September is traditionally the time when the wildcard birds start to pop up, with seemingly odd records of various species spotted all over the country as they pause briefly on migration. In this respect it was a good start to the month with the Spotted Flycatcher and Whinchat still hanging around, and still a small flock of House Martins! I ended on 66 species, which could have easily been more but between work and a house move I was not on the marshes as much as I would've been ordinarily!
It's been good to see the Canada Geese return, with quite a few on the river after a long absence over the hot summer. Also, the Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Stonechats are starting to reappear. I had thought these were resident, but after a bit of reading it turns out they mostly spend the summer in more upland areas before returning post breeding. It became a bit of a theme this month to spot species not recorded for a little while as birds start to move into their wintering grounds.
I got told about a Firecrest found singing on Botany, but wasn't able to get down for a couple of days, by which point it seemed to have moved on! A good chance to familiarise myself with their song and habits (thank you google), so hopefully I'll be ready the next time one pops up!
I also missed put on a group of Cattle Egrets reported by local guru Barry Wright, however on an evening trip searching for them I caught a Hobby passing over the marshes! One of my all time favourite birds, I've been praying all summer to pick one up here and finally got my wish!
From the car one morning I had 2 Spoonbill fly overhead on London Road next to the marshes. Is that controversial to count as a record for the site? You decide but I'm definitely taking it! They definitely flew over Botany, whether or not I was on the Peninsula was a different story 😂 Also of note on Botany is the return of roosting Lapwing, most of the reed coverage has been cut back and we should now start to see more wader species here as the scrape fills up with water in the wetter months.
The resident passerines are currently very quiet, but an assortment of common species are still (less vocally) flocking around the scrub. After a flurry of juveniles at the start of the month, I think it's safe to say the warblers have now departed, aside from the Cetti's.
Things will be easier to spot from now on as the trees shed their leaves and birds become more obvious through the branches, and I'm going into winter with a couple of specific targets not yet reported on site. I won't name them because I'll only tempt fate, but fingers crossed!
A nice find on the central reservoir was this Great Crested Grebe, a scarce one for the site, and brilliant to have it come in this close! These are common UK birds on almost any lake, but I've only had one so far this year on the Peninsula and even then it was just passing by on the Thames, so this was a decent record!
Their Little Grebe cousins are resident here and there are some areas of habitat that could arguably support both species, perhaps it is a food or competition reason behind their normal absence.
As September draws to a close I think it's important to note just how scarce the herps have been on the Peninsula this season.
With heavy droughts a lot of the water courses ran bone dry over the summer, and their inhabitants really suffered. Barely any Frogs seen/heard, a single Smooth Newt, a handful of Grass Snakes and Lizard sightings way down on last year is a genuine cause for concern. If seasonal droughts are to continue in the changing climate then our herpetofauna will really suffer long term population struggles.
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Feral Dove
Jackdaw
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Raven
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Bearded Tit
House Sparrow
Goldfinch
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Linnet
Wren
Dunnock
Starling
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Spotted Flycatcher
Robin
Whinchat
Stonechat
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Blackcap
Cettis Warbler
Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Willow Warbler
Pheasant
Ring Necked Parakeet
House Martin
Swallow
Herring Gull
Black Headed Gull
Common Gull
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Great Black Backed Gull
Cormorant
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Curlew
Mallard
Gadwall
Tufted Duck
Shelduck
Egyptian Goose
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Great Crested Grebe
Little Grebe
Moorhen
Coot
Water Rail
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Spoonbill
Kestrel
Hobby
Peregrine
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Marsh Harrier
Total 66
Running Total 111
