Green woodpeckers (above) didn’t breed on site but the juveniles from nearby Abney Park visited very regularly in July, they could frequently be seen on the main path around the reservoir where they can feed on ants. The boardwalk proved to be a hotspot for juvenile birds with a family of reed buntings (below) being seen there fairly often.

A juvenile Cetti’s warbler (below) which frequented the boardwalk in June continued to feed there in July and by the end of the month it was independent and adult-like in appearance.

Common terns (below) continued to visit from the Walthamstow nesting colony, with a high count of four being seen together on the 3^rd. Little egrets also often made the journey here from Walthamstow, usually a single bird but sometimes two.

In 2020 a flock of well over one hundred moulting shoveler built up through autumn and we may be seeing the early stages of a similar accumulation this year. Two birds arrived in mid-July and five were seen on the 31^st. Teal records were less frequent, with only a single bird being seen.

Although no raptors breed within the site boundary, the frequency of visits in July from peregrine, sparrowhawk and hobby suggests that all three are breeding within a few miles of here. Surprisingly in the last couple of years, the hobby has taken over from kestrel as our third most common raptor. 

Three swallows passed over on the 17^th, an unusual record for mid-July, and a few of both house martin and sand martin were seen. Swift numbers remained roughly level through July, with around a hundred present given the right weather conditions.

The total number of bird species seen here in July 2021 was 61, a low total for July, with the lack of exposed mud here during the month probably being a key factor.