Never had one visit before to my knowledge. Got me thinking that I've been lucky enough to see stacks of wildlife in SE23 over the past 5 years.
What have you spotted?
In our garden / nearby trees (most common at top, rarest at bottom):
Robin
Tits (coal / blue / blue / long tailed)
Blackbird
Pigeon
Crow
Parakeet
Magpie
Wood pigeon
Dunnock
Gull (not sure what type)
Fox
Great spotted woodpecker
Wren
Starling
Goldfinch
Jay
Sparrow
Turtle doves
Thrush
Common Toad
Bat
Heron
Plus lots of spiders and about a billion snails.
And others spotted within 2 roads of technically being in SE23 (eg. the River Pool walk down by the Bell Green Sainsbury's or in nearby woods):
Lots of ducks
Moorhen
Rat
Chaffinch
Dragonfly
Kingfisher
Egret
Warbler (Sedge I think?)
Kestrel
Frog
Tree creeper
Seen anything noteworthy in recent months? I heard Sydenham Woods had an owl move in just before Christmas...
Newts spotted near Dunoon Road
If you are going to include rats then you should probably also include squirrels and mice.
And if you include snails then what about the slugs?
Swifts are quite common around Perry Rise, but bats are really common in the summer (much more common that sparrows).
Ah yeah, good point. You see tons of swifts up in the skies around my way (Perry Vale area).
If you want to see sparrows, then the trees and bushes (in the roads that lead down to the River Pool walk inbetween the Tesco and Sainsburys on Perry Hill) are literally full of them.
We have had frogs and newts in our pond, and a heron visit it.
I saw a pheasant crossing the South Circular one afternoon last summer, thought I was dreaming for a moment but there it was - traffic was stopping for it as it strolled across.
We found this poor dead pheasant on our terrace last autumn. No idea where it came from or how it got there.
Pheasant on Terrace.pdf (Size: 1.35 MB / Downloads: 370)
Turtle dove or collared dove? Lots of the latter but not seen the former in FH.
Best sighting we had was a Red Kite passing high overhead a few years back.
In terms of FH regulars around Devonshire Road (and ignoring ducks and other water loving birds) I would say:
Blackbird
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff (summer only)
Coal Tit
Collared Dove
Feral Pigeon
Goldcrest
Goldfinch
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Greenfinch
Green Woodpecker
Hedge Sparrow
Herring Gull
House Sparrow
Jay
Long-tailed Tit
Magpie
Nuthatch
Redwing (winter only)
Ring-necked Parakeet
Robin
Song Thrush
Sparrowhawk
Swift (summer only)
Wren
Could I ask where Tawny Owls reside locally if you know?
We have had the odd Bullfinch but not see one for a while. Never seen a blackcap though and neither do we get any sparrows here but I think there are some I've seen on my way to work nearer the station.
I know you've excluded water birds but I guess on this Thread we should mention for anyone interested in seeing Kingfishers I believe they are present in Lewisham on the River Pool, which I was amazed by when I first heard.
My only ever sighting of one was in Kelsey Park in Beckenham a couple of years ago.
Sydenham Hill Wood for Tawny Owls and also Blackcap, the latter of which we do see in the garden.
Saw a Tawny Owl fly right over the house once too, but have heard more often than seen one...
Yes, I've seen a kingfisher on the stretch of river immediately behind the Bell Green Sainsbury's - think it's the Ravensbourne at that point rather than the Pool.
The river Pool runs behind the 'savercentre' and a good place to see kingfishers is on the bridge at the bottom of Winsford Rd.
I've no idea what they eat along there - the river does not look to be teaming with fish to my eyes.
Woody No Longer Registered
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Joined: Oct 2006
I don't know if Tawny Owls reside locally but have heard them from the street and also on One Tree Hill as recently as last autumn. I was told a few years ago that there was a resident pair in Nunhead cemetery but I don't go there regularly enough to confirm.
I saw a female Blackcap in the garden over the weekend but I get the impression that their numbers can vary quite significantly depending on how cold the winter gets. At one point I would see them every week.
There are kingfishers on the local streams and rivers and have seen some photos and videos but I was asked not to disclose the location in case it results in unwelcome attention. Despite appearances the water is actually quite clean and I believe the birds typically have a territory of a mile or more which gives them a fair range.