Whereabouts are the parakeets round here then? Don’t think I have ever spotted any!
All the local parks are full of them. You’ll see them in gardens too depending on the trees you have. I see them stopping and passing go through my garden quite often. Before my cherry tree died they spent a lot of time in it, eating the leaves.
We have two very rall trees at the back of the garden and they flit between the two in the high branches.
What a great idea!
I have window feeders attached to my bedroom window and get lots of birds coming up to the window. It took a long time for them to know it was there - like 6 months. But now I can get to see them up close. We get robins coming, blue tits, great tits, parakeets, starlings, wood pigeons, jays, woodpeckers, goldfinches - it is a feast!
I have also seen on more than one occasion now red kites flying over my house. I was looking for the swifts and three red kites flew over!!!
Other birds in the garden I see are blackcaps and robins. I wish wish wish there were owls. House sparrows are also making a comeback.
And of course our - gorgeous swifts!
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Yes the guide is now up on the groups Facebook page as well as a guide on the boxes available to buy. I wanted to put it up here but not sure how?
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InstructionsThanks Chris - it is now up on the original post page.
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Just had baby starlings land on my windowsill!!! Very cute.
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If you don’t think you’ve seen parakeets, look up when you hear 2+ birds screeching to one another, and you’ll see these darts flying by. If you get a book called Birdsong, it has pictures and one of those press-button players. You’ll hear the most recognisable tweet of all, the wren’s long, loud, varied song always with a trill towards the end. Stunning.
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Not birds - but I think I’ve seen bats flitting about at dusk, anyone else?
I’ve not seen them around the house, but there are bat colonies around the area. There is a sizable on in Sydenham Hill Forest based in the old railway tunnel. I gather there may also be one in Dacres Wood. Seems reasonable the bats would hunt around the area.
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Good few bats flying around the side of the hill from Waldenshaw up to Horniman. We used to sit outside at dusk in summer and watch them flying around.
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Was just watching this fine fellow collect food from the lawn. Common but not our list I think…
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Hello all. Its been a while since last on this site. Birds are busy and gardens in Forest Hill are looking at their very best. Goldfinches flock to my bedroom window, Forest Hill, Wynell Road to feast on sunflower hearts or niger seed.
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Anyone know what this is? I have guessed at a juvenile Jay but it looked much bigger, though was pretty far up in a tree so I may have misjudged.
Its a Jay, which is the Crow, Corvid family
The swifts are back! They seem to prefer the Vale side of the tracks 
as they nest in Wynell Road (runs parallel with Mayow Road at the PV end) and Kilmorie Road (Stanstead Road end). No known nest site on the west side of the railway although someone claims to have seen 10 over Grassmount.
Lewisham Swifts is encouraging people to report swift sightings to them so they can plot them on a borough-wide map:
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Yes, the swifts are back! Swifts are known to be nesting in Forest Hill (in Kilmorie Road off Stanstead Road and in Wynell Road off Perry Vale) and are a common sight (and sound) in the skies above those areas. Swifts are summer visitors to the UK; they migrate here to nest and reproduce and are only seen from May to August.
Lewisham Swifts is inviting people to look out for swifts and report their sightings to us so that we can record them on a Lewisham-wide map.
You can also listen out for them - they have a distinctive ‘screaming’ call and there is an audio clip on the RSPB swift page. We have information on our blog about how to report swift sightings to us and, if you’re really keen, how to volunteer to do a swift survey.
Swift numbers have been declining for years. One of the reasons is that swifts nest in buildings (eg in roof soffits) but modern building materials don’t have small spaces that swifts can nest in. Swifts pair for life and return to the same nest year after year. Swift enthusiasts across the UK are trying to reverse the decline by finding swift nests and engaging with building owners to let them know how to protect their nests. Installing nest boxes or ‘swift bricks’ near an existing swift colony also helps to increase the number of potential nest sites. 10 swift nest boxes were installed at the top of Wynell Road earlier this month in a joint initiative between Lewisham Swifts, Lewisham Homes and the Forest Hill Fire Brigade.
Lewisham Swifts was originally called the “Forest Hill and Lewisham Swift Group” and was created three years ago by a Wynell Road resident who had swifts nesting near her own home. The group is now spreading its attention borough-wide but as the Wynell and Kilmorie colonies were the original inspiration for creating the group, SE23 pride is at stake if we are to maintain our position as the borough’s pre-eminent swift supporters. So please do look out for swifts and let us know if you see them. We’re particularly keen to find nest sites in other parts of Forest Hill, especially on the west side of the railway as we’re not aware (yet!) of any swifts nesting there. Thank you!
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On a short walk today I saw a tiny bird with a prominent yellow chest. From this post it would appear to be a tit, but seemed a lot smaller than the 12cm described in the link. It looked a bit like the juvenile described as it didn’t have a prominent crest. Could it be a juvenile tit a this time of the year?