As spring deepens, the bustling flocks of birds that have filled London’s skies and landscapes begin to thin, as many individuals pair off to start families. Yet, March still offers plenty of opportunities to witness the beauty of bird congregations, from the shimmering gatherings of starlings to the lively rookeries and the dwindling but still present flocks of ducks on our reservoirs.
Join us on 08 March as we explore the fascinating world of bird flocks in London. Discover where to spot the last large gatherings of tufted ducks, golden plovers, and lapwings, and learn about the social dynamics of rooks and jackdaws as they prepare for the breeding season. We’ll also take you on a journey to find the elusive yellowhammers, once common in Shakespeare’s time but now a rare sight in the city.
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Flocks
Many of the flocks of birds we are so used to seeing so far this year start to diminish as more and more individuals pair off to raise a family. This is especially true of tits, larks, buntings and finches. The change is a gradual one throughout the month and differs in timing from year to year. Either way there will still be flocks to see at the end of March. Starlings are still flocking and may well be doing the same in April or May. There are also still plenty of flocks of ducks to be seen on our reservoirs, most notably tufted duck, wigeon, pochard, teal, ruddy duck and possibly gadwall, shoveller and goldeneye. Similarly along the estuary you can still see flocks of redshank and golden plovers and perhaps lapwings and linnets in the fields nearby.
In March there are also various other congregations of birds e.g. meadow pipits and pied wagtails can sometimes be seen in numbers. Any flocks of gulls may be mainly made up of immature juveniles, the adults having flown away to nest. Long-tailed tits can still be seen together as so many aunts and uncles help with the feeding and raising of any young. Even though many wood pigeons have already paired we still see substantial flocks in the fields. Magpies are still having smaller noisy meetings with much tail wagging. Redwings and fieldfares, although not seen together in hedgerows, may be congregating on grass now prior to setting off for Scandinavia.
Other birds such as cormorants and herons just come together to breed communally in places like the wooded islands of Walthamstow reservoir. Jackdaws congregate around ruined buildings and quarries. Flocks of rooks probably give the most enjoyment due to their behaviour together in rookeries. The delicacy with which parents attend their nest together is in sharp contrast to the aerial acrobatics and clamour which occurs when the rookery is disturbed.
One of the most sought after flocks are those of yellowhammers. In Shakespeare’s time they were much more common with flocks of one hundred or more not being unusual. The bright yellow males are unmistakable but the females and juveniles are duller with more streaking. In Shakespeare’s play ‘All’s well that ends well’ Lafeu says “I took this lark for a bunting”, which is thought to refer to the amber-coloured females which are easily confused with larks. Early in the last century yellowhammers were still being seen in central London. Hudson (1898) wrote “I fear that the yellowhammer will not remain long in such pandemonium, the people of Wandsworth hardly deserving of such a bird”. He was right. They have been retreating ever since, the Ingrebourne valley where flocks can still be seen being something of a last refuge. Their presence was always thought to confirm that the area concerned could be called without correction ‘countryside’.
