A long overdue visit to a cluster of sites on and close to the Isle of Dogs in the East End (and the latest in this ongoing series of London patch familiarisation). Today's guide was the esteemed Mr. Nick Tanner, long-serving local birder and walking encyclopedia of London records (one of two limited volumes if we throw in a Mr. MacKenzie of Paddington green).
We covered Bow Creek Ecology Park and the riverbank (Chiffys, Redshanks, Common Sand and plentiful Reed Buntings), East India Dock Basin (almost 200 Teal, other ducks, more Reed Buntings), Mudchute Farm (21 Monk Parakeets, unarguably charming, in these circumstances at least), and the river (at the traditional Ring-billed Gull site - no sign unfortunately, but a pair of adult Peregrines kicking back on an industrial building).
