Somehow I had managed to completely miss last evenings report of Rustic Bunting at Wanstead! So when I checked the news services this morning around 8.30am panic set in!
A mad dash around the house followed, and we were soon on route to Wanstead. The tail-end of the rush hour traffic and the locked car park on Centre Road delayed us further. Eventually, we had to park along Capel Road and walk across the playing fields and through East Copse. But as we emerged from East Copse the mood lifted. Standing along the edge of the football pitches was a group of 20-30 birders all looking intently towards the ploughed and burnt out field close to Long Wood.
The Bunting was still present but was currently hidden among the clods of mud. Fortunately, it soon appeared giving superb views. It was feeding in close proximity to 4-5 Pied Wagtails. It remained in this area for over an hour, before taking flight towards the long grass.
It was over an hour before it was re-found. It flew overhead calling before dropping down close to its original location in the burnt-out area. Soon it took flight again and this time flew high over the distant copse before being seen to drop down again. We decided this was the time to head for home.
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Birders were saying this was the third London record, but I could only find one other accepted record for London. A female that stayed at Beddington sewage-farm from 9th February-13th March in 1993.
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