London Wetland Centre, Barnes

Habitat – ponds, lagoons, islands, grazing marsh, reedbeds, scrub, trees.

Spring
Wheatears and wagtails on the grazing marsh. Warblers will be returning: willow, sedge, grasshopper and garden, plus blackcaps, whitethroats and lesser whitethroats. Common terns come back in April to nest on the tern rafts. Also expect to see the first house martins, swifts and yellow wagtails in April. Lapwing on nests, redshanks and little ringed plovers,

Summer
Lapwings, little ringed plovers, great crested and little grebes, gadwall, mallards, pochards and tufted duck broods on the reserve. Common terns on the main lake rafts.

Sand martins, summer migrants, nest in the sand bank created for them.

Autumn
Migrant wading birds including black-tailed godwits, green sandpipers and greenshanks.

As foliage disappears from the trees possible sightings of Cetti’s warblers and long-tailed tits.

Increasing numbers of wintering ducks – shoveler, teal, gadwall and wigeon.

Winter
Teal, wigeon and shoveler on the main lake.

Over-wintering numbers of gadwall and shoveler ducks are nationally significant and one of the reasons London Wetland Centre is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Elusive bitterns are present throughout winter and there are regularly up to six on the reserve. Possible water rail.

More info: http://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london/