Waddon Ponds is a thriving nature reserve, according to a survey conducted on Christmas Day by Croydon bird-watchers and conservationists.

In just one hour before the traditional Christmas lunch, according to a report on the Croydon birders’ website, there was a vivid variety of wetlands birds, in addition to a colony of 50 ring-necked parakeets.

The site lists:

5 Mute Swans, 28 Canada Geese, 1 Egyptian Goose (ringed 1459685), 48 Mallards, 14 Tufted Ducks, 1 Cormorant, 1 Little Grebe, 9 Moorhens, 20 Coots, 93 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Gulls, 5 Herring Gulls, 4 Woodpigeons, 1 Collared Dove, 1 Jay, 2 Carrion Crows, 4 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Wren, 8 Starlings, 3 Blackbirds, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Robin, and 2 House Sparrows.

Now, with the help of the RSPB Croydon, which has run a survey of local birds since 1995, you can make bird-watching more than just a Christmas experience.

The RSPB in Croydon has just launched its Croydon bird survey for 2017.

The group says that: “Anyone can take part and send us records from their garden or an open space in Croydon.”

Forms to use can be found on the Croydon Birders’ website, or sightings can be recorded online at the Croydon birders’ website.

Whether it’s the ubiquitous Canadian geese or a rare sighting of a Siberian accentor or an Isabelline shrike, or just a less-than-common sparrow, it’s your chance to boost the data on the health of the bird population in 2017 Croydon.

With the status of the nearby nature reserve at Beddington Farmlands due to change over the next 12 months, as incinerator operators Viridor close down the landfill, changes in wildlife numbers over the coming years could provide critical information.

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