2025 update to your local bird knowledge by Tim Rymer, a regular birdwatcher in the Park

I’ve been visiting Shrewsbury Park regularly since early 2017, bringing my binoculars whilst walking the dogs. If you see me do stop to ask me what’s about. The park has plenty of birdlife, with something to be seen or heard throughout the year. You are unlikely to miss common and obvious species such as Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Ring-necked Parakeet, and with a bit of patience you will see other common birds like Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Great Tit. Other resident species include Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song Thrush, Stock Dove and Goldcrest. Add to that a range of summer and winter visitors, and birds just passing through or flying over.

Recent highlights have included several Firecrest in winter, with the occasional bird lingering well into spring, two Woodcock flushed from leaf litter including one on Christmas morning 2022, and a Spotted Flycatcher for one day in September 2024. Bullfinch are heard or seen occasionally – a scarce bird nowadays in Greater London. The pair of Tawny Owl sadly seem to have deserted the park since 2021, but there are regular sightings of Sparrowhawk and Buzzard, and occasionally Peregrine Falcon and even Hobby, an uncommon summer visitor which has bred locally.

In winter look out for Redwing, flocking together feeding on berries, and possibly Fieldfare too. Redpoll can appear in cold weather, sometimes amongst a Goldfinch flock, along with Siskin. In spring listen out for warblers – Chiffchaff and Blackcap arrive from their wintering grounds from late March, a Willow Warbler can occasionally be heard singing as it stops a day or two on its migration journey and Garden Warbler has been recorded. The most unexpected summer migrant I have come across is a Cuckoo, singing from the old allotments early one April morning before moving on. Get to the park early and listen – the dawn chorus can be an incredible experience.

Summer can be quieter, as birds are paired up and often elusive in dense foliage and undergrowth, but look up for Swifts, and raptors such as Buzzard and Sparrowhawk. Late summer, like spring, brings the possibility of passage migrants – so there’s every chance of adding to the park’s bird list as with last year’s Spotted Flycatcher. Nearby sites like Woolwich Common have seen Whinchat, Wheatear and Redstart in recent times, and there are many excellent birding sites along the Thames including at Crossness where many other species can be seen.

For more information about what’s been seen in London recently the London Bird Club wiki and Twitter hashtag #londonbirds are worth checking.

Below is an updated species list 2025, building on one originally compiled by John Beckham, former Head Ranger of Parks and Open Spaces, from his birdwatching in Shrewsbury Park and old allotments.

 If you see any of these birds, send us a photo via werfsp@gmail.com

·       Chaffinch

·       Greenfinch

·       Bullfinch

·       Redpoll

·       Siskin

·       Goldcrest

·       Firecrest

·       Starling

·       Blackbird

·       Song Thrush

·       Mistle Thrush

·       Redwing

·       Fieldfare

·       Magpie

·       Carrion Crow

·       Jackdaw

·       Jay

·       House Sparrow

·       Blue Tit

·       Great Tit

·       Coal Tit

·       Long-tailed Tit

·       Feral Pigeon

·       Woodpigeon

·       Stock Dove

·       Collared Dove

·       Robin

·       Wren

·       Dunnock

·       Pied Wagtail

·       Meadow Pipit

·       Nuthatch

·       Treecreeper

·       Green Woodpecker

·       Great Spotted Woodpecker

·       Ring – necked Parakeet

·       Cuckoo

·       Kestrel

·       Sparrowhawk

·       Buzzard

·       Hobby

·       Peregrine Falcon

·       Tawny Owl

·       Chiffchaff

·       Blackcap

·       Willow Warbler

·       Garden Warbler

·       Spotted Flycatcher

·       Swift

·       Swallow

·       House Martin

·       Pheasant

·       Red-legged   Partridge

·       Woodcock

·       Herring gull

·       Black-headed gull

·       Lesser black-backed gull

·       Mallard

·       Greylag goose

·       Cormorant

·       Grey heron