Dawn at The Scrubs
Cormorant
These birds were scarcely seen this month though they are prone to flying over in quite large flocks once every blue moon. There were, however, no blue moons this month.
Canada Goose
Honking flyovers punctuated The Scrubs skies a few times during the month with the maximum count being the massive 'swarm' of at least 8 on the 18th.
Kestrel
A male was in Central Copse on the 23rd and the following day saw a pair engaged in courtship behaviour by Scrubs Lane Wood.
Sparrowhawk
There were a couple of sightings this month including a female on the 1st that cruised low over the pitches to eventually land in Central Copse flushing the gulls in its wake.
Black-headed Gull
The congregations of this common gull were in healthy number during the month with an average of 80 birds present. The maximum count was over 170 on the pitches on the 24th.
Common Gull
Unlike in January when we hit the giddy heights of over 120 birds strolling around our playing fields, The Scrubs retained a more normal population of around 30 odd birds this month with around 20 counted on the 28th.
Herring Gull
This large gull kept its usual low profile here this month with no more than 8 seen on any individual visit.
Lesser Black-back
The usual numbers were present during February, roughly 8 birds per visit. Some were busily calling loudly overhead as they begin their courtship rituals.
Stock Dove
A flock of 3 flew north east over the pitches on the 28th.
Woodpigeon
As with last month, no serious counts were made of this big fat pigeon. At least 40 were noticed on the 18th.
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Not many counts were made of this Afro-Asian parrot, though on the 1st over 600 were observed leaving their Central Copse roost.
Green Woodpecker
The first record for the year was an invisible calling bird heard near Chats Paddock on the 18th. It or another was heard from Scrubs Land Wood on the 20th and again from around Lester's Embankment on the 23rd. There was also a male seen in Scrubs Lane Wood on the latter date.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
We feel that there are 2 pairs at large in the park and 3 were seen on the 1st.
Skylark
Our first bird of the year was flushed from the grassland briefly on the 28th.
Meadow Pipit
Unlike previous years, The Scrubs population of these moorland birds hit rock bottom during January with none seen on several visits. The beginning of February was no different and there was a peak count of just one bird seen on the 1st and 20th. By the 23rd there were 3 birds, one of which started singing and performing its parachuting display flight on the 24th - the earliest ever record of singing here.
By the 27th at least 7 birds were present including 2 singers and the following day there were perhaps 10 around with 3 birds noted singing.
Pied Wagtail
The pair that seemed to favour the tarmac on picnic area adjacent to Old Oak Common Lane remained for most of the month. Later in the month a female was in a more usual locality - the car park of Hammersmith Hospital.
Wren
Quite a few of these little mites were sighted flying from bush to bush on our visits. At least 6 were around on the 18th though there are probably at least 10 at large throughout the park.
Dunnock
Displaying birds continued to make their presence known especially along Lester's Embankment. In fact, along the path adjacent to the embankment that is one of the best places in The Scrubs to see this unobtrusive bird. Up to 7 birds can sometimes be found scratching around on the ground amongst Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and the occasional Stonechat.
At least 12 were counted on most visits with 15 counted on the 27th.
Robin
Plenty of birds were around to see with at least 8 in the Lester's Embankment area on the 18th and perhaps 15 plus around The Scrubs in general.
Stonechat
February is the month when the numbers of this winter visiting heathland denizen fluctuates the most. Invariably, it's the females that are the last to leave us as the males head off early to stake out their territories. February and March are also the months that we sometimes get sudden influxes of birds that appear one day and disappear the next.
We counted between none and 3 during most of the month until the 27th when up to 8 were found roaming the grassland having presumably arrived the night before. Amongst them were 2 finely marked males. These birds stuck around for the following day and then quickly dissipated.
Song Thrush
Lester's Embankment is the epicentre of our local thrush population with up to 4 birds singing in the area. Our total population easily numbers 10.
Spring is coming...
February saw a return to normal birding service with few surprises and certainly none of the glory birds that we have been spoilt by during the last few months. Indeed, the best bird of the period was an early Rook that flapped over late in the month. It served as a reminder that spring is just around the corner.
Previous February's have been rather boring affairs with little or nothing to report of note - apart from the last sighting in February 2005 of Rudolph the over wintering Common Redstart that chose to live and perhaps die at The Scrubs. This year we have recorded 45 species which is already over half the total number of species found in 2007 and 7 more than this time last year.
March should see the first of the returning migrants and we are expecting, with hope in our hearts, a tiny spattering of Chiffchaffs and Northern Wheatears. Of course, we will be ready to grab our binoculars and clutch at our mobile phones the moment something weirder turns up!
A Rabbit sprinted across from Scrubs Lane Wood into the copse opposite on the 24th. They always seem to be sighted once or twice a year (remember we are talking about urban west London) and we are beginning to suspect that it was a migrant!
Contributors: Mathew Bournat, Frank Clark, Kim Dixon, David Jeffreys, David Lindo, Roy Nuttall 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
Mistle Thrush
A pair were watched hunting in the grass by Old Oak Common Lane in close company with a Fieldfare on the 27th.
Redwing
The occasional bird was sighted flying over during the month. This in itself is nothing unusual for this time of year. We may possibly get another influx next month prior to their departure to northern climes.
Fieldfare
A lone bird was discovered in Martin Bell's Wood on the 20th and over 30 headed north over Chats Paddock on the 24th. The last bird of the month was watched a fairly close quarters feeding in association with a pair of Mistle Thrushes on the 27th.
Blackbird
Quite a few birds were hopping around the site with at least 25 birds at large on the 27th.
Goldcrest
Following last month's report, a singleton was noticed in Scrubs Lane Wood on the 12th, 17th and 23rd. It's tempting to think that these records involve the same bird.
Great Tit
These birds are now back in force with at least 15 roaming the area.
Blue Tit
At least 14 were seen on the 18th.
Long-tailed Tit
Several pairs were engaged in courtship and apparent nest building. Possible pairs were watched in Chats Paddock, Central Copse and the eastern edge of Scrubs Lane Wood.
Jay
The only records this month emanated from Scrubs Lane Wood where a single bird was seen on the 17th and 23rd.
Magpie
As with last month, this common corvid was under watched and largely uncounted. At least 10 birds were present.
Jackdaw
Around 3 headed over on the 24th and were our first for the year.
Rook
Our first record for 2008 and our earliest yet flew over on its own heading south. Rooks flying over tend to be spring birds moving through and April is the month that we normally record them at The Scrubs.
Carrion Crow
The usual mob of up to 150 were at large during the month. As a testament to their adaptability and their omnivorous diet, a large flock have taken to hanging around in the western end of The Scrubs. The reason for this is that they wait to get fed by a bread-laden dogwalker who deposits at least a couple loaves a day on the tarmac in the picnic area.
Very recently they have also taken to pilfering the seed put out for the local finches near Braybrook Street. So now we have a situation where our seeding efforts are being thwarted by squirrels, pigeons and crows - with not a finch in sight!
Starling
A couple of minor wispy flocks that combined numbered no more than 60 inhabited the grassland and football pitches during the month.
House Sparrow
Very few were noticed this month, though that may have been due to the fact that we would often reach their roost way after the last bird had left. A maximum of 25 were seen on the 23rd and 26th.
Chaffinch
There were at least 10 birds were around the western edge alone on the 1st and at least the same number around the whole of Wormwood Scrubs on most days.
Goldfinch
Birds are slowly beginning to come back with a few singing birds in Martin Bell's Wood and Scrubs Lane Wood. At least 8 were counted on the 24th.
Linnet
A singing male on Lester's Embankment on the 1st heralded the first real sign of breeding behaviour. Up to 8 were on the embankment on the 18th with singing birds noted on the 27th.
Greenfinch
This common finch's calls and song was an ever present feature of The Scrubs soundscape during February. There were at least 30 along Lester's Embankment, Braybrook Street Woods and the western end in general.
Reed Bunting
After last being seen the day the Little Bunting showed up, a female was flushed from the grassland and into Braybrook Wood on the 23rd. It or another was heard calling from the same area on the 27th and a pair was seen there the following day.
2008 Year List
Cormorant, Canada Goose, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestrel, Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-back, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Stonechat, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting, Little Bunting
45 species thus far