Red Kite – a much anticipated visitor (Helen Olive)
Cormorant
The first report for the month came on the 13th when 2 went over Scrubs Lane car park. It is incredible how scarce this bird has got over the years. It seems that the best place to watch these fisheaters is at nearby Kensal Green Cemetery, a site that has the benefit of being bordered by a watercourse, the Grand Union Canal.
Grey Heron
A lone bird went over on the 21st.
Canada Goose
The usual distant honking was to be heard during the month with the occasional pair flying over being the norm. At least 30 headed over the Scrubs Lane car park on the 13th.
Sparrowhawk
Our usual birds continued to discreetly patrol the area. On the 31st 3 birds were seen; a male that flew low into Scrubs Lane Wood and a pair that drifted fairly high from the north over Chats Paddock.
Kestrel
It seems like our local pair may have produced two juniors this season as they were occasionally noticed practicing their skills in the grassland. One was seen carrying a vole on the 7th.
Hobby
An adult headed over Lester’s Embankment from the east on the 13th carrying avian prey as it heading over towards Kensal Green Cemetery. Another sighting involved an adult that coasted over the grassland on the 21st before chasing some unseen prey towards the prison.
Unfortunately, despite our hopes of a family being raised locally, there didn’t seem to be any tangible evidence. Even at nearby Kensal Green Cemetery where there were multiple reports that involved a pair on more than one occasion, there was no sign of any youngsters.
Greenshank
Surely one of the surprises of the month was the 4 birds that were watched flying south west over Chats Paddock on the 7th. This record was our second ever and it followed on from the calling bird that flew over on the 13th August 2006.
Black-headed Gull
Numbers of this dainty gull continue to build as we approach winter with at least 30 noted on the 13th.
Herring Gull
Small numbers flew overhead everyday during the month. The maximum count was 12 on the 13th.
Lesser Black-back
The usual single figure numbers floated over during the month.
Woodpigeon
Around 60 were waddling around the area during the period.
Stock Dove
The only record for the month was of an individual that flew across Lester’s Embankment on the 15th. This attractive pigeon is surely overlooked.
Collared Dove
This recent colonist put in a rare appearance on the 15th when a singleton flew over Braybrook Street.
Rose-ringed Parakeet
We actively avoided counting these birds and deliberately made sure that we were not on site at dawn or just before sunset to witness the huge flocks that descend upon us. A half-cocked count was made on the 13th and involved around 40 birds.
Green Woodpecker
The adult reported on the 13th was the first since the 10th April. They clearly are not breeding at The Scrubs this year. Another was heard on the 31st from Martin Bell’s Wood.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
This usually commonly seen ‘pecker kept a rather low profile here at The Scrubs this month resulting in very few sightings.
Swift
As with last year, these aerial acrobats disappeared as quickly as they arrived. Around 40 were briefly reported swooping over the grassland on the afternoon of the 5th. The 5 that showed up on the 7th were the last birds to be seen. History dictates that those birds may well be the last we see until they come back again late April next year.
Swallow
Our first swallow since 1st June passed through on the 9th and another on the 13th. This was a very poor August showing.
Sand Martin
Our first autumn birds were reported on the 5th when 3 flew through.
House Martin
An early migrant flew on the 10th. This swallow is by far the scarcest of the tribe, though we hope that more will pass through during September.
Meadow Pipit
After a barren pipit-less period that lasted nearly 4 weeks, the first birds revealed themselves on the 9th when 3 were flushed near the contested ‘desire’ path in the grassland. Between up to 3 (although more usually an occasional individual) were subsequently seen for the rest of the month. This is the lowest August ebb for this species at The Scrubs since 2005.
Pied Wagtail
A large count of 15 on the 4th cavorting on the Lynford Stadium grass was exceptional. It seemed as if it consisted of two amalgamated families. There were still around 12 in the adjoining hospital car park on the 10th.
Yellow Wagtail
A calling pair of this migratory wagtail headed east over Scrubs Lane Wood on the 31st and were not only our first for the autumn but the first to be seen at The Scrubs this year.
Wren
The usual numbers were noticed with family parties encountered in Martin Bell’s Wood and Chats Paddock. At least 7 were counted on the 13th.
Dunnock
Juveniles were seen in Martin Bell’s Wood, Chats Paddock and along Lester’s Embankment.
Robin
Fewer birds were seen this month as most were probably in moult – unless they had migrated. It is a little known fact that some of our British birds actually head off to Spain for the winter. Judging from this summer’s weather, they probably have the right idea!
Common Redstart
After an absence of 2 years, a fleeting glimpse of a female flying away on the 29th from the bramble patch and into a bush on Lester’s Embankment ,never to reappear, was a truly jubilant moment. Hopefully, this will be a good sign of things to come in September, the month to be at The Scrubs!Whinchat
A seemingly fresh juvenile was glimpsed in the pouring rain on top of a tree in Heron Copse on the 5th making it the earliest and youngest ever at Wormwood Scrubs. The previous earliest date was the 8th in August 2005 though late on in the month is the more usual time we get to see this Scrubs speciality.
This early individual was relocated near the bramble patch in the grassland on the 10th and it or another stuck around until the 23rd.Song Thrush
As with their relative, the Robin, fewer birds were noticed during August with at least 4 seen on the 13th.
‘Summer came and passed away
Hardly seemed to last a day
But it’s over
And what can I do?’
(It’s Over – Electric Light Orchestra)
It seems as though the credit crunch is not only affecting our pockets, but perhaps we are being denied our summer days as part of the general crackdown. August was wet, windy and sometimes remarkably cold. Despite the fact that there were a couple of sunny warm days, they were quickly forgotten as the grey clouds rolled in.
Ornithologically, The Scrubs to a large extent was a ghost town. Too many days were almost birdless and deathly quiet for our liking. There were occasional moments when a flock of foraging tits and warblers were encountered – invariably in Martin Bell’s Wood – but as quickly as they arrived, they evaporated into the foliage and seemingly into another realm.
There were a couple of rewards for our month of drearily trudging the hallowed turf. Our second ever record of Greenshank came in the form of a flock that flew quietly over Lester’s Embankment, our first Common Redstart for 2 years was worth getting the chilled champagne out for and it’s always great to see a Hobby. An exceptionally early returning Whinchat was a ray of light in the pouring rain and migrating Yellow Wagtails always fills weary hearts with hope.
Meanwhile, across the road at Kensal Green Cemetery, they were getting all sorts. Spotted Flycatchers (a bird that’s yet to show up here this year) Common Redstart (a site tick), Garden Warblers, Goldcrests, up to 6 Coal Tits (a site record count) and best of all, a Nightingale (site tick). Elsewhere in London, Spotted and Pied Flycatchers abounded. Where were ours?
The six million dollar question is; how come we don’t get raptors like Red Kites coasting over, given that we are right next to the A40, c20 miles from the Oxford birds and that they seem to be seen practically every week at nearby Regents Park.
Are we sounding bitter? Maybe. Let’s hope that September sets the picture straight.
Contributors: Mathew Bournat, David Jeffreys, David Lindo, Roy Nuttall, Lyndon Parker et al.
If you have details of any sightings or observations of unusual behaviour please sent them on no matter how trivial they may seem to: david@theurbanbirder.com
Blackbird
No real counts were made this month but around 20 were noticed on the 13th.
Mistle Thrush
A bird was noticed on the 13th standing on a floodlight overlooking the astro-turf pitches next to the Lynford Christie Stadium. Another bird was discovered in the trees by the pony centre on the 30th.
Blackcap
Family parties were found early on in the month and a couple males were still singing until the 7th, but this species became progressively more difficult to see as August drew on.
Garden Warbler
This unobtrusive warbler is essentially a migrant at The Scrubs with the occasional individual holding territory into June. Our first returning migrant was found eating berries near Chats Paddock on the 5th – the exact same date and almost the exact location as in 2007.
Lesser Whitethroat
This handsome warbler was periodically seen during the month with the majority of the sightings from either the Southern Copse or Lester’s Embankment.
Common Whitethroat
After not seeing many at the start of the month at least 20 were seen on the 15th. From mid way until the end of the month numbers fell away quite dramatically with some days resulting in no birds being seen. A blip occurred on the 21st when around 10 were seen.
Chiffchaff
The first real sign of migration started on the 13th when at least 13 were roving through the trees with the majority being in Martin Bell’s Wood. Lesser numbers occurred on a daily basis for the rest of the month.
Willow Warbler
Autumn passage commenced on the 4th when 3 juvenile birds were watched foraging in the Southern Copse. At least 2 birds were located in Martin Bell’s Wood including 1 briefly singing on the 10th and another couple were with a Chiffchaff flock on the 13th in Martin Bell’s Wood. A small number were seen on occasion during the remainder of the month.
Great Tit
No amazing quantities were counted this month. The most seen were around 10 on the 13th
Blue Tit
Low numbers were counted, though 18 plus were noticed on the 13th.
Long-tailed Tit
As with the other tits, our population has been rather sparse for the last couple of months, although at least 20 were counted on the 13th.
Jay
At least 3 individuals were in the vicinity during the month, often being very vocal.
Magpie
Around 20 were present throughout the period.
Carrion Crow
At least 120 were around on the 4th and Chocco the elusive brown crow was spied outside the prison on the 13th.
Starling
There was a flock that foraged the grassland on a daily basis with a peak count of at least 70 on the 7th.
House Sparrow
Away from their Braybrook Street heartland, one was heard chirping along Lester’s Embankment on the 13th and a juvenile male was watched perched in the Central Copse roost site on the 15th.
Linnet
Our breeders have largely dispersed to destinations unknown. Up to 8 were seen along Lester’s Embankment on the 13th
Goldfinch
Our counts of this charming finch have definitely been down this month and indeed, this year. During last August the average count was of around 40 birds, though there was a date were we had at least 280 present. That count was a throwback to previous summers when The Scrubs was positively teeming with these finches.
This year, our maximum count was just 100 birds on the 4th, 5th and 7th with the average number of birds present being as low as 20 in the grassland. It is likely that this downturn in numbers may be partially due to the lack of teasel and thistle in our grassland mix.
Greenfinch
Most of our birds disappeared during August as the family parties had dispersed to pastures new. Although around 30 birds were seen on the 13th, just over 10 birds on the 4th was the next best count.
Bullfinch
Our suspected breeding pair was seen for the final time on the 4th. Curiously, the female was seen to be carrying nesting material – which seemed a little late in the season.
Reed Bunting
On the 13th a calling male flew out of the eastern end of Chats Paddock.
2008 Year ListGreat Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Greylag, Shelduck, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Hobby, Kestrel, Pheasant, Moorhen, Lapwing, Greenshank, Whimbrel, Curlew, Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-back, Great Black-back, Common Tern, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Turtle Dove, Collared Dove, Cuckoo, Short-eared Owl, Swift, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Nightingale, Common Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Whinchat, Stonechat, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Ring Ouzel, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting, Little Bunting
86 species thus far (78 species in August 2007 & 85 in August 2006)