A Letter from Brent River Park, London

This week's 'Letter from' is a letter from my old local patch of Brent River Park, in west London. 

Brent River Park is a narrow, winding patchwork of wildflower and hay meadows, recreational parks, playing fields, golf courses and allotments in the west London borough of Ealing. It skirts 7 km of a shallow and unfortunately rather polluted river, covering 400 ha of green space in the Brent valley. A trail called the Brent River Path runs through the park, and joins up with the Grand Union Canal Walk, providing a vehicle-free link to the River Thames. Apart from the picturesque canal, another national heritage monument is the picture-postcard Wharncliffe Viaduct, which used to be (but unfortunately is no longer) home to a colony of Brown Long-eared Bats.

A Canada Goose having a stretch.

I first started birding sometime in the late naughties, and Brent River Park, being on my doorstep, was the place I would escape to on winter morning or summer evening walks, trying to spot and identify, not only birds, but wildflowers and other forms of life. Living in a built-up suburban area, this slither of natural environment was a much-welcomed retreat from the sprawling mass of brick and tarmac which seemed to have no end.

The aggressive behaviour of an Egyptian Goose.

A fair number of bird species can be found here, and I counted 68 in the few years that I was a casual birder. Waterfowl abound, with wild, feral, hybrid and domestic geese and duck species found on the river, canal and ponds. The nicest of these are the gorgeous Mandarin Duck; an exotic species which nests in tree cavities, and the shy little Teal which visits the river in small numbers in winter. 

Several gull species have become a common sight, having adapted to city life by scavenging human waste in parks and school playgrounds. The highest number I recorded was over 500 Black-headed Gulls on a golf course in July. 

Mallards are a common sight on the River Brent and are easily approached.

Raptors include the spectacular Sparrowhawk, which frequents the wooded parts of golf courses. I once saw a Red Kite (a species which had been re-introduced in a neighbouring county) riding air currents high above the park; an observation which, according to my records, lasted for 78 minutes. So this was no flyover, but an actively interested predator. The golf courses are riddled with rabbit warrens, which could perhaps sustain raptors such as this and the Buzzard which I have also recorded in the park. The Kestrel though, is by far the most common bird of prey, conspicuous in its habit of hovering above meadows in search of mice or voles. There are Little and Tawny Owls too, which roost and nest in the mature trees of the golf courses. 

A Kestrel with its prey.

Of the corvid family, there are several representatives (although no ravens or rooks unfortunately), but the Jay is the prettiest, and being a vegetarian, it is far more amiable than its omnivorous cousins, the Crow and Magpie, which terrorise other birds in the breeding season; for example by snatching Wood Pigeon eggs or violently disputing territory with the Mistle Thrush. The Jackdaw is another cousin of this family which does not live in urban areas, but can be found in small family groups in mature oaks on the golf courses. 

A Tawny Owl chick asleep in a willow tree in March.

The Tit family is well-represented here too, with Great, Blue, and Coal Tits being frequent visitors to garden bird feeders; while in the park in winter, the dome-shaped nests of the Long-tailed Tit are easily spotted in the bare branches of trees. 

Two recently fledged Blue Tits at the feeding station of my fourth-floor flat.

Many colourful finch species are also seen and heard in gardens here, especially the Chaffinch and Goldfinch; while in the park the Greenfinch (a species severely affected by trichomonosis disease in recent decades) may be found, although nowhere near as frequently as the former species; and if you are lucky and determined, the shy and retiring Bullfinch may be spotted too. The tiniest birds around are the surprisingly loud Wren which haunts the undergrowth of unkept gardens, and the regal Goldcrest which is barely audible or noticeable as it hops about in the yew trees of St Mary's churchyard. Both species are about as big as my thumb.

A Greenfinch.

On the open golf courses there are large flocks of Starling which perform impressive aerial displays at dusk. There are two woodpecker species there too. The Green Woodpecker is most venturesome, often flying between copses and squawking as loudly as the Ring-necked Parakeets which are now as numerous here as pigeons. The Spotted Woodpecker prefers to communicate by rapidly drumming on tree trunks with its beak. 

A Green Woodpecker feeding on ants.

Fish-eating birds do exist, but are not as populous as they might be if the river was cleaned and could return to its pre-industrial state, when Hanwell was still a village surrounded by farmland. Grey Heron is the largest, followed by the Great Cormorant which may be seen diving in the deeper waters of the canal. The Kingfisher is quite rare in these parts and hard to find, but I have seen it once or twice, darting like a blue arrow across the waterways. 

A Kingfisher in Brent Valley Golf Course.

The Tern too appears in my birding records, but I struggle to remember exactly where I saw this bird. It is now ten years since I birded this patch, and in the years I was active there, I never encountered another birder. Even so, it seems like a worthwhile effort to describe the avian population, for the benefit of the park authorities, local residents or London birders of neighbouring boroughs.

The best songsters here are the familiar Robin which sings year-round, tending to perch on garden fences waiting for worms to pop out of the ground so it can swoop down on them. The Blackbird is another talented singer which likes to deliver its sultry song from chimney pots in springtime. The Song Thrush too is delightful, but to hear it you must venture into the park and seek it in the dense undergrowth of scrubland. 

A Mute Swan.

Other fine voices belong to summer visitors; namely the warblers, of which the Blackcap (which has a small over-winter population) is by far the best. But even if their voices are screechy, harsh, weak or monotonous, the other warblers (Whitethroat, Reed and Willow Warbler, and Chiffchaff respectively) which breed in this part of London are no less appreciated. The Swift is the most noticeable spring arrival as it flies incessantly above the houses, and is a sure sign that the long winter is finally over. Sadly, there is no Swallow or House Martin colony which regularly breeds in the park; this reminds me that after all, it is not truly the countryside, and despite the verdant surroundings, the cold, hard, urban sprawl yet encompasses the park for miles around. 

A very welcome Redwing.

Winter is a dreaded time of year, not only because it is particularly long, dark and damp in England, but because we have to say goodbye to many of our feathered friends. But to compensate our loss, there are a few nice winter visitors who are themselves fleeing the heavier snows of Scandinavia. The Fieldfare and Redwing are the main ones, and you see them spread out over muddy football fields, pecking at seeds in the ground. The Pied Wagtail is another obvious one, as they are very often seen in pairs, bobbing their tails on the pavements and in carparks. 

A Greylag Goose.

When spring finally comes around again, aside from the augmented breeding population, there are passage migrants like the Whinchat, Linnet and Spotted Flycatcher, which add a bit of excitement to an ordinary day of birding. I'm sure a dedicated birder would find a few rarities here too during the peak periods of spring and autumn migration. An aerial photo of the park shows that it is very likely a significant stop-over site for birds crossing the city, as it is a substantial belt of green in a sea of grey.

There are efforts (or at least ambitions) of the local council to improve the park by restoring historic sites, officially protecting important habitats of biodiversity like wildflower meadows, and making the place more hospitable to wildlife in general by cleaning up the river. But it will take a lot of effort, funding and political will before Brent River Park becomes a true natural haven for wildlife.

Maurizio is the founder of Danang Bird Club, a non-profit organisation focused on citizen science, education and advocacy for the conservation of Vietnamese avifauna. He is the author of Birdwatching in Central Vietnam; a guide to the region’s rich avian diversity. He is currently an annotator for Merlin Sound ID Asia, helping to train the app we all use to identify more Vietnamese bird sounds. With his tour company Avis, he offers science-informed wildlife experiences throughout Central Vietnam’s most iconic landscapes.

Readers of this blog would love to know about the birds in your area too. If you are interested in sharing what makes your local patch special, wherever you are in the world, please write to the editor at danangbirdclub@gmail.com or contact him through one of the social media channels.