Some recent sightings in and around the Lea Valley and North London Jan to Mar 2003

Some recent sightings in and around the Lea Valley and North London January to March 2003

Mon 31-3-3 Fishers Green: male redstart still around at 14.37. I watched it for about half an hour and got cracking views of the bird hawking insects - Martin Shepherd
Walthamstow, Higher Maynard - Oystercatcher, 7 Grey Wags - Gary Gardiner
Trent Park, 7 Sparrowhawks over Williams Wood around 9.40am, male blackcap, crossbill heard over Rough Lot, 2 lit owls Vic and Park Farms, 2 partridge looked and sounded like a grey and red-leg in flight, 2 small torts - R Callf
Trent Park pm: 2 Firecrests Rough lot / Moat wood on the ride up to the obelisk near the fallen tree. Also Crossbill heard ( Rough Lot.) - Pete Lowman
KGV Res, oystercatcher, no sign of scoter - Phil Vines, common redstart seen by Terry Smith, 200m beyond Bittern Watchpoint from car-park - Fishers Green - news from Phil
KGV Res am, oystercatcher and wheatear - Martin Shepherd
Pole Hill/Hawkwood - 2 nuthatch, no marsh tits encountered, several blackcaps and chiffchaffs, one budgie- A Middleton

Sun 30-3-3 W'stow Marsh, Peacock; 2 Small Torts. chasing; Small White At least 7 Common Snipe. No Reed Buntings at all. Meadow Pipit; another with c.10 Pied Wags at water treatment plant 2 Willow Warbers in song at 6 p.m. on E side of H20 treatment plant. Jeremy Gaskell
Bedford's Park late pm, 2 singing blackcaps, 7 chiffs, 12 peacock, 7 comma, 1 small tort. Hatters Wood garden, woodcock flew from behind neighbours cnifer hedge, calling lesser spot - C Jupp
1 Speckled Wood Coppetts Wood today. Tony Clancy
Gillespie Road - Highbury - 10 sand martins flewover at 7:25pm in fading light. Two large gulls in the distance prob greater black or lesser black back. - Chris Langsdon
Trent Park, red kite seen near William's Wood 16.42-48hrs, flew south, 17 y'hammers, Vic Farm 2 fieldfare, 5 redwing - R Callf
KGV Res 8.45am, 4 common scoter (2 male & 2 fem/imm) south basin, also 2 roseybills. Scaup seen earlier by S Hamilton - news from Phil Vines

Cornmill Meadows - c60 snipe, large numbers of wigeon and teal and 6 redshank (3 pairs). Fishers Green goosefeilds, nothing interesting to note, large numbers of jackdaws and the commen geese. Amwell - 1 possibly 2 redshank, 5 phesants, 2 grey wags showed well and c5 stock dove and 7 sand martins flew over at 6:10. - Chris & Pete Langsdon
Harold Hill, 2nd tawny calling nr garden. Clements Pk, Warley, kestrel, calling lesser spot, 9 m pipits, 8 redwings, 6 chiffs, 2 y'hammers, 44 linnets on adj. field. Nags Hd Lane water rail on small pond - C Jupp
Walthamstow Marsh, 10.30 - 11.30: No sight or sound of Cetti's, unfortunately, but 1 singing male Blackcap at 11 a.m. At least 2 singing Chiffchaff and M. Pipit over. Jeremy Gaskell
KGV Res, female c scoter south basin, 5 little ringed plovers, one house martin flew south then north, c10 sand martins, 1 white wagtail, willow warbler singing north end, 5 lapwing, 1 linnet over, 25 m pipits, 5 goosander, 2 reed bunts with migrant flock - T Clancy & A Middleton
Havering 2 x ADDERS Basking 4 x Linnets 2 x Skylarks 3 x Chiffchaff 1 x Reed Bunting Paul Norris
29-3-03, Sewardstone Marsh: willow warbler singing in SW corner at 07.35. Oystercatcher flew over north calling at 07.50. Enfield Lock: a pair of kingfishers and a grey wagtail on the River Lea near Rifles pub - Martin Shepherd 28-3-03, Sewardstone area: green sandpiper on Pattypool Mead at 09.00 and redshank flew over. Female goosander on the relief channel - Martin Shepherd

Fri 28-3-3 Great Monk Wood, Deershelter Plain & Wake Valley Ponds. About 100 Bramblings in the area, including a flock of c60 in Great Monk Wood. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Woodcock in woodland at the edge of Deershelter Plain. Roy Woodward.
Fairlop, willow warbler this evening - Alan Bell
Berwick Ponds, Cetti's Warbler AM seen briefly, calling well but mobile also pair of Garganey which flew west to nearby Hornchurch.C.Park, not relocated. Willow warblers 2. Les Harrison.
Horsenden Hill, Woodcock (1 this evening on eastern boundary with Sudbury Golf Course), Redwing (1), Chiffchaff (6). Willow Warbler on 26th; first Blackcap 22nd. - Andy Culshaw
Amwell GP, redshank, ringed plover, 2 little ringed plover, grey wagtail, kingfishers in bank under fallen tree, approx 6 snipe, teal, wigeon, lapwing, 1 blackcap, plenty of chiffchaff, a few reed bunting - Dave Messenger
1 Willow Warbler singing Sewardstone Marsh. W . Girling Flood channel 20+ Sand Martin some exploring nest holes . 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Shelduck. Tony Clancy
Walthamstow Marsh, the Cetti's Warbler is still present but only vocal occasionally and very tricky to pin down - Alex McKechnie.
At 14.45 on Cornmill Meadows LVP most southerly pools: one little ringed plover, one green sandpiper, one redshank, several lapwing and numerous snipe. Wigeon still present. Jeff Butcher
Copped Hall, 100+ m pipits, c12 skylark, 1 peacock - A Middleton
Trent Park area, pr of firecrests displaying, 26 y'hammers, 16 fieldfares Vic Farm - R Callf
Cornmill Meadows LVP, 27th Sid & Dorothy Petts had good view of a drumming female lesser spotted w. in trees near new hide - news from C Jupp

Thur 27-03-03 Weald Park, Tower Plantation female firecrest in rhododendron by paths, pr of bullfinch blackthorn by tip, . 30 redwings Bluebell Pond. Pilgrims Hatch little grb. Butterfly totals 2 peacock, 7 comma, red admiral, 3 small torts on nettles on tip. 26th Priors GC pr of lapwing nearby, 12 y'hammers,40+ m pipits, 70 linnets- Colin Jupp.
KGV Res: Female wheatear, two LRPs on the causeway 11.30am, fem/imm black redstart on fence bordering the paddock by Tradeteam's yard, 20+ sand martins, female common scoter on S basin, two redshanks, grey wag, 40+ meadow pipits. Also unidentified female-type pochard species on N basin, looked like cross involving red-crested pochard. Cornmill Meadows: Ninety shoveler, 70+ wigeon, two redshanks. Seventy Acres/Friday Lake/ Police Pit/Hall Marsh: Two blackcaps and many chiffs singing, no sign of recent pair of garganey. Sean Huggins
Trent Park area, fem brambling Shaws, firecrest Moat/Rough Lot, male lesser spot calling Ride wood nr Hadleigh Rd car-park, 2 bullfinch, 5 small tort, small white, 2 comma - R Callf
Coppetts Wood this evening 1singing Blackcap, still 2 Firecrest. Tony Clancy
Nick Sampford's photo of the Blue-winged Teal/Shoveler cross looks identical to a bird at Titchwell in February 2001 which was identified as he suggests. Jeff Butcher

Wed 26-3-3 1045am Rye Meads Pair of kingfishers excavating in artificial nesting bank. Green sandpiper, Green woodpecker. Steve Lee
LVP 1 pair of garganey seen on Hall Marsh scrape plus teal, wigeon & snipe, plenty of chiffchaff around the area Dave Messenger
The pair of Garganey were on Hall Marsh today and the highlight at Cornmill was one Little Ringed Plover, but there was no sign of the Lesser Scaup on Police Pit, Friday Lake or Seventy Acres. Simon Papps.
25th Amwell, 3 little egrets, seen mating briefly (two of em). 26th Trent Park 2 firecrests - R Callf
Mon 24/3/3 Peregrine on Cornmill, then up over towards River Lea, where there was a second high bird. Wed 26/3/3 Garganey (male) right at south end of Police Pit - two birds had been on Cornmill for most/some of last week Chris Page.

Tue 25-3-3 Walthamstow Res 4-6.30pm: Lockwood - Wheatear (female), 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Sand Martins N; E. Warwick - 2 Wheatears (both male), c. 20 Sand Martins; No.3 Res. 2 Kingfishers. Rock Pipit reported E. Warwick this morning. Toby Robertson
HANNINGFIELD RES, 12.30 to 17.00 13 CHIFFCHAFF all different bird`s, MALE BLACKCAP, 2 COAL TIT, 2 LESSER REDPOLL, 2 TREE CREEPER, RED HEAD SMEW of caulseway. 1 BRIMSTONE, 2 PEACOCK, 3 SMALL TORTOISESHELL. TONY HOWELLS.
Walthamstow Marsh . A singing Cetti's Warbler this afternoon. From car park at end of Copperfield Lane go on to marsh and the bird is about 50 yds on the left by the railway line.Only singing infrequently it favours the rail track side of the fence and proved very elusive.The female Scaup seen again on No5 reservoir - Alex McKechnie
Harold Wood area 6 comma, 4 peacock, garden 2 comma & peacock. Tyler's Shaw 100 jackdaws, 30 stock doves. Harold Crt 2 snipe, skylark & y'hammer singing, Nags Hd STW 3 l grb, 12 teal, w rail - Colin Jupp
Gillespie Park (for London BTO) 4:35-5:00 Great Tit - 4, Black Bird - 11, Robin- 4, Wren - 3, Dunnock - 4, Wood Pigeon - 10, Long Tailed Tit - 2, Blue Tit - 5, Morhen - 1, Magpie - 2, Crow - 1, Gold Finch - 1, Collard Dove - 1 and a total of 2 squirrels. Does anyone else watch Gillespie Park or Clissold Park - if so please get in touch with me at clangsdon@hotmail.com, also what is the best thing to put in a collage portfilio for photography. cheers Chris Langsdon.

24-3-03, KGV Reservoir, brief visit, north basin: Egyptian goose and sand martin. Amwell: swallow through north over main gravel pit at 13.08. Also two little ringed plover, ringed plover, four redshanks, five kingfishers and six sand martins (14.42-14.52) - Martin Shepherd
Walthamstow Reservoirs 5pm-6pm: East/West Warwick - Chiffchaff singing, 4 Sand Martins. Common Tern flying around south complex at sunset. Toby Robertson
Valentines Pk. p.m. Ring-necked Parakeet. Peter Hopkins.
Kew Gardens, pair of Egyptian geese with 12 chicks, nuthatch, 10+ ring necked parakeets, comma - A Middleton
At a heavily watched Kew Gardens - Three more adult Egyptian Geese flew in at 4.30pm. Three male Golden
Pheasants were also an impressive sight. Stephen Harris
Navestock, wheatear, pr lit owls, kingfisher, y'hammer, no sign of black redstart. Harold Hill, 2 nuthatch, a few commas, 2 small torts - C Jupp.
Record from Brian Sperring, 9.30, 16-3-03: two pintail on the PERME site lake, (ex-MOD area south of Waltham Abbey.)

Sat 22nd, AM, Canons Park, Edgware, 1x Ring-necked Parakeet on feeder trying out the sunflower seed.
Sun 23rd 4.30pm Canons Park, Edgware, 2 x RnP over park. 3rd sighting this month. Presumably these are last years Thameside fledged birds looking for new territoried in the 'north'. Also AM, 7 chiffchaff at Brent Reservoir. - Robin Morden NW London (Mill Hill) RSPB Group
Sun 23-3-3 Beech farm / Hatfield airfield; 3 (possibly 4) short eared owls hunting from 5pm, 3 kestrel, sparrowhawk, great spotted woodpecker, ringed plover, little grebe and reed bunting - Chris Bowden
Walthamstow Reservoirs: 9 Little Grebe, 3 Shelduck, 36 Teal, 37 Gadwall, 71 Pochard, 18 Ruddy Duck, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Kestrel, 1 Common Sandpiper, 3 Kingfisher, 2 Green Woodpecker - also 1 Red Admiral. LVP, Hooks Marsh: 53 Shoveler, Police Pit: 1 Lesser Scaup male in full or almost-full adult summer plumage, Bowyers Water: 5 Goldeneye, 1 Sand Martin. Stephen Harris
LVP Seventy Acres GP, drake lesser scaup near the Bittern watchpoint, in and out of reedbed just to the east. Later pm on Metropolitan Police Pit - news of sighting by Alan Harris, from Phil Vines
Harold Wood Shepherds Hill area, barn owl flew ove road 1t 19.25hrs. Garden - brimstone, comma, small tort, . Brentwood Honeypot Lane-Weald Rd 6 peacock, 3 comma, 3 small torts (inc nectaring in prunus & aubretia). Grt Warley 2 tawny owls calling at dusk- C Jupp
NAVESTOCK 1 x BLACK REDSTART TYLERS COMMON 1 x REED BUNTING 2 x CHIFFCHAFF PAUL NORRIS
Ware Widbury Hill and Old Lea. Green and G S Woodpecker, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Chiffchaff, On the Ware Gp 6 Goldeneye, 2 male 4 female. 3 Hares in the field at the top of the hill. Ian Edwards.
KGV Res common scoter south basin, pair of 'rock dove' plumaged birds by Res - Jeremy Gaskell

Sun 23rd March 10:0am - NW London Group RSPB (Mill Hill) will visit Brent Reservoir - Meet Cool Oak Lane bridge, off West Hendon Bdwy.Boots absolute necessity. All welcome - Robin Morden.

Sat 22-3-3 Coppetts Wood today 1 Comma, 2 Firecrest, 6 singing Chiffchaff , 12 Fieldfare. Tony Clancy
Tyttenhanger G/Pits, 8 Ringed Plover, 1 LRP, 1Greenshank, 5 Redshank, 1 Green Sand. 19+ Tree Sparrow at farm feeding station, also 1 Lesser Spot. - Gary Gardiner
Amwell 13.00, 4 Redshank, 1 Green Sand, 2 Little Egrets, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, LS Woodpecker and Jack Snipe. A pair of Garganey were reported at the Cornmill Meadows seen at 11.00. Neville Smith
KGV Res am, pr mandarin east channel & kingfisher & pr grey wags, female common scoter south basin, c40 goldeneye, 2 redshank, 2 green sandpipers, 25 m pipits, pr shelduck - A Middleton
Harold Wood, 11am, 3 crossbills flew N calling, inc 2 red males - Colin Jupp
Sat 22nd March 8.30am, Trent Park area ~ walk for woodland bird-song with Robert Callf. Meet 8.30am at Cockfosters tube station entrance (west side of park). London Natural History Society walk, but all welcome.> Trent Park, male firecrest, 2 litle owls, 12 mandarin & pr moat, 20 y'hammers, 3 reed bunts, kingfisher, repoll heard twice, 50 redwing, R Callf and others

Fri 21-3-3 Amwell.16.30. 2 Redshank, 2 LRPs, 2 Ringed Plover, and 2 Dunlin. Cornmill Meadows. 1 Redshank. 50+ Feeding Snipe. Neville Smith
17.05pm River Pinn- Pinner, Middlesex. Kingfisher. Subt.P D Slark
Vincent Square, SW1 (Central London) 1 female Wheatear on the football pitches at lunchtime. Always thought this looked a good place for one! Stephen Harris
TYLERS COMMON 1 x REED BUNTING 6 x LINNETS PAUL NORRIS
KGV Reservoir, late afternoon visit: black redstart - a female/immature/1st s bird - on the reservoir fence posts opposite Tradeteam at 15.35, possibly wondering what the #### has happened to the buildings it was planning to spend the spring and summer at. This is the first BR I've seen here since 5 January. Also two green sandpipers, 15 sand martins over the south basin and one over the north, skylark on the causeway, 26 meadow pipits and three reed buntings. Pattypool Mead: nine lapwings, several displaying. Little owl on the oak tree. Enfield Island Village: eleven linnets on waste ground underneath the pylons - Martin Shepherd
Ware Old Lea. A pair of Grey Wagtails along the shallow stretch this morning. Chiffchaff singing. Kingfishers very active and vocal. Yesterday a V of seven Cormorants flew over. Ian Edwards.
Trent Park, firecrest singing between Moat Wood and Rough Lot - R Callf
Ash Lane setaside, Lower Bedfords, 45 m.pipits, 5 skylark, 3 flighty song thrush, y'hammer now appear absent, 50-60 present late 1999-2000, last seen here 2001. Bedfords Pk pm, pr grt crstd grbs, fieldfare, 12 redwing,4 chiffs. Gidea Park male mandarin, male firecrest nr nursery singing occ., 15 chaffinch, calling crossbill - C Jupp,
VANGE MARSH, BASILDON. WATER RAIL, 4 REED BUNTING, 4 LITTLE EGRET, HEARD CETTI`S WARBLER SINGING. HANNINGFIELD RES, 6 SAND MARTIN, PR RED-CRESTED POCHARD, SLAVONIAN GREBE, BLACK NECKED GREBE( summer plumage), other side of causeway, feed on oak tree buds, 12 WAXWINGS, 4 CHIFFCHAFF ( 3 singing) - TONY HOWELLS.

Thu 20-3-3 - Highbury one jackdaw flew over - my first sightinmg for Highbury. - Peter langsdon
At 4.00pm this afternoon at the Princess of Wales pub Lea Bridge Road I watched a swallow for 5 minutes or so. It was too far away for me to say which variety of swallow but I've seen enough swallows over the Wanstead Ponds where I live, to be sure I was watching a very early swallow John Regan
Walthamstow Reservoirs - East Warwick 1 Scandinavian Rock Pipit (a classic littoralis, on stony west shore), 4 Great Black Backs (3 2nd yr, 1 3rd yr), Kingfisher; No 5 Res. 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Woodpecker (together), 5 Fieldfare, Great Spot over entrance buildings Toby Robertson
Trent Park lesser spot Rough Lot near Obelisk, 3 reed bunts & 10 y'hammers south of here, total 4 comma & 1 peacock - R Callf, news from R White ~ yesterday 3 lesser spots (Shaws, Vic Farm and Camlet areas, blackcap in subsong Williams Wood, today 40 fieldfare near here.
Amwell this morning - Kingfisher, Chiffchaf, 4 redshank, little ringed plover, ringer plover, 4 goldeneye, grey wagtail Mark Hows
20-3-03, Fishers Green/Holyfield: 30+ chiffchaff singing in the area. Also muntjac, two commas, small tortoiseshell, and four bullfinches. Cornmill Meadows: Little ringed plover, weasel dragging what looked like a water vole, plus an unscathed water vole. Garganey had been seen this morning - Martin Shepherd
19th Epping Forest nr Woodredon Farm: ten fallow deer, two nuthatches, two chiffchaffs. Epping Thicks: brambling. Nr Piercing Hill: two stock doves, two chiffchaffs. Piercing Hill: two siskins. Amwell: four redshank, ringed plover, three chiffchaffs, four bullfinches, kingfisher, grey wagtail building nest. Cornmill Meadows: the two garganeys, particularly the drake, seen well 15.00 to 15.30 in front of hide with drake giving display call. Also water rail preening, 60+ snipe and four redshank. KGV Relief Channel: sand martin at 16.47, c30 redwings and fieldfares roosting at the north end near main building. - Martin Shepherd
20-3-03. SOUTHEND PIER, 13.00 TO 15.15. RED NECKED GREBE (summer plumage), RED THROATED DIVER ( summer plumage), 17 EIDER, 3 GUILLIMOT, 2 PORPOISE. TONY HOWELLS.

Wed 19-3-3 Trent Park pm: Common Buzzard flying actively north at approx 4.25 pm, 1 Firecrest on north side of Rough Lot on the ride up to the obelisk by the fallen tree and small wooden bridge, 2 Cormorant on lower lake and a single Mandarin on the upper lake, c20 Redwing in nature trail area, 3 Great spots, 4 nuthatch, a few Stock dove on the stubble field south of Rough Lot. - Pete Lowman
Hatfield Aerodrome, 2 possibly 3 Short Eared Owls hunting over long grass back of Notcutts garden centre between 5 and 7pm, lots of sky larks, 1pr mandarin and lots of teal at Beech Farm pits. T&S Endean.
Amwell, 3 redshank, 1 ringed plover, 1 little ringed plover, 1 green sandpiper, 1 kingfisher, reed buntings, approx 14 female, 2 male goldeneye, 1 redwing. Dave Messenger.
Harold Park-River Ingrebourne - lesser spot in alders. Harold Hill, small tort flwe past. Pages Farm, small white - C Jupp & T Broom
Cornmill am, a pair of garganey - Phil Vines
Copped Hall, 5 crossbills flew east, pair of kingfishers. Brimsdown, 3 sml torts, 2 comma - A Middleton
Sun 16th - Wanstead park am: 4-5 Great spots drumming; chiffchaff in song, usual ducks plus several gadwall. Amwell pm: 2 little egrets, snipe, goldeneye group - mainly females, a kingfisher that seemed to be burrow building and 1 screaming water rail. Barbara Miller

Tue 18-3-3 Harold Hill, Nags Head STW 12 teal, green sandpiper, 14 m pipits, 4 grey wags, 2 chifffs (& 4 elsewhere), 2 reed bunts. , C Jupp & T Broom
KGV Reservoir, late morning visit: redshank, eight chiffchaffs singing from surrounding land, goosander. Also kingfisher at Knights Pit, Sewardstone Marsh.- Martin Shepherd
Hornchurch country pk. 1 pr of Garganey on lake opp viewing area, also gadwall, shoveler, sparrowhawk, green & great spotted woodpecker, pr of bullfinches, singing chiffchaffs and 1 water vole. COLIN PUMFRETT.
Cornmill Meads: A jack snipe at the SE end of Cornmill at 2pm ( on E side of second smallish pool N of the main entrance. Although I couldn't find it when I looked on my way back an hour later). No sign of green-winged teal. Sean Huggins
Trent Park, 7 crossbills inc. males flew out of Rough Lot, 2 firecrests, 10 treecreepers, 3 reed bunts, 15 fieldfares Vicarage Farm, 3 little owls on farmland - R Callf and blackcap singing Enfield Road. Mon 17th lesser spot calling Williams Wood & 70 stock doves to the north, total 11 nuthatch - R Callf, totals of 3 comma, peacock, 2 small torts, red admiral for Robert and Robin
Walthamstow Res. No 5 : A female Scaup showing close to roadside from Coppermill Lane. Alex McKechnie.
Epping Forest comma and small tortoiseshell, 5 chiffs and 3 nuthatch - A Middleton
Sat 15.3.03 - LVP: 2 Chiffchaffs seen & several others heard; 7+ Goldeneye, inc 1 breeding male (North Met Pit); pair Water Rail (in front of Bittern Hide); numerous Green Woodpecker yaffling.- Nigel Willits

Monday 17.3.03 Weald Park, 2 brimstones, 6 commas, weasel in Beech Wood. fem goosander, woodcock, a few redwings, 2 singing chiffs, 2 firecrests, coal tit 6 areas, nuthatch 4 areas, 4 green woods on tip - Colin Jupp
Mudchute Farm, Isle of Dogs: A firecrest early afternoon on the nature trail 100yds from the gate to Asda car park. And a brimstone. Sean Huggins
Ware am, osprey over and brimstone - Nick Sampford
8.15 Cornmill Meadows: Redshank . 10.40 Admiral's Walk Lake, LVP near Hoddesdon. Pair of goosander (also one tortoiseshell butterfly). 10.30 Churchfields, Broxbourne: Lesser spotted woodpecker. 11.50 Feilde's Lock on start of Stort: Brimstone butterfly. - Jeff Butcher
I had a drive around the larger areas of water around Roydon, Stanstead Abbotss, Nazing area today. very little to
report other than singing chiffs - Rich Cope
At 8.15 am on Cornmill Meadows: One green-winged teal male, at roost on large middle pool of three. Along north edge towards east side with other teal - vertical stripe showing well. Jeff Butcher, also 2 lesser spots yesterday west side by entrance - Harry Lacey
Had a GN Diver from the train this morning (7.40) at Roydon Camping/Caravan site WaterSkiing Lake. Can't be certain of age but definitely a GND. Should be viewable from the footpath as it was close in on the Railway line edge of the lake ie the opposite side to the footpath Streetmap.co.uk grid ref. 539500,209500 - Neil Murphy

Sun 16-3-03 M40 saw 13 Red Kite as we drove down the motorway! Verulam Lake, St.Albans - nothing of note except a couple of Little Grebe, St. Albans Watercress beds - Treecreper and the usual suspects! Chris Bowden
Ware Widbury Hill area and Lea tow path 4 Chiffchaffs, singing Song Thrush. On the Ware GP a pair of Great Crested Grebes giving great show of thier courtship display. Last Friday I saw my first Grass snake of the year basking in the sun. Ian Edwards
Weald Park pm, 3 prs grt crested grbs, Tower & Quick's Plantations sparrowhawk, green and great spot woods, 12 goldcrests, 3 firecrests, 2 coal tits, nuthatch, 2 treecreepers, chiffchaff, 10 siskin, a few redpoll, 5 crossbills inc 4 females im larches - Colin Jupp
Sewardstone Marsh, up to 10 chiffchaffs, little owl , many long tailed tits nesting and brimstone butterfly. Brian Dawton.
Trent Park & Vic Farm area, 2 commas, peacock, 2 small tortoiseshells (one nectaring on sallow blossom), total 4 chiffs, 70 stock doves north of Williams Wood, woodcock (R White) - R Callf, also R White
Coppetts Wood, 2 Firecrest together today Coppetts Wood also 3 singing Chiffchaffs. Tony Clancy
Amwell. 5 drake goldeneye displaying, 3 redshank, 2 snipe, siskins, kingfisher, grey wagtail. Stoat hunting in the reedbeds. - Paul Unwin

Sat 15-3-3 Horsenden Hill Chiffchaff (4 - first since December so presumably genuine migrants), Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (1 - Perivale Wood), Little Grebe (1 on the Grand Union Canal). - Andy Culshaw
Waterford Heath - Several siskin and redpoll, both species in song, green woodpecker. Grass snake - returned to basking position after initial disturbance - Phil Rhodes.
Cornmill Meadows approx.30-40 snipe, 1 redshank, 1 black tailed godwit, 9 shelduck some seem to be going through a courtship ritual, plus teal, wigeon 50 plus, pr. pied wagtails - Dave Messenger
Fishers Green Goose Fields - Large numbers of greylag and Canada geese, 2 snipe, large numbers of crows and jackdaws. Amwell - Nothing much to note couple of goldeneye of scrape and the usual large numbers of chaffinches and reed buntings - Chris Langsdon
Pages Farm, several singing skylarks, 18 y'hammers + 1 singing Harold Crt. Clements Park male y'hammer, 15 meadow pipits, , 20 redwings. Warley Place calling firecrest in canopy of Holm Oak nr post 18,, calling brambling - Colin Jupp
KGV Res am, female common scoter south basin, shelduck, 2 or 3 sand martins, 8 goosander, common and green sandpiper, 5 chiffchaffs, small tortoiseshell Mossops Creek - T Clancy, H Bantock & A Middleton
Trent Park 2 firecrest Roguh Lot, male lesser spot Nature Trail, 4 chiffs, redpoll with siskins, 20 y'hammers, orange underwing, 15 mandarin Lime Av Lake. Grovelands 11 mandarin, 3 nuthatch, grt spot and green wood, treecreeper - R Callf, weasel seen Trent Park R White

Fri 14-3-3 Cheshunt, 2 shelduck in pool by goose field, 1 chiffchaff singing by Turnford brook.Roy Pearce
Harold Court, jack snipe, 5 common snipe. The Mores, 2 singing chffchaffs, , 12-14 goldcrests, , nuthatch nr Church. Coxtie Green pr red-legged partridge - Colin Jupp, with Trevor Broom
Walthamstow Res 4pm-6pm, Lockwood - no sign of Green-winged among Eurasian Teal but male Wheatear, male Goosander, 2 Fieldfare, Kingfisher. East Warwick - 1 White Wagtail (very smart individual with 10 Pieds), 1 Dunlin - Toby Robertson
KGV Res am, female Common Scoter on South basin. Also female Red Breasted Merganser on North basin and Wheatear 7am - John Murray
Amwell 9.30,18 female & 2 male Goldeneye on first lake 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Little Egret on main Lake, 1 Chiffchaff in woods - Tim Dick.
KGV res am, female common scoter near sailing club, rb merg, goosander, shelduck. Blackbird carrying Food in Chingford gardens - Phil Vines
Trent Park area, orange underwing moth, 2 firecrests Rough Lot, woodcock Seedfield Spinney (R White) and Moat Wood, 10 nuthatch, 3 reed bunts & 26 stock doves, 7 y'hammers on stubble, little owl Vic farm - R Callf
Symondshyde Great Wood, Herts, 3-5 crossbills, many siskins and coal titis - Bill Cutts & A Middleton

Thu 13-3-03, Dagenham Chase, sand martin this evening - Alan Bell
Harold Hill area, 5 snipe flew from edge of field near Ivy Lodge Farm, male stonechat Pages Fm,. Warley: singing chiffchaff, 2 brambling - Colin Jupp
Bowyers Water: four chiffchaffs in song plus one towards Hooks Marsh. Amwell: ringed plover, three chiffchaffs, five bullfinches, six reed buntings, treecreeper - Martin Shepherd
Amwell - 4.30 onwards. Water rail in field with chaffinches, searching amongst the dried grass, also reed buntings pr. bullfinch. 2 fieldfare, chiffchaff by observation point. Two sand martins on 1st lake by railway, at least 6 goldeneye. 2 little egret fly in approx 5 oclock to roost in willow with the herons. Dave Messenger

Tue 11-3-03 1 grey wagtail over British Museum at 8.30am R.Pyrah
Walthamstow Reservoirs No.5 - 1st winter female Greater Scaup viewable from Coppermill Lane. Tate Modern - 1st summer GBBG David G Darrell-Lambert
Cetti's Warbler still at Berwick Ponds Essex. Best AM. Favours western end of lake but wondered into thick scrub just North of lake this morning. Les Harrison
Harold Hill area, Nags Hd STW, 4 l grb, 1 gc grb, pr teal, 7 tufted duck, water rail, 100+ pied wags and 1 white wagtail, 5+ grey wags. Thorndon with T Broom, 30 crossbills in pines by Visitor Centre. Harold Hill - Redwings overhead every night since 8th, and chiffchaff singing this am - Colin Jupp
THORNDON C/P. 12.30 TO 16.00. 30+CROSSBILL, WITH MIXED FLOCK OF LESSER REDPOLL, AND SISKIN (FEEDING). 2 COAL TIT, ADULT PEREGRINE FLEW OVER BEECH WOOD, SOUTH BOUND. TONY HOWELLS.
Ally Pally, Ringed Plover flying over on the 6th, first record for the park! Tom Clarke.
Warley Place 1x Treecreeper 2x Coal tits 1x Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - Louise Norris
Trent Park area, male lesser spot nr Upper lake, 4 reed bunts, 15 y'hammers, 50 stock doves nr Williams Wood, 28 fieldfares, 12+ redwing, 1 red-legged partridge, 12 nuthatch - R Callf. singing blackcap Kennilworth Rd C Moorhouse
Hainault Forest CP. A Wheatear on the main plain near the Millennium Beacon, 2 singing Chiffchaff and 10 Redwings. Steve Stuart
14:00 Cornmill Meadows - 1 Redshank. Usual nos. of Snipe, Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal, Lapwing. Also 2 Kingfisher and 1 Chiffchaff singing. P.Smith
Chingford in garden 2 male Blackcaps (one in song). Pole Hill 2 Nuthatch, c170 Chaffinch, c30 Brambling (some nice summer males!), 8 fieldfare and 20 redwings over. R. Cope
Brimsdown canal towpath: singing chiffchaff at 07.15. KGV Reservoir: male wheatear on the causeway of 07.50. A pair of mandarin on the relief channel at 07.58 joined by another pair 10 minutes later with the four birds settling on the reservoir at north end of north basin. Wintering common sandpiper still around. Also two shelduck over, and 30 plus flock of winter thrushes east, mainly fieldfare. Sewardstone Marsh: two chiffchaffs, one singing - Martin Shepherd
Recent news from John Murray - Sun 9th Ring Billed Gull - on Thames foreshore by Cutty Sark. Mon 10th White Fronted Geese x 2 adult x 1 imm at Staines Moor, also Kingfisher and Green Sand. Near by Slavonian Grebe at Kg res. - John Murray

Mon 10th King's Meads, stonechats: 1 fem at the Hertford end on the Lee Navigation footpath fence; 2 males and 1 female on River Lee walk fence near the railway line. Jeff Butcher
Barnes WWT: 1st W Caspian gull - wader scrape. Flew off at 11.25 1 curlew, 2 jackdaw, 1 white wagtail, 4 fieldfare, 4+redwings.....Sacha Barbato. Also redwings noted migrating last few nights over Ponders End and Harold Wood
Tate Modern 1pm male Peregrine was chasing Black-headed Gull also a Kingfisher dashed past. David G Darrell-Lambert
Recent sightings Vicarage Farm area, grey partridge Thursday, Stonechat Friday. Trent Park, fields near, probable water pipit flushed Saturday - Robin White (news from R Callf)

Sun 9th March 2003; St.Albans watercress beds - water rail, kingfisher, sparrowhawk, 2 siskin, 2 goldcrest and many finches and tits. Chris Bowden

Black Redstarts at Brimsdown - after several autumns and winters (outside of the breeding season), demolition has just started on the London Development Agency site at Mossops Creek, where black redstarts have bred for many years. EN and GLA representatives both state that the timing is unfortunate. But it is not illegal to demolish black redstart breeding habitat at the beginning of the breeding season.

Sun 9-3-03 Fairlop little ringed plover on workings and singing chiffchaff on lagoons - Alan Bell
Walthamstow Reservoirs Complex Banbury Res 4 Green Sandpipers, 3 Common Sandpipers, 1 Redshank, 9 Goosander Lockwood 10 Teal (green-winged was reported earlier and flew off no direction given, could still be in area as I didn't check no5) David G Darrell-Lambert
Amwell 1400 Hrs 9/3/03 Little Egret, Ringed Plover, 8-10 Goldeneye. Water Rail at the feeding station. Steve Lee
Rainham Marshes 07:00 to 10:00 - Pretty quiet: Little Grebes trilling,11 Greylags, 4 Water Pipits, Curlew, 2 Snipe, lots of Wigeon, Teal and a few other dabbling ducks, 2 Shelduck, Redwing, quite a few Linnets and Goldfinches, Skylarks singing. Rod Standing
Two Little owls in oak tree at Sewardstone Marsh. Neville Smith
KGV Res, 1 green sandpiper, A10/M25 Little Chef c125 golden plover - H Bantock, also wheatear reported here and sand martin Barn Elms - news from Jeremy Gaskell

Sat 8-3-03 Little Egret on the Albion Pools in the Ingrebourne Valley this evening - Howard Vaughan
Hedgerley Wood 12pm to 1.45pm c40 Common Crossbill 1 male Two-barred Crossbill David G Darrell-Lambert
Walthamstow Reservoirs: Green-winged Teal - male still on the Lockwood this-morning. Appears to be paired with a (presumed) Eurasian Teal. Also pair Shelduck, 1 Wigeon, 35 Gadwall, 82 Pochard, 18 Goldeneye, 1 Smew, 1 Goosander, 60 Ruddy Duck, 1 Common Sandpiper, 5 Grey Wagtail. Stephen Harris
Harold Wood area, female stonechat Tylers Common, also woodcock in The Mores (A. Stroud) - Colin Jupp

Fri 7-3-3 Harold Wood, Segefield Drive, 150 mixed chaffinch and greenfinch flock with one male brambling in treetop - Colin Jupp
Regents Park - Lesser Scaup on the lake just west of the long bridge where the main wildfowl collection is (but it is not part of the collection!) plus Peregrine over. Not bad for lunchtime! Rod Standing
Epping Forest - lots of goldcrests today, and ran into a flock of 250+ chaffs in Bury Wood, with 10+ brambling - R Cope
Whitehouse Plain, had three nuthatch and two treecreepers in the decomposing woodland to the north, plus green woodpecker, kestrel, 12 redwings, and three bullfinches (in scrubby area by the pool due west of the car park.) - Martin Shepherd

Thur 6-3-3 Trent Park pm: Firecrest 2 in and around the Laurel on south side of Rough Lot also Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in SE corner of Rough Lot. Gadwall on Lower lake. Plus usual Nuthatches, Treecreepers etc. Pete Lowman
Rye Meads RSPB 1 Ruff (winter p / female type)from Draper hide then flew towards the meadow. Also 2 Grn Sands, 2 Water rails and a Small Tortoisehell. R.Cope
Amwell am - pair lesser spotted woodpeckers, 3 ringed plover, Sinensis Cormorant, water rail. Wed 5-3-3 Amwell GP PM 2 little egrets, yellow legged gull, 2 shelduck, blue winged teal / shoveler hybrid? (been there for a while apparently) . Mark Hows
Valentines Park recently: Redwings and goldfinches still around but gull numbers down. Visitors - 3 little grebe, GCG pair, occasional pochard and shoveller; Regulars - up to 3 great spots drumming and green woodpecker, long tailed tits. Our garden pond is heaving with frogs. Barbara Miller
Tues 4th - 11 red kite in 7 separate sightings, M40 northbound, Stokenchurch to Oxford Services, 14.30 -14.45.
Also male and fem. blackcap making regular daily visits to well stocked Oakwood bird table. 1/2 mile south of Trent Park.
Robin Morden Mill Hill RSPB Group

Wed 5-3-3 THORNDON COUNTRY PARK. 10.00 TO 14.30. 11+ COMMON CROSSBILL, 24 LESSER REDPOLL, 3 COAL TIT, 3 NUTHATCH . 4-3-03. HANNINGFIELD RES, 9.OO TO 12.00 3 SLAVONIAN GREBE, FIRECREST WITH GOLDCREST, IN CARPARK. - TONY HOWELLS.
Went around Fairmead / Whitehouse area today though didn't see anything much. 2 Redpolls and a Bullfinch were the highlights! Chingford garden: 1 male blackcap just about managing to give sub-song. R.Cope
Essex Warley area - Warley Gap 2 firecrests in holly by derelict building. Warley Place Reserve 2-3 north end ~ mobile, mostly betwen posts 15-16.. Also 6+ bramblings Warley - Colin Jupp & Alan Hamilton
Trent Park, no sign of woodlark, 10-15 y'hammers on stubble, 9 treecreepers, 6 nuthatch, pr gadwall Lower lake, male lesser spot, firecrest. Pr of red-legged partridge Vic Farm - R Callf
Holyfield, oystercatcher on island nrth of sailing club, pr smew - Phil Vines am

Tue 4-3-3 Had a group of 27 house sparrows on the edge of Prince of Wales Fields, Enfield Lock, late afternoon yesterday. Martin Shepherd
Trent Park, one woodlark in flight and calling over stubble to the south of Rough Lot, west of lakes, flew off E NE at 9.30am. Firecrest Rough Lot. Grovelands Pk pm, grt spot, green wood, nuthatch- R Callf, also, female stonechat Vic farm for R White.
Firecrests ~ Warley Gap singing male; Great Warley, two in Warley Place (prob 3 yesterday & 12 singing goldcrests); Warley wood, male. 7 bramblings Warley. Warley Place is EWT members only, non-members can look for firecrests, small donation to resrve appreciated - Colin Jupp
10.00am Buzzard circling over Hockey pitch in Trent Park. - Regards, Beryl Roberts
Pole Hill 1 male Blackcap in sub song, 2 siskins over R.Cope
Meesdon area, nr Saffron Walden NW Essex, flock of seven common buzzards, several marsh tits and crossbills - Keith French, E Goodyear, A Middleton

Mon 3-3-3 THORNDON C/P 2 nuthatch 6 brambling 3 redpoll 1 coal tit - Paul Norris
Dartford Warbler at Rainham with pair of stonechat. also Curlew and juv Shag on foreshore.Access via Purfleet. (John Murray)
KGV Res am, 1st winter Mediterannean gull eventually flew towards the WG Res - Phil Vines
Staples Hill, Epping Forest, nuthatch, 3 brambling - A Middleton
1/3/03. Seventy Acres - 1 Bittern (flew in at 3 pm), 3 Smew (1 male), also 3 Waxwings again reported at Turnford - Roy Woodward. Bury Wood, Sewardstonebury (early am), 1 Lesser Spot. Woodpecker, Firecrest, 2 Woodcock + c12 Brambling with 100 Chaffinches - David Hutley. 28/02/03. Sewardstone. Little Egret seen briefly by a resident in a field by Sewardstone Marsh - Described as a white heron with yellow feet. News from Roy Woodward

Sun 2-3-3 Hatfield Aerodrome; watched a pair of short eared owls feeding for over an hour, huge flock of jackdaw (1000+), large flock of golden plover (300+), teal, 2 shoveler, 2 little grebe, 4 reed bunting, 2 pair kestrel, 6 long tailed tit, lapwing and another observer reported a buzzard. Chris Bowden
Weald Park, Beech Wood & Tower Plantation, displaying sparrowhawk, tawny owl, 8-10 goldcrest, 2+ firecrest, 2 coal tits, nuthatch, treecreeper, 1 calling brambling, several chaffinch, 10 siskin, 2 lesser redpoll, 1 comma (with Andrew and Rob Stroud) - C Jupp
North Greenwich pair of Peregrines on Dome at 10am. Stephen Harris
Single water rail seen at Fishers Green, at 12.30pm. Feeding at edge of water, near car park for 5-10 minutes, 20 feet away. Paul Gratwick
Bury Green, near Cheshunt GR 351015 50-60 Golden Plover -some coming into summer plumage, with a lesser number of Lapwing. On field W of A10 and N of B198 from layby on A10 just S of mushroom farm. Nigel May
Banbury Reservoirs 14 Goosander, 6 Goldeneye, 2 Common Sandpipers Lockwood male Peregrine (seen from my Garden chasing a LBBG!), male Green-winged Teal still at the north end with 30+ Teal but can be on its own. David G Darrell-Lambert
Trent Park and area, pm two firecrests (north & south sides of Rough Lot), 4 teal lower lake, weasel, 7 nuthatch, pr lit grbs, lit owl, 30 stock doves, 25 y'hammers, 10 skylark - Robert Callf, and others, lesser spot also reported
Weald Park, Essex, two firecrests - Colin Jupp
Firecrest still present in Coppetts Wood in NW corner near pond, been present since late September. Also Frogs spawning. Tony Clancy
Copped Hall, 3 buzzards up late am, two circled off towards Epping Upland and one went on towards Thornwood - N Smith, A Middleton, H Bantock. KGV/Brimsdown fem/imm black redstart - H Bantock

Sat 1-3-3 Northaw Great Wood: three marsh tits - one at 12.50 300 yards north of the keeper's cottage and two at 13.55 on the edge of the car park near the cottage. All birds calling well. Amwell, (brief visit): two shelduck from main watchpoint, 17.00 - Martin Shepherd
Horsenden Hill, Not much of a big deal to the reservoir and gravel pit watchers, but a pair of Shoveler at Horsenden today was a first for the site for me and probably only the second record there (recent times). Possibly they had been displaced from Smith's Farm, where there have been 2-3 recently. Also of note: a Great Black-backed Gull over and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming in Horsenden Wood. PS Primrose in flower today in Perivale Wood! Andrew J. Culshaw
Harold Wood area, 3 lit grbs, 2gc grbs, 12 teal, 2 water rail (STWorks aad Fishery). Pages Farm 100 fieldfares, 12 y'hammers, 30 stock dove, 4 reed bunts - Colin Jupp
River Lee CP: Holyfield Hall Farm 16 White-fronted Goose, 2 feral Barnacle Goose, 35 Wigeon, 192 Fieldfare. 70 Acres Lake 2 redhead Smew. Stephen Harris
Cornmill Meads: A female lesser spotted woodpecker in alders along the river in the SW corner around noon; two lesser redpolls c500 yds further north along the river. The 16 European whitefronts were in the grassy field just NW of Hayes Hill Farm till c2.45 when they flew off. Two Egyptian geese and three yellowhammers near Holyfield Hall Farm. Sean Huggins
ChiffChaff singing at Tottenham Marsh. !30+ Ruddy Duck on the KGV - Helen Bantock
Trent Park 11.00-12.30pm Firecrest on south side of Rough Lot 150 yards from SE corner. Lesser spotted woodpecker still at western end of upper lake in alders. - Nigel Taylor
Mandarin 13 near High Beach, 14 Lost Pond (Epping Forest), several nuthatch - A Middleton

Fri 28-2-03 Still three Smew, 1 male 2 female, Belhus.C.Pk. also 8 Siskin and 1 redpoll seen. Les Harrison.
Trent Park pm: ( Weather appalling) Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker again in the trees around the upper lake also a small flock of C 7 Siskin around the lake. 20 Redwing, 30 Fieldfare, 25 Stock Dove. - Pete Lowman.
M25, Theobalds area, common buzzard - R Callf and Chris Moorhouse.
KGV Res, am, winter plumage Slavonian grebe near south tower - Phil Vines
Wintry Wood, Epping, 5 nuthatch, 85 rooks - A Middleton

Thu 27-2-03 Enfield Island Village: 70 wigeon over south at 13.25. Waltham Abbey farmland near M25: three skylarks in song, and 30 house sparrows on edge of housing estate alongside motorway. Cornmill Meadow: 80 lapwing over the main pools. Two bullfinches and six redpolls in arboretum area to the east of Cornmill Stream - Martin Shepherd
Friday Lake, pair Golden Eye; Hall Marsh Scrape, 3 Snipe, 7 Lapwings, 18 Teal, 24 male and 12 female Shoveler, Green Woodpecker flew over, female Muntjac. John Anderton
Trent Park pm: Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in trees around upper lake. Nuthatch 4, Treecreeper 5. Great Spot and Green Woodpeckers, Fieldfare C60. - Pete Lowman. Brambling, 3 goosander R White
Forty Hall, fem lesser spot 'Archers' Wood' also fox and muntjac, kingfisher, pr shoveler. Whitewebbs, female lesser spot, 16 mandarin, pair of marsh tits,. Wildwoods Lake, 2 pr of teal - R Callf & C Moorhouse
Copped Hall, 2 woodcock early am for Mick Collins, c36 y'hammers and 80 goldfinch - A Middleton

Wed 26-2-03 Trent Park area, male lesser spot in alders by Upper Lake, 3 little owls inc 2 Pk Fm, pr gadwall Lower Lake, 35 stock doves & 11 y'hammers , bullfinch, 2 firecrests inc one in sub-song Rough Lot - R Callf
Cetti's Warbler calling still at Berwick Ponds from South West corner of main reed bed. Les Harrison.
LVP Single Bitterns at Bittern watchpoint, Pochard hide reedbed, Slipe Lane Marsh pit and Rye Meads. A male Mandarin at the north end of North Met Police Pit at the 'causeway'. A Lesser-spotted Woodpecker at Nightingale Wood. 3 Waxwings at Turnford Brook. 2 Little Egrets at Amwell at 1730. Alan Harris
Early afternoon. Goosefield still 16 white-fronted geese; 180 Lapwing over Holyfield lake setting off north and another 126 took off from Cornmill Meadows and flew north-east. 30+ snipe on northern-most pool of Cornmill Meadows. One bittern attempting to fish along the far bank without noticeable success, walked over bank into reeds - great crested grebe arrived and caught a fair-sized fish. Jeff Butcher
Nags Hd STW, 10 grey wags, 2 singing chiffs. Warley Gap 20 siskin, pr nuthatch (with Sid Petts). Weald Park, comma Tower Plantation (my 1st butterfly of year), female goosander, 5 grt crsted grbs. Quicks-Tower Plantation, 3 firecrests (1 singing), 10 goldcrests, 4 coal tits, pr nuthatch, 40 siskin, 1 lesser redpoll - Colin Jupp

Tues 25th Bedfords Park tawny owl in usual roost, male firecrest near nursery giving occasional low power song. Mon 24th Harold Crt 3 snipe, Nags Hd Lane STW, 22 teal, 10 grey wags, singing chiff - Colin Jupp
Holyfield Lake - at least 8 smew, including 3 drakes. Was very excited to see two actually mating, the female was presenting herself with bill held low in the water and tail raised prior to brief mounting by the male - I've attached a couple of efforts to capture the action. Also 6 Ruddy Duck and 2 Goosander, and 3 Waxwings at Turnford flying between the car park and the wood on the other side of the railway. Tristan Bantock (digiscoper) ~ see images below
Holyfield Farm area: three yellowhammers, and c250 lapwings at 16.55, 150 of which came down to feed on farmland opposite the Goosefield - Martin Shepherd
Epping Forest Pole Hill: c40 Chaffinchs and at least 3 brambling, 1 siskin. Bury Wood: c90 Chaffinchs and at least 2 brambling. Chingford Plains: 3 singing Skylark, 5 Bullfinch, 1 siskin. Connaught Waters 40 Tufted Ducks, c10 Mandarin. R.Cope
Turnford Brook about 1 mile from Cheshunt Station, 1 waxwing seen in car park, 3 seen in the trees just over the wooden bridge - Carol Walton. Lunchtime 3 waxwings still in trees over 'wooden bridge', 1 bullfinch - Sue Upton
Rainham, Wennington and Aveley Marshes Nature Reserve - A good run of records recently: 10 Whitefronts still on site today - visible from the river wall only. Dartford Warbler on river wall only today (25th Feb). Little Egret up to 5 in area. Ruff 2-3. Blackwits 1-2. Pintail still approx 70+. Jackdaw flock of 20 a good site record. Peregrine seen regularly. Lapwing approx 2000 on site - Dominic Funnell, Reserve Warden
KGV Reservoir: very pale buzzard with distinct dark carpal patches, south end of the south basin at 10.55. Bird circled twice, gaining height quickly, and flew off fast to the south east into the sun. Also 127 ruddy duck (north basin,) 30 meadow pipits (Sewardstone farmland,) three goosander, female reed bunting, and two mistle thrushes - Martin Shepherd
Plashes Wood near Ware, brief visit, 4 marsh tits + nuthatch. Little Chef A10-M25 c150 golden plover - A Middleton
Trent Park am, common buzzard over Rough Lot 9.55am, woodcock Williams Wood, lit owl Vic farm - R Callf, C Moorhouse. Grovelands Park, 12 mandarin, 3 green woods, 2 nuthatch - R Callf

Mon 24-Feb-03 Tate Modern - Peregrine male at 3pm and Kestrel over at 2pm. David G Darrell-Lambert
Trent Park area, water rail by Upper Lake (2nd park record for observers), firecrest Rough Lot, 2 little owls. Yesterday pair of goosander on lake, snipe on South Lodge Farm- sightings by R White & R Callf
Rye Meads: 6 Water rails, 8 Skylark flew East, 5 Shelduck. R.Cope.
14:00 Amwell - I Ringed Plover, 2 Shelduck , P.Smith

Sat 22nd Feb. Twite - showed well feeding on gravel bank at Grays Town Wharf. Also 1 Kittiwake, 3 Rock Pipit, 2 Turnstone, 2 Bl T Godwit, 3 Grey Plover, 2 Ringed Plover, 1 Common Sandpiper and many Dunlin / Redshank. All between Grays and Purfleet - Sun 23rd, Green winged teal and Med Gull at Lockwood Res -(John Murray)

Sun 23-2-03, Cheshunt area: tawny owl calling for five minutes from 06.15: the bird was in woodland on canal between Hall Marsh Lock and the bridge at Waltham Marsh: also this morning, three smew on Bowyers Water and 18 smew on Holyfield Lake (six drakes) along with seven goosander (six redheads) - Martin Shepherd 22-2-03, Holyfield Hall Farm area, late afternoon: five yellowhammers, two egyptian geese, stonechat, reed bunting, 50 rooks - Martin Shepherd
Halfway Reach and Crossness. 1500 teal, 50 gadwall, 25 shovelers, 3 drake pintail, 5 shelduck, 30 redshanks, 50-100 lapwing, 1 common snipe on mudflats and inland marshes. Thousands b h gulls, with 50 lesser bb's, 20 herrings gulls. A stonechat and 4-5 skylarks about inland fields. Dillon English
River Lee CP: Holyfield Lake 6 Goldeneye, 5 Smew, 1 Water Rail, Holyfield Hall Farm 16 White-fronted Goose, 31 Wigeon Seventy Acres Lake 8 Smew, 3 Water Rail. Hayes Hill Farm 1 Little Owl. Stephen Harris
Hawkwood, Chingford, 1 nuthatch. Lippitts Hill, woodcock - T&H Bantock, A Middleton

Sat 22-2-03 Hayes Hill Farm 1 skylark, meadow pipits, r. bunting, 1 chiffchaff, 1 yellowhammer, pair egyptian geese, flock of fieldfare, also the white fronted geese showing farm side of road to sailing club. Dave Messenger
Fishers Green - Counted 16 white fronts inc 3 young (by my counts anyway), 1 stonechat, number of rooks, 2 egyptain geese, 3-4 yellowhammers at private house between the two farms, aswell as reed buntings, chafffinches, lapwings etc... 1 munjac deer at about 12-15 feet away in bushes at carpark which leads up to Grebe Hide. Grebe hide - 7 smew 3 pairs and a single redhead, 6 ruddy ducks 2 males 4 females. Also a munjac deer in a field backing on to wood land further down. 2 foxes aswell, bittern and kingfisher from bittern watchpiont. Turnford - 3 waxwings in trees over 'wooden bridge', 2 goosander, goldeneye, grey herons. Hall Marsh - large numbers of snipe from hide aswell as lapwings, pheasant and feildfare. We also found a Jack Snipe!!!! We were also told of a buzzard over Holyfield Farm and a lesser spot around bittern watchpiont area - Chris & Pete Langsdon
LVP Female Sparrowhawk observed taking a Redwing at Seventy Acres Lake. Also 6 Redpoll there. Still c85 Pied Wagtails roosting at Blockbuster video/Public Library in Stratford. Fraser Simpson
Walthamstow Reservoirs 14 Little Grebe, 106 Pochard, 1 female Greater Scaup (on East Warwick Res), 63 Ruddy Duck, 5 Grey Wagtail . Stephen Harris
Walthamstow Reservoirs Banbury - 5 Common Sandpipers, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Lapwing, 1 Redshank, 7 Goosander, 1 Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Shelduck Lockwood - Curlew south at 16:58hrs, male Green-winged Teal found at 17:05hrs wasn't present in morning was with 12+ Teal in north east corner. East Warwick - female Scaup (per SRH) No 5 - 2 Common Sandpipers (per SRH) Cheshunt GP Bittern Watchpoint - 1 Bittern, 5 Smew Fishers Green - 16 White-fronted Geese, 4 Goosander see David G Darrell-Lambert's image below
Harold Wood area, Pages Farm kestrel, 7 stock doves, 20+ skylarks, 26 m pipits, 15 fieldfare, 120 linnets (high winter count), 31 y'hammers, 7 reed bunts & 1 corn bunting - C Jupp

Fri 21-2-03 Tate Modern - 2 Peregrines seen hunting over the Thames and roosting on the Tate. Saw then hunting as a pair chasing a Cormorant which escaped! They are also using a steeple by Ludgate Circle to roost on during the day. David G Darrell-Lambert
Nrth Enfield, lesser spot calling Forty Hall & female Whitewebbs Wood. Buzzard north of Whitewebbs probably over Theobalds mid-day. Pair marsh tits hacking away at honeysuckle seeds in Whitewebbs. 8 nuthatch in area in 2 Hillyfields Park, 8 grt spots, 2 bullfinch Forty Hall. Vic farm, 2 little owls, 25 y'hammers, reed bunt. R Callf also male lesser spot Williams Wood & firecrest Rough Lot - R White
1 Barn Owl, and 2 Short Eared Owls at Hatfield Aerodrome/Beech Farm - John Murray
Amwell, 8.30am Shelduck and two Sinensis Cormorants, from the watchpoint, also two common gulls on the pit on the other side to the watchpoint. Mark Hows
Fishers Green - 19 White Fronts still present on Goose Field, also 7 snipe and bittern showing well from watchpoint - Bill & Mark Cutts
Warley Park, singing y'hammer, 8 teal & water rail calling nr railway line. Great Warley, Headley Common 1 female firecrest, Warley Gap, two firecrests (m&f) near derelict building at TQ594909 - Colin Jupp
Hedgerley area, 6+ crossbills, 4 c buzzards, 1 red kite over tip plus buzzard, brief view of Iceland gull - Jeremy Gaskell & A Middleton

Thu 20-2-3 Rye Meads 1100 Pair of stonechats in main car park Steve Lee
Amwell 2.00 p.m.: 1 Water Rail out in the open for several minutes with the usual mxd. flock of feeding Chaffinch, Reed Bunting etc., also 5 Goldeneye v. close from level crossing - Siskin, 5 Bullfinch, 1 Grey Wag., 4+ Redwing - P.Smith.
Went to Brent Reservoir, this morning Lesser Scaup showing well on North Side of road. Bill and Mark Cutts
Ally Pally Very little to report recently. Lots of Great Spotted drumming activity, late record of a Lesser Spot in mid-January and 34 Redwings last Monday. Tom Clarke.
Harold Court, 2 snipe. Nags Head Lane, 65 stock doves. Nags Head STW 300 pied wags, green sandpiper, 12 grey wagtails, 12 meadow pipits. Weald Park, firecrest - Colin Jupp
Trent Park: Male lesser spotted woodpecker calling and seen near obelisk in NW corner of Moat Wood, 11.30. Firecrest at 10.40 and again at 12.40 in NE corner of Rough Lot - Martin Shepherd, also corn bunting with y'hammers, 2 pairs of gadwall on Parkside Res - R Callf, R White
Sacombe Green area, Herts, 2 marsh tits, bullfinch in song, c5 rooks - A Middleton

Wed 19-2-03 Springfield Park - one Little Owl roosting in the trees on the north side of the park, viewable from the West Warwick res at Walthamstow for those wanting to add it to their lists!! David G Darrell-Lambert
Southgate Town Hall, Palmers Green, long-tailed tits gathering lichen for nest-building - R Callf
St James's Park, Central London. Adult male Greater Scaup on the lake - I have never seen one here before and there are none in the collection, so a presumed wild bird. More dubiously, a Silver Gull was fighting for scraps with the Black-headeds. Stephen Harris
Trent Park, 09.45 to 13.00: two firecrests in Rough Lot - one in SW corner in rhodedendron, the other in NE corner in holly. Male lesser spotted woodpecker in NW corner of Camlet Moat (Moat Wood.) Also eight nuthatches and six treecreepers in the general area - Martin Shepherd. Also Tawny Owl calling by the Hadley Rd car park, 10 Siskin, 30 Fieldfares, 3 pairs of Mandarin, 20 Yellowhammers were brilliant, as they flew up from the field and settled in the hedge. 2 Skylarks and 2 Reed Buntings - no Corn Bunting.T&H Bantock
This morning 20 Mandarin at Connaught Water - Mark Hows
Harold Court, jack snipe at 12.25, 2 skylarks, 7 reed bunts, and Nags Head STW rock pipit, 280+ pied wags, 13 grey wagtails (2nd highest count here), 9-10 meadow pipits on Filter Beds, Lagoons 3 lit grbs, 15+ teal, 6 tufted duck. Mon 17th Pages Farm 40 skylark and 24 stock doves - Colin Jupp
Ware garden, 7.30am - 5 bullfinches back having their breakfast on the garden prunus - Liz Goodyear

Tue 18-2-03 Rise Park, Essex, male blackcap on cotoneaster berries in a friend's garden - Sid Petts
Lockwood Reservoir, Walthamstow: green-winged teal with 33 teal at 12.12. Three linnets on the edge of High Maynard. Brimsdown: ten linnets in canal hedge opposite the power station. (Black redstart also seen today and yesterday by Brian Sperring.) KGV Reservoir, north basin: ten goosander, 40+ goldeneye, common sandpiper, chiffchaff in bush on the edge of the relief channel. Sewardstone Marsh: four woodcock over at dusk between 17.53 and 17.58 - Martin Shepherd
Green-winged teal still on the Lockwood this am. Gary Gardiner.
Fishers Green goosefields - 20 white fronts and large numbers of wigeon, 1 stonechat on far fence - Chris Langsdon
20 White fronts inc 6 juveniles at Fishers Green goose fields. Phil Vines
Trent Park area am, 14 skylark, 20 stock doves, 20 y'hammers, corn bunt on farmland, total 6 grt spots, 5 n'hatch, 6 treecreeper, 3 mandarin, pr bullfinch, brambling calling in Rough Lot, 1 firecrest, 3 little owls (2 Vic Fm & 1 Park Fm) - R Callf, 15 mandarin R White

Mon 17-2-03 Ticked both of 'em off (lesser scaup at Brent Res & green-winged teal on Lockwood Res), suppose I'm glad I made the effort! Couple of record shots attached, couldn't get close enough for anything better. Also Scaup, 2 Water Rails and 3 Snipe at Brent Reservoir. Tristan Bantock
Tate Modern - female Peregrine being mobbed by a Carrion Crow, adult GBBG down river, 1 Coot swimming up river! David G Darrell-Lambert
20 White fronts at Fishers Green goose fields. Alan Harris.
LVP white fronted geese still on Goosefield, Fishers Green, think I counted 19 also 3 shelduck, teal, wigeon & lapwings by weir, and pair golden eye. Holyfield Lake pair goosander,1 female smew. 4 waxwing Cheshunt (Turnford) car park. 2 water rail from Bittern Hide. also 2 male bullfinch.seen - Dave Messenger
Trent Park area: three firecrests - one in Moat Wood at the NW corner of Camlet Moat (09.00), the other two in Rough Lot in NE and SW corners (10.28 and 13.04.) I saw the corn bunting courtesy of Robert Callf - I spotted him through my bins and he was obviously 'scoping something interesting! There were about 25 yellowhammers with it and we also flushed a woodcock. Also seen were a drake goosander, several siskins and seven nuthatches. Fishers Green: 19 white fronted geese on the goosefield (15.25), and three shelduck. Two bullfinches in the woodland near the second car park. From the Bittern Hide, there was a pair of smew, a water rail, and one bittern trying to perch in the reeds and failing. (17.25) - Martin Shepherd
Ware garden, 4 pm - just looked out the bedroom window to see 5 yes 5 bullfinches on the prunus - against the light it looks like 2 male and 3 female. A fantastic sight Liz Goodyear
KGV Res, pm, 2 common sandpipers, 8 goosander, jack snipe viewed on Sewardstone Marsh and 2 chiffchaffs - A Middleton
Sat 15-2-3 Brent Resevoir, 1st winter male Lesser Scaup by hide with Tufted Duck. 1st winter male Scaup on water other side of bridge. Both birds approaching mature plumage. opportunity for excellant comparisons. Mark Riley.

Sun 16-2-03 A rewarding half an hour's birdwatching from my garden in Finchley this afternoon: Greater Spotted Woodpecker on the feeder, Blackcap (male), Coal Tit, Song Thrush & Long-tailed Tit - Ross Facer
Iceland Gull - adult at Hedgerley Tip, Bucks (just outside LNHS area?). Wraysbury - 3 Smew. Staines Moor - 14 Water Pipits feeding together at southern end, 1 Little Egret - Cheers, Andy J. Culshaw

Brent Res am, lesser scaup. Lockwood pm green-winged teal - Jeremy Gaskell
Weald Park, 2 GC Grbs, 200 mallard, 12 pochard, 6 tufted, 100 bh gulls. Pilgrims Hatch pr Gadwall - C Jupp
Turnford: four waxwings in the car park area from 09.05. Sewardstone: ten reed buntings, 12.35, in bushes on the edge of Sewardstone Road between The Plough and the Bakers Arms. Amwell: brambling at 15.00 with chaffinches and several reed buntings on the seed patch. Thirteen bullfinches. Four smew (three drakes). Male goosander flew south - Martin Shepherd
Turnford Brook LVP: 12 pm in car park, 4 Waxwings showing well. Nathalie Schorbon
Trent Park area, corn bunting with y'hammer flock, 16 mandarin, firecrest, 2 little owls Vic farm - R Callf
Coursers Lane fields, Tyttenhanger, 1 'singing' tree sparrow + 1 or 2 more in flight, 2 buzzards. Prae Wood, 3 buzzards. Hatfield Aerodrome, 3 short-eared owls, several grey partridge, 2 stonechat, 1000+ golden plover - T & H Bantock, A Middleton
Fishers Green Goosefields, 19 white-fronted geese - news from Phil Vines

SEOwl at Hatfield today - Tristan Bantock http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/digiscoping/.

Sat 15-2-03 Harold Hill area, Nags Head STW, 40 teal, 1 snipe, 7 grey wags, 2 chiffs, 4 reed bunts, Tylers Common stonechat - Colin Jupp
Hedgerley - 9+ Crossbills including one with a double wing bar, 2+ Buzzards, 4+ Sparrowhawks, 1 Marsh Tit Staines Res - 1 Black-necked Grebe on the south basin Brent Res - 1 1st winter Lesser Scaup, 1 poss Caspian Gull- David Darrell-Lambert
KGV Res am, Goldeneye 40, Goosander 6, Ruddy Duck 135. Other usual duck, but only 17 Coot. A Redshank on the causeway and a female Reed Bunting. Both male and female Goldeneyes were throwing back their heads. A Stock Dove flew with clipped wing beats and there were 5 Collared Doves at the north end. Farmer in the distance, but the sheep followed us!!! Helen & Tristan Bantock
Turnford 2 waxwing am, KGV 1 Common Sand, 1 Chiffchaff. Tony Clancy
Brent Reservoir I managed to see the Lesser Scaup early afternoon, very close to the hide. A first winter male moulting into adult plumage - found by Andrew Self. Also here a probable Caspian Gull (near adult). Turnford 4 Waxwings still around mid-afternoon but flighty and elusive in gardens along the main road. 70 Acres Lake Up to 3 Bitterns from the watchpoint towards dusk, 6 Smew (1 drake), 28 Shoveler. Hooks Marsh 4 Smew (2 drakes) Bowyers Water 1 redhead Smew. Stephen Harris
Holyfield Lake, LVP, showing 4 male & 4 female smew together with 4 goldeneye male & 4 female, 1 male goosander & a pair of ruddy duck. Bittern showing well from hide, also bullfinch, 1 male & a green woodpecker, pair of gt. crested grebe doing a bit of courtship. D.Messenger
Trent Park, corn bunting with c40 y'hammers & 1 reed bunt on stubble north of Williams Wood, 70 stock doves, 8 nuthatch, pair of mandarin flew over, 2 firecrests in Rough Lot - Robert Callf - Robert's first corn bunting here since singing male in April 1996.
WG Res, white-fronted goose on west side but gone by 11am - Phil Vines

Fri 14-2-03 Updating my sighting of 9 white-fronted geese, passed on by Terry Smith - they were actually on the Lee Navigation west of Ware between the A10 fly-over and the New Gauge (of the New River). There is a large muddy pool on the north bank where they were with a couple of greylags, a lot of Canadas, mallards and moorhens. They were European (ssp albifrons). seen at 2.30 p.m. today 14th Feb. Jeff Butcher
Amwell little grebe, male bullfinch, reed bunting, female goldeneye, 3 shelduck, 1 song thrush. D.Messenger
WG Res, 2 white-fronted geese feeding on top of the reservoir bank this am, flew off south towards Banbury Res late am when helicopter flew over - Phil Vines ~ WG: 2 White Fronted Geese viewed from Eaton's Mead road between shops and start of houses on west side of Waltham Way. The best pics I could manage given the very bright sunlight. R.Cope
Copped Hall am, 1 c buzzard up around 11am, and 70 goldfinch on teasels - A Middleton

Thu 13-2-03 Recent news from Colin Jupp. Pages Farm, 10th, 20 skylarks & 1 reed bunt, 11th 12 y'hammers, Harold Court 10 y'hammers & 7 reed bunts. 12th Harold Wood, tawny owl hooting 1am, 1 or 2 calling since mid Jan. 13th Weald fem goosander Lower Lake and 2 firecrest. Gidea Park pair mandarin & prr mute swans
Ware Widbury Hill. This morning I saw a female Blackbird carrying nesting material into the thick hedge by the allotments. Ian Edwards
Went out to one of the sites mentioned on your site, Copped Hall. I walked along the road and then into the Selvage area on the west that borders a clearing, and around dusk flushed four woodcock - Alex Kirschel
c90 Pied Wagtails roosting at Blockbuster/Public Library in Stratford. Fraser Simpson
Epping Forest, Ambresbury Banks and Long Running areas, 10.00-12.00: two bramblings, seven nuthatches, 35 lesser redpolls, Muntjac. Sewardstone Marsh, dusk: water rail squealing briefly at 17.35. Calling little owl flew up onto tree at 17.45 - my first sighting on the marsh proper. Four woodcocks flew south into the meadow between 17.45 and 17.50, one giving contact call - Martin Shepherd
KGV Res south basin, medium sized gull roost. one white b. h gull with black primaries. 1 common sandpiper, 2 Little Grebes. R.Cope.
Trent Park area, 2 weasels, 2 firecrests Rough Lot, 17 mandarin Lime Av. Pond, 7 grt spots, 9 treecreepers, 9 nuthatch, 40 y'hammers & reed bunt, woodcock Leeging Beech Gutter - R Callf & C Moorhouse, also 25 skylark Vicarage Farm and 70 stock doves on farmland by Trent Park - R White

Wed 12-2-03 mid-morning flying east out of north end of Gunpowder Mill site over the farmland above Cornmill Meadows 75 fieldfare in one large flock. Also in the edge of Gunpowder Mills at that end one flock of 100+ siskin and two smaller flocks of 20 and 30. New Hill Pond had 2 shoveler, 4 gadwall and 7 tufted duck. Jeff Butcher
Turnford Brook car park 14:30 - 5 Waxwing Lakes between Turnford Brook car park and Lee navigation 15:00 - LHS - 1 Male Mandarin Duck - appeared to have teamed up with group of mallards Large open fields between Lee Navigation and Holyfield Weir 15:15 -large flock Fieldfares 25+ Holyfield Lake 16:00 - 16:10 Smew - 2 drakes , 1 pair Goosander , Bittern Hide -16:30 - 17:00 - 2 Bittern, 1 Water Rail - Ronald Stevenson
Hitchin - saw four waxwings which have been feeding on berries for a few days Liz Goodyear

Tues 11 February 2003 KGV Res pm, large gull roost but poor viewing conditions, no 'white-winged' gulls seen or reported to me, 3 shelduck on south basin - R Cope
4 Waxwings now at Turnford LVP carpark, the other 2 arrived pm. 1 waterail at Pochard Hide.(LVP). 2 bullfinches at Turnford scrub area just over railway bridge. 3 goosander, 1 redhead smew on Holyfeild Lake. T&S.Endean
Also male blackcap seen at Turnford car-park on Saturday
Turnford Brook am, 2 Waxwings, Pochard Hide 3 Bitterns.The Red-crested Pochard at Stanstead Abbots is also notable for having only one wing (!) and is, not surprisingly, resident at this site. Alan Harris

Mon 10-2-03 A Pied Wagtail roost forming at 1830h in a plane tree outside Blockbuster/Stratford Library in Stratford, East London (TQ 391846). Approximately 85 birds present at 2115h. - Fraser Simpson
~ at 2 p.m. Lee Navigation at Stanstead Abbots: one female red-crested pochard, seems tame and has a "silver" ring on left leg. At 1.30 p.m. on New River at Amwell - 2 kingfishers, one with fish. At 11.30 a.m. on Lee north of Ware: 2 sparrowhawks being mobbed by one crow; at Ware grey wagtail. Jeff Butcher
Tate Modern - 1st winter White-fronted Goose flew down river at 9:04am! David Darrel-Lambert
Rye House Very cold and very barren apart from Common & Green Sandpiper and Stonechat .. regards Mick Nagle
Trent Park am 1 firecrest, 5 nuthatches, 1 treecreeper all the tits, all the woodpeckers, sparrowhawk, goldcrests - Brian Dawton, also 1 poss 2 Firecrests halfway up western edge of Rough Lot. A few Stock Dove in the stubble field. 4 Nuthatch, 4 Treecreepers, 2 Great Spots, 1 Green Woodpecker. - Pete Lowman
Whitewebbs, female lesser spot in alders Turkey Brook, male lesser spot Whitewebbs Wood (Archery Wood) and another female lesser spot here, pair of marsh tits, 19 mandarin inc 11 drakes + 4 on Wildwoods Lake. Drake goosander & 2 teal Forty Hall/Turkey Brook lakes. Also total 7 nuthatch, 14 linnets - R Callf
Thorndon c/p 2 Nuthatch, 1 Redpoll, 9 Brambling. Tylers common 1 Stonechat - 'birdwatching'

Sun 9-2-03 Rainham, Wennington and Aveley Marshes Nature Reserve - Peregrine male beating up the ducks, Little Egret 5, Blackwit 2, Barwit 2, Ruff 1 and a goodly selection of ducks. - Dominic Funnell, Reserve Warden
Lower Forest, Epping, 1 marsh tit. Copped Hall pre-roost gathering, c20 brambling - T&H Bantock, A Middleton
Amwell Redpoll in Birch trees between main viewing point and hide - Steve Lee

Sewardstone Marsh. Chiffchaff calling at 16.50. Two woodcocks over at 17.30 and down into Pattypool Mead. Re waxwings in Salisbury Road Enfield Lock, residents say that there were two birds feeding on berries until 13.45 - Martin Shepherd
Turnford car park 2 waxwings at 10:20 am. Amwell lapwings and a snipe, Rye Meads RSPB 2 green sandpipers - Chris & Peter Langsdon
Trent Park area, 23 mandarin Lime Av lake, drake goosander Lower & Upper lakes, 5 grn woods, 9 grt spots, 6 nuthatch, 6 treecreeper, 1 firecrest, redpoll songflighting - R Callf, brambling Seedfield Spinney on 7th R White,
LVP Turnford car-park am, 2 waxwings am - Helen & Tristan Bantock
Enfield Lock am, 2 waxwings by 20 Salisbury Road off Ordnance Road- news passed on by Nick Sampford

Fri 7-2-03 Bedfords Park, firecrest by the Old Nursery - C Jupp & Trevor Broom
Trent Park pm: 1 Firecrest half way up the western edge of Rough Lot. 5 Nuthatch, Treecreeper, 25+ Stock Dove in the stubble field, 4 Great Spots.- Pete Lowman, also 37 chaffinch, 24 y'hammers & 1 reed bunt, lttle owl - R Callf
Epping Forest, Theydon Bois area: two marsh tits at 10.00 with long tailed tit flock at the western edge of the golf course. Also in the wider area were five nuthatches, five treecreepers, and my first singing goldcrest of the year - Martin Shepherd
LVP Turnford car-park, 2 waxwings around 10am - Phil Vines & Harry Lacey
Sightings from Colin Jupp ~ 3rd kingfisher flew past by Paines Brook, Harold Hill. 5th Warley area, nuthatch Hampton Crt, 50+ redwing Barracks Wood, male firecrest & nuthatch Warley Gap, 5 brambling, 10+ chaffinch & coal tit Chindits Lane garden, weasel Green Lane. 6th male bullfinch & nuthatch by my Harold Hill garden, 6 crossbills calling over the beech wood, Weald Park & pr little owls - Colin Jupp with Sid Petts

Thu 6-2-03 Tate Modern - male Peregrine at 9:30am and then a pair at 1:20pm to 2pm at least. Yesterday Walthamstow Marsh - 1 Chiffchaff. Tate Modern - 2 Peregrines at 9.05am David G Darrell-Lambert
LVP Turnford car-park around 3pm, 2 waxwings seen by Adam Wilson - news from Robert Callf
Trent Park, record 90 stock doves for Robin White
Epping Forest, Ambresbury Banks area: six bramblings at 11.35. Also two nuthatches - Martin Shepherd
Hi - no sign of woodlark today north of Ware, spent quite a long time looking for it, shame as it would of been a nice bird to photograph in Herts. Moral of the story being always keep the camera with ya !!! Nick Sampford - wildlife photography

Wed 5-2-03 14:00, Netherhall (pit opp. Fishery - fast 'disappearing'); 2 Shelduck - P.Smith
Valentines Pk. p.m. Med. Gull "Valentino" still present. Peter Hopkins.
Trent Park area, 2 male lesser spots, R's earliest drumming record, Icehouse wood & male Rough Lot. 2 firecrest, 12 skylark on oilseed rape, 2 bullfinch, 42 stock dove, 36 y'hammer - R Callf
Copped Hall, 34 y'hammer. c buzzard, bullfinch 5 + 9 nearby, little and tawny owl, brambling over - various obs

Tue 4-2-03 Cheshunt, 1 waxwing on a conifer in garden for 10 mins at 9.50am, then by LVP Turnford car-park 11.15am, but not on Wed 5th - Terry Goddard
Herts - just a few reports, the best being a woodlark singing today north of Ware seen for 3-4 mins then flew high circled round and setled back on top of oak it was singing from, then flew off again. Not sure if it was brought down with the blizzards. Dinner-time came back with camera and couldn't locate it, will try again tomorrow. Also brambling Post Wood 01/02, barn owl 01/02 Stortford bypass [a120], 5 waxwings at St Micheals Mead in St James Way in trees on the road side embankment 03/02 also 5 bullfinches feeding on privet and rose hips under hedge by the lake at Thorley 03/02 ~ Nick Sampford ~ see Nick's wildlife photography
Trent Park pm:C80 Redwing on woodland path from tea room to the lake.Further 30+ on stubble fields. 3 Pheasant . 6 Stock Dove on stubble field. C120 mixed flock Redwing and Fieldfare on field between obelisk and road. Great Spot and Green Woodpeckers. 5 Nuthatch. Pochard on lower lake - Pete Lowman
Epping Forest, nr Ambresbury Banks: two bramblings at 11.20 and 11.45, both with chaffinch flocks in the canopy. Also three nuthatches and a treecreeper - Martin Shepherd
10.20am. Pair of Peregrine Falcons soaring over my garden in Custom House, nr Excel building. Colin Pumfrett.
Broxbourne Woods, 3 crossbills flew this way then later 3 crossbills flew that way - A Middleton
A10/M25 junction near Little Chef, Loads of Lapwings on the adjacent fields, couldn't stop to count them but I would estimate at well into three figures. Tom Clarke. & I rubber-necked about 150 golden plover next field nrth,am - AM

Sun 2-2-03 Valentines Park. Large number of gulls on the lake, 200+ maybe a third common, rest bh, 1 lone lbb. Redwings still present, also 15 goldfinches and 2 great spots drumming against each other. Early songsters - 1st chaffinch and greenfinch I've heard this year. Barbara Miller

Mon 3-2-03 Trent Park pm: 60 plus Stock Dove on stubble fields. Mixed flock c70 Redwing and Fieldfare in field just north of obelisk. 2 Treecreeper. 4 Nuthatch .2 Green woodpecker. ( Robert Calf can you give more info re: location of Firecrests, Little Owl and Yellowhammers.) - Pete Lowman ~ Firecrests have been seen in Rough Lot, both nrth & sth sides mostly (TQ284977), & y'hammers have been on stubble I believe nrth of Rough Lot. Little owl on Vicarage Farm.
Bowyers Water male LS Woodpecker, 2 Ruddy Duck. Alan Harris.
Stanstead Abbots GP am, Slavonian Grebe and drake smew - Phil Vines
Trent Park, 2 firecrests, little owl, 5 t'creepers, 4 nuthatch, 46 stock doves nrth Williams Wood and 14 nr Rough Lot - R Callf

Sun 2-2-03 Fishers Green - lesser spotted woodpecker by the elevated bridge at the south end of 70 acres lake. Good show from all the usual attractions (bittern and water rail feet away from the front of the hide and 3 smew on lake). Also weasel just in front of hide briefly and disorientated mole on the path nearby. Phil Rhodes.
Slavonian Grebe still showing on Stanstead Abbots Pit. Drive in from Marsh Lane. Bearded Tit calling at Amwell. Beware very large female Sparrowhawk doing a good job of impersonating a Goshawk.. - Mark Riley
Beware very large female Sparrowhawk doing Walthamstow Reservoirs 17 Little Grebe, 110 Pochard, 11 Goldeneye, 81 Ruddy Duck, pair of Peregrines hunting together over Res No. 5 and EW Res, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Kingfisher, 1 Rock Pipit, 187 Fieldfare. Stephen Harris
Epping Forest, Bury and Hawk wood, 1 nuthatch by Ludgate plain, several treecreepers & great spots, no marsh tits - A Middleton & H Bantock
Enfield County Grammar playing fields (off Parsonage lane) 92Canada geese and 1 barnacle goose - R Callf

Saturday 1-2-03 Thames-side Today I walked the footpath from Grays to Purfleet station. Expect there would have been more waders if I'd chosen a day when the high tide wasn't at midday. Grays 6 Grey Plover, 1 Ringed Plover, 210 Dunlin, 39 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Turnstone, 1 Rock Pipit. West Thurrock 3 Jack Snipe (flushed on old Electricity Board site), 52 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Rock Pipit, Purfleet 1 Black Redstart, 1 Chiffchaff. Stephen Harris

Fri 31-1-03 Whipps Cross: Regular small (up to 30) groups of winter thrushes moved west between dawn and 1030, presumably escaping the freeze. Also, a flock of 8 Waxwings flew straight over south at 0835 - Peter Hadrill
Trent Park, Rough Lot/Moat Wood, certainly 3, probably 4, firecrests, 40 siskins feeding on larch - Robert Callf
Went out this morning in Harlow around the old museum and spotted a large flock of redwing eating berries on the ivy. Also one green woodpecker feeding on the ground in the snow .time 900am Mike Howell
Warley Hill Business Park (Essex), 3 brambling & 10 chaffinch in garden with feeders at Chindits lane - Colin Jupp. goosander on Weald Lake - A Stroud
Copped Hall, 3 buzzards, 80 goldfinch, c15 hares - A Middleton
Forced to take a day off due to the state of our nearby motoways (along with many no doubt). Discovered a song thrush visits our Enfield garden - perhaps things aren't so bad after all. Phil Rhodes
Bird Line South East reporting Juv Ferg Duck, 2 Beared tits and Cetti's Warbler at Amwell GP. Today - J Murray
Ware garden- at one point 29 chaffinch feeding on hemp and oats on lawn by snowman - Liz Goodyear
Wed 29 -1-03 pm Valentines Park. No siskins today but more redwings, about 25 now. Flock of long tailed tits, about 12. B Miller

Thurs 30 01 2003 Whipps Cross: more of a cameo than a sighting, but when one of the local Sparrowhawks dropped low and fast over the common late this evening to root out prey around hawthorn bushes, it picked up instead a possee of no less than 38 Crows that pursued at length but with minimal effect - Peter Hadrill
Slavonian Grebe, 4 Smew. Stanstead Abbots GP - Alan Harris
Trent Park, kingfisher, 27 stock doves & 35 y'hammers on stubble, 4 grt spots, 7 nuthatch - R Callf

Wed 29/1/03 Harold Hill, waxwing stayed for just 10 mins around 8am and not seen since, Wednesbury Green, off St.Neots Road, nr A12. Harold Wood Park, 45 redwing & 13 fieldfares- Colin Jupp
Amwell 1100 (Very windy!) Several goldfinches in wooded area near railway, Large flock Longtail Tits in same area. Steve Lee

Sun 26th Jan pm Hatfield Aerodrome. 4 Short-eared owls, to and fro over grassland against backdrop of new warehousing to East. Constantly in view 2.30 - 5.00pm on wing and perched. Also 2 stonechat, 2 snipe & 2 green sandpiper, winter thrushes. 1000's (literally) of corvids and pigeons roosting in Round Wood. Access footpath to east of Notcutts Garden Centre on St Albans Road - Robin Morden, Bob Husband, Fay Broom, Mill Hill RSPB Group.

News from Colin Jupp ~ Sat 25th Bedfords Park, woodcock Old Nursery, tawny owl in holly mobbed by jay & other small birds, 5 goldcrest, 1 firecrest. Fri 24th with Sid Petts Weald Park 150 mallard, 8 pochard, Wigley Bush Lane, grey wag, 20 goldfinch, 15 siskin, pr bullfinch, Sabines Green, Navestock, single flock of 300 fieldfares.

Mon 27.1.03 Senate House, Malet Street 1pm Peregrine carrying prey, probably pigeon. Best wishes - Rob Clements
Tate Modern - Kingfisher up river at 1pm!, 6 GBBGs, 3 Peregrines (a pair and an extra male, the pair chased off the male which flew towards the Docks and the pair stayed on top of the tower with the female calling and displaying!) and a Long-tailed Tit. David G Darrell-Lambert
Amwell, 11.30-14.00: male lesser spotted woodpecker, two treecreepers, chiffchaff, ten bullfinches (one group of seven,) male pintail, 50+ snipe, five reed buntings, drake smew, two little egrets. Brimsdown, late afternoon: 17 linnets, male stonechat. (Has anyone seen any black redstarts at this site recently?) - Martin Shepherd Sun 26/1/03, Sewardstone area, 16.00: little owl - Martin Shepherd
Sun 26th Amwell GP 2 Bearded tits, 1 adult Iceland Gull in roost. Mon 27 01 03 Birchanger Green services (M11 Stanstead Airport turn off) 8 Waxwings at 1230. Alan Harris
Pymmes Park Edmonton, 42 moorhen, grt spot and 1 nuthatch - R Callf
11am Stanstead Abbots pits: 1 Slavonian grebe; 2 drake smew with one redhead. (All in bay along north side of main, sailing club pit) 12 noon Amwell: Old Sand and Gravel entrance - 7 bullfinches; main pit from watchpoint - one pair pintail; feed area in field by railway - 2 brambling, 6 reed buntings, many chaffinches. Jeff Butcher
In addition to Jeff Butcher's sightings, we saw Treecreeper, Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a weasel. Seen 12.00 - 13.45 - Rich and Sarah McLean
LVP From 15.00 to 16.00, 14 Smew counted on Hook Marsh Lake & 70 Acres Lake - 6 male, 8 female.
The numbers seem to be growing all the time. - Nigel Willits
KGV Res pm, 75 ruddy duck, 1 common sandpiper. Mossops Creek 225 goldfinch pre-roost gathering around 4pm. - A Middleton
9.10am - I Peregrine on ledge towards top of the tower to the Senate House and Library on Malet Street. Also second bird seen very briefly. Gareth Richards
Ware garden, 3 bullfinches on tree just before 8am, this tree was used in March 2002, male and 2 females - female first seen in tree on Saturday - Liz Goodyear
Horsenden Hill Sun 26th Jan Goosander (1 male flew southwest - first record), Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (pair Horsenden Wood, another single Horsenden Farm), Tufted Duck (1). 9 Siskin in main car park larches on Sat 25th. Perhaps most interesting, a mammal we are pretty sure was a stoat ran in front of our car as we drove over Horsenden Hill after dark on Fri 24th. It was certainly of that family (mustela), had white underside and brownish body with a black tail tip. Size also eliminated weasel (which are relatively common here) and was right for stoat. Does anyone know if it could be anything else (e.g escaped ferret?). Anyone know anything about a Firecrest reported at Horsenden Hill by Birdguides on 12th January? Didn't come from any of the regulars and it would be nice to have some details for the report. Andy Culshaw
25/1 Barn Elms 1 red head smew. 26/1 Mercers Park Redhill, 1 Jack Snipe, 20 Snipe, 300+ Lapwing, 2 Grey Wag - Shaun Robson

Sun 26-1-03 River Lee CP Cornmill Meads 219 Wigeon, pair Stonechat 70 Acres Lake 4-5 Bitterns in front of the hide at dusk, 11 Smew (inc. 3 drakes), 3 Water Rail Holyfield Hall Farm 23 Wigeon, 1 Stonechat, 82 Fieldfare, Hooks Marsh 3 Smew (drakes). Stephen Harris
LVP Fishers Green: Afternoon Bittern watchpoint - 3 bitterns in view - usual 2 performing at the front all afternoon with a third at the back of the reedbed at the same time as one of the shows. 2 Water rail seen well. 2 pr smew on the south of 70 Acre seen from Watchpoint. Jeff Butcher
LVP Bittern Watchpoint. Good views of three Bitterns early afternoon - nice to show them to the kids. Also 2 male and 2 female Smew - Robin Smith

Sat 25-1-03 Grt Amwell 2 little egrets, goldeneye, little grebe, pr. bullfinch plus single fem, 2 reed bunting amongst chaffinch flock- Dave Messenger
LVP Cornmill Meadows - very litle apart from large numbers of wigeon. Goosefields 1 greylag, 2 Egyptian geese, c5 bullfinch and also a Stonechat, on far fence seen from beside the first pylon but went down in to grass. (My first sighting from the goosefields) - Christopher Langsdon
Epping Forest Bury Wood: A large, slow-moving, mixed species flock of around 100 birds (mainly Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Great Tit) contained Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (1), Nuthatch (4), Treecreeper (3-4), Goldcrest (min 7) and Coal Tit (3). A female Sparrowhawk passed low over the canopy here. Connaught Water: Mandarin (49), Bullfinch (pr), Siskin (4). Fraser Simpson
Just north of the M25/A10 junction - 300+ Golden Plover on the west side of the north section of the A10 just before the Cheshunt turn off. David G Darrell-Lambert
11PM at Picketts Lock a Rose Ringed Parakeet flying over the Keepers House and giving the geese a hard time. Marco Johnston - East London
Brimsdown - I went briefly to Mossop's at 10am-no BRs, but male and female Stonechats in the meadow by Leggett's. 7 Pied Wagtails too - Helen Bantock
two waxwings observed yesterday (Friday 24th) in the South Woodford area, in treetops overlooking Central Line. Anybody else note them in this area? Regards Doug Innes
Copped Hall, 2 buzzards early am - Keeper Mick Collins, also c90 goldfinch on teasel and 37 y'hammers on wheat stubble - A Middleton, Mick reports c50 teal in the Deer Sanctuary, Theydon Bois area recently

Thursday 23.1.03 Shoreditch - 7 Geese flew northeast, prob Pink-footed. They were small with dumpy bodies, dark heads extending onto necks with pale bellies. David G Darrell-Lambert
Ware Old Lea Pair of Dabchicks on the river this morning, also a male Sparrowhawk down by the waters edge to bathe. Yesterday I saw two male Smew on the first pit south of Ware. Ian Edwards.
Brentwood, Wigley Bush Lane nr Brown Strt, 1 male lesser spot. Warley Gap, firecrest in holly by derelict building, 20-30 great tits on beech mast - Colin Jupp
At 16.45 LVP Amwell from watchpoint 2 little egrets came in to feed before roosting. Jeff Butcher
A Rose-ringed Parakeet has been flying around Broxbourne area today and for the past two weeks. Notoriously making its presents heard rather than seen, also perching in tall garden trees. Sighted from Gold Road in Broxbourne. Neville Smith
Ally Pally 7 Teal today, equal with the site record of March 1989 and a very good record for the reservoir. Also 2 Gadwall, 2 Goldcrest and 17+ Chaffinches. Tom Clarke
Trent Park/Vic Farm area, 7 t'creepers, 10 nuthatch, 5 mandarin, 1 firecrest, 8 rl partridge, 4 y'hammers., 2 little owl - R Callf, yesterday goosander on Lower Lake and 2 woodcock for Robin White
Knebworth area, 7 crossbills including 4 'red' males feeding on larch seeds in Graffidge Wood, 3 marsh tits, 8 bullfinch, c35 y'hammers on nearby stubble- A Middleton

Wed 22-1-03 Fishers Green 3.30 bittern showing well, watched him catch a couple of fish. also m & f smew seen from Bittern Hide. Hayes Hill Farm song thrush singing in tree also 1 stonechat by pond fields teeming with gulls rooks & c. geese D.Messenger
Tate Modern - adult female Peregrine flew in from west and then landed on the east side of the tower (2pm), adult GBBG - David Darrell-Lambert
Trent Park area, 6 great spots, 38 siskin, 2 firecrests - R Callf
Central London 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull on Thames by Lambeth Bridge at low tide. Stephen Harris

Wintering Bittern Research Project Update - 16th January 2003
On 16 January 2003 a radio-transmitter was attached to a Bittern at the North Metropolitan Police Pit............news of ringed bird.............further background details of the project - Alan Harris/Tim Hill 20.0103

Mon 20-1-03 Grovelands Park Enfield, 10 mandarin, 4 stock doves, 20 siskin - R Callf
A couple of pictures taken Monday 13th at Cheshunt: Smew from the Grebe hide and Goldeneye on the flood relief channel. - Roy Pearce
Just to let you know that the new ELBF wedsite is up and running in basic form at:http://members.lycos.co.uk/elbf/ - Simon Papps

Sun 19th Jan Walthamstow Reservoir Complex Banbury Res 1 Common Sandpiper, 5 Goosander, 5 Goldeneye, female/im Red-breasted Merganser Lockwood 1 Goldeneye, 1 full summer plumage Black-headed Gull, 1 pos 1st Med Gull flew off into the sun before could confirm it! Tottenham Marsh 2 Kestrels, 2 Sparrowhawks David G Darrell-Lambert
River Lea at the Lower Lea Crossing: Redshank (112) and Grey Wagtail (3). East India Dock Basin: Shelduck (2) arrived at dusk. Fraser Simpson
Connaught Waters: 1st W Mediterranean Gull (appeared after several minutes of feeding gulls + ducks), 2 Kingfishers, Pair of Blue Winged Teal. (Also Canada Goose ringed at Walthamstow in 1994!) R.Cope.
Ardeley, Herts there were 100+ Linnets in the game cover crop (kale, mustard etc).Only one Reed Bunting though and no Yellowhammers, in spite of grain feeders. At least 2000 mixed flock of Golden Plover and Lapwing on field by A10 Theobalds area, north of Little Chef. Easy to view from the layby. Helen Bantock

Sat 18-1-03 Walthamstow Reservoirs 25 Little Grebe, 64 Teal, 94 Pochard, 17 Goldeneye, 91 Ruddy Duck, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Woodpecker, 6 Grey Wagtail. Stephen Harris
2 x STONECHATS TYLERS COMMON HAROLD WOOD PAUL NORRIS
Rye Meads: 1 Ringed Plover flew S (RMRG) - news from R Cope
Barking Reach/Bay: Mediterranean Gull (ad), Shelduck (159), Teal (289), and Lapwing (18). Creekmouth: Yellow-legged Gull (ad), Shelduck (103) and Gadwall (2). Fraser Simpson
Cetti's warbler seen well and heard to right of public hide at Amwell from 12.55-1.03pm at least. Also drake smew flying to Ware GP, 12 siskins, grey wagtail, female goldeneye around Amwell - Nigel Taylor
Trent Park area, 2 firecrest, record site count of 24 mandarin Lime Avenue Pond- Robert Callf
Male Blackcap in garden and solitary Redwing in tree in Halifax Rd, Enfield .Mick Nagle
KGV Res, 154 ruddy duck, 1 c sand, Lippitts Hill area, 3 fallow deer, 1 woodcock and a female lesser-spotted woodpecker, Chingford Plain flock of 7 skylarks - A Middleton

Wednesday 15th Jan. Fishers Green/Holyfield area, 10.30 to 14.45: 13 bullfinches, two treecreepers, six siskins, seven goosanders from Grebe Hide, two redhead smew around islands near Grebe Hide, two bitterns (Bittern Hide,) chiffchaff, two goldcrests, sparrowhawk, fox - Martin Shepherd
Rye Meads: 2 Green Sands, 2 Stonechat. Stanstead Abbots: 1 Slavonian Grebe. Netherhall GP: 1 r.h. Smew. Fisher's Green: 2 Water rail, 1 Bittern. Nazing GP: 25 Goosander (8 males), 1 1st wint Little Gull and 3 Yellow legged gulls in roost. R.Cope & N.Gates.
10am LVP Cornmill Meadows. Along the Old River Lea boundary with the Gunpowder Mills, the usual large flock of siskins (c.150) included a coal tit - a Lee Valley Park rarity. Jeff Butcher and Terry Smith
Mossops Creek Brimsdown, c200 goldfinch in pre-roost gathering around 4pm - various obs

Slavonian grebe today at Stanstead Abbots GP - R Cope, ring-billed gull on Sunday at Swansea - T Bantock

Tue 14-1-03 Trent Park area, 5 grey geese, possibly whitefronts, N over Williams Wood at 9.30am, 2 woodcock, 7 nuthatch, 1 firecrest, 15 goldcrests, 25 y'hammers, 4 bullfinch - R Callf
Copped Hall buzzard, woodcock, min 35 y'hammers on wheat stubble, 175 goldfinch mostly on teasel crop - A Middleton

Recent sightings from Colin Jupp NE London/Essex): 1st total 4 firecrest: Warley Gap, Warley Place NR & 2 Grt Warley. Also Warley Place 2+ nuthatch, pr bullfinch Warley Gap, 15 lssr redpoll Clements Park. 2nd Nags Hd STW water rail. Pages Farm 35 skylark, 28 meadow pipit, 30 redwing, 60 linnet, 20 y'hammer, 7 reed bunts. 3rd Noak Hill area, 4 bullfinch, 8 y'hammers. 4th Clements Park, Warley, 2 water rails. 5th Bedfords Pk pr gadwall, firecrest, 22 siskin, bullfinch in ash tree, 50 redwings Risebridge GC. 7th with Sid Petts, Weald Pk 3 grt crested grbs, 100 mallard. Broom Wood 100 siskins. Bedfords Pk partial albino blackbird near carpark, 30 redwing, 5 goldcrest, 2 firecrests in evergreens between carpark & nursery took an hr to find, pr nuthatch. Colin Jupp
Blackstock Road 1 mistle thrush flying to and from a house top to a tree feeding on red berries. I've noticed in the past 2 years the number of commoner birds has fallen (eg. pied wag, house sparrows, thrushes.) in the Highbury Area. Has anyone else noticed this or have I just seen less.Email me at clangsdon@hotmail.com cheers Christopher Langsdon - Thanks for putting me in touch with Nick, helped a lot & very approachable.

Mon 13-1-03 Latton Wood, Harlow, a hour & half's walk round my local woods produced 3 treecreepers, 3 goldcrest, 5 jay, 1 coal tit and on one tree there must have been at least 20 magpies. Dave Messenger
Valentines Park am, 20+ siskins in the alders this morning. A flock (c15) of redwings has also been around for several days. B Miller
KGV Res am, red-breasted merganser flew to south basin - Phil Vines
Just a quick message to pass on from Paul Davies. Two Slavonian Grebes on Royal Docks yesterday: 1 still by road bridge on Royal Albert and one by Excel centre on Royal Victoria Also female Scaup on Thames off Armada Way. news from Howard Vaughan

Sun 12-1-03 Holyfield lake 9.30 a.m. 3 Pintail with Smew, Goosander etc. - P.Smith
Walthamstow Reservoirs Today was the day of the all-Europe Winter Cormorant Roost Survey. We had 515 birds. Also, 350 roosting Carrion Crows, 1 Water Rail (probably around 7 on site in total), 1 adult Mediterranean Gull, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull flew north at dusk, 8 Goldeneye, 1 Common Sandpiper. Also report of 2 Slavonian Grebes and 3 Pintail here on Friday. Stephen Harris, Dan England & David Darrell-Lambert.
Amwell lunchtime. bittern from watchpoint, also 8 drake smew 4 redheads, also female goldeneye and snipe flying. Dave Wheeler
Cheshunt-Fishers Green area Gadwall (81) Redpoll (4) at Cheshunt Lake. Redhead Smew on North Met Pit. Bittern (3-4), Kingfisher and Water Rail at Seventy Acres lake. Five Water Rails heard calling after 1645h. - Fraser Simpson

Sat 11-1-03 Ware In my garden this morning I was very pleased to see a male House Sparrow and a Song Thrush down feeding at the same time, they are both scarce around here. Ian Edwards.
Fishers Green - 1 female bullfinch, 1 bittern flew out from watchpoint + 2 water rail, large numbers of fieldfare and redwings, at least 9 goosander from Grebe Hide as well as a pair of smew, 4 kestrels, 2 sparrowhawks, kingfisher and 4 goldeneye - Christopher and Peter Langsdon
Wanstead area. Nuthatch (1) and Mandarin (f) at Alexandra Lake, Wanstead Flats. Gadwall (64), Little Grebe (5) and Coot (182) on the remaining unfrozen water in Wanstead Park. Fraser Simpson
Ware Gravel Pits 7 Smew (5 males), 4 Goldeneye, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Chiffchaff. Amwell GP 90 Chaffinch, 7 Bullfinch, 28 Siskin, 8 Reed Bunting. 70 Acres Lake 4 Bitterns roosting by the time we left at about 16.10 (a fifth had been seen), also 2 Water Rails, 1 Kingfisher. Stephen Harris & Simon Ogram
Sewardstone area: little owl, snipe, fox. Epping Forest: three bullfinches, four nuthatches, four coal tits, fox. Waltham Abbey (farmland between A121 and Avey Lane:) three yellowhammers, two reed buntings. Rammey Marsh East: snipe, two song thrushes - Martin Shepherd
Stanstead Abbots GP 1 Slavonian Grebe. Alan Harris
KGV Res, red-breasted merganser, 3 green sands, 1 c sand, 1 fem. black redstart, pair of stonechat, c100 redwing and a few fieldfares, 10+ song thrushes, c3 chiffchaffs, 6 goosander, 115 ruddy duck, woodcock inside res lip, 3 foxes, 2 little owls sunning themselves Sewardstone Marsh - various observers. 5 jack snipe, Sewardstone Marsh late 2002 S Hamilton
Trent Park area, 2 firecrest Rough Lot, 14 mandarin, little owl, 16 skylarks, 11 rl patridge, GBB gull over - R Callf
Rough Lot, Trent Park - firecrest still present along with coal tit. Nuthatch and treecreeper also. Phil Rhodes.
Enfield - Male Blackcap joined by female, they were scared off by blackbird. Took swig of tea and nearly choked on it as a Grey Wagtail, I kid you not, landed 3ft from the back door ,our garden is tiny with yorkstone slabs, no running water or pond ,that was scared off by female sparrowhawk, which landed in small tree. Not bad for 35 mins.Still in shock at wagtail and no I am not on drugs !!!! Mick Nagle
Hi ~ heres a few photos to warm ya cockles up a bit ~ waxwings from Stevenage, bittern Fishers Green and green woodpecker Thundridge [Tom found this feeding on apples in the snow wednesday] Nick Sampford see Nick's wildlife photography

Fri 10-1-03 Ponders End Lake pm. 150 Wigeon, 1 heavilly oiled adult Common Gull. Tony Clancy
LVP Today there were 5 Bitterns roosting at the watchpoint at 0700, and 4 were present for most of the afternoon and a 5th bird flew into roost at 1632. Is it a record?
Also a male smew, kingfisher and 4 water rails. Alan Harris alanjohn_harris@lineone.net
Just found a male Blackcap feeding in small honeysuckle 15 ft from backdoor, Manor Rd Enfield , it looks as if he will stay the night.Sparrowhawk doing a lot of hunting too. regards Mick Nagle
Connaught Water, 23+ mandarin, and a 1st winter black-headed gull with white ring right leg black letters KUJ - Phil Vines

Thu 9-1-03 Ware Old Lea Heron fishing in the river again now that the floods knocked down all the vegetation. Magpies flying around in groups of up to 8. Sparrowhawk and GS Woodpecker seen this afternoon. Ian Edwards.
KGV Reservoir, 10-11.30, north basin and causeway: three snipe, two common sandpipers, two green sandpipers, two goosander over. Sewardstone Marsh: woodcock at 16.57 seen from gravel path near the relief channel flying low and south - Martin Shepherd
Trent Park area, 14 mandarin, firecrest, 60 golden plover on farmland to east, little owl R Callf & R White
St John's Wood & Ardeley area, Herts, min. 200 linnets feeding on mustard cover crop with sowthistles, 2 marsh tits, c.buzzard & woodcock - A Middleton

Wed 8-1-03 Slavonian grebe still present midday W side of bridge over Royal Albert Dock, around the 2 yellow buoys. Also 10 gc grebe and 3 little grebe. David Callahan
Trent Park area, 14 mandarin inc 8 drakes on Lower Laker, firecrest, 6 rl partridge, 30 y'hammers, 74 golden plover on farmland to east, Monday female lesser spot woodpecker Shaws Wood for R White. Grovelands 9 mandarin - sightings and news from R Callf
Kings Walden area, east of Luton, 27 crossbills (20 in larch wood), c15 y'hammers - A Middleton

Tue 7-1-03 Connaught Waters: 1 fem Tufted duck seen to surface with a fish then swallow it!!, also 1 kingfisher. Rye Meads: 1 Snipe, lots of gulls stood on the ice. The Meadow is almost all frozen over, apart from a small area in oner corner. Nazing: 19 Goosander. R.Cope
Rammey Marsh Lock: c35 siskins at 09.00 in alders just north of the lock house. Fishers Green: bittern gave good views from the Bittern Hide from 09.52 - I watched it for around half an hour. Rammey Marsh East: male stonechat at 11.15 close to canal just a few hundred yards north of Enfield Island Village. Sewardstone Marsh: two woodcock at 16.42 and 16.47 - flew over into Pattypool Mead. Also fox - Martin Shepherd
Fishers Green 10.00am 1 bittern showing well at watch point, pair smew, pair bullfinches, also wigeon, gadwal and shovelers on lake. Michael Howell, Martin Jameson.
Ally Pally 1 Kingfisher and 10+ Redwings today... otherwise very cold and very quiet. Tom Clarke
Walthamstow Res Late news from Craig Walker of a Treecreeper at Walthamstow Reservoirs on Saturday 4 Jan. Only the second record for the site I think. Stephen Harris
KGV Res am, female red-breasted merganser nrth basin - Phil Vines
Trent Park area, 2 bullfinch, 11 rl partridge, 7 skylark, 7 grt spots, 2 firecrest sth side of Rough Lot, 40 y'hammers, 7 nuthatch, 24 great tits and 2 nuthatch on ground near Camelot Moat, drake teal lower lake - Robert Callf
Copped Hall area, 27 y'hammers, 18 bullfinch feeding in various bramble banks, 5 woodcock, weasel - A Middleton

Mon 6-1-03 Slav Grebe on the east end of the Royal Albert Dock viewable from the west side of the road bridge this am. Present since Saturday at least. 'Casper' was also seen on Sunday and this morning in the Royal Docks/Woolwich Ferry area. Two Chiffies nearby in Armada Way before the Thames. Also 70 Redwing in Valentines Park and 10 Ruddy Duck at Fairlop on the back pit. All the best Howard Vaughan
An interesting walk at Fairlop this morning, Skylark, Fieldfare, Redwing, Water Rail, Wigeon and Sparrowhawk - Steve Stuart
Epping Forest 1 woodcock nr the Red Path and a 1st wint Mediterranean Gull on Connaught Waters. R.Cope
Jeff Butcher and I confirm that there were indeed six bitterns (mid valley on Friday 3rd), four at the Watchpoint, two at the Pochard Hide. On Sunday 5th Jan there were two bitterns at Amwell. Today (6th) at Amwell 1 ad Med gull, 1 Bittern, 1 Little Egret. Thanks, Alan Harris

Sun 5-1-03 LVP Fishers Green, 1 pair bullfinch [path towards weir] also fox in long grass. Goldeneye, goosander & ruddy duck, kingfisher from Grebe Hide, Holyfield Lake. Bittern from Bittern Hide, pied wagtails & meadow pipits Hayes Hill Farm fields - Dave Messenger
Cornmill Meadows: Tree Nursery south of car park, 2 redpoll, 1 bullfinch (f) Pools mostly frozen but still have wigeon, teal, black-headed gull, lapwing (c.150) and snipe. Jeff Butcher
Walthamstow Reservoirs (monthly wildfowl count) Little Grebe 35, Shelduck 1, Wigeon 4, Teal 95, Pochard 100, Smew 1 redhead, Goldeneye 21, Goosander 6, Ruddy Duck 46, Sparrowhawk 1, Kestrel 5, Water Rail 1, Lapwing 87, Common Sandpiper 1, Mediterranean Gull 1 adult, Grey Wagtail 17, Stonechat 1, Chiffchaff 1. Stephen Harris, David Darrell-Lambert & Dan England.
News from Martin Shepherd Sun 5th KGV Reservoir, late morning: slavonian grebe, (north basin, north east corner,) 100 ruddy duck, goosander, common sandpiper, (causeway.) Brimsdown: two black redstarts on reservoir fence - a male, and a female/immature - plus a pair of stonechats - Sat 4-1-03, Fishers Green Lane car park, chiffchaff in scrub on lake edge, 14.15 - Fri 3-1-03, Rammey Marsh East: eight song thrushes in full song, 08.00 to 09.00 - Martin Shepherd

Sat 4th Horsenden Hill; Little Grebe (1), Fieldfare (70), Stonechat (1), Herring Gull (1 adult of the north european race argentatus), Weasel (1). This afternoon 2 Bitterns from the watchpoint at Fishers Green and redhead Smew on 70 Acres Lake. Cheers, Andy Culshaw
Nazeing GPs 6 Goosander, 3 Smew (1 drake), 2 Goldeneye. Netherhall GP 153 Wigeon, 120 Pochard, 3 Smew (1 drake), 600 Lapwing. Rye Meads RSPB, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (news of 1 Common Sandpiper and 1 Bearded Tit here too). Stephen Harris
Amwell 1 Slavonian Grebe on main lake 1 brambling in with c70 chaffinches and reed buntings (2) 1 treecreeper 2 shelduck 1 wigeon 1 little egret, 5 shoveler, 1 goldeneye, 3 siskins, 1 goldcrest and all the common bits. Fishers Green - 1 smew seen from Bittern Watchpoint & 2 bitterns, the smaller one only 6ft from near bank, fieldfare and redwing on goosefields though no sign of the Med gull, 1 shelduck. Also news passed on of a 1st winter Med gull at Amwell early am (maybe the Fishers bird) and two bearded tits calling from reeds below watchpiont. A10 Little Chef large numbers of golden plover in field opposite c1500 and another c300 in a field further along. - Happy New Year - Christopher & Peter Langsdon
Lee Valley Park, Friday Lake 2 female smew, 1 female goosander, 1 female goldeneye, also kingfisher. Dave Wheeler
pm: LVP Bittern Watchpoint: 2 bitterns moving around most of the afternoon. Another bird flew by being mobbed by gulls. At roost third bird flew in (4.30). 2 red-head smew and 1 male goldeneye on 70 Acre. Jeff Butcher
KGV Res pm, redhead merganser nrth basin, 4 goosander, male black redstart west fence, pair of stonechat, adult Mediterranean gull in small roost (most flying over to WG Res), 50+ goldfinch roosting in buddleia by Mossops Creek - Tony Clancy & Andrew Middleton
Trent Park area, 2 firecrests, 12 red-legged partridge & 30+ y'hammers, total 8 nuthatch, 6 bullfinch, little owl - R Callf R White

Fri 3-1-03 Trent Park area, 2 firecrests in Rough Lot, female gadwall Lower Lake, woodcock flushed from Williams Wood, 12 red-legged partridge on stubble plus 35+ y'hammers, total 5 nuthatch, 3 grt spots, min 4 bullfinch - R Callf R White
LVP Fishers Green. Med Gull and Shelducks (2) still on Goosefield today. 4 bitterns present at the Watchpoint late afternoon. 2 kingfishers on Friday Lake. 2 pairs of smew on Hooks Marsh Lake and a red-head on 70 Acre. Large flock of siskins on the peninsula to the Grebe Hide (with 1 goldfinch but no redpoll). Jeff Butcher
Whipps Cross: just to say that gulls were passing n.e. on an unusually narrow front this evening. A widely spread 2,500 would normally be good from here, but a continuous stream of up to 8,500 in a 25 minute period either side of sunset seemed exceptional. All the expected commoner species of course but I still couldn`t pick out any Meds - Peter Hadrill
KGV Res adult little gull south basin from 8.50am - Phil Vines

Thu 2/1/03 Hi - what a

new year so far, rain rain and more rain. The Slavonian Grebe is still at Stanstead Abbotts by the boat yard Nick Sampford's wildlife photography
LVP Fishers Green Afternoon 2.1.03 Med Gull still with black-headed and common gulls in Goosefield area. 2 Shelduck on Goosefield with usual teal, wigeon, shoveler, mallard and gadwall. Two bitterns showing reasonably well every day at the Watchpoint. One fishing yesterday and this afternoon just below the hide. Jeff Butcher
A10 Little Chef nr M25, count of 1600 golden plover and 100 lapwing, Holyfield Farm area 1st winter Mediterranean gull on flooded field NE of Sailing Club road this am and on previous days - sightings and news from Phil Vines

Wed 1/1/03 Amwell today: 1 Bittern, 1 Little Egret, 2 Bearded Tit, 6 Water Rail. Stanstead Abbots GP, 1 Slavonian grebe. King's Mead: 32 Snipe, 1 Jack Snipe, 44 Shoveler, 116 Wigeon, 42 Gadwall.
Best wishes for the New Year - Graham White
Amwell - Smew Male c 12.15 far right of main lake also 3 female goldeneye. Also female smew at 70 Acres, near Bittern Watchpoint - Alex Lewis


Two Pictures from Amwell - my first butterfly photo of the year [ comma] and this duck. I think its a blue winged teal x shoveler. What do you think? Nick Sampford's Wildlife Photography


Two more owls from Nick ~ Nick Sampford's Wildlife Photography


Med Gull recently at Walthamstow and Lesser Scaup at Brent reservoir images by David G Darrell-Lambert Nuthatch and yellowhammer today at Trent Park - Tristan Bantock >>