January 2024

*31st - Sanderstead Plantation: Sparrowhawk over at 12:30. Tawny Owl hooting at 17:14. (JB)
*31st - Selsdon Park/Selsdon Estate/Birch Selsdon (or whatever it is called today): Tawny Owl hooting at 16:47. (JB)
*31st - Sanderstead (Briton Hill Road): Red Kite drifting slowly along the road before veering off to join a second bird and head off to Sanderstead Village. (JB)
*30th - Coulsdon: Only 11 Pied Wagtails in roost by Waitrose this evening. (DH)
*30th - Waddon Ponds: Several hundred Ring-necked Parakeets roosting at 19:50. Little Grebe heard. (JB)
*30th - East Croydon: Only about 20 Pied Wagtails in roost at 19:30. (JB)
*27th - Purley: 2 Red Kite. (Purley Birds)
*27th - Coulsdon (St Andrews Road): Greenfinch calling from the railway line across the road, Coal Tit becoming more visible and vocal, a pair of Robin have seemingly put aside their Winter 'differences' in the back garden! (DH)
*27th - Farthing Downs: 1 Kestrel hunting overhead, 1 Green Woodpecker, a flock of c100 Jackdaw erupting from the valley then settling again. Yellowhammer roost numbered 11, Redwing numbers c20 over the Downs, several Song Thrush in song. Fields adjacent to the Downs, a flock of 25 Starling. (DH)
*26th - Coulsdon (St Andrews Rd): 1 Mistle Thrush in song, briefly, further down the road. A little later 1 Red Kite circling overhead no more than 30 feet above the house. (DH)
*26th - South Norwood: (12:30) (Kings Road) m Sparrowhawk perched in tree railway embankment, Jay, singing Coal Tit,(JW)
*25th - Hutchinson's Bank: Buzzard, Red Kite, Sparrowhawk, Redwing, Starling, Sparrow, Wren, Robin, Chaffinch, Jay, Black-Headed Gull. (L Offer)
*25th - Coombe Road (near Lloyd Park): 2 Kestrel flew over from North to South. (L Offer)
*24th - Purley Downs GC: Buzzard displaying at 09:29. (JB)
*22nd - Coulsdon Common: A flock of Tits and 1 Goldcrest, c30 birds, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Bullfinch, up to 4 Yellowhammer, c30 Redwing across the site, 1 Stock Dove, 15 Goldfinch, 1 Marsh Tit, 1 Tawny Owl. (DH)
*21st - Selsdon Wood: Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, 40+ Redwing, Blackbird, 3 Chaffinch (1 m 2 f), Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit. (L Offer)
*20th - South Norwood Country Park: Kingfisher. (Michael Sanders and David Rouse)
*19th - Farthing Downs: Quiet! Even dogs were thin on the ground. A brief encounter with a Red Kite, glowing in the late sunshine was enjoyable, more than 30 Redwing across the site, several Fieldfare, a flock of 30+ Goldfinch. 1 Jay, up to 30 Jackdaw wheeling. 2 Bullfinch. Most enjoyable was spending several minutes watching Yellowhammers coming in to roost. (DH)
*19th - Addington Hills: Goldcrest, Nuthatch, 50+ Redwing, Goldfinch, Chaffinch. (L Offer)
*19th - Bramley Bank: 3 Redwing, Blackbird, Stock Dove, Nuthatch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jackdaw. (L Offer)
*19th - Heathfield: 2 Lesser Redpoll, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, 2 Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Robin, 40+ Jackdaw. (L Offer)
*19th - South Norwood Lake (12:30-13:25): (Lake 70% frozen over) 8 Mute Swan, 35+ Canada Goose, 2 Egyptian Goose, c20 Mallard, 17 Shoveler (9m/8f), c20 Tufted Duck (10m/10f), 2 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Cormorant, c10 Moorhen, c10 Coot, 50+ Black-headed Gull, 2 Herring Gull, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, c10 Common Gull, c10 House Sparrow (GH)
*18th - Hutchinson's Bank: Fieldfare, Redwing, Blackbird, Starling, Nuthatch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, 2 Chaffinch, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-Tailed Tit, Robin, Black-Headed Gull, Herring Gull. (L Offer)
*16th - Riddlesdown: Bullfinch (one pair), 6 Red Kites and a Buzzard circling overhead, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Long-Tailed Tit, Redwing, Pheasant (h). (Sue H)
*16th - South Norwood Lake: 5 Cormorant, 2 Egyptian Goose, 30+ Canada Goose, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 15+ Shoveler (probably come from Crystal Palace Park lake which is frozen), Tufted Duck, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Herring Gull, 50+ Black Headed Gull, 2 Common Gull, 1 Lesser Black Backed Gull, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, House Sparrow, Robin, Starling. (L Offer)
*15th - Riddlesdown: Buzzard over (Ernest Thomason)
*14th - Wandle Park: WeBS. 4 Mallard, 6 Moorhen, 2 Black-headed Gull, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Pied Wagtail, c50 Starling, 6 Redwing. (JB and Sue H)
*14th - Waddon Ponds: WeBS. 2 Mute Swan, 13 Canada Goose, 13 Mallard, 13 Tufted Duck, 11 Moorhen, 21 Coot, 6 Little Grebe (3 pairs), 25 Black-headed Gull, 2 Herring Gull, 1 Mistle Thrush, 2 Blackcap (m&f), 2 Jackdaw over. (JB and Sue H)
*14th - Shirley (Devonshire Way): 9 House Sparrow; Great Spotted Woodpecker; 2 female Chaffinch (a rare, cold weather appearance for something that used to be a regular). (KW)
*13th - Hutchinson’s Bank: c. 5 Fieldfares, 30+ Redwing, 1 Redpoll over (heard). (Alan Pearson)
*13th - South Norwood Lake (08:05-09:15): 37 Canada Goose, 2 Egyptian Goose, 12 Mallard, 6 Shoveler (3m/3f), 12 Tufted Duck (7m/5f), 2 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Cormorant, 10 Moorhen, 15 Coot, 8 Black-headed Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Collared Dove, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Song Thrush, 4 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Nuthatch, 6 Starling, 8 House Sparrow, 1 Chaffinch, 5 Goldfinch (JW)
*12th - East Croydon: c30 Pied Wagtails in roost at 5pm. (Alan Pearson)
*12th - Wandle Park: Goldcrest. (Sue Henning)
*11th - Shirley (Devonshire Way): Common Buzzard; Great Spotted Woodpecker. (KW)
*11th - Hutchinson's Bank: Fieldfare, 40+ Redwing, Blackbird, 2 Marsh Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-Tailed Tit, Dunnock, Wren, Robin, House Sparrow Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Collared Dove, Black-Headed Gull. (L Offer)
*11th - Sanderstead (Briton Hill Road): Siskin calling nearby. (JB)
*10th - Park Hill Rec (15:30): Sparrowhawk (chased smaller birds then flew over railway towards central Croydon), Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Great Tit. (L Offer)
*9th - Farthing Downs: Continuing pm presence of Yellowhammer, 10 counted today, 1 Linnet over, 2 Bullfinch, 3 Buzzard over, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, a flock of c50 Goldfinch further brightened the scene, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Green Woodpecker, several Song Thrush singing, Redwing, 1 Jay, Jackdaw present, 2 Goldcrest. (DH)
*9th - Coulsdon (St Andrews Rd): A nice little troupe of Long Tailed Tit, merrily through the front garden, 1 Red Kite over. (DH)
*7th - Waddon Ponds: 4 Little Grebe, 2 Mute Swan, Coot, Moorhen, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, 6 Starling, Pied Wagtail, Black-Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Great Tit, House Sparrow, Blackbird, 4 Collared Dove. (L Offer)
*7th - Wandle Park: Grey Wagtail, 3 Pied Wagtail, 2 Moorhen, 20+ Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Wren, Robin, Black-Headed Gull, Starling, House Sparrow. (L Offer)
*7th - Purley (Manor Wood Road): 10 Waxwings - first for Croydon this winter. They've arrived. (Oliver Carmona)
*6th - Shirley (Devonshire Way): 10 House Sparrow; several hundred Jackdaw returning to roost at 16.27; pilgrimage to Calbourne Road, Balham, where 14 Waxwing are still present around the houses. (KW)
*6th - South Norwood Country Park: Mute Swan: Last 'normal' cygnet apparently departed ; 2 adults, and 1 'Polish' cygnet remain. (DMac)
*6th - Riddlesdown: Kestrel, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, 10+ Redwing, 20+ Goldfinch, Blackbird, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Robin, Black-headed Gull, Jackdaw, Jay. (L Offer)
*6th - Sanderstead Pond: 4 Mallard, 3 Moorhen, 2 Black-Headed Gull, 3 Crow, Robin, Redwing (heard but not seen). (L Offer)
*5th - Waddon Ponds: 4 Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Herring Gull (Andrew Moncrieff)
*4th - Hutchinson's Bank: Marsh Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Wren, Robin, Redwing, 2 Collared Dove, Jackdaw, Jay. (L Offer)
*3rd - Coulsdon (St Andrews Road): Raven over, cronking. (DH)
*3rd - Old Coulsdon: Raven Cronking. (Stella Frost)
*3rd - Croham Hurst: Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Redwing. (Sue Henning) [Am I allowed to add that the waxwings are still at Calbourne Road, Balham, and this morning I had incredibly close views as they fed on berries on the other side of the road? Amazing.]
*1st - Waddon Ponds: Water Rail, 2 Blackcap (m&f), Little Grebe. (Sue Henning)
*1st - Purley Way (outside M&S): Common Gull. (Sue Henning)
*1st - Wandle Park: 2 Egyptian Geese, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Redwing, Stock Dove, Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Goldfinch. (Sue Henning)