Biking & Birding to Work > Fraser's Birding Website

Ring-necked Parakeet © Fraser Simpson

Cycling & Birding in London
I used cycle a minimum of 100 miles per week (before detours) to work from zone 4 in north London to zone 1 in the centre. In late January 2011 I decided to start a list of all species seen. My usual route took me through busy urban streets with the occasional diversions through parks and past reservoirs. In July 2015 I moved out to Purfleet in Essex, now cycling along the Thames estuary at RSPB Rainham Marshes each day to Rainham village where I catch the train in to east London, followed by a further cycle into the centre (100 miles/week before detours). Highlights have included Waxwing, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Yellow-browed Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Cattle Egret, Quail, Black-winged Stilt, Spotted Crake, Richard's Pipit, Iberian Chiffchaff and Wryneck.

The List | 2023 | 2022

No	Species	Date	Route	Location	Notes
161	Hen Harrier	26/01/23	usual	Rainham Marshes	Ringtail, west upriver
160	Golden Plover	12/12/22	usual	Rainham Marshes	Flew over Aveley Bay calling
159	Turnstone	09/09/22	usual	Rainham Marshes	Aveley Bay
158	Wryneck	06/09/22	usual	Rainham Marshes	On path through Rainham West
157	Black Redstart	09/05/22	usual	Holburn	Heard singing
156	Iberian Chiffchaff	05/05/22	detour	Regent's Park	Singing in Cricket Pen
155	Dark-bellied Brent Goose	07/01/22	usual	Rainham Marshes	1 on Wennington Marsh
154	Barnacle Goose	07/01/22	usual	Rainham Marshes	5 on Wennington Marsh
153	Long-eared Owl	17/11/21	usual	Rainham Marshes
152	Dartford Warbler	25/10/21	usual	Rainham Marshes	River wall, visitor centre
151	White Stork	30/06/21	usual	Rainham Marshes	Over landill/tip
150	Woodcock	30/11/20	usual	Rainham Marshes	2 flushed from path after 21:00
149	Richard's Pipit	10/11/20	usual	Rainham Marshes	Calling, landed in RSPB reserve
148	Siberian Chiffchaff	05/12/19	usual	Rainham Marshes	Coldharbour Lane
147	Goshawk	14/11/19	usual	Rainham Marshes	Male, Wennington Marshes
					Again Coldharbour Lane 05/12/19
146	Water Pipit	09/11/18	usual	Rainham Marshes	From Aveley Bay to marshes
144	Red Kite	08/03/18	usual	Rainham Marshes	Cyclepath at Wennington Marshes
144	Spotted Crake	27/09/17	detour	Ingrebourne Valley
143	Common Scoter	06/07/17	usual	Rainham Marshes	Female on River Thames
142	Marsh Warbler	02/06/17	usual	Rainham Marshes
141	Black-winged Stilt	10/05/17	usual	Rainham Marshes	Pair on Target Pools
					1 on 20/04/21, 1 on 05/05/23
140	Quail	08/05/17	usual	Rainham Marshes	Singing from former landfill
139	Grey Plover	05/05/17	usual	Rainham Marshes	River Darent mouth
138	Bar-tailed Godwit	05/05/17	usual	Rainham Marshes	River Darent mouth
137	Tree Sparrow	03/11/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Coldharbour Lane
136	Brambling	26/10/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Rainham North
135	Cattle Egret	24/10/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Wennington Marsh
134	Spoonbill	27/09/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Aveley Pools
133	Spotted Flycatcher	22/08/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Serin Mound
132	Glossy Ibis	11/08/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Purfleet Scrape
131	Ring Ouzel	25/04/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Coldharbour Lane
130	Arctic Tern	25/04/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Aveley Bay
129	Great Egret	20/04/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Aveley Pools
128	Cuckoo	19/04/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Aveley Bay
127	Merlin	08/03/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Wennington Marsh
126	Yellowhammer	02/02/16	usual	Rainham Marshes	Landfill at stone barges
125	Raven	05/11/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
124	Dunlin	05/11/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
123	Curlew	05/11/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
122	Pheasant	04/11/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
121	Short-eared Owl	04/11/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
120	Rock Pipit	04/11/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
119	Whinchat	17/08/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
118	Marsh Harrier	10/08/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
117	Greenshank	06/08/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
116	Stonechat	04/08/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
115	Grasshopper Warbler	22/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes	Rainham West
114	Whimbrel	20/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
113	Barn Owl	15/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
112	Corn Bunting	13/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
111	Linnet	13/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
110	Cetti's Warbler	13/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
109	Black-tailed Godwit	13/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
108	Redshank	13/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
107	Little Egret	13/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
106	Oystercatcher	13/07/15	usual	Rainham Marshes
105	Yellow-browed Warbler	27/10/14	detour	Regent's Park
104	Bearded Tit	25/02/13	detour	Hyde Park
103	Bittern	16/02/12	detour	Hampstead Heath
102	Treecreeper	16/02/12	detour	Hampstead Heath
101	Smew	10/02/12	detour	Regent's Park
100	Siskin	10/02/12	detour	Regent's Park
99	Skylark	06/02/12	detour	Brent Reservoir
98	Pintail	01/12/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
97	Mediterranean Gull	24/11/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
96	Jack Snipe	24/11/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
95	Yellow-legged Gull	17/11/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
94	Wigeon	19/09/11	detour	Regent's Park
93	Common Buzzard	12/05/11	usual	Child's Hill
92	Hobby	12/05/11	usual	Child's Hill
91	Ringed Plover	03/05/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
90	Common Sandpiper	03/05/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
89	Lesser Whitethroat	03/05/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
88	Swallow	03/05/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
87	House Martin	03/05/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
86	Swift	20/04/11	usual	Prince Albert Road
85	Willow Warbler	20/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
84	Whitethroat	18/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
83	Reed Warbler	18/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
82	Garden Warbler	18/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
81	Common Tern	18/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
80	Sedge Warbler	18/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
79	Shelduck	18/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
78	Little Ringed Plover	18/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
77	Lapwing	18/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
76	Collared Dove	02/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
75	Sand Martin	02/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
74	Kingfisher	01/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
73	Green Sandpiper	01/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
72	Great Black-backed Gull	01/04/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
71	Avocet	30/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
70	Meadow Pipit	28/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
69	Bullfinch	28/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
68	Blackcap	28/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
67	Tawny Owl	23/03/11	usual	Hendon
66	Peregrine	21/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
65	Ruddy Duck	21/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
64	Lesser Redpoll	21/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
63	Little Owl	19/03/11	detour	Regent's Park
62	Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	17/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
61	Fieldfare	17/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
60	House Sparrow	17/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
59	Sparrowhawk	16/03/11	detour	Regent's Park
58	Coal Tit	15/03/11	detour	Regent's Park
57	Greenfinch	15/03/11	usual	Hendon
56	Chiffchaff	14/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir	Singing - first heard this year
55	Reed Bunting	14/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
54	Snipe	14/03/11	detour	Brent Reservoir
53	Jackdaw	08/03/11	detour	Regent's Park
52	Redwing	24/02/11	usual	Lord's Cricket Ground	Nocturnal migrant
51	Lesser Black-backed Gull	09/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
50	Stock Dove	09/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
49	Pied Wagtail	08/02/11	usual	Hendon
48	Jay	04/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
47	Teal	04/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
46	Great Crested Grebe	03/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
45	Mandarin Duck	03/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
44	Red-crested Pochard	03/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
43	Grey Wagtail	02/02/11	usual	Hendon
42	Gadwall	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
41	Cormorant	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
40	Common Gull	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
39	Great Spotted Woodpecker	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
38	Egyptian Goose	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
37	Mute Swan	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
36	Grey Heron	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
35	Mistle Thrush	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
34	Greylag Goose	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
33	Canada Goose	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
32	Shoveler	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
31	Pochard	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
30	Tufted Duck	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
29	Moorhen	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
28	Little Grebe	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
27	Water Rail	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
26	Firecrest	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park	Pair in Leaf Yard Wood
25	Green Woodpecker	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
24	Wren	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
23	Ring-necked Parakeet	01/02/11	detour	Regent's Park
22	Herring Gull	01/02/11	usual	Regent's Canal	Over zoo
21	Song Thrush	01/02/11	usual	Regent's Canal	Singing, next to the zoo
20	Great Tit	01/02/11	usual	Golders Green
19	Robin	01/02/11	usual	Hendon	Singing
18	Goldfinch	01/02/11	usual	Hendon	Singing
17	Chaffinch	01/02/11	usual	Hendon	First sub-song of the year heard
16	Coot	31/01/11	usual	Regent's Canal
15	Waxwing	31/01/11	usual	West Hampstead	21 on 31-Jan, c100 on 1-Feb
14	Kestrel	28/01/11	usual	Prince Albert Road
13	Mallard	27/01/11	usual	Golders Green
12	Blue Tit	27/01/11	usual	Golders Green
11	Blackbird	27/01/11	usual	Golders Green
10	Long-tailed Tit	27/01/11	usual	Golders Green
9	Feral Pigeon	27/01/11	usual	Hendon
8	Black-headed Gull	27/01/11	usual	Hendon
7	Carrion Crow	27/01/11	usual	Hendon
6	Starling	27/01/11	usual	Hendon
5	Magpie	27/01/11	usual	Hendon
4	Wood Pigeon	27/01/11	usual	Hendon
3	Goldcrest	27/01/11	usual	Hendon
2	Dunnock	27/01/11	usual	Hendon
1	Nuthatch	27/01/11	usual	Hendon

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