Please e-mail any interesting wildlife sightings to the Biodiversity Officer.
October 2018 Wildlife Records
23 October 2018, East India Dock Basin: a Common Seal on the south side of the Thames on the beach in front of the O2 (viewable from the Tower Hamlets side, though the photo below was taken from the south bank), 4 Egyptian Geese early morning then flew off, 1 drake Gadwall, plenty of Teal, 1 Grey Wagtail (Richard Saville).
Common Seal on mud opposite East India Dock Basin (Richard Saville)
22 October 2018, East India Dock Basin: 1 drake Gadwall, 4 Redshanks, 1 Little Egret, 84 Teal, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Migrant Hawker dragonfly (Richard Saville & John Archer).
Migrant Hawker at EIDB (Richard Saville)
19 October 2018, East India Dock Basin: a Red Kite and a Common Buzzard circled together, mobbed by gulls and crows, before drifting off east at 12.55pm. Also a female Blackcap with a tit flock in the Copse, 1 Jay, 1 Little Egret, 1 singing Cetti’s Warbler and 76 Teal (John Archer).
18 October 2018, Victoria Park: a harp-trapping survey, carried out under licence from Natural England, captured 2 Nathusius’s Pipistrelles, a male and a female (Huma Pearce).
male Nathusius’s Pipistrelle at Victoria Park (Huma Pearce)
18 October 2018, Mile End Park: 1 male Ruddy Darter dragonfly, 1 female Common Darter and 2 Speckled Wood butterflies in the Ecology Park (John Archer).
16 October 2018, East India Dock Basin: a count for the Wetland Bird Survey recorded 1 drake Gadwall, 90 Teal, 8 Mallards, 6 Moorhens and 1 Black-headed Gull (John Archer).
Gadwall at East India Dock Basin (John Archer)
15 October 2018, Bow Creek: 2 Little Egrets (Frank Nugent).
15 October 2018, East India Dock Basin: 1 Gadwall, 90 Teal, 1 Cetti’s Warbler (Frank Nugent).
14 October 2018, Parnham Street E14: 2 Egyptian Geese grazing on grass in the Locksley Estate (Christine).
12 October 2018, James Middleton House: a large clump of White Bryony on the fence along Pundersons Gardens near the junction with Middleton Road E14 (John Archer).
12 October 2018, Bethnal Green Nature Reserve: 1 Red Admiral, lots of Cyclamen in flower (John Archer & Michael Smythe).
Cyclamen at Bethnal Green Nature Reserve (John Archer)
8 October 2018, East India Dock Basin: 1 Little Egret, 82 Teal (John Archer).
8 October 2018, Bow Locks: a female Sparrowhawk circling overhead (John Archer).
5 October 2018, East India Dock Basin: 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Little Egrets, 77 Teal, a pair of Mute Swans on the Thames, 2 Chaffinches, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 singing Cetti’s Warbler (Tom Speller & John Archer).
5 October 2018, Bow Creek: 1 Kingfisher, 1 Redshank in the high tide roost, 2 Grey Wagtails, 1 Jay, 1 singing Cetti’s Warbler (John Archer).
2 October 2018, East India Dock Basin: a Common Seal on the south side of the Thames on the beach in front of the O2, 1 Little Egret, a flock of 16 Long-tailed Tits, 66 Teal (John Archer).
Archive of earlier reports
January-September 2018 wildlife reports (PDF 950KB)
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)