March 2024

I did the monthly bird count on the 21st. Notable observations were a Peregrine Falcon over Horse Close Wood, and a Common Sandpiper calling in on migration to forage around the lakeside promenade. The Sandpiper is normally seen in April or May, and again in August on its return journey, so this record is early. The Peregrine has been increasing in London and has been reported more often locally. This is the second record in the course of my counts. The Common and Black-headed Gulls have made off to their breeding sites, but a bunch of Herring Gulls remains. These began to increase in 2012 and we now have up to 60 seen in the breeding season (May to July), but with no sign of breeding here yet. Birds can be heard calling somewhere off to the east, but I haven't confirmed any nesting as yet. I wonder if anyone else knows? There were 2 Cormorants remaining from the winter visitors and some seven Pochards remaining from the winter flock. The cob swan still had the new mate. The yaffle call of the Green Woodpecker was heard on the ex-golf course, confirming its liking for the parkland landscape there. There were Chiffchaffs singing in Horse Close Wood, a migrant newly arrived back. The resident Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming in Horse Close Wood. As usual, Great Tits were singing in Horse Close Wood and also along the tube line hedgerows, where they find nest sites in the heavily pruned Railway Poplars, one fears susceptible to the tree works that have continued in recent weeks. Egg laying is usually in early April. It was good to hear Greenfinches in Horse Close Wood as this species declined greatly from trichomonosis. Perhaps it is recovering from that epidemic? Wrens were in full song. Ring-necked Parakeets remain in good numbers and a pair was planning to nest in a woodpecker hole in the veteran oak.

At this stage of Spring one can pick up trees that are much less conspicuous later. There are two Wild Cherries in Horse Close Wood: one near the main path entrance in the south-east and a second smaller one beside the main path just west of the biggest oak. The Cherryplum clump near the splash pool building was in flower. The many Evergreen Oaks were readily spotted also. Hazel catkins and Sweet Violet flowers were over, Blackthorn was in full flower, again allowing its distribution in Horse Close Wood to be discovered. Hawthorn was just beginning to leaf up. The Dog's Mercury there was in flower. Elsewhere there were flowers of species that can be seen in most months, such as White deadnettle and Green Alkanet, but the remarkable display was the carpets of Lesser Celandine which seems to have benefitted from the very wet Winter and early Spring.

The ivy that was killed by senseless cutting was dying and shedding dead leaves in Horse Close Wood. The good news is that the cutting spared a good number of less accessible trees, so a depleted ivy habitat will survive.

The park was opened to the public at around 06:35, which was greatly appreciated by the early runners and dog walkers, much though this displaced the geese on the Great Field, which resorted to the lake or ex-golf course where they are free of disturbance.

I sampled the lake water on the last day of the month, finding an unusually early surge in numbers of the Long-spined Waterflea. Presumably it has benefitted from the mild Spring temperatures. It was feeding on a bloom of a microscipic Eugenophyte alga. There was no sign yet of any blue-green bacteria. Otherwise there were also plenty of non-biting midge larvae, promising emerging insects for birds and bats for feed upon.