Saturday 15 April 2017

Lee Valley. First Nightingale returns

I made a brief visit to Fishers Green early Saturday morning. Walking across the bridge towards the sub station gate I heard a very short burst of Nightingale song. I waited for it to erupt into full song but it never happened. Continuing past the sub station and crossing the Bailey bridge I began searching the scrub area. Low temperatures and windy conditions didn't help with finding any new arrivals. Thirty minutes of searching had only produced a pair of Blackcap and several Chiffchaff. As I was thinking of moving on the distinctive "reeling" of a Grasshopper Warbler started up. It sang for the next twenty minutes but always from deep cover.
I took the same route back towards the car and was rewarded with a Nightingale now in full song. Photo below is from a previous visit.

Nightingale

Sunday 16th April

This morning I made another brief visit, this time to KGV Reservoir in Chingford. After negotiating the dodgy padlock on the gate (falls apart after you turn the key) we made our way up the slope and began scanning the South basin. Very little was found on the water but on the jetty by the boat hut we found two Common Sandpipers, and a Grey Wagtail. 

Common Sandpiper

A complete circuit of the South basin added my first Common Whitethroat of the year along with several Linnets and a cracking pair of Wheatears were found on the West side on the return walk.

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