Bohemian interlude

This is just a quick post to update on recent patch news. While Britain was locked in a bit of a chill last week I was far away in much warmer climes – plenty of photos and posts on that to come, hence this brief update before it gets lost. On Thursday 24th I got very lucky on a cold weather movement watch, scoring four vocal Waxwings as they haphazardly headed southeast over Tilsey Farm.

Cold times on Mill Pond, 24/1/2019.

The watch was actually quite good, with two large Goldfinch and Linnet flocks piling south, presumably seeking unfrozen feeding grounds. A few Starlings had been heading that way too, and I initially thought I had another four when I locked eyes on the pink quartet, before getting bins on them. The birds were calling too – suggestive that they were looking for somewhere to ditch down. I messaged Cranleigh-based Robin straight away and also Abel (who was in Cranleigh), but neither connected. There was certainly a bit of a southerly Waxwing influx that day – later, small groups were seen in Petersfield and Crawley (latter possibly my birds?).

My first visit after the holiday came today. To be honest, I was a bit jetlagged and hadn’t slept so it was a bit of a dazed affair, though my first ringed gull on patch (inevitably a Common) was a really pleasing discovery at Lower Combe Farm. More on that soon, but it seems it’s from an inland colony in the Highlands … Outside the patch, a 2nd-winter Mediterranean Gull over Guildford Rugby Club was a notable local record and a species that will surely appear at Thorncombe Street soon. Determined not to fall asleep, I later dipped the Frimley GPs Black-throated Diver.

Egyptian Goose, Tilsey Farm, 24/1/2019.

In my absence, Abel admirably grabbed the patch duty baton last week, managing an excellent record of four Pochard on Mill Pond on 27th. He also had one of the Phillimore Water Rails on 31st, and notable extralimital records of Reed Bunting (New Barn Pond) and Teal (Thorncombe Street stream) on 29th. Despite the heavy snow and really cold weather, however, it seems the patch and Surrey in general had a quiet week or so.