Thanks to Robin Sharp for leading and Judith Rose for making a record of the QPARA Annual Bird Walk, held on Saturday 6th May. There was plenty of avian activity in Queen’s Park and Paddington cemetery, even if the temperature kept low. A record 18 walkers saw or heard a record 22 species.
Not spotted on the day, but reports of hearing tawny owls both in the park and the cemetery keep coming in.
Please join us for a stroll through Queen’s Park and Paddington Cemetery.
Meet at the park café at 9.30am. The walk will take about 90 minutes, but people can join or leave at any time. We will go round the Park and then via the Woodland Walk, Chevening Road, Winchester Ave, Willesden Lane to Paddington Old Cemetery, arriving at approximately 10.15am. So finding us should be easy.
Nothing is guaranteed, but birds to look out for are: Woodpecker (Green or Great Spotted), Thrush (Mistle or Song), Blackbird, Finch, Robin, Sparrow, Crows, Tit (Blue, Great or Long-tailed), Jackdaw, Magpie, Dove, Starling, Swift, Jay, Wren, Gull (Herring or Black-headed), Parakeet and Pigeon (Wood or Feral). Bring binoculars and a pocket bird ID guide, if you have them, but if not, don’t worry – we can share.
Everyone is welcome, but children must be accompanied by a parent or adult known to them. Those under 8 might be bored, so you need to judge if it is for them.
PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU PLAN TO COME
Contact: Robin (robisharp@googlemail.com, 020 8969 0381) or Judith (juditharose@yahoo.co.uk).
Fortunately the birds in the park were undeterred by overcast and windy weather that greeted the smaller than usual number of walkers that joined us on 21st May. The birds were active everywhere and altogether the five walkers spotted 17 species. It was good to see a pair of Blue Tits flying to and from a nest entered via a tiny hole in the soffit board above the café. Less surprising were another pair in a purpose-built suspended nest box in the woodland walk, close by a hole in a tree from which Parakeets were coming and going. The pitch and putt course yielded three handsome Mistle Thrushes, two Goldfinches and a Great Spotted Woodpecker which seemed to have been using the cut-off section of a newly pruned willow branch for drilling practice. Finally a quick recce of Chevening Road east produced the hoped for Swift. Here is a full list of the birds spotted.
| Name | Number |
| Blackbird | 4 male and female |
| Chaffinch | 4 |
| Crow | 4 |
| Goldfinch | 2 |
| Blackbird | 4 male and female |
| Chaffinch | 4 |
| Crow | 4 |
| Goldfinch | 2 |
| Gull, Herring (Black-Headed) | 2 |
| Magpie | 2 |
| Parakeet | 4 |
| Pigeon, Feral | Many |
| Pigeon, Wood | 1 |
| Robin | 2 |
| Starling | Many |
| Swift | 1 |
| Thrush, Mistle | 5 |
| Tit, Blue | 4 |
| Tit, Great | 2 |
| Woodpecker, Great Spotted | 1 female |
| Wren | 2 |
Please join us for a stroll through Queen’s Park and Paddington Cemetery. Meet at the park café at 9.30am. The walk will take about 90 minutes, but people can join or leave at any time. We will be looking out especially for Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Swifts. Bring binoculars if you have them, but if not, just bring yourself!
Last Saturday 23rd May was the day for QPARA’s annual birdwalk around Queen’s Park and Paddington Cemetery. The weather was sunny, the company of nine good and the birds were singing as we set off from the cafe. Seeing a blue tit popping in and out of what must have been a nest site in the corner of the cafe roof made a good start. The Quiet Garden was not quiet when it came to bird song. It also produced a greenfinch – a species that has been scarce recently due to disease – a splendid song thrush and a flock of starlings, including many young. Indeed we saw a lot more starlings in similar flocks of around 20 than we have ever done on previous walks. 6 walkers made it round the Cemetery as well, two of whom spotted a goldfinch as they were leaving.
Mistle thrush