site with a singing Reed Bunting still hanging on in the Ecology Park. Finally two pairs of Shelduck continue to behave as if they are breeding, but, as in previous years no ducklings have yet been seen.

Comings and goings: April 2010 summary

Tufted Duck at East India Dock Basin, April 2010

April was rather unsettled with north-easterly winds making it difficult for migrants to push through, in spite of this it was an excellent month for local scarcities at the lower Lea. A drake Common Scoter was on the Thames off East India Dock Basin on the 4th and the first Swallow of the year flew north-west on the 6th; single Common Buzzards flew south on the 9th and 11th and four Peregrines were in the air together on the latter date. Single Little Egrets flew north on the 10th and 11th and Single Collared Doves were noted on the 14th and 22nd with three flying west on the 25th. A Firecrest was a good find on the 20th along with a Lesser Whitethroat, two Common Whitethroats, two Common Terns and a Common Sandpiper, making it a good day for migrants. The first Reed Warbler turned up on the 24th along with an elusive Sedge Warbler; an Arctic Tern was on the Thames on the 25th when a Green Woodpecker flew south across the river, also on 25th the fifth Northern Wheatear of the spring was on the Pura Foods peninsula; the month ended on a high when a Hobby flew north on the 27th. On the wildfowl front a pair of Common Teal lingered until the 22nd and the Tufted Duck flock reached a year high count of 52 on the 28th, a small herd of Mute Swan peaked at nine on the 27th, 11 Canada Goose including a breeding pair were noted on the 4th and Greylag Geese peaked at seven on the 25th. One or two pairs of Shelduck remained throughout, but as in previous years no solid evidence of breeding was observed; finally four Pochard, three drakes and a duck turned up on the 27th and were noted intermittently until the end of the month.

Pochard pornography

I Took this series of photos at East India Dock Basin on Monday afternoon; a flock of five Common Pochard, four drakes and a duck, have been frequenting the basin for a few days. All four drakes were courting the duck but she showed no interest, diving frequently to avoid their unwelcome attention. After about ten minutes the drakes had reached a state of high excitement; two of them relentlessly pursued the duck but the third chased the fourth, caught it and copulated with it, forcing it completely under water for at least a minute on one occasion. I feared the fourth drake would be drowned so I shouted and clapped my hands but drake three was completely oblivious; eventually drake four dived with drake three still hanging on and both birds disappeared beneath the water for over a minute before surfacing independently and going about their business as if nothing had happened. I have seen Mallards behave in this way but I have never seen Pochard (or any other aythya for that matter) do anything like this, it made for an interesting intermission in what was otherwise a fairly uneventful afternoon.

On the Crest of a wave

With a slight change in the weather and a few things turning up elsewhere, and I had a few hours to spare. I decided to give EIDB a visit. The last few visits has been fairly mundane with barely a migrant to be seen, so when I arrived to clear skies and a brisk NW wind, it did not look promising. But almost immediately I heard the welcome call of Common Terns, as two birds flew around the dock for about 10 minutes, before moving off. I then watched the Thames for awhile, but it was quiet. The Ecology Park was also quiet with just a Blackcap. Back at the Basin I noticed some bird movement in the NW scrub, the first two birds were Long-tailed Tits, the third a Blackcap, and the fourth a Whitethroat. I then checked the NE scrub, where i found another Whitethroat, neither were singing. A Lesser Whitethroat sang briefly in the NE corner, and was difficult to see. I heard a Willow Warbler singing in the copse, and searching the copse saw a small bird feeding activly in the middle of the woodland. A Firecrest, the first recorded since June 2008. Excellant views were had, and I also had great views of a very bright Willow Warbler. Another circuit of the Basin and a count of 40 Tufted ducks ended the visit. On the way out I checked the copse again, the Firecrest was in the same area at 12.20pm.
Gary A James

Rave on, birding off

Conditions were overcast with an easterly wind blowing this morning so I headed to East India Dock Basin with a view to a spot of river watching hoping that the conditions would produce some tern passage. By the time I arrived at the DLR station it was obvious that something odd was going on, lots of people were milling around and a throbbing headache-inducing bass beat was coming from the direction of the Lea. I suspected that something was happening on the Pura foods peninsula so I headed for the north end of Bow Creek Eco Park to get an elevated vantage point. The southern end of the peninsula was a mass of people breaking up wooden fences to fuel the several fires that had been started, the three storey glass building was full of people and practically every pane of glass was covered in grafitti. Fortunately most of the people were staying close to the building and not venturing onto the flat gravel area where the Little Ringed Plovers are suspected of breeding. I immediately phoned the Lea Valley Regional Park emergency number and advised them to lock the gates on both reserves as the people attending this event clearly had no respect for property and no consideration for the local residents. The most worrying aspect of this affair is that whoever organised this event clearly broke into the site ignoring the notices of "rapid response security protection" posted on the gate, once news gets out that this is an easily accessable site I'm afraid that "travellers" will get wind of it and set up camp there with the attendent problems of fly-tipping, vandalism and anti-social behavior they will inevitably bring; watch this space.

Spring arrives: March 2010 summary

Blackthorn in blossom and Hawthorn in leaf,
East India Dock Basin March 2010.

March got off to a bit of a slow start as blocking north-westerly winds prevented any migrants pushing through until quite late in the month; the adult male Black Redstart was seen on the 2nd along with 24 Great Black-backed Gulls, a local high count; 20 Shelduck on EIDB at dusk and another two on Bow Creek constituted the highest ever count for the lower Lea on the 4th, also on the 4th, 18 Redshank were in the high tide roost and 31 Tufted Duck were on EIDB, both monthly peak counts; Common Teal peaked at 155 and five Greylag Geese flew west on the 14th; two Little Ringed Plovers arrived on the 17th followed by two Sand Martins on the 18th and an Oystercatcher and Yellow-legged Gull on the 20th; a flock of nine Lesser Redpolls was feeding in birches in the Eco Park on the 21st, which turned into something of a red letter day with three Northern Wheatear and a different Black Redstart on the Pura Foods peninsula and a flock of four Jackdaws flying north at EIDB; the 21st also saw 72+ Greenfinch in the Esso garage roost and three Chiffchaffs in the Eco Park, both monthly peak counts; the first Blackcap was in the copse at EIDB on the 24th. with the first Willow Warbler in the Eco Park on the 27th when another Northern Wheatear was on the Pura Foods peninsula; an unexpected bonus came on the 28th when an Egyptian Goose was seen briefly at EIDB, the first record for the lower Lea; and finally, also on the 28th, a site record count of four Peregrines in the air together over EIDB were probably two pairs involved in territorial display.

Easter Sunday birding

a nagging north-westerly wind was blowing today sending scudding clouds that threatened rain across an otherwise clear and sunny sky,absolutely useless for migration but still I ventured out, as did Gary whom I met at EIDB. We strolled down to the river comparing notes (or lack thereof) and chatted about our favourite topic, why quality raptors avoid the lower Lea like the plague, on arriving at the water Gary instantly called out a dark duck drifting downriver about halfway out, a fine drake Common Scoter, a new bird for me and Gary's second record for the area; a passing Thames Clipper flushed it and it flew away towards central London landing a couple of times before we lost it around a bend in the river, a superb record and solid proof why it's so important to get out in seemingly unpromising conditions. The rest of the haul was rather pedestrian; four Shelduck, 30 Teal, Common Sandpiper, Kestrel, three Sand Martin and a singing Chiffchaff the highlights.

An unexpected bonus

I met up with Gary at EIDB this morning with no great expectation of adding anything new to my year list let alone getting a lower Lea lifer, in the event I got two; the first a flock of nine Lesser Redpolls (also a patch tick for Gary) including a stunning male feeding in birches in the Eco Park along with at least ten Goldfinch, itself a local high count, and the second a group of four Jackdaws heading north at EIDB. On top of this Gary found two Wheatears on the Pura foods peninsula which soon turned into three along with a Black Redstart, thought to be a migrant and not the semi-resident adult male. Other highlights included a soaring Peregrine over the basin, at least one adult Yellow-legged Gull, a confiding pair of Reed Buntings, two Sand Martins busily feeding on a hatch of midges over Bow Creek and three Chiffchaffs including one singing bird. I made a second visit later in the day to coincide with high tide in order to check the wader roost, it held two each of Redshank and Common Sandpiper and the bulk of the 75 Common Teal still present in the area. As the light began to fade Greenfinches started to arrive at the roost in trees behind the Esso garage and I made a new high count of 72+ birds, several of the males were singing and display flying before settling down for the night; all in all a very satisfying day which initially seemed a little unpromising.

Early birds

Another post work visit this evening and another migrant in the shape of two Sand Martins found by Marco Johnson, which is as far as I can ascertain, the earliest date for this species in the lower Lea; these birds are almost certainly one of the breeding pairs from last year or their offspring, as at least one of them went to roost in the breeding pipe in the lock wall (LVRP has provided a multi-storey purpose-built des-res Sand Martin wall at Bow Creek but these idiotic creatures prefer to raise their children in an overflow pipe how ungrateful is that?). The two Little Ringed Plovers were still on the basin, six Shelduck were scattered throughout the site with single Redshank and Common Sandpiper at Bow Creek; Teal numbers seem to have dropped dramatically overnight with an extensive search producing just 27 birds.

St Patrick's Day plovers

An ad hoc visit after work today paid a dividend in the form of two Little Ringed Plovers on the island at EIBD, the first migrants of the year for the lower Lea; also noted were nine Shelduck including four pairs display flighting over the basin, 72 Common Teal and 22 Tufted Duck. On the passerine front a pair of Long-tailed Tits were carrying nesting material in the copse at EIDB and a Song Thrush was singing in the Eco Park.

Business as usual: February 2010 summary

The north shore at EIDB looking east, February 2010.

Apart from a short-lived cold snap early in the month February was generally mild with lots of rain; it was a fairly quiet month with just two new species recorded for the year; an elusive Kingfisher at EIDB on the 17th and a skein of four Greylag Geese flying east on the 27th, otherwise it was pretty much business as usual, the male Black Redstart was in the copse at EIDB on the 6th but generally seemed to prefer to spend his time 200 metres west of the basin in the Virginia Quay area, Common Teal peaked at c190 on the 6th but had dwindled to 65 by the 28th, the only Redwing was also on the 6th along with a good count of four Grey Wagtails and a Peregrine; a Chiffchaff was in the copse on the 14th but was only seen on one other date, the 21st; an adult Yellow-legged Gull was on the Thames on the 17th; Shelduck numbers built up during the month and reached a record site count of 18 birds on the 21st including 16 together at EIDB along with 41 Tufted Duck and 86 Mallard; the high tide roost held 18 Redshank and a Common Sandpiper on the 21st, with a Lapwing flying north-west on the same date the only other wader recorded; perhaps the biggest surprise of the month was the discovery of a Greenfinch roost in trees behind the Esso garage, where at least 42 birds flew in to roost at dusk on the 28th; finally a Sea Slater was found on the 17th, only the second time this marine invertebrate has been recorded at the lower Lea.

Muddy Waters

Arrived at low tide, and it was extremely low. I cannot remember so much exposed mud on the Thames for a number of years. No Viking longboats though. The River Lea at Bow Creek was in places, just a muddy trickle of water a few feet wide. Would these conditions lead to a change in the birdlife present. well not really. Gulls were more numerous, with a movement of Black- headeds up the Lea Valley, and it was crowded on the Dome mud. I counted 24 Great Black- Backs, which I think is a site record. Wildfowl and waders were usual in number for the time of year and a few birds were singing in the sunshine. A pair Of Reed Buntings chased each other in the north-east reedbed on the Dock, and a Black Redstart was at Virginia Quay. But on the whole it was quiet. An unwelcome sighting was the diggers on the old works at Orchard Wharf. They were clearing rubble and vegetation from the rear of the site. Lets hope the work is minor, and does not lead to a wholesale clearence of the site.

Black and Blue

A mid-week jaunt in almost spring like weather, was in great contrast to the rain of near biblical ammounts, the prevoius day. Just the usual wildfowl were on the Basin, but I was alerted by a flash of electric blue, a Kingfisher, the first record this year. It landed very conveniently on a tree at the back of the reeds, where excellent views were had. There were many Finches present, Greenfinch and Goldfinch in song, 3 Linnets, and a few Chaffinch in the copse. A single adult Yellow-legged Gull roamed the mud in front of the Dome. The Thames was quiet, so had a stroll along Bow Creek, just one Redshank and about 50 Teal were present. On the way back to the Dock I encountered a male Black Redstart flitting among the buildings at Orchard Place, it was also calling. Back at the Dock the Tufted Duck had increased to 30. There was one very interesting sighting of an Isopod, a Sea Slater, only the second record here of this mainly marine invertebrate.

High Tide and Teal

A short morning visit to check the high tide roosts, on Bow Creek and EIDB. The wind was blowing from the NE wih snow flurries, and it was raw. Very few birds were around the dock, though seven Shelduck were on the islands. At high tide on Bow Creek only 4 Redshank were present with a Common Sandpiper. The Teal were strung out all over the area, making counting difficult, until a boat appeared, chugging along Bow Creek towards the Thames. This had the happenstance to flush all the Teal along the Creek into EIDB. A few minutes later and I was counting 310 Teal on the site, a very good count for February. Another circuit of the site only yielded a single Jay.

Gary A James

Black gold: February 7th birding

Unless it's really cold, February can be one of the most unrewarding months in the patchwatchers calender; nothing is on the move, you've already seen all you're likely to see and the first spring migrants seem an age away on the other side of the Ides of March, for the shortest month of the year February can seem to go on forever, so it was more with hope than expectation that I headed out this morning. I arrived at the Lower Lea on an ebbing tide which meant the wader roost was empty and no Redshank were feeding on the mud, I did a quick circuit of EIDB but the only birds of interest were six Shelduck and 19 Tufted Duck so I decided to do a Teal count of the entire site which produced c190 birds, mostly strung out on the Lea with the majority of them paired up, numbers will start to drop of rapidly as the month progresses with maybe one or two pairs hanging on into early April. Two Grey Wagtail were feeding by the Blue Bridge along with a pair of Linnet and a flighty Redwing was in the Eco Park. I headed back to EIDB meeting Gary on the way, we hung around the pier hoping for something to come upriver but the only thing of interest was a Peregrine that flew in and landed on the Millennium Dome, we were lamenting the loss of our Black Redstart when I noticed a bird fly out of the old gravel works and land in a hawthorn in the copse, I got my bins on it and it was a Black Redstart, a cracking adult male and almost certainly the bird Gary found last year, we watched it for a few minutes before it flew down into the dock mouth to feed, along with another Grey Wagtail, the 4th of the day as Gary had earlier had one flying downriver. Gary found a Great-crested Grebe on Bow Creek and we added single Redshank, Jay and Song Thrush to the day list which added up to a rather average 36 species.

Off to a good start: January 2010 summary

Common Teal at EIDB (Mark James Pearson)

January was an excellent month both in terms of quality and quantity, News Years Day was fairly quiet with a flock of 28 Fieldfares the highlight. On the 2nd a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the copse at EIDB, a Stock Dove flew north and an adult Yellow-legged Gull was on the Millennium Dome mudflats. The elusive adult male Black Redstart put in his only appearance of the month on the 3rd along with 31 Redwings (a distant flock of c130 thrushes was almost certainly this species but was too far away for a positive identification), a drake Gadwall at EIDB, and Chiffchaff at the Eco Park while six Song Thrushes flying north-east were almost certainly migrants, also on the 3rd a Common Sandpiper was in the wader roost along with a monthly maxima of 45 Redshank. The first Peregrine of the year put in an appearance on the 5th, six Reed Buntings were in the north-western reedbed at Bow Creek and 24 Fieldfares flew south-west. Overnight snow delivered two drake Pochards to EIDB on the 6th with the freezing weather prevailing until the weekend when it really paid dividends; four Common Snipe were flushed from the feeder stream in the Eco Park on the 9th and a Lapwing was roosting on the island at EIDB; the 10th was even better, along with three Common Snipe, two Jack Snipe (first site record), were flushed from the Eco Park, a Lapwing was in the wader roost, a Great Crested Grebe and a female Wigeon (second site record) were on the Thames off EIDB and a site record count of six Scaup flew upriver, the thaw set in on the 11th and predictably all the good stuff disappeared. A very good count of 402 Common Teal was made on the 12th along with an excellent local count of 26 Linnets, things then became very quiet until the 31st when a Collared Dove flew north, another Great Crested Grebe was on the Thames off EIDB and a monthly maxima of 13 Shelduck flew in to roost at dusk ; all in all an excellent start to the year with 59 species recorded. Finally, on a botanical note, the first Snowdrops of the year were beginning to flower in the copse at EIDB on the 31st.

Just a quickie

After all the excitement of the Big Freeze I managed an afternoon visit today in almost balmy conditions as the thaw set in; the tide was well in and 32 Redshank were in the roost and a Common Sandpiper flew up the Lea and landed on a riverside ladder by the Blue Bridge, an extensive search of the Eco Park produced no Snipe with the highlights there being six fairly tame Redwing and two Reed Bunting; at least 350 Teal were at EIDB with another 30 or so on the Lea and Thames, 26 Tufted Duck were on the basin along with nine Shelduck with another on the Lea; passerines included a Meadow Pipit on the meadow (natch), a flighty Fieldfare in the old gravel works and singing Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Linnet.

Hard weather = good birding

A dawn start at Bow Creek Ecology Park in the hope of adding a patch "shame bird" to my list came up triple trumps with three Common Snipe flushed (along with four Meadow Pipits), and best of all, a Jack Snipe down to about three metres in the feeder stream. It sat hunkered down and very still, until I tried to take a photo with my phone, when it crouched even lower and then flushed to the marshy area. Jacks always seem darker than in the books to me, accentuating their gold braces; perhaps the books all illustrate faded museum specimens rather than the richly dark real deal.

The Redshank roost held 19 birds (with another two on the Lea on the other side of BCEP), but produced the third surprise of the morning in the form of a Lapwing asleep at the southern end of the roost, where I usually find a Common Sandpiper or two.

I met GAJ at the central jewel of this tower block Shangri-La we call our patch (just after a second Lapwing headed north), and he had spotted the Jack Snipe in the same area of BCEP shortly afterwards. My first Redwings of the day went north, then a few more appeared overhead, along with six Fieldfare heading west. Another surprise appeared in the form of an almost spring plumaged Great Crested Grebe, a site rarity in itself, and then a female Wigeon also swam out from the jetty in front of the copse.

A tight flock of six Tufted Duck appeared upriver coming towards us, four drakes and two female/immature-types, and when looked at more closely with bins they had larger rounder heads and bulkier bodies; they swung around following the course of the River Thames, and at least two of the drakes showed pale grey backs - shit: Scaup! Debate ensued between us about whether the entire flock, which passed quite quickly, had been Scaup, but all the birds had exactly the same build and jizz; the browner two lacked obvious white bill bases so may have been first-winters, but we were happy about the ID.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull circled overhead and then went off north-west, and then another (or perhaps the same) appeared again about fifteen minutes later, drifting and circling in the same direction.

It's great when one predicts a good day at a patch and everything falls into place, and I ended up with five (count 'em) patch ticks, which never happens after a consistent two years at a site!

Patch ticks: Common Snipe, Jack Snipe, Lapwing, Eurasian Wigeon, Greater Scaup.

Other counts: 276 Teal, 12 Shelduck, 119 Mallard, 14 Cormorant, 2 Pied Wagtails, 2 Grey Wagtails, 414+ Black-headed Gulls, 3 Great Black-backed Gulls, 23+ Herring Gulls, 30+ LBB Gulls, 33+ Common Gulls, 5 Chaffinches, 6 Long-tailed Tits.
David Callahan

Snow patrol- slight return

I saw Gary's post on the wiki and dashed down to EIDB where I immediately connected with the two drake Pochards, albeit in a blizzard at around 3pm, the above record shot of this local mega is entirely the fault of the appalling conditions and is in no way a reflection on the skill of the photographer, also present were 11 Canada Geese and a Little Grebe

Snow Patrol- 6th January 2010

Arrived at about 9am to a carpet of untrodden snow. Checked the Basin for Wildfowl, but just a few Teal and 15 Tufted Duck were present. I had come in hope of unusual wildfowl and waders. Scanned the reedbeds and shoreline, but apart from Moorhens all was quiet. Next to the copse, where a single Redwing was feeding on the ground with Blackbirds, also present were Long-tailed Tits and a few Chaffinch. Snow was falling again as I viewed the Thames, the river looked as black as coal against the white background. I did a circuit of Bow Creek counting 2 Redshank, and about 160 Teal, scattered along the shoreline. Three Reed Buntings were in the Reedbed near to the blue bridge. On arriving back to the Dock I had the welcome sighting of 2 drake Pochards with the Tufties. I did not record this species during 2009, and there was only one record all told, seen by Nick on Bow Creek . So my venture in the snow had been rewarded. Checked the copse again, 6 Redwings were feeding and many common species were searching through the leaf litter, but still no Dunnock !.
Gary A James

Birding December 26th to 28th

From December 26th to 28th I managed a fairly comprehensive two hour visit on each date, typically the highlight came in the last minute of my last visit when I refound Gary's cracking male Black Redstart feeding in trees on the southern side of the copse at East India Dock Basin; the rest of the stuff was generally par for the course, I had one Chiffchaff on each date, the bird on the 26th was giving the usual contact call but on the other two dates it (or another) was giving the variant call which sounded a bit like House Sparrow to me; there was a passage of Redwing on all three dates with c30 north on the 26th, 14 south and 100 west on the 27th and 31 west on the 28th; I couldn't find a Little Grebe on the 26th but I had two on the 27th (including one on the lower Lea), and one on the 28th; wildfowl included two Shelduck on the 27th and three on the 28th; 233 Teal on the 26th, c290 on the 27th and 291 on the 28th, the peak count of Mallard was 113 on the 28th and the Tufted Duck flock fluctuated between 29 on the 26th and 14 on the 27th; Redshank numbers were fairly consistent, 23 on the 26th, 29 on the 27th and 27 on the 28th, but there was no sign of the Common Sandpiper last seen by me on December 11th; finally a Jay was feeding in the copse on the 28th and eight Chaffinch, a good local count, were there on the 27th.

Festive fayre

After a week of near Arctic conditions in London, this morning was my first opportunity to visit the patch for two weeks, reading of hard weather movements of Golden Plover, Lapwing and Fieldfare and a good showing of Woodcock and Jack Snipe at various other localities had me straining at the leash to get out and do some birding, but as I left home just before dawn in almost balmy conditions my disappointment was palpable. After a quick circuit of East India Dock Basin it was obvious that no Woodcock or Jack Snipe were there to be flushed and the somewhat gloomy skies were not to be darkened further by squadrons of Fieldfare chacking overhead so I turned my attention to the more prosaic business of counting wildfowl with the following results: Mute Swan 1 on the Lea, Canada Goose 6 on EIDB, Shelduck, 1 on EIDB, my first here since April and unaccountably scarce this winter, Common Teal c250 throughout the site, a somewhat low count given the recent conditions, Mallard 118 throughout the site, Tufted Duck 26 on EIDB; also present was a single Little Grebe and at least 21 Cormorant including one in breeding plumage. Plenty of gulls were about including at least 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls on the Millennium Dome mudflats, 3 Great Black-backs, c25 Lesser Black-backs, a few Herrings and c180 Black-headed, at least 8 Redshank were on the Lea and I flushed 5 from the north shore of EIDB. On the passerine front a flock of 18 Linnet was a good local count, at least 5 Reed Bunting were in the western Lea reedbed, two Chiffchaff, one each at EIDB and the Eco Park, and a small movement of Redwing mid morning with 11 north-west, 8 west and 1 south; all told 36 species in a three hour visit.

The Systematic List

Mute Swan Cygnus olor

An occasional visitor mainly to the Thames and lower Lea where a small herd of up to eight birds has been noted in early May in both 2008 and 2009 and nine in late April 2010; breeding has not been recorded although a pair were observed mating at East India Dock Basin on May 5th 2008.

Greylag Goose Anser anser

An occasional visitor, usually in the company of Canada Geese and often observed flighting into East India Dock Basin to roost at dusk; up to four birds have been recorded in every month with a peak count of ten on November 15th 2009.

Canada Goose Branta canadensis

A frequent visitor mainly to East India Dock Basin where at least one pair breed annually on the tern rafts; as with the previous species, Canada Geese are often seen flighting in at dusk to roost with a peak count of 17 on February 25th 2009.

Greylag Goose x Canada Goose Anser anser x Branta canadensis
All records of this hybrid probably relate to the same bird: one on the Thames on February 13th 2012, singles at East India Dock Basin on July 27th 2012, September 5th 2012, October 2nd 2013 and October 28th 2013 and one at Bow Creek on January 12th 2014.

Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca

All records of this increasingly recorded species relate to East India Dock Basin unless otherwise stated: one briefly before flying off east on March 28th 2010, two on August 22nd 2010, one on March 10th 2013, three on April 16th 2013, two on May 17th 2013, two on May 31st 2013, two on June 3rd 2013, two on June 5th 2013, one on June 17th 2013, one on June 20th 2013, one on June 23rd 2013, one on July 1st 2013, two on September 24th 2013, two flew west on January 12th 2014 and two flew south at Bow Creek on January 18th 2014.

Shelduck Tadorna tadorna

An increasing visitor, usually from November to May; up to four pairs were present in the spring of 2009 but, as with other years, no evidence of breeding was noted although it was strongly suspected from at least one pair; double-figure counts have become more frequent in recent years with a peak count of 22 on March 4th 2010. A pair were holding territory at Orchard Wharf 2010, where they almost certainly bred in 2009.

Mandarin Aix galericulata

An adult drake at East India Dock Basin on May 14th 2004 and a pair on the Thames on March 31st 2012 are the only records.

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope

An uncommon visitor usually during the winter months, all records are given: An adult drake at Bow Creek on an unspecified date in March 1998, a female on the Thames on January 10th 2010, seven on the Thames on February 12th 2012, a juvenile at East India Dock Basin on October 23rd 2012, a pair at Bow Creek on December 12th 2012 and one at Bow Creek on January 13th 2013.

Gadwall Anas strepera

A scarce visitor, all records are given: two at East India Dock Basin from January 28th into February 2004, two were at East India Dock Basin on December 30th 2005 and January 17th 2006, a pair flew up the Thames and landed in front of the Millennium Dome on January 1st 2009, single drakes were at East India Dock Basin on January 9th and March 31st 2009, an eclipse drake was at East India Dock Basin intermittently from August 5th to 10th 2009, a drake was at East India Dock Basin on January 3rd 2010, an eclipse drake was at East India Dock Basin on June 19th 2010, a male and female on the Thames on January 2nd 2011, six at Bow Creek January 10th 2011 (peak site count),  two at East India Dock Basin on January 11th and 15th 2011, singles at East India Dock Basin on May ist and November 6th 2011, a pair at East India Dock Basin on February 9th & 10th 2012, one at East India Dock Basin on March 17th 2012 and four at East India Dock Basin and two on the Thames on December 12th 2012.

Common Teal Anas crecca

Mainly a winter visitor which has increased dramatically over the past few years, it is one of the few species to have benefited from the silting-up of East India Dock Basin, the first birds of the autumn usually appear in mid August with numbers gradually building up to a peak in late December or early January, three-figure counts can persist into mid March with one or two pairs usually present into late April. During the freezing conditions in December 2010 numbers reached over 400, with a site peak count of 430 on the dock on the 17th. Numbers stayed high in early January 2011, with 410 recorded on the 2nd.

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

A breeding resident with between two and five pairs breeding annually, numbers are augmented in autumn and winter by migrants, three-figure counts are noted most years with a peak count of 168 on July 17th 2011.

Pintail Anas acuta

An uncommon winter visitor, formerly more regular, all records are given and relate to single adult drakes unless otherwise stated: Bow Creek; on January 17th 2001, January 26th and November 3rd 2004, November 25th and 29th 2005 and January 14th, 15th and 22nd 2006. East India Dock Basin; on January 25th 2001 and January 1st 2006. An overwintering female, first seen on December 11th 2010 remained until March 19th 2011, she returned for a second winter on December 11th 2011 and was last noted on February 28th 2012. 

Garganey Anas querquedula

A drake was at East India Dock Basin on May 1st 2001. This is the only known record.

Shoveler Anas clypeata

An uncommon winter visitor, usually in hard weather, all records are given: East India Dock Basin, a drake on December 31st 2001, a drake on February 21st 2006, one flew over on February 14th 2008, a drake on nine dates between December 17th 2008 and January 8th 2009, three drakes and a female on January 9th 2009, two drakes on January 10th and 11th 2009, a female on December 9th 2010, one on the Thames on February 12th 2012, two at East India Dock Basin from December 12th to 17th 2012, one on the Thames on September 13th 2013 and a drake at East India Dock Basin on February 11th 2014.

Pochard Aythya ferina

A scarce passage migrant and winter visitor, the silting-up of East India Dock Basin has made this site unattractive to Pochard, which was until recently an annual visitor, recent records include four on April 27th, five on May 3rd, one on May 6th and one on December 6th all in 2010 and all at East India Dock Basin; the last record was of one on the Thames on March 24th 2012.

Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris

A vagrant, only one record of a drake at East India Dock Basin on January 7th 2002.

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula

A former breeding resident at East India Dock Basin, numbers build up during September and a wintering flock of between 20 and 30 birds is usually present during January and February. Before the silt invaded East India Dock Basin, numbers were significantly higher in winter, with counts usually between 50 and 80 birds, with a peak site count of 94 on January 2nd 2002; post silt, the peak site count is 66 on March 10th 2011.

Scaup Aythya marila

A scarce winter visitor, all records are given: a drake at East India Dock Basin on January 8th 2001, a 1st-winter drake at East India Dock Basin on January 24th and 28th and February 1st, 23rd, 28th and 29th 2004;, a flock of six flew up the Thames at East India Dock Basin on January 10th 2010.

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
A female at East India Dock Basin on July 4th 2013 is the only record.

Common Scoter Melanitta nigra

One flying west at East India Dock Basin on October 29th 2009 and one briefly on the Thames before flying upstream after being flushed by a boat on April 4th 2010 are the only records.

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula

A scarce winter visitor, formerly more regular, the silting-up of East India Dock Basin has seriously affected the status of this species which is now more likely to be encountered on the river, the last record was of one at Bow Creek on December 20th 2006.

Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis

A female on the Thames at East India Dock Basin on January 1st 2004 is the only known record.

Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

The only record is of a male in the copse at East India Dock Basin on February 26th 2006, it probably originated from one of the small discrete populations further up the Lea Valley at Mill Meads or Stratford Marsh.

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

A passage migrant and winter visitor, usually arriving in late September and leaving by mid March with the odd individual remaining into early April; most winters two or three birds are present at East India Dock Basin with a peak count of six on December 1st 2008. The silting-up of East India Dock Basin is likely to have an adverse affect on this species in the future.

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

A decidedly scarce passage migrant and winter visitor, not recorded annually and more likely to be encountered on the river, recent records include one at Bow Creek on February 7th 2010 and one on the Thames on September 19th 2010. There was four records during December 2010, with a peak count of three on the 12th.

Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus

On September 7th 1997 one was observed from the Kent shore, by the Thames Barrier close into the Essex shore of the river, where it was attacked by a Great Black-backed Gull and seriously injured, it then drifted upstream on the rising tide and was seen to pass East India Dock Basin, it constitutes the 50th record for the London Area ( McKenzie D. The Birds of the Charlton and Woolwich Area 1993-2003).

Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

A common visitor at all times of the year with most birds probably originating from the Walthamstow Reservoirs rookery which contained over 300 nests in 2005, the peak count for the Lower Lea is at least 30 on January 1st 2009.

Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis
Only one record, on an unknown date during January 2000.

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

A scarce but fairly regular spring and summer visitor with the first record on July 31st 2004; since 2006 a small breeding colony has become established at Walthamstow Reservoirs which should lead to an increase in sightings at the Lower Lea; the latest records are of single birds flying north on April 10th and 11th 2010, one flying south on 29th July 2010, one flying west on August 7th 2013, a juvenile at East India Dock Basin intermittenty between October 15th and November 7th 2013, three at East India Dock Basin on November 8th 2013, one at East India Dock Basin on November 17th 2013 and one flying west on December 9th 2013.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

A common visitor at all times of the year, probably from the Walthamstow Reservoirs heronry which contained over 80 nests in 2006, there is a high tide roost on the eastern side of Bow Creek Ecological Park which can hold up to a dozen birds, at low tide the Millennium Dome mudflats are a favourite fishing area with 12 present on April 2th 2010.

Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
A vagrant: On 24th October 2010 a bird flew upriver from Crossness and landed on the Millennium Dome mudflats where it stayed for 20 minutes, until pushed off by the rising tide.

Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus
A rare passage migrant. One record, of two birds flying north on August 25th 2006.

Red Kite Milvus milvus

One flying south-west on June 12th 2010, one flying north-east on September 4th 2010, one flying west on May 15th 2012, one flying west on May 23rd 2012 and one flying west on March 21st 2014 are the only records.

Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

An occasional visitor on hunting forays at any time of the year, often seen around the copse in East India Dock Basin, it almost certainly breeds locally, but the available habitat is probably too marginal for a successful breeding attempt at the Lower Lea.

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

Two flying east on March 30th 2009, singles flying south on April 9th and 11th and May 4th and east on September 4th , one on October 18th 2010 and one flying north on March 28th 2011, all at East India Dock Basin, are the only records.

Osprey Pandion haliaetus

One drifting slowly north-east at East India Dock Basin on May 6th 2010 is the only record.

Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

An occasional visitor at any time of the year but more regular in winter and spring, formerly more frequent; the habitat does not exsist to sustain a breeding pair and the one or occasionally two birds reported use the Lower Lea strictly for hunting.

Merlin Falco columbarius

Three winter records: one on January 15th 2001 and a female flew west on January 28th 2007. A male flew west over East India Dock Basin on December 5th 2010.

Hobby Falco subbuteo

A very scarce passage migrant with just three spring records: one on May 1st 2007, one flew north-east on May 11th 2009 and one flew north on April 27th 2010.

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

A fairly frequent visitor in all months but especially between October and March, most records probably relate to the resident pair on the Isle of Dogs which often overfly the area, on May 19th 2002 the resident pair attacked an interloping male forcing it to ground in the old gravel works before chasing it off north-east towards Canning Town; four birds in the air at the same time over East India Dock Basin on March 28th 2010 were thought to have been involved in a territorial dispute.

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus

Surprisingly only two records, one of an overwintering bird at East India Dock Basin from November 7th 2008 to January 13th 2009; it spent most of the time in or near the western reedbed but was also seen at the eastern reedbed on January 3rd 2009. Another very elusive individual was seen intermittently between January 2nd and March 15th 2011.

Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

A common resident with three or four pairs breeding annually, often utilising the tern rafts on East India Dock Basin, recent counts include 15 on December 3rd 2008 and 14 on December 27th 2009.

Coot Fulica atra

A common resident with two or three pairs breeding annually which, like the previous species, often nests on the tern rafts; it can be fairly scarce during the autumn and winter with a peak count of nine on August 29th 2009.

Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus

A fairly frequent visitor at any time of the year with records usually involving between one and three birds; the peak count was of ten in two groups of five flying west up the Thames on July 13th 2008.

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius

A passage migrant and ocassional breeding summer visitor, at least one pair oversummers and breeding almost certainly takes place locally; in 1997 a pair made three breeding attempts in the old gravel works, none of which were successful probably as a result of corvid predation, the following year a pair mobbed a Sparrowhawk and behaved as if they had chicks although none could be found. In 2000,2001 and 2002 pairs made breeding attempts in a nearby industrial site; 1n 2009 at least one and probably two pairs were present and were believed to have bred on the Pura Foods peninsula; the last week of March usually sees the first migrants arrive, with a single on March 16th 2009 the earliest record. One pair (possibly two) bred on the Pura Foods site in 2010, though it is not known if they were successful.

Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula

A scarce passage migrant, a pair were present at East India Dock Basin on an unspecified date in April 1998 but were mobbed and chased off by a territorial pair of Little Ringed Plovers. A pair were also present during June 2001; five flew down the Thames on August 18th 2001, one was on the Thames on August 26th 2001, one on May 26th 2007, one on August 22nd 2007 and one flew east at East India Dock Basin on May 4th 2009.

European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria

Two records: three circled East India Dock Basin before flying north-east on October 18th 2009 and one flew down the Thames during snowy conditions on November 30th 2010.

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola

The only record is of two flying east at East India Dock Basin on April 25th 2009.

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

A scarce passage migrant and winter visitor, 13 flying north over East India Dock Basin on December 31st 2008 is the highest site count. 2010 was a good year for this species, 15 flew south on Novenber 28th, and birds were seen most days during the freeze, with four feeding on the shoreline at East India Dock Basin on December 4th.

Dunlin Calidris alpina

A scarce passage migrant, all records from East India Dock Basin: one in February 2001, one in summer plumage on May 12th and 14th 2007, two flew north on April 30th 2008, one on September 16th 2009, one flew along Bow Creek on November 21st 2010 and one on December 9th 2010.

Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus

Only two records: two at Bow Creek Ecology Park during freezing weather on January 10th 2010, and one at Bow Creek on December 19th 2010.

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago

An uncommon winter visitor, almost certainly under-recorded, all records are given: East India Dock Basin, one was flushed from the north shore on January 14th 2006, one was flushed from the old gravel works following a heavy overnight snowfall on February 2nd 2009. Bow Creek Ecology Park; one flushed from the pond on August 14th 2006, one was flushed during freezing weather on January 4th 2009, four flushed during freezing weather on January 9th 2010, three flushed on January 10th 2010. Bow Creek; one seen flying into cover on January 10th 2009. During freezing weather in Deceember 2010 birds were noted regularly at Bow Creek with a peak count of 11 on December 19th and were often seen in the roost with Redshanks.

Woodcock Scolopax rusticola
One flushed from the copse at East India Dock Basin during freezing weather on December 1st 2010, is the only record.

Curlew Numenius arquata
One feeding at Bow Creek on December 9th 2010 is the only record.

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

A very scarce passage migrant with only five spring records: one flew down the River Thames May 9th 2004, one briefly at East India Dock Basin on April 27th 2006, one initially on the Millennium Dome mudflats before flying north over East India Dock Basin on April 20th 2008, two flew north at East India Dock Basin on May 7th 2009, and two singles, one north and one west on May 14th 2009.

Redshank Tringa totanus

Scarce passage migrant and regular winter visitor, a high tide roost has become established on the the western side of the Bow Creek Ecology Park peninsula, which, in an average year will hold between ten and 20 birds, in hard weather this number can rise and ocassionally reaches three figures with a site record count of 141 on January 19th 2003. During the big freeze in December 2010 numbers barely got into double figures, though there were large counts elsewhere on the inner Thames.

Greenshank Tringa nebularia

Singles at East India Dock Basin from September 1st to 8th 2005 and on August 22nd 2007 are the only known records.

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

A regular passage migrant and winter visitor, one or two birds usually winter on the Lower Lea with a peak count of three in the Bow Creek Ecology Park high tide roost with Redshank on several dates in February and March 2009 and 2011; autumn passage can commence as early as mid July with peak counts of five on August 23rd 2007 and July 13th 2008 and seven on August 15th 2010.

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

A common passage migrant and winter visitor, there is often a build up of non breeding 1st-summer birds in June with the first juveniles apearing in early July most years, during the autumn and winter a roost site has become established on the Pura Foods peninsula at Bow Creek with a peak count of c. 320 on February 15th 2007; there is often a sizable pre-roost gathering on the Thames with a peak count of c. 3000 on January 30th 2004.

Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus

Only seven records: An adult on the Thames on July 13th 2001. An adult on the Thames on November 27th 2002. a 2nd-summer on the Thames on July 29th 2005. An adult at East India Dock Basin in August 2005, an adult at East India Dock Basin on August 31st 2008, an adult flew west at East India Dock Basin on June 28th 2009 and an adult flew west at East India Dock Basin on August 3rd 2010 .

Little Gull Larus minutus
A scarce passage migrant, with just two records. An adult drifted past on the Thames on August 15th 2000, and two adults flew west on April 17th 2003.

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
An adult was seen on the Millennium Dome mudflats during November and December 2000, these sightings almost certainly relate to the long-staying adult which overwintered in the area from 1996 to 2010.

Common Gull Larus canus

A passage migrant and winter visitor usually appearing in mid to late August and building up to a peak of up to 20 in January, there is usually a small but distinct passage in March involving around a dozen birds, most are gone by the first week of April, with two 1st-summer birds at East India Dock Basin on April 27th 2006 the latest spring record. The largest count is of 107 birds on the Thames on March 13th 2000.

Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus

A common visitor at all times of the year, breeding locally on piers, barges, warehouse rooves and at Billingsgate Fish Market, the largest concentration is usually found on the Millennium Dome mudflats where up to 40 birds may gather at low tide.

Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis

An uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor, one or two are recorded most years with a peak count of four on August 22nd and September 9th 2008, most birds favour the Millennium Dome mudflats, an adult bird returned to winter between 2008 and 2010, frequenting the old gravel works and the adjacent Thames foreshore.

Herring Gull Larus argentatus

A frequent visitor at any time of the year, breeds locally mainly at Billingsgate Fish Market and has bred at Orchard Wharf on rooves, but is less common than Lesser Black-backed Gull with rarely more than two or three seen at any time, like other large gull taxa it is often found on the Millennium Dome mudflats. There have been a few records of Scandinavian Herring Gull of the race argentatus, most recently of two birds at Bow Creek on February 22nd 2011.

Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus

A frequent visitor and recent local breeder, there is a late summer build-up with a peak count of 13 on August 23rd 2008, during the winter months numbers usually build up in late November or early December with a peak count of 24 on March 2nd 2010.

Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla

One on the Thames at East India Dock Basin on October 7th 2009 is the only known record.

Little Tern Sternula albifrons

Only two records, 15 on September 12th 2000 was the third largest flock to be recorded in the London Area, and an adult on July 13th 2001.

Black Tern Chlidonias niger

A scarce passage migrant, usually passing through on the Thames, autumn records include one on August 18th 2001, 18 flying east on August 26th 2001, two on August 24th 2005, one flying west on September 10th 2007, two juveniles flying west on August 20th 2008, six flying west on August 31st 2008 and one on September 5th 2010.

Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis

A scarce passage migrant, all records are from the Thames off East India Dock Basin: two on August 26th 2001, two on May 4th 2002, two flew west on August 31st 2008, one flew east on June 7th 2009, two flew west on August 2nd 2009, eight flew west on September 16th 2009 and three flew east on August 15th 2010.

Common Tern Sterna hirundo

A passage migrant and breeding summer visitor, a small colony has become established on three rafts on East India Dock Basin, numbers of breeding pairs fluctuate from year to year with ten in 2002, six in 2008 and only one in 2009 (when two rafts were relocated because of the ongoing silting-up of the basin); the first birds usually arrive in mid April with the earliest record of two flying west on April 7th 2009; there is usually a strong autumn passage on the Thames with recent counts including 76 on September 3rd 2006, 90 west on August 24th 2008 and 85 on August 15th 2010. The highest count is 258 moving west on August 26th 2001. Most birds have departed by the first week of September with the latest record of a single bird at East Inia Dock Basin on September 26th 2006.

Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii

A pair in summer plumage was at East India Dock Basin and the adjacent river Thames until dusk on May 14th 2002, both birds were colour-ringed (white on both legs) and were ringed at Coquet Island, Northumberland; this pair constitutes the 17th record for the London Area. One was at East India Dock Basin from 12:30 to 15:15 on May 16th 2006, it constitutes the 21st record for the London Area.

Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea

A scarce passage migrant, more frequent in the autumn, recent counts include 47 flying west on August 21st 2008 and 13 flying west on September 12th 2008; the most recent records are of one flying west at East India Dock Basin on April 25th 2010 and seven flying north on August 23rd 2010.

Rock Dove Columba livia

Feral birds are present all year round and breed locally, they can often be found feeding on the foreshore at Bow Creek in the company of gulls with up to 25 birds usually present.

Stock Dove Columba oenas

A casual visitor at any time of the year, one or two are usually recorded with four on June 13th 2006; spring and summer occurences are a little puzzling because no breeding habitat exists locally for this species, though they have been known to nest on buildings. Ochard Wharf seems the most likely place. The only notable passage counts are of nine flying north on November 8th 2009 and seven flying south on October 10th 2010.

Woodpigeon Columba palumbus

A common resident, passage migrant and winter visitor with two or three pairs breeding annually, numbers are swollen by migrants in winter and a small passage usually occurs in late October or early November with a recent count of 151 heading mainly south on November 8th 2009 and a much larger count of 570 flying south-west on November 7th 2010.

Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto

A casual visitor at any time of the year with most records involving single birds; Collared Dove is still in the process of colonising the centre of London and it can be expected to become more frequent in the future; the most recent records include three flying west on April 25th 2010 and singles on March 19th & 27th, April 2nd 2011 and one flying east on April 4th 2012.

Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur

The only records are of two flying west on May 9th 2006 and one flying west on May 10th 2006.

Ring-necked Parakeet Psittacula krameri

There are only records: one at Bow Creek on March 22nd 2009, two flying west on April 19th 2009, two flying west on May 23rd 2010, two flying west 7th November, one flying west on December 4th 2010 and one flying east on April 13th 2012; large numbers are present at localities across the Thames and birds are being seen with increasing regularity in metropolitan Essex so it seems likely that this species will become more regular in the future

Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
The only record is one on April 9th 2005, briefly in the copse.

Short-eared Owl Asio flammea

On November 8th 1998 one was observed from the Kent shore as it flew north over the Thames and East India Dock Basin (McKenzie D. The Birds of the Charlton and Woolwich Area 1993-2003).

Common Swift Apus apus

A passage migrant and summer visitor that can be surprisingly scarce with a high count of 200+ flying west on July 14th 2008.

Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Mainly a winter visitor to East India Dock Basin where one or rarely two birds are present from late September to early March with the earliest record on August 18th 2008 and the latest on April 3rd 2008; artificial nesting banks have been constructed at East India Dock Basin and on the Lower Lea but so far no evidence of breeding has been observed.

Green Woodpecker Picus viridis

One on August 23rd 2003, one on April 13th 2009, one flying south at East India Dock Basin on April 25th 2010, one on the meadow at East India Dock Basin on September 30th 2010 and one male in the copse October 18th 2010 are the only known records.

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major

A casual visitor at any time of the year, nearly all records are of single birds with two on August 7th 2008 the only multiple count.

Skylark Alauda arvensis

A surprisingly scarce visitor, one over East India Dock Basin on November 8th 2009, three on the meadow at East India Dock Basin on December 19th 2009, five flying north-west on September 26th 2010, seven flying east in one flock on October 10th 2010, one on October 17th 2010 and two on November 7th 2010 are the only records.

Sand Martin Riparia riparia

A passage migrant and recent colonist; since 2007 a pair has bred annually in a drainage pipe in the lock wall at East India Dock Basin (two pairs in 2009, three pairs in 2010), the first migrants usually appear in mid April with the earliest record of two on March 18th 2010, the highest count was of c280 flying north-west in two hours during an unprecedented hirundine passage over London on September 26th 1999; most birds have departed by the end of July with the lastest record on August 6th 2009.

Swallow Hirundo rustica

A passage migrant, usually more frequent in the spring, the first birds usually appear during mid April with the earliest record on March 30th 2009, the highest count was of c650 flying north-west in two hours during an unprecedented hirundine passage over London on September 26th 1999; seven through on September 19th 2010 is the latest record but, surprisingly, birds are not observed annually on autumn passage.

House Martin Delichon urbicum

A surprisingly scarce passage migrant, not recorded annually, earliest and latest dates are: one on April 24th 2007 and two on July 16th 2008. an unprecedented movement of at least 197 including a flock of circa 140 was observed on September 26th 2010.

Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis

A passage migrant and winter visitor with a peak count of 13 on October 13th 2006, one or two ocassionally overwinter and the odd bird has been seen during the summer, but no evidence of breeding has been noted.

Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus

Only two records, one on October 15th 2006, and one on the Thames foreshore at East India Dock Basin on September 12th 2008.

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava

One flying over East India Dock Basin on August 24th 2009 and one flying east on May 4th 2012 are the only records, the latter bird gave a call that could have been one of the eastern races.

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

A resident with one or two pairs breeding locally.

Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba

A resident and passage migrant with two or three pairs breeding locally; a passage count of 11 on April 7th 2007 included two birds showing characteristics of the continental race alba; the peak count is of at least 19 at dusk on March 6th 2011.

Wren Troglodytes troglodytes

A common resident with eight to ten pairs breeding annually.

Dunnock Prunella modularis

A common resident with six to eight pairs breeding annually.

Robin Erithacus rubecula

A common resident with four or five pairs breeding annually.

Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos

The only record is of a singing male in the northern scrub at East India Dock Basin on April 13th 2008.

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros

A winter visitor, passage migrant, and breeder; at least one singing male is noted each spring and breeding almost certainly takes place locally, in recent years this species has become a fairly reliable winter visitor with one or two birds present intermittently and a peak count of four at East India Dock Basin on November 26th 2007. Recently the Lower Lea has become one of the best places to see this species in London.

Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus
One record a female on April 23rd 2006, in the copse at East India Dock Basin.

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra

A scarce autumn migrant with only two records: two on September 16th 2006 and one in the old gravel works on September 13th 2008.

Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe

A scarce passage migrant with two or three recorded annually, usually in the autumn; an adult male at East India Dock Basin on March 1st 2009 constitutes the second earliest record for the London Area; four on the Pura Foods peninsula on April 5th 2011and April 30th 2912 is the largest multiple count. One at Orchard Wharf on 27th September 2009 was probably of the Greenland race leucorrhoa.

Blackbird Turdus merula

A common resident with four or five pairs breeding annually, numbers are augmented in autumn and winter by continental migrants with a peak count of c.20 on November 26th 2007.

Fieldfare Turdus pilaris

An uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor, not recorded annually, the best count is of 28 on January 1st 2010.

Song Thrush Turdus philomelos

A scarce resident with one or two pairs present locally in recent years; six flying north-east on January 3rd 2010 were almost certainly migrants.

Redwing Turdus iliacus

A passage migrant with one or two ocassionally wintering, the peak count is 114 (14 south and 100 west) on December 27th 2009.

Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus

A surprisingly scarce visitor at any time of the year, with one or two records but not annually.

Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

A scarce passage migrant, not recorded annually, the last record was of one singing in Bow Creek Ecology Park on May 4th 2012.

Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus

A passage migrant and summer visitor with four to eight pairs breeding annually.

Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla

A passage migrant and summer visitor with four or five pairs breeding annually, one or two birds ocassionally overwinter, usually in the copse at East India Dock Basin and the adjacent gardens.

Garden Warbler Sylvia borin

A scarce passage migrant, not recorded annually, the ocassional pair may breed locally.

Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria

A somewhat elusive 1st-winter was present on September 25th and 26th 2006; it frequented the scrub along the north shore of East India Dock Basin and constitutes the eighth record for the London Area; remarkably another 1st-winter was found in almost the same area on September 26th 2011, it constitutes the ninth London record.

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca

A scarce passage migrant with at least one pair probably breeding annually, the earliest record is of single birds on April 20th in both 2007 and 2010; and the latest a single on September 11th 2008.

Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis

A passage migrant and summer visitor with two to four pairs breeding annually.

Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

A passage migrant and summer visitor which may rarely stay on to breed, one or two and ocasssionally as many as four may overwinter, one in the copse at East India Dock Basin on January 19th 2006 was thought to be one of the eastern forms with another in the same area on January 10th 2011 was strongly suspected to be of the Siberian form tristis.

Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus

A passage migrant which ocassionally lingers into the summer but is not thought to have bred; the earliest record was of one at Bow Creek Ecology Park on March 27th 2010 with the latest a single on September 29th 2008.

Goldcrest Regulus regulus

An unaccountably rare visitor with most of the records pertaining to a small influx during the autumn of 2008 and into 2009; two were at East India Dock Basin on September 29th , one or two were then recorded on most dates with four on November 27th and December 18th, after this date only singles were noted until the last on March 8th 2009; one was at Virginia Quay on April 19th 2012.

Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla

A scarce passage migrant, all records are given: East India Dock Basin; one on April 3rd, two on April 6th and 7th and November 5th 2008, one on April 20th 2010. Bow Creek Ecology Park; one singing on October 9th and one on December 1st 2008.

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata

A scarce passage migrant, all records are given: East India Dock Basin, two on August 22nd 2006, one on June 3rd 2007, one on August 21st 2008, two on September 16th and 17th 2009.

Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus

A passage migrant and winter visitor, probably breeds locally, most winter flocks contain between three and eight birds with a peak count of 10+ on November 23rd 2008. During the spring of 2012 completed nests were found in the copse at East India Dock Basin and in Bow Creek Ecology Park, both attempts failed at least one as a result of human disturbance.

Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus

A common resident with four to six pairs breeding annually.

Great Tit Parus major

A common resident with three to five pairs breeding annually.

Nuthatch Sitta europaea
A juvenile in the copse at East India Dock Basin on June 25th 2012 is the only record.

Jay Garrulus glandarius

A scarce resident with a pair probably breeding locally most years.

Magpie Pica pica

A common resident with four to six pairs breeding annually.

Jackdaw Corvus monedula

A scarce passage migrant, not recorded annually, recent records include four flying north at East India Dock Basin on March 21st 2010 and two on March 26th 2011.

Carrion Crow Corvus corone

A common resident with two or three pairs breeding annually and several more pairs breeding in the vicinity; resident numbers are augmented by migrants during the winter. with a peak count of 26 on March 10th 2009.

Rook Corvus frugilegus

Two records of single birds flying east on September 12th 2010 and April 17th 2011.

Starling Sturnus vulgaris

A common resident with a handful of pairs breeding locally, during the winter numbers are augmented by migrants with a peak count of 325 on November 7th 2010.

House Sparrow Passer domesticus

A scarce visitor at any time of the year, usually found in private gardens adjacent to the site; there are at least two discrete breeding colonies within a kilometre of East India Dock Basin and birds should occur on a more regular basis as this species recovers from the recent catastrophic decline in numbers.

Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs

A passage migrant and winter visitor, never in large numbers, the peak count is of 8 together at East India Dock Basin on December 27th 2009; occasionally one or two birds linger into April and a singing male may hold territory, but no evidence of breeding has been noted.

Brambling Fringilla montifringilla

An uncommon winter visitor, all records are given: one at East India Dock Basin on April 10th and 11th 2004, one on April 15th and 16th 2007.

Greenfinch Carduelis chloris

A common resident and passage migrant with two or three pairs breeding annually, numbers build up from late autumn and usually peak around the turn of the year with a high count of 42+ flying in to roost in trees behind the Esso garage on February 28th 2010.

Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis

A common resident and passage migrant with three or four pairs breeding locally, numbers build up in winter with a peak count of 15+ on March 21st 2010.

Siskin Carduelis spinus

A flock of ten in Alders in the Eastern Clump at East India Dock Basin on December 19th 2007 is the only known record.

Linnet Carduelis cannabina

An uncommon resident with perhaps one or two pairs breeding locally, numbers build up in winter with a peak count of 26 on November 8th 2009.

Lesser Redpoll Carduelis cabaret

A very uncommon visitor, the last record was of nine feeding in birches on the west side of Bow Creek Ecological Park on March 21st 2010

Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus

An uncommon resident, one pair may breed, but probably not annually, numbers build up in winter with a peak count of nine on December 11th 2009.