Battersea Power Station - October 24th

 

I had been waiting for a good day weatherwise and it finally arrived on the 24th with some good sunshine.
Cousin Jess was with me, all the way Australia, he last saw the derelict Power Station in 2000, when I first arrived. Needless to say, he was astounded at the transformation and absolutely loved it.

First up was the Peregrines and on checking the northern brickwork, the only one we could find roosting was the Falcon.
As the light grew the Tiercel was located in a regular hunting area, the usual Cranes at Vauxhall, obviously hunting, as he soon disappeared.
Eventually he came in with a Feral Pigeon from the west, landed and began to feed, not missing a trick being dominant over him, the Falcon then landed around 600mm from him.

We still have the same female as the head markings are the same and the BTO ring is clearly visible, she then started putting the pressure on by edging closer and calling loudly.
He flew and there then began a very noisy chase all over the Northern Park with the Falcon pursuing him relentlessly. Quite spectacular and quite a few people watching, eventually she nailed him from underneath and got talons into the prey and he gave up on it.

Quite a spectacular sight, just a pity I couldn't do it justice with the camera, some shots attached but not sharp, autofocus can't keep up, early morning light and Peregrines simply too fast!

She is holding on well despite the density of Peregrines in London and the outer counties, at around 14+, her days of producing an egg have now gone and the last successful breeding by her was 2021. Paired for life, she will eventually be replaced by a stronger Falcon, then breeding and noisy juveniles will again grace the Power Station.

Elsewhere whilst watching from the Coaling Jetty early a.m, Grey Wagtails were present in the Buddleia on the River Wall.
This has now become a winter roost for the species, no less than 12 Grey Wagtails left the bushes to forage elsewhere, I will keep an eye on this going forward, a fantastic number and a high count.

                                                          Grub after in the Power Station

Nothing out of the ordinary in other species, some overhead movement, however we still recorded 27 species on the day.

Goldfinches were a little thin on the ground, this could be due to the milder weather, we will see how many nests this year when the trees eventually drop their leaves, if I recall correctly, last year’s total was 12 nests around the Power Station.