Birds: Our 2022 'Year' List

Our 2022 Species' Year List (including where first seen). Eighty-five Bird' species: a reasonable total we think...

Avocet (Thames' Foreshore, Erith) viz.

Barnacle Goose (Minsmere Nature Reserve)

Blackbird (Garden, at Home)

Black-Headed Gull (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Black-Tailed Godwit (Thames' Foreshore, Erith)

Black Redstart (beside the Thames Path, Erith)

Blue Tit (Erith area)

Canada Goose (Southmere Lake)

Carrion Crow (Thamesmead area)

Cetti's Warbler (glimpsed: Crossness Nature Reserve)

Chaffinch (Erith area)

Chiffchaff (beside the Upper Bedon Stream)

Collared Dove (Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve)

Common Buzzard (Erith Southern Marsh)

Common Gull (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Common Sandpiper (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Coot (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Cormorant (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Curlew (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Dunlin (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Dunnock (beside the Thames Path, Belvedere)

Egyptian Goose (Grounds, Hall Place)

Gadwall (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Goldfinch (Erith area)

Great Black-Backed Gull (Thames' Foreshore, Erith)

Great Crested Grebe (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Erith area)

Great Tit (Erith area)

Green Sandpiper (Crossness Nature Reserve)

Green Woodpecker (East Wickham Open Space)

Grey Heron (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Grey Wagtail (Thames' Foreshore, Erith)

Greylag Goose (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Herring Gull (Thames' Foreshore, Erith)

House Sparrow (Garden, at Home)

Jackdaw (Greenwich Park)

Jay (Lesnes AbbeyWoods)

Kestrel (Crossness Nature Reserve)

Lapwing (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere) viz.

Lesser Black-Backed Gull (Thames' Foreshore, Erith)

Linnet (Erith area)

Little Egret (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Little Grebe (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Little Ringed Plover (Crossness Nature Reserve)

Long-Tailed Tit (Hall Place, North)

Magpie (Thamesmead area)

Mallard (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Marsh Harrier (Crossness Nature Reserve)

Mediterranean Gull (Thames' Foreshore, Erith)

Mistle Thrush (Grounds, Hall Place)

Moorhen (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Mute Swan (Southmere Lake)

Nuthatch (Lesnes Abbey Woods)

Oystercatcher (Thames Foreshore, Belvedere) viz.

Peregrine Falcon (on the Waste Incinerator, Belvedere)

Pied Wagtail (Thames' Foreshore, Erith) viz.

Pheasant (Crossness Nature Reserve)

Pintail (Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve)

Pochard (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Red-Legged Partridge (Betsham, Kent) viz.

Redshank (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere) viz.

Redwing (Grounds, Hall Place)

Reed Bunting (Crossness Nature reserve)

Reed Warbler (the Pool beside Church Manorway) 

Ring-Necked Parakeet (Thamesmead area) viz.

Robin (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Rock Pipit (Thames' Foreshore, Erith) viz.

Teal (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Tufted Duck (West Lake, Thamesmead)

Sandwich Tern (Leysdown-on-Sea, the Isle of Sheppey)

Shelduck (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Shoveler (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Skylark (heard only: Upper College Farm)

Snipe (Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve)

Song Thrush (Lesnes Abbey Park)

Starling (Thamesmead area)

Stonechat (Crossness Nature Reserve and surrounding area viz. the Norman Road Field) viz.

Swallow (Betsham, Kent)

Swift (Upper College Farm)

Turnstone (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Whitethroat (Southern Erith Marsh)

Wigeon (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Wood Pigeon (Thamesmead area)

Wren (Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve)

Yellow-Legged Gull (Thames' Foreshore, Belvedere)

Some more Avocets on the Thames' Foreshore

After attending an appointment in the Erith area, we wandered down to the Erith Pier to see if there were any birds on the Thames' Foreshore. 

Species seen included:

Avocet (eleven birds)
Dunlin (hundred-plus birds)

Redshank (fifty-plus birds)

and Shelduck (two birds)

Avocets on the Thames' Foreshore

We popped down to the Thames in the Erith area for a first outing for a while. It was nice to be out again.

Species seen:

Avocet (five: we assume Rainham Marshes' birds):

Blackbird

Back-Headed Gull

Black-Tailed Godwit (a few hundred: recorded on London Bird News as three-hundred and fifty-plus)
Carrion Crow

Cormorant

Feral Pigeon

Moorhen

Magpie

Mallard

Redshank

Ring-Necked Parakeet (heard)

Rock Pipit

Shelduck

and Teal (fifty-plus)

Something new

We understand that the orange Fungus growing with the Grimmia pulvinata (Moss) is probably Octospora musci-muralis (which is apparently specific to Grimmia pulvinata):

Seen growing on the Sea Wall beside the Thames in the Erith area (close to the Conway Berth). 

The records have been submitted to iNaturalist: the first time we have ever submitted anything to them (it seemed more appropriate than iRecord although don't really know why).

We didn't stay long

We popped down to the Thames in the Erith area in the hopes of seeing something unusual, bird-wise; it being somewhat chilly, we didn't stay too long.

Species seen:

Black-Headed Gull

Black-Tailed Godwit c. 500 of 'em

Common Gull

Cormorant

Feral Pigeon

Lesser Black-Backed Gull

Magpie

Mallard

Moorhen

Redshank

Ring-Necked Parakeet

Rock Pipit

Shelduck

Starling

and Teal

Lichens and Mosses

After deciding not to continue attending the Wednesday Morning', Lichen Chat & Improvement Meetings, we have had a break from Lichens: at least in terms of trying to identify them. A not unwelcome break either. 

We have been able to look at/photograph Lichens (and Mosses) without having to worry for example, whether a Xanthoria parietina is a Xanthoria calcicola or vice versa. 

We like Miniature World' pictures: like these of Lichens and Mosses growing on the Sea Wall beside the Thames Path, close to the Crossness Nature Reserve and the Waste Incinerator (for what it's worth, we are reckoning on Xanthoria parietina for the yellow Lichens):

But we think we will get back to trying to identify them. 

The Wild Flower Society', Winter Plant Hunt 2022/23

We are thinking we might give this a final go viz. recording Wild Flowers in flower during December 2022, and January/February 2023. If we get to 40 or more species we will submit the results, otherwise not. Last year we recorded forty-one (41) species (but didn't submit the records).

Hopefully we might see some of these, seen a couple of days ago viz. Common Toadflax, White Ramping-Fumitory, Wild Carrot, Spear Thistle and Bristly Oxtongue:

Also seen flowering: Common Chickweed, Dandelion, Groundsel, Narrow-Leaded Ragwort, Perennial Wall-Rocket, Red Clover, Shepherd's Purse and Yarrow

Miniature Worlds: Lichens and Mosses

We like these mixtures of Lichens and Mosses: these have set up home on the Sea Wall beside the Thames close to Conway's Berth in Erith:

A new Lichen for the Crossness Nature Reserve and surrounding Area

Physcia aipolia on a fence in the Norman Road Field:

Never seen it on a fence before.

A 'Big Adventure' to Leysdown-on-Sea, the Isle of Sheppey

To Leysdown-on-Sea to hopefully find a Bird or two. Species seen:

Black-Headed Gull

Crow

Curlew
Herring Gull

Magpie

Oystercatcher

Pheasant
Pied Wagtail

Redshank (see below)

Sandwich Tern (see below)

Starling

Swallow

Turnstone (see below) 

and Wood Pigeon

Wild flower' species seen included Sea Holly (see below), Sea Milkwort and Sea Spurge (see below):

And we didn't neglect the Lichens, finding inter alia, Caloplaca saxicola:

Our visit acted as a reminder that although it is nice to visit Leysdown-on-Sea, it is very isolated (as is Sheppey in general) and that we are super-lucky to live in SE London with so much on our doorstep.

Our first local Stonechats of the Autumn (and more Xanthoria polycarpa)

With our minds elsewhere we are winding down our Wild Life related activities. But we needed to go down to the local Nature Reserve and Yippee, almost immediately chanced upon at least four Stonechats including this one:

And we found (lots) more Xanthoria polycarpa:

Wild Flowers in the Grounds of the Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup

Finding ourselves in the Grounds of the Queen Mary's Hospital, we decided to look for Wild Flowers, finding, inter alia:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Bristly Oxtongue
Buck's-Horn Plantain

Common Mallow

Creeping Cinquefoil

Creeping Thistle

Dandelion

Dwarf Mallow

Field Bindweed

Greater Plantain

Hoary Mustard    

Knotgrass

Mugwort
Ragwort

Ribwort Plantain

Spear Thistle

White Clover
Wild Carrot

and Yarrow

And also Broad-Leaved Dock growing on a road-side verge viz. 

Protoblastenia rupestris in the Courtyard beside St Mary-at-Hill (the City of London)

Seeing the Entrance to the Courtyard open we had hopes of being able to wander round the Church: it was alas, not to be.

But we did find a number of specimens of Protoblastenia rupestris on a Courtyard' wall viz.

Updated: Xanthoria polycarpa on the Crossness Nature Reserve (and an orange Candelariella vitallina)

2 July 2022: we don't often see Xanthoria polycarpa so it was something of a surprise to find a small population on a fence post on the Crossness Nature Reserve (close to the entrance to the Norman Road Field) viz. 

Footnote: the granular orange lichen (see the third picture: to the left of the picture and lower right) which tested K- is confirmed as Candelariella vitellina. We usually see it in its yellow form but in this instance, it is coloured orange. 

17 July 2022: we find lots of Xanthoria polycarpa on the fence/posts beside the Norman Road Field viz.