Its been a great start to the year.  The cold, clear days of January has meant the trees and insects have remained dormant but the bird life has been interesting and impressive.

The cold weather has brought flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing from Northern Europe, escaping from the cold and snow and looking for their favourite food - berries.  Rotherhithe doesn't have a great number of berried trees, but the few Rowans around have been closely targeted.  Not in the usual parks and woods but by the side of the road and in gardens.  A small tree on Salter Road by the busy bus stop was full of both birds, flying back up to the tops of nearby trees when alighting passenger disturbed them, then gliding back down when the coast was clear.

Fieldfare

Fieldfare

Fieldfare

Redwing

While some Redwing hang out in large groups, other shy birds prefer to forage in woodland.  A single Redwing has been hanging out near the Stave Hill entrance, quietly turning over leaf litter in the way Blackbirds do.

Redwing at Stave Hill

Redwing at Stave Hill

The local celebrity Stave Hill Firecrests have continued to show well and have attracted bird watchers from across London.  They are tiny and normally difficult to track down, but the Stave Hill birds can be particularly obliging.

Firecrest

Firecrest

Stave Hill has also had groups of Greenfinch, showy Jay, and noisy gangs of Long Tailed Tit.  Chiffchaffs have overwintered and been very active in the January sunshine.  But alas the frozen ponds have meant that the Kingfisher has been looking for food elsewhere.

Greenfinch

Jay

Long Tailed Tit

Chiffchaff

At the end of the month a Snipe arrived.  It was very difficult to see, but occasionally flew up with rapid wing beats and erratic flight before settling again in thick reeds.  No photograph but perhaps it will be tempted out when the ponds thaw.


And other birds also in roadside trees.  This very obliging Goldcreast was in a confer on Salter Road by Surrey Water

Goldcrest

Goldcrest

The docks have held large numbers of birds - mainly Tufted Duck and Black Headed Gull.  There has also been a few Common and Lesser Black Backed Gull.  The rarest visitor was a Caspian Gull seen on the sandy river bank near the Hilton, where it joined the Great Black Backed and Herring Gulls

Female and four male Tufted duck on Surrey Water

Common Gull with Black Headed Gulls on Surrey Water

Caspian Gull (photo Rich Bonser) 

Great Black Backed Gull 

So another great month for wildlife, and a reminder that in addition to out well established parks and wildlife areas, our path-side and roadside trees and small gardens can be  valuable habitats.  Conifers often shelter Goldcrest and other small birds and Rowan, Pyracantha and Cotoneaster are very attractive to visiting winter Thrushes.   No Waxwings alas but perhaps with a few more Rowan trees we may get these iconic and beautiful birds on the peninsula.


Lots to look forward to in February.  The early bulbs should push through, bees will emerge and the early breeding birds like Coots and Blackbirds will start nest building.  And hopefully the Peregrine will return to the gas holder.

Dec 31
Its been a very mild December.  Ice has covered the ponds on Stave Hill on only a few days and this has quickly melted in the warmth of the morning sun.  So no big changes in the wildlife.  More Black-headed Gulls on the docks and river and large numbers of Tufted Ducks on Surrey Water, but only a few Shoveler in Southwark Park.

The last few days have been a little colder and a few Redwing from Scandinavia have joined the small groups of local Mistle Thrush.  A single cotoneaster tree near Surrey Water has proved particularly attractive with the bolder Mistle Thrush clacking and perching on the outer branches while the shyer Redwing favour the inside of the tree.

Mistle Thrush

Redwing

Stave Hill has again been the star place for wildlife.  The Firecrest have been very active, very vocal and (for Firecrest) very easy to see as they flit through the evergreen bushes and occasionally popping out to the path side and into willow trees.

Firecrest

Firecrest

Firecrest

Firecrest

There has been large numbers of Goldcrest too and big flocks of Long Tailed Tits moving and calling noisily through the trees.  Birds make three main types of noise.  There is the alarm call and contact call made by males and females, and then the song, which is generally only made by the male.  Robins tend to sing all winter, and they even sing at night under street lights and Blackbirds also sing in the dead of night when there are lights nearby.  Wrens also sing in the winter and were traditionally hunted on St Stephens day.  But more suprisingly Song Thrush have started to sing; obviously thinking that spring has already started and the Great spotted Woodpecker has also started to drum.  The mild weather had led to a large number of Chiffchaff deciding to overwinter in Stave Hill together with a smaller number of Blackcaps.  Chiffchaff are insect eaters and normally migrate to Africa in the winter.  But increased numbers have decided to stay and can be seen flitting through the tree tops looking for food making an occasional whooit call.  They should start to sing their unmissable song in March. A very attractive male Teal has also been dropping into Globe and Downtown ponds and a female was seen in Southwark Park.

Chiffchaff

Teal

The Kingfishers are also very active.  On one day one bird had a fish in its beak and was being noisily pursued through the tree tops by the second bird.   Strange to see them so high in the trees.

December is a good time for garden birds.  House Sparrows, once threatened, now seem to do very well on the peninsula. In the garden the next most common bird is the beautiful Goldfinch that visits the seed feeders and aggressively drives other birds off.  Magpie, Blackbird, Dunnock, Robin, Wren, Great Tit and Blue Tit are also common.  Jay, Long tailed tit and Greenfinch pass through occasionally, and lucky gardeners have visits from Great spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest and Blackcap.

Wren

Long-tailed tit

So a very good end to an excellent year for wildlife in Rotherhithe.  Lets hope the cold snap in January brings in those Waxwings.