Wanstead Wildlife
Birds
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The bird most historically associated with Wanstead Park is perhaps the heron. It is suggested that herons were brought to the area by Sir John Heron in the 16th Century to mark his name. The bird figures in the borough's arms and is still quite a familiar motif in the area. They once nested on the trees of Lincoln Island, but steadily decreased in number when the Walthamstow Reservoirs became more attractive to the birds. However, non breeding birds are still a common sight, particularly on the Ornamental Waters.
The birds that have been sighted in and from Wanstead Park comprise almost all of the species that have been recorded by us from all of southern Epping Forest! The list below may be compared with that shown in Wildlife of the Area.
Those shown bold are thought to have bred in Wanstead Park, those in italics are escapes, infrequent visitors, or uncommon now.
| Little Grebe | Breeds on Shoulder of Mutton, Perch and Heronry ponds and the Ornamental Waters (photo) |
| Great Crested Grebe | Breeds on Shoulder of Mutton, Perch and Heronry ponds and the Ornamental Waters (photo) |
| Black-necked Grebe | Has been seen on Shoulder of Mutton Pond |
| Gannet | Once on Shoulder of Mutton Pond after severe weather |
| Cormorant | Common (photo) |
| Little Egret | Has been seen by River Roding; two on Ornamental Waters on 29 Jan 2002 |
| Grey Heron | Common (photo) |
| Canada Goose | Common (photo) |
| Greylag Goose | Occasional - perhaps strays from Alexandra Lake on Wanstead Flats |
| Mute Swan | Breeds on all lakes (photo) |
| Black Swan | One arrived on Heronry Pond on Nov 5th 2006, then on to Ornamental Waters. (photo) |
| Mallard | Breeds on all lakes - though much less common now. (photo) |
| Teal | An occasional visitor, increasing in recent years |
| Gadwall | Common (photo) |
| Wigeon | Uncommon |
| Garganey | One male on Heronry Pond on 3 April 2002 (photo) |
| Shoveler | Common (photo) |
| Red-crested Pochard | Has occurred, probably as an escape, in Wanstead Park |
| Ruddy Duck | Increasingly common, seen on Shoulder of Mutton and Heronry Ponds (photo) |
| Pochard | Fairly common (photo) |
| Tufted Duck | Common, may breed on all lakes (photo) |
| Mandarin Duck | Very uncommon |
| Goldeneye | Very uncommon |
| Smew | Very uncommon |
| Sparrowhawk | Common |
| Buzzard | Has been seen passing overhead |
| Hobby | Has bred |
| Kestrel | Common |
| Water Rail | Infrequently in the Dell and by the west end of the Perch Pond. In Perch Pond on 1st January 2006 and again on 10 February 2006. (photo) |
| Moorhen | Breeds on all lakes (photo) |
| Coot | Breeds on all lakes (photo) |
| Lapwing | Occasionally seen passing overhead |
| Common Sandpiper | Occasional passage birds - particularly by Heronry Pond |
| Woodcock | Has been seen over Warren Wood and Lincoln Island - but not for years |
| Black-headed Gull | Common (photo) |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | Uncommon (photo) |
| Common Gull | Common |
| Common Tern | Two or three use the Ornamental Waters or Perch Pond for feeding. |
| Wood Pigeon | Common (photo) |
| Feral Pigeon | Usually only at edge of Park near Northumberland Avenue (photo) |
| Stock Dove | Common |
| Collared Dove | Common, but in small numbers |
| Cuckoo | Usually heard for a few days each Spring |
| Tawny Owl | Less often heard in recent years |
| Swift | Common |
| Kingfisher | Has bred successfully in one site for some years. A second nest site was located in 2002. Two birds, possibly three, seen on Heronry Pond 1st Jan 2006 |
| Green Woodpecker | Common |
| Greater Spotted Woodpecker | Common, heard drumming from Christmas onwards in 2005. |
| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | Uncommon. One reported in February 2006 |
| Skylark | One or two over the Plain |
| Sand Martin | Seen on passage, usually over Shoulder of Mutton or Heronry Ponds |
| Swallow | Small numbers |
| House Martin | Much less common than a few years ago when many nested locally |
| Meadow Pipit | Uncommon |
| Yellow Wagtail | Uncommon |
| Grey Wagtail | Fairly common |
| Pied Wagtail | Common (photo) |
| Wren | Common |
| Dunnock | Common |
| Sedge Warbler | Rarely heard in Spring - one by Shoulder of Mutton on 2 June 2002 |
| Garden Warbler | One reported most summers from River Wood near Roding |
| Blackcap | Common |
| Whitethroat | Small numbers |
| Lesser Whitethroat | Uncommon |
| Willow Warbler | Were common, however few were heard in 2002 and subsequent years. A few heard from early April 2006 seems promising. |
| Chiffchaff | Common |
| Goldcrest | Common |
| Spotted Flycatcher | Uncommon |
| Wheatear | Occasional on passage on the Plain |
| Robin | Common (photo) |
| Fieldfare | Varies from winter to winter |
| Blackbird | Common |
| Redwing | Varies from winter to winter |
| Song Thrush | Still present, but less common |
| Mistle Thrush | Common |
| Long-tailed Tit | Common (photo) |
| Coal Tit | Fairly common, though decreasing |
| Blue Tit | Common |
| Great Tit | Common |
| Nuthatch | Much less common recently |
| Treecreeper | Much less common recently |
| Yellowhammer | Uncommon |
| Reed Bunting | Uncommon |
| Chaffinch | Fairly common |
| Brambling | Has been seen in gardens adjacent to the Park |
| Greenfinch | Less common in recent years |
| Siskin | Some winters provide good sized flocks, particularly by Perch Pond and Dell |
| Goldfinch | Less common in recent years |
| Linnet | Uncommon |
| Redpoll | Uncommon |
| Bullfinch | Less common in recent years |
| House Sparrow | Sometimes seen near park perimeters, particularly by Northumberland Avenue |
| Tree Sparrow | Used to breed in old sewage works site - but no longer |
| Starling | Common (photo) |
| Jay | Common |
| Magpie | Common (photo) |
| Jackdaw | Increasingly common, up to thirteen seen in the Aldersbrook area in 2001, approx 50 in 2006 (photo) |
| Carrion Crow | Common (photo) |
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