November 30 2106

It has been a lovely autumn. The trees kept their leaves well into November and the colours in Southwark Park and Stave Hill have been beautiful.  With most insects now overwintering in various stages of their lifecycle or hibernating as adults, it's the birds that are the most obvious and visible wildlife on the peninsula.

Stave Hill and Russia Dock Wooodland have held some great birds.  As the leaves fall the flocks of Long tailed Tits are becoming more visible together with large numbers of Great Tits and Blue Tits. Wrens churr from the undergrowth and Robins continue the relentless singing.  The most charismatic bird is the Kingfisher.  There are two females present.  They have favourite perches in the ponds; they are quite tolerant of noise but wary if approached.  So the normal sighting is a streak of electric blue as they fly low over the water.  When they catch a stickleback they beat it against a branch first to make it easier to swallow.

Kingfisher eying up fish

Beating Stickleback against branch

Swallowing hard

Showing off plumage

Rarer than the Kingfisher, harder to see and even harder to photo is the tiny Firecrest.  Two birds were present in November flitting restlessly through the bushes and trees near the main entrance to the Eco Park.  They have arrived for the winter and will hopefully stay until March.  They are really special birds for Rotherhithe; very similar to the more familiar Goldcrest but with bold black and white eye stripes. Stave Hill must be one of the best places in the country to get close views of this scarce and beautiful tiny bird. 

Firecrest in Stave Hill

Firecrest

There were two other special winter visitors to Stave Hill.  A very attractive male Teal - a genuinely wild duck - on Downtown Pond, and a Fieldfare - a visitor from Scandinavia - on the highest bit of woodland feeding on berries.  Greenfinch and Chaffinch have also arrived in good numbers and are becoming much easier to see as the trees lose their leaves. 

Male Teal

Fieldfare

Chaffinch

Greenfinch

On the docks, Tufted Duck and  Black headed Gulls are the most common birds.  Its a difficult time for Swans with adults driving young from their territory.  The pair on Surrey Dock didn't fare too well this year.  Only one cygnet survived and it appears that it can't fly.  The Swan Sanctuary has been monitoring Surrey Water and is concerned that the male Sawn may chase off the cygnet before he is mature enough to cope on his own.  They are asking to be alerted of signs of aggression from an adult.  Their website is http://www.theswansanctuary.org.uk.  The contact number is 079780 404 866


Surrey Water is not a great territory for Swans with very little in the way of vegetation for them to feed on.  Their main diet is bread thrown in by local families.  There is nothing wrong with bread; it doesn't harm the Swans, but it probably needs to be part of a wider diet.  Another adult Swan did drop into Surrey Water early in the month, but was seen off in a fairly brutal way by one of the locals. 

Local Swans drive off  newcomer

In Southwark Park the attractive and well named Shovelers have arrived in good numbers and a flock of 40 Redwing flew over early in the month.  Also three Little Grebe have been present

Male Shoveler

Little Grebe

So another great month of wildlife.  As the weather get colder we should get more winter visitors; certainly Redwing and hopefully Waxwings feeding on berries.  And perhaps the Peregrine will return to its perch on the Surrey Water gasholder. 

Sunday October 30  2016
In the mild, dry autumn the trees have held their leaves well and the peninsula is beginning to turn golden and red.   There are still plenty of insects and spectacular amounts of fruits to feed the passage and winter resident birds.  The docks have filled with winter ducks and gulls as the wonderful ebb and flow of wildlife in Rotherhithe continues. 

The star bird of the month has been the Kingfisher on the stream and ponds in Russia Dock Woodland.  Its favourite perch is the dead branch on the left side of Downtown Pond.  But you have to approach very carefully from behind the reeds to avoid putting it to flight.  On the last day of the month a second Kingfisher was seen.  If it is a pair,  they are unlikely to stay into the summer and breed. There are no suitable nest sites and too many predators, but lets hope they stay and entertain us until Spring.  Obviously, despite some problems with the water there are still sufficient small fish to keep the Kingfishers well fed, and also the Grey Heron that has taken up residence.  There are still plenty of small insects and the Chiffchaffs were still present at the end of the month and actually singing on 31 October.  They normally migrate back to Africa, but a small number over winter if there is sufficient food.  Plenty of Goldcrest have arrived and a Firecrest was seen on 23 October.  The fruiting trees are attracting large numbers of Goldfinch and Blackbird and a few Mistle and Song Thrush. The most common sounds in the woods are the chattering Wrens and singing Robins as they establish winter territories, and of course the harsh call of the Ring Necked Parakeets. 

Kingfisher on Downtown Pond

Kingfisher on Downtown Pond

Wild Rose hips

Late singing Chiffchaff

Goldcrest

In the docks the Tufted ducks have returned in large numbers; over 100 on Canada water and 50 on Surrey Water.  Black-headed Gulls have also returned in large numbers together with the odd Lesser black-backed and the not so common and rather elegant Common Gull.  Territorial squabbles have started with the Coot fights being particularly feisty.  The Adult Swans also try to drive the juveniles away; this causes real problems if the juvenile can't fly and on a number of occasions the Water Wardens have been called into action to move them to safety.  There are good numbers of Cormorants too on Canada Water often fishing in groups for Perch.  Another sure sign of good water quality despite the fall in level.

Common Gull with Black-headed in background

Coot fight

Fleet of Cormorants fishing for Perch in Canada Water

Shovelers have also returned to Southwark Park.  These are very attractive ducks the breed on the Essex or Kent marshlands.  In the winter these birds move south and there is an influx of migrants from the continent.  They feed on mollusc and invertebrates so obviously Southwark Park boating lake is in a healthy shape.  A nice pair of Little Grebe have also been showing well and Cormorants have been using convenient perches in the boating lake.

Male Shoveler

Cormorants on the boating lake

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Little Grebe

As the leaves fall in November the birds will become easier to see.  So watch out for the Kingfishers, Great spotted Woodpeckers and Jays.   Perhaps some winter thrush will arrive from Scandinavia and maybe the fruiting bushes will even attract some exotic Waxwings. 

September has been a terrific month for wildlife; the warm early autumn days have brought a good supply of insects for migrating birds, lovely colour to the woodlands and wild fruits in the hedgerows.

The docks and river saw increasing numbers of returning Black-headed Gulls, Cormorants and Herons. Male Tufted Duck returned after moulting and it was great to see the Tufted Duckings on Surrey Water all surviving. 

Canada Water continued to show what a special wildlife area it is. The Great-crested Grebes raised a second brood, the reeds and bushes held large numbers of Reed Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Black Caps together with Goldfinch and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.  The Grey Heron demonstrated how good the water quality is by stabbing a large Perch and the coots emulated the grebes in catching  the freshwater crayfish.  The sky overhead is much quieter now; House Martins and Sand Martins left in late September for their long trip to Africa.

In the river a seal was seen and heard near to the bank by Globe Wharf on 10 September.

Grey Heron with Perch

One of many Reed Warblers

Male Tufted Duck

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Seal (photo by Richard Shuttlewood)

On Stave Hill the late flowering Chicory brought colour to the meadows.  The leaves make a fine addition to a salad and the root can be roasted to produce the essence that was a important ingredient in the much loved Camp Coffee.  The hedgerows were full of autumn fruits; crab apples, rose hips and wild hops.  The butterflies particularly enjoyed the sunny days; the large number of Speckled Wood were joined by the occasional Red Admiral.

The many insects encouraged large numbers of migrating bird; particularly Chiffchaffs and Black Caps.  Some Chiffchaffs were singing but occasionally getting the chiff and chaff the wrong way round.

The star bird of September was the Spotted Flycatcher.  One was seen on 27 and two on 29 September.  The Spotted Flycatcher is an iconic countryside bird and is becoming increasingly scarce. Watching it flit up from its perch to catch insects is a lovely sight, and its great that they drop into Rotherhithe on migration.

The Kingfisher arrived in the middle of the month and will stay until Spring.  It is very shy and watchful - rightly so as it was seen being chased by a Sparrowhawk; fortunately the Kingfisher was too quick.

Chicory

Hops

Speckled Wood

Red Admiral

Chiffchaff

Spotted Flycatcher

Kingfisher

Southwark Park too has had a good number of migrant birds in the wild area and the Little Grebe and Grey Wagtail have shown well on the pond.

This month has been another reminder of how very good the Peninsula is for wildlife.  Stave Hill, Russia Dock Woodland, the Docks, the river, and Southwark Park are really well maintained and diverse habitats.  The fact that so many migrating birds chose to drop into Rotherhithe on their way south is a testament to how attractive the area is. 

 

Sunday 29 August 2017

Despite the continuing mixed weather its been another good month for wildlife in Rotherhithe.   The summer flowers have lasted well, gulls and ducks are returning to the docks, starlings are beginning to form communal roosts and sadly our first migrant birds are already leaving. 

Canada Water has been particularly good in August, with wildlife happily co-existing with shoppers and commuters.  The freshwater reed-lined edge and trees and shrubs provide a great habitat.  The Great Crested Grebe has had a second brood of two chicks; the parents have been driving the older juveniles away forcing them to fend for themselves.  Its been fascinating to watch the food that the parents feed to the young birds.  Mainly Perch and Crayfish.  The Kingfishers have continued to feed in the corner by the shopping centre, where Reed Warblers also raised young and a Sedge Warbler appeared early in the month.  Also Blackcaps, Chiffchaff and Goldfinch were heard and seen and Sand Martin and House Martin hawked overhead.  On the water, Black-headed Gulls have returned in large numbers, together with a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Herons and Cormorants. Plenty of insect life along the shore too with attractive ladybirds and Black Tailed Skimmer dragonflies.  Perhaps if the large derelict raft could be repaired and refloated, Common Terns could be tempted back.  And maybe a Peregrine Falcon would use a box on one of the higher buildings. 

Grebe with Crayfish

 

Grebe feeding Perch to young

Reed Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Goldfinch

Black
Tailed Skimmer

On Surrey Water it was great to see a late brood of Tufted Ducks.  They are genuinely wild native ducks and nest in thick vegetation.  They have used a raft with plenty of cover to protect them from the predatory Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  The female looked after them carefully, keeping them in a tight group and sheltering in vegetation at the sign of danger.  As diving ducks they can also dive for cover when danger looms.  The Coots are not so protective and it was distressing to watch the last brood of chicks picked off from the open water by hungry gulls.  Despite being a very caring parent the female Tufted Duck will abandon the brood to fend for themselves before they can fly; but they should be too big for the gulls by then.  The male Tufted Duck has nothing to do with rearing the young and slopes off to moult as soon as the eggs are laid. 

Tufted Ducks

Lesser Black-backed Gull with Coot chick

It was good to see Southwark Council continuing to support and celebrate wildlife by installing aerators and algae controllers in Surrey Water and putting up and attractive notice board to help people identify the wild birds on Surrey Water. 

On the riverfront there has been another great success story. A pair of Sand Martins used one of the pipes to nest near the Old Salt Quay.  The Sand Martin is smaller, lighter brown and more agile than House Martin and has a dark collar.  They normally nest in colonies in holes in sandy river banks.   It is great to see a pair nest in Rotherhithe; a real tribute to the initiative of the birds and the biodiversity of the peninsula.  There are still plenty of House Martins overhead, but the Swifts are now starting to leave.  This lovely bird is the last to arrive and the first to leave.  Lets hope that Southwark's plan for Swift bricks bring more of them to Rotherhithe.

Sand Martin leaving nest

Sand Martin

In Stave Hill the sunny days brought out hundreds of Butterflies.  Specked Wood and Meadow Brown have been the most common, but there has also been a few Brimstones and Red Admirals to admire.  The Dragonflies have also been really impressive.

Brimstone butterfly

Emperor Dragonfly

More difficult to see in the grassy meadows were the grasshoppers and crickets.  An excellent Soundcamp workshop found and identified some very attractive crickets. 

Roesel's Bush Cricket

Short winged Conehead

The star of the month in Russia Dock Woodland has been the noisy family of Sparrowhawks.  A juvenile called loudly from the top of a conifer and was joined in flight by a female to hunt for small birds.  Its about as easy as it gets to see this very impressive bird of prey at close quarters. Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were still singing early in August, but by mid August the woods had become very quiet except for the soft 'hweet' of young birds.  Good to see Blackcaps, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and Sparrowhawk all successfully breeding in this impressive woodland.  

Juvenile Sparrowhawk

Juvenile Sparrowhawk

Juvenile Blackcap

Juvenile Goldcrest

There was a great wildlife sighting near the end of the month. A Common Buzzard soared on the thermals over Southwark Park. 

So an impressive diversity of wildlife on show in August.  September will see the departure of our migrants as they head back to Africa, but our winter vistors will begin to arrive.   Wild ducks will increase in number in the docks and Southwark Park. Large numbers of Tufted Ducks and a few Shovellers will return from their breeding grounds, and perhaps some more uncommon visitors will drop in like last year's Common Scooter.  And as the leaves fall in Stave Hill  Redwing, Firecrest and perhaps the Green Woodpecker will arrive, Goldcrest numbers will increase and Long-tailed tits will form noisy flocks.  Hopefully our colourful Kingfishers will also return.  What a pleasure it is to see that dart of electric blue along the stream and across the ponds as the autumn leaves begin to fall and the days shorten.