A close view was had of Two Lesser Redpolls half way down By-way 105 on the banks of the Cray on 20th January, feeding on Willowherb seeds. In addition, a somewhat fuzzy three-quarter rear view camera trap image captured by Wren Rose at nearby Thames Road Wetland in mid December last year has now been confirmed by Ralph Todd as being this species. Two individuals were also seen on the sewer pipe embankment here a couple of winters ago.
This red-listed bird is infrequently seen in Bexley, with reports tending to come from habitats with standing water. Ralph’s July-December 2016 ‘Bexley Bird Report’ says there were just seven Lesser Redpoll notifications in the period, including five seen at Foots Cray Meadows, Crayford Marshes with a maximum of four birds, three at Danson Park on 20th October and nine at Crossness on the 25th. To these can now be added the December TRW bird.
For further information see:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/l/lesserredpoll/
As ever “Ralph Todd” <rbtodd@btinternet.com> wants to hear about interesting bird sightings in the Borough, bird counts and roosts of species such as House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Starling and Little Egret.
Chris Rose
