I very nearly didn't go out today. I felt very lethargic and tired after all the walking I did yesterday. The forecast was for cloud and a chilly wind again. But I had an incentive in that there was a Firecrest still being spotted at Barnes Common, Bitterns were still being seen at the London Wetland Centre and the Fulham and Barnes Peregrines were very actively mating several times yesterday (link to the FaB facebook page here). So I thought I'd have a go at seeing all three considering the distances between all three sites are certainly do-able for me.
My first train was cancelled, which in turn made me miss the connection to my second train and I very nearly turned around and went back home. By the time I got to Hammersmith my confidence in finding the Firecrest on my own had waned probably because I was tired, hungry and not in the best of moods after my travel delays, but knowing several of my friends were at the London Wetland Centre, I went straight there first.
In the courtyard a pair of loved up Marmite Parakeets were checking out a possible nesting site....
But in front of the observatory it was very obvious that another Marmite Parakeet had become a meal for the resident Sparrowhawk....
From the Peacock Tower the Lapwings and Starlings were put up several times as the Sparrowhawk flew around....
I bumped into Birdy Phil, his lovely daughter and the knowledgeable John Cass whilst in the Peacock. Some other birders had already clocked a Bittern that was right across the marsh and way too distant for me to get any photos of. But it was nice to distantly see it swim from one section of reedbed to another, even if it was through my bins. It didn't look as if I was going to see one any closer, so I decided on an early lunch and then a visit to the Wildside.
Surprisingly I was the only person on the ground floor of the Wildside Hide for a while, and took full advantage of a close swimming Cormorant.....
and as I watched it swim towards the reedbeds, I caught a movement between the reeds and there was a Bittern.....
If it hadn't have been for the Cormorant swimming in that direction I wouldn't have spotted the Bittern, and there was no one else in the hide that I could share it with. I was alone. So I spent 15 minutes watching the Bittern move across the front of the reedbed and quickly texted Birdy Phil to let him and John know I'd got one out in the open.
Some other birders arrived and it was nice to share my sighting with them. At this stage I thought it was a second Bittern, with the first still being seen from the Peacock Tower, but when John arrived he confirmed they had seen it fly down and land outside the Wildside Hide. So it looks as if just one Bittern on site today, but I'm glad it was me that re-found it. Normally when I go to the Wetland Centre I jokingly tell Phil and John to 'find me a Bittern', but today I found my own.
and I got to add a new photo for my 'Birds Bum Shots' - a Bittern's bum.....
I spent a very pleasant hour watching the Bittern moving around and got loads of photos so thought I'd chance my luck with the Peregrines.
One short bus trip and a five minute walk later I was at Charing Cross Hospital.
On my last visit on the 14th February (link to that blog post here) I had seen one of the Peregrines on the nest ledge but couldn't find the other, and saw no courtship behaviour. I later found out I had missed a mating on the same ledge about half an hour previously.
Today as I walked down to the best viewing point for the nest ledge I could neither see nor hear any Peregrines. I checked the back of the hospital from the Margravine Cemetry but still no sign of either Tom or Charlie. I walked around the hospital, checking all of the Peregrines favourite perches, but saw nothing. I walked back round to Fulham Palace Road, and stopped by the main hospital entrance for a quick fag and as I looked up Charlie (the female or Falcon) flew in from behind me and perched right at the top of the hospital....
I manoeuvred myself back a bit to get a better angle of her....
and then this happened..........
Charlie lowered herself in to the typical 'mating' position.....
and in came Tom (the male or Tiercel)......
and by another lucky stroke today I had my camera on 'sports' setting which meant I got better action shots than if it had been on the usual setting !
After what seemed like ages but was actually just over a minute, Tom took off.....
and in my last photo of the pair below, I swear they are both looking at me !!!!!
Tom flew around the hospital back in the direction of the cemetery, whilst Charlie stayed where she was and had a preen....
and I re-manoeuvred myself to get a photo of her bum for my 'Birds Bum Shots'.
A quick garbled phone call was swiftly made to Nathalie, the Peregrines 'Godmother' so she could log the time, and for a brief moment I wondered if my luck would continue if I travelled over to Barnes Common for the Firecrest. But as I skipped happily back to Hammersmith station, I decided instead to pop back quickly to the Wetland Centre and eventually head home.
I don't need a rarity to make me happy, though a first sighting of a Firecrest would be nice and according to London Birders latest sightings the Firecrest was seen today by Frank, I am more than content with seeing the regular Bitterns at the London Wetland Centre and for the first time ever, seeing the FaB Peregrines mating. That sighting and literally being in the right place at the right time, will keep me smiling for a very long time. It's an even added bonus as the mating took place away from the ledge (which has good views) to the front of the hospital (which for me today, has great views)
A brilliant day out, considering I nearly didn't bother and also nearly turned around and came home after travel issues.
Plus I got to see some favourite faces - Birdy Phil, John Cass, Joe, Posh Boy, Stig and Sue, Phil's missus and her son, and Phil's beautiful daughter (she definitely doesn't get her looks from Birdy Phil !) and had a brief chat with Laurence the Lizard Man.
Now all we have to do is guess the date of the first Peregrine egg of the season to be laid, and how many. I've gone for four eggs, the first laying to be on March 10th..........
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