The Scrubs in November looking west
Cormorant
There were even less birds to speak of than last month with single birds seen on a few days. There seems to have been a genuine decrease over the past few years.
Grey Heron
A bird headed fairly low over Central Copse on the 11th was the only report for the month.
Canada Goose
The only report was of 2 birds seen distantly over Scrubs Lane heading east on the 5th.
Kestrel
The female regularly seen during October hunting the grassland became much more elusive during November.
Woodcock
A singleton was seen from outside Chat Paddock as it hurtled low over Central Copse from the south on the 5th. It was our first ever record of this rotund woodland snipe though we have been expecting one to be flushed out of a wooded copse at The Scrubs for many years.
Black-headed Gull
Around 40 birds were loafing around on the 4th rising to over 60 on the 11th and peaking at over 100 on the 24th.
Common Gull
Low numbers were present during the month with 10 on the 24th being the most seen.
Herring Gull
Unremarkable numbers frequented The Scrubs during the month with around 8 on the 4th and 24th being the maximum noted.
Lesser Black-back
There was nothing too unusual to report here either about this familiar gull. The weather has not got hard enough to induce large numbers to descend upon us as yet.
Great Black-back
An adult and a 1st winter bird were present on the 24th, nervously standing amongst the other gulls on the football pitch. These massive gulls are a rarity here usually occurring in March, so these were our first ever November birds.
Stock Dove
The only record this month concerned an individual heading west towards the cemetery on the 4th.
Woodpigeon
The huge flocks of 2006 were not in evidence this year with the bulk of the autumn continental movement having already occurred during October. At least 400 passed overhead on the 4th with a further 350 or so over on the following morning.
Ring-necked Parakeet
As suddenly as they appeared, the mass roosting flock that rested up in the Central Copse on a nightly basis had all but dissipated. There now appears to be a mini roost in the old tree in the north east corner of the copse containing 40-odd birds.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
These birds were hardly reported during November with a singleton on the 4th along Lester's Embankment the only noted record.
Skylark
Rather more of these sky songsters were seen this November than the corresponding month last year. At least 5 went overhead on the 4th, as another did the following day. Finally, a couple more birds were flushed from the grassland on the 24th.
Meadow Pipit
Numbers of this popular pipit seemed to stabilise with between 25 and 40 birds seen on a daily basis during the period.
Pied Wagtail
A single bird was heard calling from their Scrubs stronghold at the Linford Christie Stadium on the 4th and a pair frequented the western end on the 24th.
Wren
At least 5 birds were seen or heard on the 4th.
Dunnock
Around 5 birds were noted on the 4th.
Robin
At least 8 of these red-breasted mini thrushes were counted on the 4th.
Stonechat
Our usual 3 winterers were to be found roaming the grassland during the month, though there may have been 4 on the 5th and 11th. Due to their highly mobile nature, they can be frustratingly difficult to count.
Stay Awake!
After last month's excitement, things seemed to come to a crashing halt during November. The weather turned colder as we turned in our beds too tired and sometimes too unmotivated to venture out into the elements.
If the truth were known, winter at The Scrubs is a tough one when it comes to watching birds. We don't have a lake so we can't attract winter wildfowl and we don't have winter feeding stations to hold the multitude of finches that sometimes pass overhead.
But, if you do drag yourself out of a warm bed to stand in the middle of a freezing field on The Scrubs you may be rewarded for your dedication. This month our dedication was acknowledged when Mother Nature sent a Woodcock over on the 5th. This time of year, there is a mass immigration of continental birds that head to our shores to escape the harsh winters on the European mainland.
Some of these birds end up in weird places; flying into office blocks in the City, pitching down in small urban gardens and passing over sites like ours in broad daylight. It must be remembered that Woodcocks are essentially shy woodland birds that normally only flush when you practically step on them, as they rely on their cryptic plumage. We were well delighted to add this bird to our growing Scrubs list. Indeed, we have now seen 86 species during 2007 thus far - which is not too bad at all.
The other cause for celebration this month was the discovery that our thousand strong roosting parakeet flock has disappeared. Champagne corks were popping on the evening of that discovery.
Finally, of mammalian interest, the corpse of what must have been a Weasel was discovered a few months ago in Martin Bell's Wood by a dogwalker. This was an intriguing discovery and constitutes the first ever for The Scrubs.
HAVE A MERRY AND HAPPY CHRISTMAS
Contributors: 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
Interestingly, The Scrubs seems to be one of the very few wintering sites in London for these endearing chats. Indeed, we appear to be home to the highest number in the capital this winter.
Song Thrush
For the first time we noticed that a few of the Song Thrushes seen dashing overhead could possibly have been migrants. Up to 4 such birds were picked out while watching the migrating Redwings on the 4th. A particularly 'wild' looking individual was watched on the 11th as it cautiously surveyed the scene from the top of the tallest tree in Central Copse.
Redwing
Up to 43 birds were counted on the 24th with lesser numbers seen on other days.
Fieldfare
At least 25 flew over on the 5th and the 11th.
Mistle Thrush
There was a steady trickle of these kings amongst thrushes during the month. A pair was around the stadium area and also heard singing on the 24th.
Blackbird
Around 10 birds were readily seen on the 5th. Our suspicions were that they were possibly migrants.
Great Tit
Oddly, only a few were seen during the month. It could have been down to birds vacating their woodland homes in The Scrubs for the sanctuary of the relatively food rich local gardens. To illustrate that point, only 2 birds were encountered on the 4th!
Blue Tit
As with their larger cousins, this robust bird was barely encountered with just 6 noticed on the 4th.
Long-tailed Tit
On several visits there absolutely no birds found, though a roving flock of 8 were seen in Central Copse on the 4th.
Magpie
As with the tits, there didn't seem to be as many of these long-tailed crows knocking around than as usual as only 10 could be found on the 4th.
Jackdaw
On the 5th 3 birds flew out of Central Copse.
Carrion Crow
At least 120 were counted on the 4th with at least 60 sitting in the trees on Central Copse.
Starling
This highly social bird was generally found in smaller numbers than 12 months ago. Although we could only usually muster an average of around 50 birds, on the 5th we counted over 250 birds including a flock of around 120 drifting through the grassland.
House Sparrow
At least 102 emerged from their roost in Central Copse on the 11th.
Chaffinch
There was a small number of this nationally common finch in the general area during the month. At least 10 birds were noted on the 4th.
Goldfinch
This engaging finch has been very scarce this year, testimony to the poor breeding season that many species experienced. Only 1 bird was seen briefly on the 4th though things improved slightly by the 24th when we found 5 in the grassland!
Greenfinch
Around 10 birds were around Lester's Embankment area during the month.
2007 Year List - thus far
Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Greylag, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Hobby, Kestrel, Moorhen, Lapwing, Grey Plover, Whimbrel, Curlew, Snipe, Woodcock, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-back, Great Black-back, Common Tern, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Collared Dove, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Woodlark, House Martin, Swallow, Sand Martin, Richard's Pipit, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Stonechat, Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Whinchat, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Ring Ouzel, Blackbird, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Jay, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Siskin, Redpoll, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting