Dawn Chorus Walk Ham Lands


All  photos taken by Sue Palmer
Yesterday morning I led a dawn chorus bird walk for the Friends of Ham Lands organised by South West London Environmental Network (SWELN).

There was a good turn-out of 25 people -considering the frosty 6am start - with the weather remaining entirely in our favour. Twenty five species were seen/heard by the group with others-like the great spotted woodpecker- seen or heard by individuals.

The most frequently encountered singing bird was the wren; with at least ten territories on a six acre habitat patch along an area south of the Thames Young Mariners. Three song thrush territories were recorded, with one seen on the ground, gathering invertebrates in order to feed young.

Highlights include a pair of blue tits  seen mating on a  tree near the river, along with a close encounter with a female black cap. It was good to see a healthy colony of house sparrows persists along river side drive although finches were few and a lone singing male chaffinch was eventually heard along the tow path.


There was no sign of three migratory species that arrive at the beggining of April: swallow, house martin and common tern. Whitethroats will occupy the  scrub at the beggining of next month, although blackcaps have superceded them as the dominant scrub warbler. Due to the early start no raptors were seen.

Blackbird
Blue Tit
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Chaffinch
Mute Swan
Dunnock
Long-tailed Tit
Goldcrest
Song Thrush
CanadaGoose                                                 
Black-headed Gull
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Coot
Black-billed Magpie
Jackdaw
Great Tit
Grey Heron
Herring Gull
Mallard
Robin
Wren
Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Cormorant



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