The Lido in Lockdown

It's been an unusual year all around the world, with the lockdown meaning I had the longest time I've ever had off school, and a lot of other changes going on, with social distancing and the closing down of many businesses. It meant that for a long time I couldn't travel anywhere, including my old patch, Stocker's Lake. Living in a mostly urban area, there aren't really any birding places or reserves within walking distance. 

Wheatear with the beach and pirate ship in the background 

But there is one - Ruislip Lido, which I do visit a few times a year to go birding. I have always rejected this place as a patch in the past because it's just an overcrowded tourist site in the summer - it has an artificial beach with climbing frames and a cafe, there are always people swimming in the water here and most of the wader habitat, even though there isn't much already, is disturbed by people breaking open or climbing over the fences to sit by the water on the other side. The site is almost unbirdable in the summer months or 'good' weather, so I spend most of my time avoiding the place.

However, with the lockdown, the beach has been closed and the grass areas on one side of the water have been completely fenced off. This gave me an opportunity to start visiting the place again, more regularly than I ever had before. Considering my past experiences, it was a surprise to even see birds at this site, so it was exciting when a Wheatear arrived in the middle of April. I thought this would be the peak of the spring when a few days later, a Little-Ringed Plover appeared on the beach, closed off to the public because of lockdown - it was already better than I expected.

Little Ringed Plover 

Apart from my first Swifts of the year, and a few hirundines including Sand Martins, there wasn't much else here all spring, which was disappointing given the way it started. I spent many hours standing around in Poor's Field, one of the fields next to the Lido, to look for migrants, but had almost nothing. Maybe I just didn't visit often enough. 

It was later in the year, at the start of August, that I had the motivation to visit regularly again. I decided to go every morning and spend 2 - 3 hours looking for migrants in Poor's Field. Poor's Field is a small field at Ruislip Lido, heavily disturbed by walkers, dog-walkers and runners, even in the early mornings, when I visit, although disturbance is limited this early, luckily. It is pretty much the only real passerine migrant habitat at the whole site - while stuff can turn up anywhere, this sort of habitat is the only one similar to the other London parks and migrant hotspots, like Regent's Park or Wormwood Scrubs. 

Even when birding is slow, there are always things like Willow Warbler around to see 

The habitat in Poor's Field is fine, the only problem is the size of the place - compared to anywhere else I know of that gets migrants regularly in London, it's tiny - you can walk around it in 5 minutes, and can see the whole field by standing in one spot. Because of this, I didn't expect much but I hoped that with all the time I spent there something like a Spotted Flycatcher would eventually turn up, although I wasn't confident. I started going there every morning - for almost a week there was nothing in the field, but Common Sandpiper, Redshank and Ringed Plover were exciting waders to see during this quiet period. I was close to giving up at this point, with nothing more than a Lesser Whitethroat and a few Willow Warblers in the field. However, on the 18th August, I arrived to the field and a Spotted Flycatcher was almost the first bird I saw, exactly what I had been hoping for. It was a great bird to see on patch, and gave me the motivation to come back for the next couple of weeks. 

The next day started with a couple of Green Sandpipers flying around the Lido, making themselves obvious by calling constantly. Surprisingly, a Tree Pipit flew over, calling twice - a great bird on patch, which I assumed would be the only one I would see there. 

Spotted Flycatcher 

I met up with another London birder, Kabir Kaul (who also patches the site), a couple of days later, where we saw some interesting birds such as an increased number of Pochards and a lot of fresh Willow Warblers. When I was heading back I heard a familiar call from beside the water - a Yellow Wagtail, which eventually emerged from the vegetation and showed itself. This is a bird I expected as a flyover, but to see one perched on the edge of the water was exciting.

Yellow Wagtail 

Another morning on patch, and I assumed that all the best birds had passed, and that it would get quieter again. Opening the local chat to check what others had seen around London that day, I saw a message about a couple of grounded Tree Pipits at a site not to far away. In the middle of reading this message, something flew up from my feet, called and landed in the nearest tree - amazingly, a Tree Pipit! I'd always thought of flyover Tree Pipits as a possibility, but to see one on the deck was so much better. 

Tree Pipit

The bird then dropped onto the path, where it was immediately flushed by walkers. It then spent the next 10 minutes circling the field, landing briefly in a few trees, before moving on, calling constantly. I, once again, thought birding couldn't get better than this here. The following day proved me wrong. 

I woke up early, expecting nothing, walked to the field and stood in my favourite spot, facing a line of trees bordering the woodland. There were a couple of singing Willow Warblers and a few Chiffchaffs in the bushes, so I stayed here a bit longer. I was watching a Chiffchaff when I noticed more movement at the bottom of one the bushes - I checked a bird sitting on an open branch, expecting another Chiffchaff, to see the unmistakable white wing bar and jet-black legs of a Pied Flycatcher! I took a quick record shot before watching the bird feed and fly-catch in the closest trees, allowing for some great views. 

Pied Flycatcher

It had been a good year for Pied Flycatchers, and for the the whole of August I was seeing records of them in all the typical places, like Regent's Park, and from a few new sites as well. Because of this, I always hoped one word turn up here, but never actually expected it - in fact I spent most of my mornings at this site before the bird turned up thinking about Pied Flycatchers, and how great it would be for one to appear in this field. Looking at past records, it looks like this is the first one seen here for 20 years as well.     

But this wasn't the end of the day - a few other local birders turned up, but I unfortunately couldn't relocate the Pied Flycatcher, except once briefly and distantly. However, while looking, another Spotted Flycatcher appeared with a tit flock, the 2nd one of the year. Even more excitingly, a Redstart briefly sat in the same bush the Pied Flycatcher was in, reappearing later and calling constantly. A lesser Whitethroat joined the Chiffchaffs, and when I was about to leave, a couple of Yellow Wagtails flew over. 

It was a strange thing that on that day of patch birding a London tourist site, I saw more migrants than I did when I took the 7 mile round walk down to Spurn Point and that, for the first time, I would have preferred to be on my patch than anywhere else in the UK. I was even motivated enough to finally submit sightings on the London Bird Sightings website. 

There is no doubt this day was the highlight, but the next few days were still great. Another Redstart and flyover Tree Pipit appeared the next week, with my first Whinchat for the patch appearing soon after as well, along with an even better looking Redstart. Another Spotted Flycatcher was sighted by other birders, and the Green Sandpiper re-appeared a couple of times. In between these days, Willow Warblers, Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Swallow passage, flocks of Siskin, Chiffchaffs, Kingfisher, Hobby, Kestrel, Green Woodpeckers, Swifts and many other birds were around to to keep me entertained.

Whinchat

An amazing year on patch (so far!), starting with me being amazed that a Wheatear turned up, and ending with a variety of migrants that equalled the most watched migrant hotspots in London. I never expected this small, heavily disturbed field to get such a variety. There are still problems with the site - dozens of off-lead dogs running around the field, with a few attacking the resident cows, people breaking open the fences to sit by the water and the fact the place is only birdable in the early morning or in heavy rain, but I have finally started to actually like the place.

 Redstart 

I am excited to visit regularly for the rest of the year, although it will be harder with school. With everything I've seen recently, I don't really need to see anything more to prove the place can be good for birding though.