At around 2pm, Calum Mckellar and I travelled to Wanstead Flats, a vast area of scrubland in Redbridge, east London. The previous day, a Rustic Bunting from Siberia had been found by a local birder, so we were on the lookout for this lost bird, with high hopes of twitching it. At the car park, We met David Walsh and James, another young naturalist, and we walked for a few minutes to a large bush, where a small crowd had gathered with their scopes. I briefly met Dante Shepherd (another young birder), and we set up our scopes around the bush. The cacophonous sound of camera shutters filled the air, as a small bird appeared from behind a log underneath the bush- the Bunting!
We got impressive views of it, and in the sunlight, it looked like a completely different bird. I don't know if any other birders noticed, but as well as the Bunting, there were superb views of London too. While the Bunting disappeared for a few minutes, large flocks of Parakeets flew over, causing much excitement. However, I wasn't, because they wake me up every morning (that's not to say I don't like them). When it reappeared for the last time in the sunlight, the Bunting looked like a completely different bird, showing its beautiful feathers, which were various shades of brown.
After a successful twitch, we headed back to the car park, where James' brother found a Stonechat- another lifer!
The shy Rustic Bunting
Record shot of the Bunting
Stonechat in a field next to the car park
Canary Wharf
Residential towers in Newham, with central London in the distance
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