Latest wildlife reports

Please e-mail any interesting wildlife sightings to the Biodiversity Officer. 

May 2018 Wildlife Records

22 May 2018, Poplar Dock Marina: 4 Egyptian Geese, 2 Greylag Geese, a pair of Canada Geese with 2 small goslings, 1 Pied Wagtail (Tom Speller).

22 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 6 Shelducks, 4 Tufted Ducks, 1 singing Blackcap, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 singing Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Pied Wagtail, a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls possibly settling down to nest on a raft (Tom Speller & Charlie Farrell).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22 May 2018, Antill Road E3: a Common Buzzard and 2 Swifts flew over (Harry Harrison).

21 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: a morning count for the Wetland Bird Survey recorded 1 Little Ringed Plover, 5 Shelducks, 12 Mallards, 5 Coots, 3 Moorhens, 3 Canada Geese, 2 Grey Herons and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Also an Oystercatcher flew over towards Bow Creek, 1 Angle Shades moth (John Archer).

20 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: 1 Collared Dove, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 3 Reed Warblers, 3 Common Terns, 1 Blackcap, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 3 Shelducks (Paul Hyland).

19 May 2018, Antill Road E3: a Peregrine over the garden being mobbed by Carrion Crows (Harry Harrison).

18 May 2018, Limehouse E14: 6+ House Martins back at a regular local nest site (Paul Hyland).

18 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: 1 Common Sandpiper (surprisingly scarce here though regular in winter on Bow Creek), 1 Common Tern, 2 singing Blackcaps, 3 singing Reed Warblers, 4 Shelducks (John Archer).

18 May 2018, Saffron Avenue Pond: a pair of Moorhens and a pair of Coots each with 3 small chicks (John Archer).

17 May 2018, Victoria Park: 3 Swifts briefly high over West Lake, 2 Pochards, 7 Tufted Ducks and the pair of Great Crested Grebes still on a nest on West Lake; a female Great Spotted Woodpecker on dead trees in East Lake, 1 Red Admiral (Jan Dobbie).

17 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: a pair of Pochards (seen less than annually here), 3 Shelducks including a pair that appear to have tried to excavate a burrow on a raft, 1 Pied Wagtail, singing Blackcap, Reed Warbler and Cetti’s Warber, the Coots now with 2 chicks on a raft, 4 adult Canada Geese but no sign of any goslings (John Archer). Click photos to enlarge

 

 

 

 

 

 

17 May 2018, Saffron Avenue Pond: 1 Common Tern fishing (John Archer).

14 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: 1 Common Tern, 2 Egyptian Geese, 1 singing Chiffchaff, 4 Shelducks, 1 singing Cetti’s Warbler, a female Mallard with a brood of 10 small ducklings, the Canada Geese still with 2 goslings, the Coots have hatched 4+ chicks on a raft (John Archer).

11 May 2018, Mile End Park: 1 Sparrowhawk, 5 Mistle Thrushes, 1 Chiffchaff, 5 Blackcaps (Charlie Farrell).

11 May 2018, Millwall Docks: a Red Kite flew north at 12.10pm (Sean Huggins).

11 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: a Sparrowhawk hunting around the basin, the Canada Geese now with just 2 goslings, 2 Shelducks, 1 singing Reed Warbler, and a good range of common wild flowers in bloom, including those in the photos below – click to enlarge (John Archer).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 May 2018, Mulberry Place: an escaped hybrid falcon looking a bit like a Lanner Falcon over the Town Hall at lunchtime, the first time this bird has been seen in the area for around two years (John Archer).

10 May 2018, Mudchute: a Common Buzzard circling over the paddocks at 8.50am (Sean Huggins).

9 May 2018, Victoria Park: 2 Swifts and 3+ Sand Martins feeding over the model boating lake (John Archer).

9 May 2018, Millwall Park: a female Wheatear near the bowling club at 8am (Sean Huggins).

8 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: a Chiffchaff and a Blackcap singing in the Copse, a Cetti’s Warbler and 2 Reed Warblers singing along the northern edge, the Canada Geese have hatched 4 goslings on a raft, 1 Shelduck, 1 Mute Swan (John Archer).

6 May 2018, Mudchute: 1 female Whinchat (Sean Huggins).

6 May 2018, Victoria Park: the Bird Barmy Army walk recorded 38 species of birds, including 1 Red-crested Pochard, 3 Pochards, 15 Tufted Ducks, 2 Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrids, a pair of Great Crested Grebes at a nest, 2 pairs of Egyptian Geese (one pair with 4 goslings), 5 Greylag Geese, a pair of Mute Swans at a nest, 3 Swifts, 3 Sand Martins, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Goldcrests, 3 pairs of Jays displaying, 2 Sparrowhawks, 4 pairs of Mistle Thrushes including one pair with fledged young, a Long-tailed Tit nest. Also a Holly Blue butterfly. (David Darrell-Lambert & Bird Barmy Army participants). All photos by David Darrell-Lambert – click to enlarge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: 2 Common Terns flew over, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Tufted Ducks, 2 Shelducks, 2 Mute Swans, 1 female Blackcap, 2 singing Reed Warblers, 1 singing Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Jay, the Coots and Canada Geese still on nests on rafts (John Archer).

4 May 2018, Mulberry Place: a Sparrowhawk flew over the Town Hall (John Archer).

2 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: 8 Tufted Ducks, 2 Shelducks, 1 singing Reed Warbler, 1 singing Cetti’s Warbler, 1 immature Mute Swan, the Coots and Canada Geese still nesting on rafts (John Archer).

1 May 2018, Millwall Docks: a pair of Common Terns displaying over Outer Dock, 1 Chiffchaff by Inner Dock, 7 Tufted Ducks, 3 Coots on nests (John Archer).

1 May 2018, East India Dock Basin: 1 Whitethroat, 1 singing Blackcap, 1 singing Reed Warbler, 1 singing Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Tufted Ducks, 6 Shelducks, 1 immature Mute Swan, 2 Canada Geese, 1 male Brimstone butterfly (John Archer).

Archive of earlier reports
Jan-April 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)