Please e-mail any interesting wildlife sightings to the Biodiversity Officer.
May 2019 Wildlife Records
24 May 2019, East India Dock Basin: a large bird of prey which flew very high east at 12.55pm might have been a Black Kite but was too high for definite identification; it was attacked at one point by a falcon, probably a Peregrine. Also 2 Sand Martins flew north, an Oystercatcher flew towards the Thames, 6 Tufted Ducks (John Archer).
23 May 2019, Mudchute: a Peregrine flew high overhead, 1 Monk Parakeet, a juvenile Greenfinch drinking in the pond, 1 female Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly (Richard Saville). Click photos to enlarge
Peregrine over Mudchute (Richard Saville)
Monk Parakeet eating a snail (Richard Saville)
juvenile Greenfinch (Richard Saville)
Broad-bodied Chaser (Richard Saville)
20 May 2019, East India Dock Basin: a count for the Wetland Birds Survey recorded 6 Tufted Ducks, 3 juvenile Egyptian Geese, 3 Common Terns, 8 Grey Herons, 3 Shelducks, 7 Moorhens (including a tiny chick), 4 Coots, 3 Canada Geese and 11 Mallards (John Archer).
18 May 2019, Mudchute: 1 Whinchat (John Booth).
16 May 2019, East India Dock Basin: 3 Swifts flew west at 1.10pm, 2 Tufted Ducks (John Archer).
16 May 2019, Mudchute: the brood of baby Blue Tits fledged from the nest in the Ack Ack Gun this morning (Richard Saville).
Blue Tit fledging from nest (Richard Saville)
15 May 2019, East India Dock Basin: 1 Little Egret, a pair of Common Terns displaying over the basin and river, 1 Egyptian Goose, 3 Shelducks, 2+ singing Reed Warblers, 1 male Blackcap, the Canada Geese still on a nest (John Archer).
14 May 2019, Mile End Park: a Reed Warbler singing in the reed bed beside the Ecology Lake (Harry Harrison).
14 May 2019, Lower Lea Crossing: an apparently wild Rabbit ran across the road to the garden roundabout, the first record in Tower Hamlets for many years (Richard Saville).
14 May 2019, Bethnal Green Methodist Church: a Red Admiral on flowers of Photinia × fraseri “Red Robin” (Gerry Matthews).
14 May 2019, Mudchute: 7 Blackcaps including 2 females around the perimeter, 5 Monk Parakeets grazing in the llama paddock head just visible above the grass, 1 Great Spotted woodpecker, Blue Tits nesting in the barrel of the restored Ack Ack Gun, 7 Brimstones, 2 Holly Blues, 2 Speckled Woods (Richard Saville). Click photos to enlarge
Blue Tit in Ack-Ack gun (Richard Saville)
Speckled Wood (Richard Saville)
Brimstone (Richard Saville)
Holly Blue (Richard Saville)
14 May 2019, East India Dock Basin: 2 Common Terns briefly circling the remaining body of water in the basin, 1 Swallow flew north at 1pm, 3 Egyptian Geese, 7 Grey Herons, 3 Shelducks, a pair of Canada Geese at a nest on a raft (Richard Saville & John Archer).
Shelduck at East India Dock Basin (John Archer)
14 May 2019, Bow Creek: 1 Oystercatcher (Richard Saville).
13 May 2019, Mudchute: lots of Smooth Newts in the main pond (Richard Saville).
male Smooth Newt at Mudchute (Richard Saville)
11 May 2019, Victoria Park: a pair of Great Crested Grebes with 2 young, 1 drake Red-crested Pochard, 2 drake Pochards, 5 Mistle Thrushes including one pair feeding a fledgling, 1 Goldcrest, a mixed flock of up to 10 Sand and House Martins feeding over Boating Lake, 2 Swifts (Jan Dobbie & Richard Drew).
10 May 2019, Bartlett Park: about 150 plants of Jersey Cudweed on the abandoned adventure playground (John Archer).
Jersey Cudweed in Bartlett Park adventure playground (John Archer)
10 May 2019, Royal Foundation of St Katharine: 2 Grey Wagtails, 1 Mistle Thrush (Marion Hill).
10 May 2019, Limehosue: a House Martin colony with about six nests next to the River Thames (James Palmer).
8 May 2019, West India Docks: a Great Crested Grebe with 3 young chicks on North Dock (Tom Speller).
7 May 2019, Bartlett Park: 2 plants of Jersey Cudweed on the edge of the abandoned adventure playground on the corner of Augusta Street and Cordelia Street (Bob Gilbert).
7 May 2019, Jubilee Park: a female Grey Wagtail feeding 2 fledgelings (Tom Speller).
Grey Wagtail fledgeling (Tom Speller)
Female & fledgeling Grey Wagtails (Tom Speller)
Grey Wagtail fledgeling (Tom Speller)
6 May 2019, Mudchute: a male Redstart (John Booth).
3 May 2019, East India Dock Basin: an Osprey flew high north-west at 1.20pm, 2 Swifts flew west at 1.20pm, 1 singing Sedge Warbler, 1 singing Reed Warbler, 2 Egyptian Geese, 3 Shelducks, a Canada Goose still on a nest on a raft (John Archer).
2 May 2019, Bow Creek: 1 Whitethroat, 2 Reed Warblers, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Blackcap (Richard Saville).
2 May 2019, East India Dock Basin: 9+ Sand Martins flew north, 1 Reed Warbler in the reeds at the north side, 1 Shelduck, 2 Grey Herons, basin virtually empty of water (Richard Saville & John Archer).
1 May 2019, Jubilee Park: a female Grey Wagtail with a recently-fledged juvenile (Tom Speller).
Fledgeling Grey Wagtail (Tom Speller)
1 May 2019, Mudchute: 7 Blackcaps singing around the raised perimeter, 5 Greenfinches, 1 Willow Warbler and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker in the central courtyard of the farm, 1 Song Thrush rummaging outside the allotments, 1 Monk Parakeet, 2 Brimstone butterflies, 1 Comma, 3 Small Whites, 1 Speckled Wood, 1 Holly Blue (Richard Saville). Click photos to enlarge
Song Thrush (Richard Saville)
Monk Parakeet (Richard Saville)
Speckled Wood (Richard Saville)
Comma (Richard Saville)
1 May 2019, Mulberry Place: a Buzzard circling quite low over the Town Hall at 12.10pm (John Archer).
Archive of earlier reports
January-April 2019 wildlife reports (PDF 350KB)
2018 wildlife reports (PDF 3.6MB)
2017 wildlife reports (PDF 3.1MB)
2016 wildlife reports (PDF4.4MB)
2015 wildlife reports (PDF 2.6MB)
2014 wildlife reports (PDF 3.2MB)
2013 wildlife reports (PDF 2.1MB)
2012 wildlife reports (PDF 780KB)
2011 wildlife reports (PDF 100KB)
Header photo: Firecrest in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park (David Darrell-Lambert)