What a day: 20/09/2008

This has probably turned out to be the best day at Nonsuch Park this year, if not ever, with two much needed and very exciting Nonsuch lifers for me and a lot of other good local patch birds.
Here are the highlights:

1 COMMON BUZZARD, flying north over at 4:43pm. 1 female PEREGRINE from the north then drifted towards Sutton mobbed, by presumably one of the regular, Hobbies which went into full blown high speed dives at the Peregrine. The former two are Nonsuch lifers for me. I expect the Peregrine was the Sutton bird. I saw another Peregrine from the same viewpoint, at Cheam Park, about 3 miles away, attacking a Gull (to no avail). I don't know if this is the same bird or not.

Above: Peregrine

Above: Common Buzzard

Also present today: 2 Green Woodpeckers (1 heard at the gardens and one flying over the enclosed area, no dogs area, 2 by the southern most car park), 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard in the gardens), 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (with Black-headed Gulls at Cheam Park), 14 Jays (all over), 17+ Jackdaws (mainly around the gardens), 1 Nuthatch (heard at the gardens), 4 Stock Doves (2 over main grassland area and 2 in dead tree near mansion house) , 1 Chiffchaff (in hedge at second no dogs area which is the enclosed area by the southern most car park), 7 Mistle Thrushes (open short grass area overlooked by the Cheam end car park) and 1 Blackcap (heard alarm calling by the first dogs area, the enclosed area near the Cheam end car park).

26/8/08

Above: Treecreeper

Today's highlights: 1 Treecreeper (my second site record) (c200m north of mansion house), 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over (my 7th site record), 41 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Kestrels, 2 Sparrowhawks, c5 Stock Doves, 1 Nuthatch, c40 Ring-necked Parakeets, 1 Mistle Thrush, 2 Jays, 3 Green Woodpeckers, c2 Goldcrest.

The Treecreeper was the first I've seen here for a few years and was in a large Tit flock. I guess this species is heavily under recorded at the park and they may well breed but it was a great bird. It froze when I stumbled upon it for the second time and allowed brilliant views.

30/7/08

A brief eveing visit only around the northern end:

Sightings summary (bold=occasional/rare visitor to the park, others are resident/seasonal but in low numbers or simply interesting)

11 Green Woodpecker, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, c20 Jackdaw, 5+ Goldcrest, 40+ Ring-necked Parakeet, 2 Jay, 3+ Sparrowhawk including juveniles, 5+ Long-tailed Tit, 11 Black-headed Gull, 3 Stock Dove, 1 Greenfinch

Details:

Green Woodpeckers: 1 juvenile 1 adult female in the gardens. 2 juvenile and one adult near the conifers just north of the aviary others heard around the aviary and edges of the gardens and the woods bordering Cheam Park and Nonsuch Park.
Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1 heard in the woods bordering Nonsuch Park and Cheam Park.
Jackdaws: About 20 flew to roost in the woods bordering Nonsuch Park and Cheam Park.
Goldcrest: 5+ in conifers just north of the aviary with a flock of Tits.
Ring-necked Parakeets: Large numbers calling and flying around woods borderig Cheam Park and Nonsuch Park especially when disturbed by Sparrowhawk.
Jay: 1 Near aviary and one heard in the same area.
Sparrowhawk: 2+ heard (probably the juveniles) and one (not sure of age but male) circling above woods bordering Cheam Park and Nonsuch Park mobbed by Carrion Crows and disturbing Ring-necked Parakeets.
Long-tailed Tit: 5+ with tit flock in conifers just north of aviary
11 Black-headed Gull: Mainly on the open area over looked by the northern most car park.
3 Stock Dove: Flying around just north of the aviary.
1 Greenfinch: 1 in flight just north of the aviary.

29/7/08

A good day at the park with the highlights summarised below and given more detail at the bottom (rare patch visitors in bold, others are regular/seasonal but in low numbers or in the case of Ring-necked Parakeet, interesting)

1 Hobby, 20+ Ring-necked Parakeet, c200 Black-headed Gull, 3 juvenile Sparrowhawk, 6 Green Woodpecker, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 3 Mistle Thrush, 1 Stock Dove, 1 Song Thrush, 2 Moorhen , 16+ Herring Gulls over

Further details on the above:

The Hobby was seen flying low over the conifers near the aviary. Could be last year's juvenile that is summering here as a young non-breeder?
The Sparrowhawks were very vocal and were chasing eachother around the woods that border Nonsuch Park and Cheam Park.
Green Woodpeckers were mainly heard but good views were had of one at the second no-dogs area (ND2) which is the enclosed area that the southern most car park overlooks. The usual female and juvenile were feeding the the gardens. I still haven't seen the male.
Ring-necked Parakeets are becoming increasingly vocal now that breeding is finished and their numbers are boosted by the juveniles that I have seen quite often. They are easy to spot with their shorter tails.
Black-headed Gulls were at their highest so far this season with at least 102 at the playing field at Cheam Park (more birds constantly dropping in). A single 2nd summer Lesser Black-backed Gull joined them. Numbers of Black-headed Gulls were seen flying over and there were about 50 more feeding at the second no-dogs area (again, numbers constantly increasing).
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into the gardens and started climbing a conifer.
3 Mistle Thrushes were present around the gardens.
1 Stock Dove was seen in flight around the main grassland area.
1 Song Thrush was heard singing near the ponds.
1 tiny and downy Moorhen was seen at the ponds and an adult was heard (second brood?)
Finally, 16+ Herring Gulls were seen flying over the site.

Finches today included a single Goldfinch over the second no-dogs area, about 20 Greenfinch throughout the whole site, and about 10 Chaffinch around the gardens and aviary. They were all very vocal and obvious today.

19/7/08

My late summer bird atlas 2007-11 survey. A fairly quick trip between 2:30pm and 5:30pm. Not much birdwise with only 16 species. Highlights were 1 male Sparrowhawk carrying prey and then seen again later over the same spot (the woods at the border of Cheam and Nonsuch Park). A female Kestrel was seen nearby on the grass at the patch that the Cheam end car park over looks and it then flew over the the mansion house gardens were it was later seen again. There were several Green Woodpeckers, two or three families with a juvenile each. Several Black-headed Gulls were settled and flying over. Herring Gulls were often seen flying over today. Ring-necked Parakeets were few and far between today with only about four being seen. There were no Stock Doves or Great Spotted Woodpeckers either. The lack of birds today must have been because of some loud music being played in the gardens for some event and the amount of people there for the event itself.