Brent Reservoir NR Report: 12 July 2026

Highlights: Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 3 separate Common Tern Chicks, 2 Little Egret, 2 Sand Martin, Northern Shoveler, singing Reed Warbler & Blackcap.

SIX of us, including David C. & son Elliot (13), met on Cool Oak Lane, NW9, footbridge for the regular second Sunday of the month Birdwalk, led by Bob Husband & John Colmans, with Haydn & Frank. This was the second week of the third hot spell of summer 2026, with today’s temperature reaching 30 degrees Celsius, but tempered by a strong ENE wind. Seventeen Mute Swans gathered east of the bridge and a Great Spotted Woodpecker called as we approached the Main Hide to view the reported waders.

Main Hide: We soon located the Green and two Common Sandpipers. Three separate Common Tern chicks, with attendant vigilant adults, occupied New Rafts 5 & 12 and on the temporary debris island between New Rafts 4 & 5. Of the 155 raucous Black-headed Gulls 10 were recently fledged juveniles, the second successive year that they have bred here. The North Marsh also held 90 Black-headed Gulls including more advanced juveniles probably indicating that they fledged elsewhere. Other signs of successful breeding included juvenile Grey Heron, Egyptian Geese, Mute Swan (with 6 cygnets), Little (2 grebelings) & Great Crested Grebes (2 grebelings), Coots and Moorhen.

A Greylag Goose accompanied the 46 noisy Canada Geese and 17 vocal Egyptian Geese (actually a type of Shelduck). Cormorants do not (yet?) breed here but three immature Cormorants, sat on the usual log. Later we found two adult Cormorants in the North Marsh. As usual the larger gulls, mostly Herring (c.20) & Lesser Black-backed (7), occupied the middle of the reservoir along with the majority of the 150 Coot.

Two Sand Martins occasionally flitted across the water indicating locally resident birds. A distant Red Kite soared over the north shore eventually reaching the dam end of the reservoir. Red Kites are now becoming increasingly common, even in suburbia. The reintroduction programme has been so successful that the UK now holds 13% of the world’s population (per RSPB 2023).

Possibly, jaded by the overnight FIFA World Cup Football (quarter final England 2 Norway 1) and the heat of the day, only Frank and Bob proceeded to check the Sparrowhawk nest. No sign of adults or young, the birds having fledged the previous day.

North Marsh: Held 26 Gadwall, 38 Tufted Duck (including 4 or 5 ginger coloured birds – juveniles bred earlier elsewhere?), 2 Grey Heron (adult & juvenile), 2 female Mallard with one duckling and another with 4 ducklings, 2 partial eclipse drake Mallard, Moorhen juvs, nesting Coots, a pair of nesting Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose family (adult & 2 juvs), 2 Little Grebe with 2 quite small stripy young, 2 adult Cormorant, 90 Black-headed Gulls (inc. juvs) and a calling Green Woodpecker. When scrutinising the ducks for the reported Teal we discovered a female Shoveler.

Species List: Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose, SHOVELER, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Great Cormorant, Red Kite, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot,  COMMON SANDPIPER, GREEN SANDPIPER, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern,  Feral Rock Dove, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, COMMON KINGFISHER (JC), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Ring-necked Parakeet, Eurasian Jay (FO’S), Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Sand Martin, Western House Martin, Common Reed Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Greenfinch. Total = 39 (BOURC British Birds List Updated 11 December 2025)

Also Reported: 3 Eurasian Teal, Collared Dove, 100 Common Swift, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti’s Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Common Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Song Thrush, Eurasian Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail. Plus an additional Green Sandpiper. (Ben Watt).

Insects: Broad-bodied Chaser, Emperor Dragonfly. Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, many Gatekeeper Butterflies.  Jersey Tiger Moth.

Next Birdwalk – 10.00am Sunday 9 August 2026. Names to Bob (020 8441 8742)

NB. Please do NOT attend events if you have cold or flu symptoms.

R. A. (Bob) Husband, RSPB Group Leader (group.rspb.org.uk/nwlondon)