Wanstead Park : 1st October

Where I saw three Shovelers and Nine Tuftys - I always think it should be an 'even' number, but that's what I saw.  Perhaps the 'missing' ones were hiding somewhere else.

Dell Bridge

I had a nice sighting of two Wrens fairly close together in amongst the foliage.

Ornamental Waters

Various Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, and Tuftys

Two Grey Herons (in different areas) - one of which was being bothered by a Carrion Crow

Three Cormorants up in the dead trees

Two Mute Swans + four cygnets

and four pairs of Gadwalls. They were skulking away at the end of the Ornamental Waters towards the Pump House.  As I tried to get nearer to take some pics, they became very nervous, and flew off.  After I continued on walking for several minutes, I came across another four pairs of Gadwalls.  They weren't found in the direction the others flew off towards, but as it's the same amount, I'm not sure whether it's a coincidence, or the same group.

Heronry Pond

Various Coots, Mallards, Moorhens, and Black Headed Gulls

Two Little Grebes

Two Shovelers

and another rat scuttling in the undergrowth - I keep hoping it will turn out to be an interesting mammal!

Shoulder of Mutton Pond

Not as 'busy' as the other ponds, so I was able to count :

Twenty One Black Headed Gulls

Four Coots

One Mallard

Two Mute Swans (no cygnets)

Two Moorhens

and three Jays in the general area nearby

I noticed that the Drake Mallards now seem to have regained their colour, after the recent 'eclipse' stage.

There was also some tree felling going on.  I heard the chainsaw noise at one stage when I was walking around the Ornamental Waters.  About half an hour later, I reached where the work had been going on.  It was near the bit where you can walk across a small bridge to the Ilford side.  They didn't seem to be City of London workers, but said they were taking down trees which were decaying, and were therefore dangerous to the pathway.