Beckton Sewage Works - Latest

 

It’s been an exceptionally busy last couple of months, lots to blog about, getting the time to do it has been another matter.

Peregrine ringing and we are now DNA swabbing has tied up a lot of mine, Shaun and Pauls time, add to this, the ringing of multiple Barn/Little Owl and Kestrel boxes and it has added up to a very busy couple of months. It’s been a topsy turvy year for all of the above species, however I will touch on this on another post.



Beckton – another good year with all of the usual Raptor species again breeding, the Kestrels have fledged 3 chicks from the usual box. Not such a big brood so there is the possibility that the female may be getting a little long in the tooth with a reduced number than normal.

Obviously, speculation, as one or 2 eggs/chicks, could just as well have been predated by Crows, the local unpaired yearling Crows give the Kestrels a torrid time with the usual bully boy stuff.

There is a 2nd pair of Kestrels on the eastern side of the sewage works, a fairly newish pair, plans are afoot to give these their own nest box as well.

Both Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk nests are marked, difficult to see, but I know where both species keep dropping into.

Also great to report that Raven has bred at the Sewage Works fledging 2 juveniles, a monster of a nest produced 2 of the big Corvids, some of the sticks they used for the nest were enormous.

They are annual and fairly certain they may have bred in previous years, just never able to confirm it with this every increasing Corvid.

However, the best news is that Barn Owls have again bred in 2025 on the Sewage Works, a superb effort by Thames Water, the last breeding being in 2020.

The year list to date stands at 87 so a little way to go to achieve the ‘ton’ which I aim for annually; Autumn migrants will hopefully bolster the numbers.

Skomer Island

 

June 4th 2025



As a surprise for Christine’s 70th birthday, I had organized a week away and one of the things I know, that had always been on her bucket list, was to see Puffins.

Obviously having never been to Skomer Island myself either, it was a fantastic spectacle and experience for both of us and thoroughly lived up to its reputation.

They give you 5 hours a trip, you need it as well, everywhere you walk there are Puffins, as I understand it the official recent count is 43,626.The island itself is 1.5 miles wide and 2 miles long, it’s not always easy walking, rocky here and there and a few good gradients, however worth every step.

The views you get of the colourful Puffins are quite incredible, sometimes down to as little as a meter, Chris absolutely loved it as did I, you get held up so much by watching them, you could easily just stand/sit in one position and watch them for an hour or 2.

A large presence of Great, Lesser Black Backed and Herring Gulls, are a constant threat to them, especially tuned in to mugging Puffins arriving with Sand Eels, they are also constantly checking holes for unwary or exposed chicks. We saw a couple of chicks get dragged out and then swallowed whole.

It is nature however and you will get mortality amongst this many birds, this was also evident in the number of Manx Shearwater remains around the Island. A nocturnal breeding species on Skomer, all the corpses had been picked clean by the Gulls/Corvids. The number of Manx’s breeding on the island is incredible, its estimated to be around 350,000 pairs so there will be mortality, one of the reasons no doubt that they appear nocturnally. They are vulnerable on land to the large Gulls, so understandable that they only appear at night.

In regard to raptors, I recorded a Peregrine and 2 Common Buzzards but managed to avoid seeing a number of Short Eared Owls that breed on the island.

Common Guillemots, Razorbills and Kittiwakes are everywhere on the cliff faces and the noise from this alone puts a smile on your face, visually it is staggering to see the numbers involved.

A fantastic day and we were so lucky with the weather, the previous day had been cancelled unfortunately for many people.

However, the day was Christines and worth every step to see her enjoyment of at last seeing a Puffin.

 

RSPB Minsmere

 

April 25th 2025



It’s been a good few years since I have been here, the last visit could well have been 25+ years ago with Chris and the girls, so a visit was well overdue.
Mart, Lee and yours truly decided on a day out on the 25th, leaving at 3.50a.m to get ‘down’ there for a dawn start.

We used to do these sort of trips regularly, these days, just don’t seem to get the spare time for a day out birding.
However, having undertaken this, enjoying a fantastic day’s birding with my mates, I intend to try and make the time for more trips, thoroughly enjoyed it.

The main area of Birding was the Reserve, but we also took in some of the outer locations for specialist species like Wood Lark, Tree Pipit and Dartford Warbler, all were nailed fortunately.
One species that we did seem to pick up in numbers, seemingly wherever we located to was Nightingale, it’s been a good few years since I have heard/seen that number of birds.

Although the day was based on a good day’s birding, we also had in mind a day list, it keeps you searching that bit harder, and at times, was rewarding with another goodie to add to the List.

In short, we ended the day on 104 species, not too shabby in anyone’s book, missed out on a few certs, like Starling, but gained on other’s putting their ‘ hands/voices up’ to be counted.

Highlights were finding our own Wood Sandpiper on the Reserve, the 3 specialist above and also adding Stone Curlew, see more of these in Spain than I do in the UK.

Bittern was seen by Lee, but myself and Mart had to settle for ‘Boomers’, again good to hear, it certainly carries well.

A good day out with my buddies, hopefully more to come.

Parliament April 20th

Hi, I hope everyone had a good Easter, not too bad weather wise, although very cold with a cutting wind when I visited last Sunday.

The first activity came at 6.22a.m, only just got a quick view of this as they disappeared onto the south face of Victoria Tower, however it was enough to note the female Peregrine with prey closely followed by a male. Obviously, 1st thoughts were, who is incubating in Riverside Tower if the male is with her also?
I thought it had to be ABB, last year’s juvenile, so it proved as he flew out and came back unseen to the same position, no doubt trying to gain a free meal from the Falcon.

He undertook the same procedure, short flights out and returning, at least 5 times, this said to me she was refusing to let him feed and she would not relinquish the prey, good for her. It also meant hopefully the adult male was incubating.

Eventually she flew out after feeding at 7.14a.m, closely followed by ABB, the Falcon then cached the prey on one of the low Towers, the closest she could be to Riverside Tower nest site.

From this she then relocated to Central Spire, overlooking the cached prey, Falcon's often do this, cache closer, when they have chicks, or about to have chicks, the idea is she has a close food source and can immediately feed chicks that are about to hatch or have hatched.

Additionally, it could be that she had left it for the adult Tiercel but caching in a new position said otherwise.

She sat on Central Spire for a while and eventually ABB appeared from Victoria Tower, he obviously knew where the cached prey was and went straight for it. Good for her she attacked him straight away and drove him off towards the Abbey, I thought that's it, he's got the message.

On her return she flew straight to Riverside Tower and a nest relief took place, one taking over from the other, the Tiercel emerged and flew straight to Victoria Tower searching for cached prey. I could see him in and out of the various faces no doubt searching the usual hotspots.

However, having dismissed ABB, he suddenly made a quick appearance, unseen by the adult Tiercel and quickly snatched the low prey remains, cached by the Falcon close to Riverside Tower, he then high tailed it with the prey northwest.


Not good, the prey could have been for herself for later, but I know she was incubating quite early, so likely cached for a quick feed for chicks.

Long staying juvenile males are often known for this, I had wondered if he would be a help or a hindrance, it appears he is going to be a problem if they let him stay.

                                                                               ABB

                                                  ABB hassling Falcon with pprey remains

                                                    Prey snatched and making his getaway

                                                                    Nest Relief

                                                                                 Falcon