Battersea Power Station - 100 up!

Hi, I had been wondering which species it would be to reach the magic site list figure, often imagining something fairly rare in London, like an overhead Osprey or Cattle/Great White Egret but I then located it in one of the Gardens!

A site 1st in the shape of a Coal Tit, was located with a Blue/Great Tit flock moving through, I managed a couple of very poor photos but enough to capture and identify it, initially hearing it call.
Possibly a bird from Battersea Park, they breed there, so good to see that the Power Stations ever maturing habitat of Trees and Bushes, is attracting different species.

Along with this, not 1 but 3 Common Sandpipers made an unscheduled stop over at the Power Station, after flying low upriver, I spotted them from Switch House East Gardens but unfortunately for them, the male peregrine, ringed ABB also spotted them.
He dived on them and then a 2 minute chase over the Thames then ensued as the male repeatedly tried to grab one, the little Sandpipers, at times ditching into the river to evade him, in the end all 3 flew towards the sanctuary of the Coaling Jetty.

I immediately went down to the Northern Park and found all 3 sitting adjacent to the Jetty on a concrete beam, ABB had alighted back on the Power Station, I could see then that he was watching them intently, no doubt waiting for them to fly again.

Eventually after 75 minutes ABB gave up and flew off south, shortly after this the 3 amigos flew again and resumed their journey upriver!

Despite their name, they are not common in Central London, not even annual, this marks the highest count I have had at the Power Station.



Also very pleased to say that I connected with not 1, but 3 Grey Wagtails, if you recall these have been amiss on the previous visits.
They fed on the tideline and also on the now exposed grass, although patchy, still a food source. We now need to get them back breeding again, I have a few ideas.

A single fleeting view was of a Black Redstart, a female/juvenile type, it was a quick view and unusually the first time I have connected with one in the west side gardens.

Our female Peregrine is still going strong, she does seem to sleep a bit, she laid down after feeding on the Thames Water Tower, before then returning, straight into the nest box no doubt for another kip! She has earned it since arriving many years ago.
At her age, if she makes 2027, she will be around 16-17, she arrived in adult plumage in 2011 so it's entirely possible that she could even be older.

If I am ever able to read her metal BTO leg ring numbers, I would know her exact age and where she was ringed and came from.

Good to see also, a Common Darter Dragonfly, quite a rarity on the Estate.

27 species recorded on the day, slightly down, I usually aim for 30 on every monthly visit, however I made it to 100 species, 26 years in the making!

                                                                 Common Darter

                                                                Common Sandpiper

                                                 Heading up river before being intercepted

                                                            Male chasing Sandpipers

                                                        Coal Tit in there somewhere