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.