RXwildlife Sightings

I haven’t looked for birds in this outstanding Victorian park for about 20 years, so thought it might be interesting to do an occasional Birdtrack count around a circuit of the various ponds in the northern part of the valley it occupies.

As Ian has already noted, by the time he met me & Tony Hill, we were reeling under an onslaught of Blue & Great Tits.

In the woods I normally visit, you have a nicely spaced bird population, with sometimes nothing at all for several minutes during which time you can warm up your hands.
Alexandra Park, on the other hand, is packed with birds, many commuting to guzzle at the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet provided in surrounding gardens, returning to the park only to pause, belch and snap off slender twigs with their newly-acquired bulk.
Think I’m exaggerating? In about 3km we counted 87 Blue, 38 Great & 11 Coal Tits, 18 Wrens, 36 Robins & 42 Blackbirds, 19 Magpies, 26 Carrion Crows….(their combined weight can only be guessed at) and various other stuff like Little Grebe, Sparrowhawk, GS Woodpecker, 6 Nuthatches, 3 Treecreepers, & 12 Siskins.

Urban parks are a challenge! Everyone drives past, walks the dog, plays football without realizing the mass of wildlife around them. I haven’t mentioned the Grey Squirrels. Apart from the Blue Tits, this park has quite an impressive list of rarities, including Bittern, Night Heron & Ferruginous Duck and Water Rail & Kingfisher can often be found.
Ian tells me he’s working on a full list.

At Glyne Gap Marsh there was a barn owl, 5 bearded tits, a jack snipe, 2 water rail, 1 cetti’s warbler, a firecrest, 2 water pipits, 3 tree sparrow, 2 black redstart and a mediterranean gull.

At Glyne Gap beach there was a rock pipit, 3 purple sandpipers, 2 yellow-legged gulls, a red-necked grebe, a little gull, 3 velvet scoter, 3 red-throated diver, a black-throated diver, a slavonian grebe, a goldeneye, and a little egret. A dolphin sp. was also seen.

At Alexandra Park there was a willow tit, 12 siskins, 4 redpoll, a chiffchaff, a blackcap, a ring-necked parakeet and a brambling.

At Marline Wood there was a buzzard and 2 hawfinch.

Reported by Ian Standivan on the wildhastings egroup.