as some of you may know I’m about to embark on an eight-month trip around the world, and so the curtain falls here at Hackney Wildlife. Thankyou to everyone over the years for contributions, messages, friendship and support – it’s been an enormous pleasure to host HW, and to have hopefully inspired more appreciation and study of the borough’s wildlife.

as many of you also know, the majority of my personal studies have been at Stoke Newington Reservoirs, and I’m currently finishing the definitive online avifauna for the site (to be completed by May 2011). Please visit The Birds of Stoke Newington Reservoirs and spread the word!

And you can keep track of our travels over at Northern Rustic.

happy hunting
Mark

Stoke Newington Reservoirs: the Siberian Chiffchaff is present this morning, but very elusive, and not yet singing or calling. Access is available via the London Wildlife Trust office – see contact details here.

Stoke Newington Reservoirs: a truly excellent day today, comparable with the best April days of recent years. Unseasonably hot, sunny and with a moderate SW wind fading by the afternoon, a three hour session on the roof of Lincoln Court produced the goods within minutes – a cream-crown Marsh Harrier appearing above the tower, circling twice and then purposefully heading north up the valley. Just about annual locally in recent years, it may or may not be the first and last of 2011.

Other large raptor action was confined to a single Common Buzzard, but there were double figures of Linnets and Meadow Pipits, as well as the escaped Goshawk again, and regular Peregrine / sparrowhawk / Kestrel activities. A search of the East Res perimeter for passerine migrants was surprisingly unrewarding, until a very distinctive, unfamiliar song came from a small blackthorn thicket in the SW corner. Allowing extremely close views and singing almost constantly over 45 minutes, incredibly, the perpetrator turned out to be a Siberian Chiffchaff .

Access has been arranged between 0930 and 1700 tomorrow, and updates will be posted here as and when. Directions (via the East Reservoir Community Garden) are available here, or call the office on 0208 802 4573 for details.

More photos at Northern Rustic, and more to follow tomorrow. Also recorded – a drake Red-crested Pochard, and the first Cetti’s Warbler in many weeks – a very encouraging sign. (MJP, AJD)

No active service today, but a couple of photos kindly sent in from local observers recently.

3rd: Stoke Newington Reservoirs – another promising day for sky-watching, and so up on the roof for an extended session (1240-1615) in changeable but often bright conditions with a moderate SW wind; and a memorable day it transpired to be, for birds of prey in particular – seven species occupying our airspace this afternoon.

The highlight was a Short-eared Owl, picked up thermalling to the east with Lesser Black-backed Gulls at 1428 – only the second record for the reservoirs. A Goshawk over our heads and south-east at 1526 was of unknown origin, two Red Kites headed west (1250 and 1400), no less than seven Common Buzzards (inc. four together) were recorded, as well as a Peregrine, numerous Sparrowhawks and the local Kestrels.

Other migrants included c13 Sand Martins, c12 House Martins, two Swallows, c15 Stock Doves and a Linnet. (MJP, LP, JP)

2nd: Abney Park Cemetery – thanks to all who came along for the guided walk this morning (a particularly lovely bunch) in pleasant conditions, with some good views of residents and migrants. Blackcaps were the highlight, with several very showy birds and at least 15 present, and five Chiffchaffs were in song; alas, the Tawny Owls weren’t in the mood to entertain, despite an adult and an owlet appearing at the nest hole all too briefly. (MJP et al)

2nd: Stoke Newington Reservoirs – conditions looked promising for a sky-watch, but returns (from the roof of Lincoln Court were fairly modest, with two Common Buzzards (east, 1305 and north, 1331), c30 Stock Doves (north-east in small groups) and 10 Lapwings (east, 1250). (MJP)

2nd: Hackney Marshes & Middlesex Filter Beds – two Common Buzzards (1440 high and west, 1520 high and NE), three singing Blackcaps, c10 singing ChiffChaffs, Redwing over; eight teal remain on the River Lea (JP).

Stoke Newington Reservoirs: another cloudy, dull day with a brisk SW wind. Little new to report, with migrant passerines totalling three Sand Martins, four Willow Warblers and two Chiffchaffs; however, the highlight of the day came in the shape of an impressive Goshawk, in from the north-east and hunting over the reservoirs at 1450 – unfortunately an escape, with visible jesses. (MJP, LP)

Stoke Newington Reservoirs: a grey, cool and often rainy day with a brisk SW breeze brought two new trans-Saharan migrants in nonetheless – three Willow Warblers were in full song along the New River, and a House Martin battled into the wind mid-afternoon. Otherwise, as you were. (MJP)

Stoke Newington Reservoirs: A cool and dull morning became a milder and brighter afternoon, with little to report but for 4 Sand Martins, four Chiffchaffs and three Blackcaps amongst the usuals. (MJP)

Stoke Newington Reservoirs: promising conditions (bright with high pressure and a light easterly) delivered modest returns today, with a Common Buzzard south at 1315, six Sand Martins south, at least 15 Meadow Pipits and three Linnets north, plus a Water Rail, four Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps. (MJP)

Having been away for the last ten days or so (see here), coverage has been very limited, but things are picking up….

Spring migrants are trickling back in, and possibilities broaden as each day passes. With the exception of a Common Buzzard sharing a thermal with a Peregrine (and a Sparrowhawk) over Hackney Marshes on the 19th (JP), the borough remained quiet until the 26th, when a very early Willow Warbler arrived in Abney Park Cemetery (LP). Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs are increasingly obvious where suitable habitat occurs.

The 27th provided one of the records of the year so far (and doubtless one of the best records of the spring), when a female type Black Redstart was briefly present on the rooftops of Wilmer Place, adjoining the cemetery (LP) in the morning. The same day produced a (the) male Red-crested Pochard in Clissold Park – also seen at the reservoirs several times recently – and a Kingfisher in front of the platform at the East Res (SK).

Abney’s Tawny Owls should have young out of the nest by now, and there is some concern that ill-timed management work may have affected the family this year; adults have been sighted, but no owlets. Any information gratefully received to info@hackneywildlife.org.uk.