Beside the Thames yet again

We are reckoning four hundred plus, Black-Tailed Godwits, on the Thames' Foreshore in the Erith area: and a couple of Rock Pipits. A fairly brief visit. Also present: a handful of Black-Headed Gulls, Mallards, Teals and three Redshanks.

Nothing new to add to the 'Patch' List which stands at Thirty-Five Species as at 30 October (now 31 October).

Hopefully we might even reach Forty Species by Year-End.

We also watched Tanker, Distributor, move alongside General Cargo Vessel, Jan V, moored at Erith Oil Inner viz.

Beside the Thames again

We walked up the Footpath running between Crabtree Manorway North and the Thames Path: and then along the Thames Path towards Erith.

Bird species seen:

[i] on the Thames' Foreshore in the Belvedere area viz.

Black-Headed Gulls 
a Common Sandpiper
Cormorants 
Dunlins (first of the Year on the 'Patch')
Herring Gulls
Lapwings (first of the Year on the 'Patch')
Lesser Black-Backed Gulls
a Little Egret flying downstream (first of the Year on the 'Patch')
Ringed Plovers

[ii] on the Thames' Foreshore in the Erith area viz.

Black-Headed Gulls
Black-Tailed Godwits
Carrion Crows
Common Gulls
Cormorants
a Dunlin
Feral Pigeons
Great Black-Backed Gulls
Mallards
Redshanks
a Rock Pipit
Teals

* Eighteen Species.

During a very brief spell on the nearby Footbridge over the Railway Lines we noticed:

Southeastern Trains No's. 465040 and 465048

amd Thameslink Train No. 700018

Beside the Thames in the Erith area (aka the 'Patch')

Black-Headed Gulls
Black-Tailed Godwits
a Blue Tit (first of the Year on the 'Patch')
a Common Sandpiper (first of the Year on the 'Patch')
Cormorants
a Curlew (first of the Year on the 'Patch')
Feral Pigeons
a Grey Heron
a Kingfisher aka a Mini-Torpedo (first of the Year on the 'Patch')
Magpies
Mallards
a Pied Wagtail
Redshanks
a Robin (first of the Year on the 'Patch')
a Rock Pipit
and Teals

Plus a single Hoverfly (assumed Syrphus sp.) seen whilst walking away from the River to catch the Bus viz.

We end up at Southmere Lake

Down to the River but the Tide was in: so we decided to move on to Southmere Lake viz.

Bird Species seen included:

Black-Headed Gull
Canada Goose
Common Gull
Coot
Cormorant
Gadwall
Great Crested Grebe
Little Grebe
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Shoveler
and Tufted Duck

And these two Domestic-Type Ducks (a male and a female):

We find Jersey Cudweed growing in Thamesmead Town Centre (the Royal Borough of Greenwich)

We noticed quite a few Jersey Cudweed Plants in Thamesmead Town Centre (not previously seen by us there):

Grid Reference: TQ4680

Perhaps next year we should do a Wild Flower Hunt there? Plants seen flowering included: Hogweed, Narrow-Leaved Ragwort and Yarrow.

Our first Rock Pipit of the Autumn

Yippee: our first Rock Pipit of the year on the Thames' Foreshore off Corinthian Manorway (aka the 'Patch' or at least part of it).

Bird' Species seen:

Black-Headed Gull
Black-Tailed Godwit (c. three hundred or so Birds)
Common Gull
Great Black-Backed Gull
Lesser Black-Backed Gull
Herring Gull
Magpie
Mallard
Pied Wagtail
Redshank (c. twenty or so Birds)
Rock Pipit viz.

and Teal (c. twenty or so Birds: seen briefly before they annoyingly disappeared)

Footnote: we think that Tug, Devout, seen here passing Coldharbour Point, is new to us:

We are a 'Security Risk'!!!

A Rainy and Wet Day: but neither Cold nor Windy. So with no Little Critters likely to be out and about, we decided to look for Trains.

We had just photographed this Train (at London Bridge) when we heard a Station' Announcement: 'Security Risk', Camera':

We waited for the Armed Police to arrive but nothing happened. We subsequently visited Network Rail's Office and next time we go to London Bridge to photograph Trains we shall pop into their Office to tell them what we will be doing.

We did learn one thing however: particularly during a conversation with a member of the Station Staff, who told us that as far as they were concerned, we could be Terrorists viz. that we no longer belong here. The World, or at least the London we once knew and lived in has gone and been replaced by something else in which we, being older, are Alien Beings. A strange feeling.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

We started out at King's Cross (looking for Trains operated by Grand Central, Great Northern and the London North Eastern Railway) viz.

Then back Home via Blackfriars (looking for Trains operated by Thameslink) viz.

and London Bridge (looking for Trains operated by Southeastern, Southern and Thameslink): and where we became the Security Risk:

Footnote: Trains seen (and included above) by Operating Company:

Great Northern: Nos. 387107, 387122

the London North Eastern Railway: Nos. 43305, 82200 and 800204 (Azuma)

Grand Central: unidentified

Thameslink: Nos. 700008, 700009, 700017, 700117

Southern: Nos. 377324, 455806, 455820

Southeastern: Nos. 375919, 465036, 465189

To the Allotment

We were really pleased to see lots of Self-Seeded, Phacelia, flowering viz.

Wild Flowers on 'our' Allotment included:

Annual Mercury
Bristly Oxtongue (growing amongst the Phacelia) viz.

Common Chickweed
Common Field-Speedwell
Common Fumitory viz.

Common Mallow
Cleavers
Groundsel
Oxeye Daisy
Petty Spurge
Scarlet Pimpernel
Sow-Thistle
and Sun Spurge viz.

We also spotted a Red Admiral Butterfly.

A Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) on the Holly Hill Open Space

A Bee in the Garden (at Home)

A Honey Bee: we think viz.

Bees, Bugs, Butterflies, Hoverflies, Flies, Ladybirds, a Moth and Spiders beside the Upper Bedon Stream

Winter is closing in but with the Sun Shining Brightly there were still quite a few Little Critters viz. Bees, Bugs, Butterflies, Hoverflies, Flies, Ladybirds, a Moth and Spiders, out and about beside the Upper Bedon Stream, including:

The Moth is apparently a, Nettle-Tap Moth...