Battersea July

 

 

The now substantial number of trees has attracted good numbers of breeding birds in, this is despite the numbers of people visiting, some species will adapt to the populace more whilst others will seek quieter areas. Goldfinch breeding on site outnumber all other species, tree sizes are perfect for them around the Estate. Pied/Grey Wagtail have double brooded, and the park grass has become a favourite for early morning foraging.

In regards to the Coaling Jetty/Northern Park habitat, lots of young juvenile birds having fledged , Blue - Great Tits and Pied - Grey Wagtails, Goldfinch and Wren.

I would suspect that most are locally bred, some no doubt using some of the Power Station Nest Boxes also.

Given the now vast flower/shrub habitats now, there seem to be Honey/White Tailed Bees everywhere, others seen have been Common Carder Bee, Green Eyed Flower Bee and an Andrena species (thanks Howard).

Added to this 2 Dragons in the shape of Common Darter and Migrant Hawker, it shows the habitat is working well, not only for Birds but also for invertebrates.

The Northern Park Grass itself is holding a lot of insects also, this is evident from the Wagtail numbers, it provides a great food source which the larger Gulls have now discovered it seems.

Both Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls were foraging on it also, just a little surprised the Geese haven't visited it yet.

We also had yet another brood of Mallards, this time 7 Ducklings, reinforcing their reputation for nesting in the craziest of places, these were up on the 11th Floor Roof Gardens! Unfortunately the Duck couldn’t be caught, so the Ducklings were taken to SEWH for later release when bigger and able to look after themselves.

The female Peregrine is still with us, occasionally visiting the nest box, she is ringed and given her age of 13+ and unable to produce eggs this year, it is likely that 2024 could well see a new Falcon present.