What a month it's been, setting myself a new record of 70 different species seen in and over the Peninsula, and some cracking variation too. 97 for the year now, getting ever closer to the magic 100!
The Cuckoos are on site in force, with at least 3 males and 1 female being seen/heard in different areas. Typically, they are hard to photograph and quickly fly off when you get anywhere vaguely near them, but the female sat up nicely once for me, unfortunately for the backdrop on a grey miserable day!
Im still yet to find a Hobby, but the Swifts, House Martins and Swallows are really making a show of it. It's been great to watch them feed over Black Duck, and also stoop to the ground to gather mud for nest building on the nearby Ingress Park flats.
Surely can't be long before their predators make an appearance, especially since the Dragonflies are becoming more abundant. I'm by no means a 'dragonfly guy', but I have picked out Broad Bellied Chaser and Emperor amongst the different species on show.
Interestingly, the Tits have become remarkably thin on the ground. Although occasionally seen, perhaps the majority have moved on to neighbouring gardens for the breeding season, displaced and out-competed by the voracious Warblers that have truly taken over.
I've got 9 different Warbler species so far, including this smart Grasshopper (apologies for the distant photo), and there is still potential for a couple more to show up, fingers crossed!
Yet again there's egg on my face regarding waders, this time a lone Whimbrel turning up for a feed along the foreshore. Although not blessed with large groups like some other nearby sites, there is still a fair amount of different wader species that use Swanscombe, despite me not really associating the area with them and it will be interesting to see if anymore turn up throughout the year.
Whilst on the subject, Lapwing bred last year near the Botany Scrape, but I haven't seen a single individual since January. Perhaps nest predation has meant they have moved to a different site this year.
Ringing has continued to be a success, with a few more different birds caught alongside the usuals, including Great Spotted Woodpecker, always a nice record for the area.
We also managed to get a particularly incredible bird right at the end of the month, which I won't reveal just yet, at least until it's made public and ratified by the BTO. All I can say though is that everyone involved was literally dancing for joy at getting something so rare right on our doorstep 😋
Full List
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Stock Dove
Feral Dove
Jackdaw
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Raven
Blue Tit
Bearded Tit
Stonechat
Robin
Nightingale
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Dunnock
Starling
Wren
Goldfinch
Chaffinch
Linnet
Reed Bunting
House Sparrow
Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Cetti's Warbler
Reed Warbler
Common Whitethroat
Grasshopper Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Pied Wagtail
Wheatear
Cuckoo
Pheasant
Red Legged Partridge
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Swallow
House Martin
Swift
Ring Necked Parakeet
Black Headed Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
Common Gull
LBBG
Cormorant
Oystercatcher
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Whimbrel (Feeding Thames Foreshore)
Mallard
Shoveller
Gadwall
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Shelduck
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Coot
Moorhen
Little Grebe
Water Rail
Grey Heron
Kestrel
Peregrine
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Marsh Harrier
+ Secret Bird
Total 70
Running Total 97
