The London Run

It's got busy at work this week so I had to overnight in London to do a couple of days quoting. Gave me an opportunity to visit Beddington Farmlands and on the way back today I stopped off at Oaken Wood. Last week I stopped off at Leith Hill to drop off the duck crates and had a quick look round there. I did Knepp last year on the London run and there are various other decent sites I pass by so makes sense to make the most of these commute journeys.

So I was up at 430am on yesterday morning and did the moth traps quickly- just Cabbage moth was the only NFY. It was then a full day of work and in the evening I went to D'Angelo's school play with the family.

This morning I was up at 5am and went over the farmlands. I had 52 species of nearly 500 individuals HERE but that was just along the path. Highlights included seeing three to four Pochard families, juvenile Lapwings, a juv Yellow-legged Gull and Common and Green Sandpiper. What with the Pochards and the sight of the Lapwings sitll hanging in there it was actually quite a positive morning (although the wet grassland was more or less dry). Of course it could be so much better but it looks like the skeleton crew of birds holding the fort are hanging on. 

On the way back after the morning's extra quotes I stopped off at Oaken Wood. Had planned to meet Lee there but the heat had got the better of him and wiped him out. It was actually too hot by the time I got there so I spent an hour or so before heading home. About 30 C today with that northeasterly still.  

Still haven't seen one on the Peninsula 

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull. A full juvenile and very dark so not sure if can completely rule out a juvenile Lesser Black-back but structurally the bill looks thick, the inner primary window is present but faint, there's an eye mask and the tail tapers at the edges with the uppertail coverts being sparsely spotted. 

Plenty of warblers along the path, Reed Warbler (above) and Blackcap (below)

One of the Pochard families, I saw three females all with broods (two with very young birds) and there were some odd birds around too - maybe first brood birds or a from a different family? Good that is a Beddington success story still to tell- a red data list species so this is great to have three to four breeding pairs. 

Green Sandpiper - an iconic Beddington bird with up to 50 birds in the past in the autumn. I only saw one today but they generally like the pits and gulleys.

The Beddington south lake

Oaken Wood 

Wood Whites (above). Had about 15-20 along the first mile or so of the path from Botany Bay car park HERE. Too hot to go any further but they were more or less everywhere. The second brood in full swing by the looks of it - earlier due to the weather presumably. A lifer, after Lee and I dipped them years ago at this site. 

Silver-washed Fritillary. A few of these. Also had Purple Emperor, Large Skippers and Brimstones.