6th April 2011

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)