Dulwich Park: November 30^th, 2013

The shoveler group has expanded to 5 (3 drakes, 2 females).  It was a beautifully sunny day, and the birds looked particularly attractive against the autumnal colours reflected in the water, but were extremely sensitive to any attempts to sneak up for a closer photograph.  I caught a couple of shots of them in a little squabble, and resting, but most of the time they just shovelled in circles.  One was near the boardwalk as I came around the corner, but unfortunately it flew off.

 

There were also about 50 Canada geese on the boating lake, and even they looked splendid against the autumnal backdrop…otherwise plenty of mallards, tufties, black-headed gulls and two herons were on the lake, along with the usual flurry of pigeons.  

Dulwich Park November 29^th 2013:

Spent an hour in the park on a gloomy afternoon – but pleased to see both shoveller drakes and at least one shoveller female back on the boating lake; in the low light the shot of the pair in particular is rather 'impressionistic' - they tend to hang around the island.

Otherwise there was the usual collection of ducks taking food from visitors to the boardwalk, but the female tuftie look especially fetching against the autumn leaves in the dark water:

 

The pigeons and gulls were in their usual places, i.e. swooping around or perched on the tree near the boathouse:

Since I have been told to rest my arthritic hip I can’t get out much,  so here’s a kind of annual report (Autumn 2012 – Autumn 2013) about my local park Dulwich for anyone who’s interested in what goes on there. Dulwich may not have the variety of birds boasted by, say, Hyde Park, but it’s full of birdlife nonetheless

Autumn 2012: Here's a blackbird eating berries near the café end of the bridge:

I also saw redwing around the base of the shrubbery near the café and in a tree near the park entrance, but only got a fuzzy photo.  Ditto for Goldcrest ,which I often see in the winter, and Siskin.

A moorhen looked unusually picturesque…

 

The Canada geese were doing what comes naturally – chasing each other around aggressively…

But I'm also fond of these geese, 'striped' by shadows from the bridge:

 

Winter: December 2012:  A squirrel tucks into conifer berries:

January 2013:  This was a magical day – the lake iced over and there were mallard, shovelers, moorhen and even rats trying to make the best of it:.

 

Spring/Summer 2013:   I’ve been coming here most days for the past year, and can say that the best time so far has been the Spring (2013) when normally shy birds, such as Song Thrush and Jay, were suddenly sitting out in the open.  

 April 2013: The jay simply sat in the tree and looked at us as we photographed it.  A pleasant surprise since in the past I was used to seeing them fly off as soon as I approached..

This is also the only time I've seen a green woodpecker at DP:

Lurve was in the air for the ring-necked parakeets:

Of the migrants, there were chiffchaff and willow warblers, and someone reported a spotted flycatcher, but I didn't get good photos.

May: The Song Thrush spent a considerable amount of time washing itself in the shallow water on the east side of the boardwalk, preening itself in a tree, in preparation as it turned out for a quick session with a female nearby (caught that on video).  Pics of before and after below…

Little grebes put in an appearance in May each year…there was a pair last spring and I didn't think they bred here, until I met someone in the park yesterday who said he had seen grebelets a couple of years ago.

 Finally, the woodpigeons were doing something besides looking a bit dim or grazing:

July: The moorhens and coots are always here and are very prolific.  The tufties don’t seem to breed often but there was a brood earlier this year.  Here are some moorhen and tuftie babies (don’t know if the tuftie babies made it as they suddenly seemed to disappear):

I don't know if they survived, however.  Especially as there was a family of fox cubs nearby:

November 2013:  Return of the shovelers, and a singing robin:

That's enough for now.  I'll do a separate report on the some more of the Dulwich Park birds.

Since I don’t see many reports of sightings at Riverside Country Park, here's a brief report and some photos from the two visits I’ve made this autumn.

The first time I went was in the morning when the tide was completely out and you can see only, rather artistic looking, mudflats, with distant bird specs (this was about 3 hours before high tide):

At that time of the day the sun is in front of you and the waders are pretty far out. I don’t have a scope, so could only note: curlew; oystercatcher; brent goose; wigeon; teal; black-headed gull; black-tailed godwit; herring gull.  The blackheaded geese were some distance away so pics not very clear; the teal were hiding in the reeds...

 It's great for photographers too; there are rusting boats:

And roosting birds (the first two are turnstone):

November 23, 2013: Dulwich Park and Riverside Country Park

Conveniently my first visits, both yesterday, were to both places.  First Dulwich Park, where the lake has, in addition to the usual collection of mallards, coots, tufties and moorhens, been hosting two pairs of shovelers (photo below), for the past two days.  They were practicing their curious circling-to-feed motions like a couple of whirligigs.  One pair, particularly the drake, was bold enough to approach the bridge (where people feed ducks)  for a few nibbles before swimming rapidly off, hence I was able to get some close shots.

Also seen in the park that day: robin, dunnock, black-headed gull, woodpigeon, feral pigeon.  At various times the park is also good for grey heron, cormorant, Canada goose, song thrush, mistle thrush, and redwing in the winter thanks to the many berry-producing trees; jays; the occasional little grebe; goldcrest; siskin; chiffchaff; green woodpecker; plus the usual crows, blackbirds, magpies, ring-necked parakeets and tits.  Strangely, I don’t see many finches at Dulwich.

Then on to Riverside Country Park for my second visit there.  We arrived in the afternoon about 2 p.m., or 1.45 hours before high tide – really too late to catch the waders coming in ahead of the tide; the last time I came was much earlier when the tide was out so far I couldn’t see it – then I could see (albeit at a distance) on the mudflats wigeon, redshank, brent geese, curlew, and oystercatcher amongst other things.  This time I clocked 18 species, including: black-headed gull; common gull; ruddy turnstone (flocks thereof); redshank; brent geese; mallard; wigeon; teal; grey plover, shelduck, curlew (heard), crows, pigeons; goldfinch.  There were probably other species but I was too busy taking pictures of turnstone, which were the most interesting for me. There were large flocks feeding amongst the seaweed and flying showing off their beautiful patterned backs.  At dusk they went to roost on the many abandoned boats, buoys etc. around the reserve.  Next time we have a sunny day with high tide in the afternoon I will aim arrive about 2.5-3 hrs ahead of the high tide.  The sun at that point is behind you pretty much behind you wherever you walk on the reserve – which has three completely different sections with habitats including wooded areas, seaweed beaches, mudflats, and reedbeds.  There aren’t any hides, but you don’t need them because the birds are all there along the coast and pretty easy to see.