First signs of spring here in London

Cloudless and blue today. After such a slog this winter to get any decent weather, perhaps Spring is finally here. For today at least. Anyway, a walk around Crossness with John A produced a couple of Little Ringed Plovers (my first summer migrants of the year) on the paddocks as well as two Green Sandpipers. Three Buzzards went through, while the river was really quiet - a ringed Black-headed Gull was the best we could do (it was ringed as a chick at Lea Farm GP, Berkshire in 2014).

Back in Rotherhithe, I managed to get a patch tick out of the day. There'd been a Green Woodpecker discovered in Russia Dock Woodland a couple of weeks back by Richard PJ, and I finally managed to lay my eyes on it today. It was a bit of a pain, always being one step ahead as were the five Redwings that were feeding in the leaf litter in the newly cleared area. And so it was time for an easier target, with the female Common Scoter still lingering in Southwark Park and trying to evade the pedalos on this sunny Bank Holiday afternoon.

female Common Scoter Southwark Park 25th March 2016

On the walk back, still in Southwark Park, a couple of Stock Doves were on the bank by the athletics track and on Greenland Dock with large gull numbers building up there was a NTGG ringed 2nd-winter Herring Gull.

Stock Dove Southwark Park 25th March 2016

2nd-winter Herring Gull Greenland Dock, Rotherhithe 25th March 2016