28 March.

Parakeets in Bedford Wood.

Nuthatch in Cafe Wood.

Singing Wren, Streatham Wood.

Daffs, beside Bedford Hill.

Dramatic trees, Graveney Wood.

A long walk around today, a mixed morning of cloud with the odd interval of sunshine. Heading out from the Balham end of things for a change, the logical place to start was the Triangle area. Hope for an early Wheatear or Whinchat was dashed when I saw the Balham equivelent of Crufts in the middle of the Triangle. Never mind. Wrens, Robins, Dunnocks and Blackbirds were all singing in the surrounding bushes, a Grey Heron flew over and another pair of Long-tailed tits were looking for a nest in the birches on the other side of the railway line. The trees and the bushes at the Streatham end of the Triangle were alive with Blue and Great tits and a pair of Chaffinches and a Green woodpecker was heard. Stopping to photograph the harbingers of Spring, Daffodils, on route towards Streatham Wood.

I've not seen much in this part of the wood for a while but it started well with a female Sparrowhawk hunting over the tops of the trees. A Chiffchaff was singing in the lower trees by the railway line and the faint Kestrel like call of a Lesser spotted woodpecker was heard. Surprisingly, Lesser spots are more common here than Kestrel. It has been a while since they have been seen and now I could hear it drumming but after a long stare into the largest tree in the wood, where I was sure it was, I headed off towards Bedford Wood.

An adult Lesser black backed gull was flying around the football pitches beside the lido and a singing Chiff was heard at the back end, though it could have been Streatham Wood bird, having nipped across the reailway line. Apart from a singing Wren and an inquisitive Great tit it was quiet in Bedford Wood and I headed back towards the cafe, where there were a pair of Great spots chasing each other around and a nest building Nuthatch. Another Chiff was heard singing towards the pond and another two were singing beside the pond, so that's at least four. Otherwise, it was all pretty much as usual, unfortunately the Pochard had gone.