Gannet!

One of those tremendously rare, utterly unexpected and thrilling birding moments happened on Tuesday when a Gannet flew northeast up the River Wey by Unstead Sewage Farm. It was an occasion after which I was left shaking my head for some time, and also demonstrated the extreme luck involved with birding, especially in Surrey – you can spend hours/days/years hammering certain areas with little joy, but sometimes it all boils down to entire chance and freakishly fortunate right-place-right-time.

Gannet, River Wey at Unstead, 26/3/2019.

The weather was totally not what you’d expect for an inland seabird: warm, a gentle northerly breeze and hardly a cloud in the sky. It’d be fun to build up the moment and identification process but, if I’m honest, an adult Gannet can’t be much else (bar a particularly slender Snow Goose!). Having raised my bins to a female Kestrel, I noticed a high-flying bird beyond Trunley Heath Road and the Flooded Field at roughly 14:35. It was really high and very distant towards Peasmarsh, but the unmistakable shape and pointed wings with black tips had me instantly in a state of shock and upon getting my bins on the bird that heart-pounding feeling of looking at something exciting hit – Gannet!

I was viewing from the main footpath at Unstead after completing a loop, having walked Hydon’s Ball earlier, and it was flying northeast, so across my view to an extent, but always away. Thankfully, I was able to get a few record shots with the lens on full whack as it cruised fairly leisurely up the river. The light was on my side too. I lost the bird about two/three minutes after picking it up. I immediately alerted Matt, Kit B and Steve in case they could get on it at Clandon, Shalford or Stoke respectively, before contacting a couple of other Surrey heads. As far as I’m aware, however, it wasn’t seen again (though Steve was unfortunately in B&Q when – had it done so – it would’ve gone over Stoke!).

Gannet, River Wey at Unstead, 26/3/2019.

Presumably this bird chose to migrate overland in the good conditions and was tracking up the River Wey, with a view to cut across and reach the North Sea. I would love to know if it followed the Wey all the way up to the Thames, or deviated – intriguingly, Matt had two adults over Clandon in June last year, which is approximately four miles to the northeast of where this one flew over. Looking at the below map, it’s quite possible that the Unstead bird (and perhaps many others) that have followed the Wey cut the unnecessary corner at Guildford, perhaps flying over Merrow/Pewley/Clandon Down, before re-joining near Ripley/Wisley.  This would help explain the remarkable selection of flyover records from Unstead, which sits right next to the Wey by this would-be junction. It doesn’t, however, account for various flyover records at Stoke, so maybe things like rain and wind come into effect.

Unstead SF marked with a red X. Perhaps Pewley Down would be a
decent vis-mig spot?

Of course, this is a decent bird for Surrey, but records in the county have increased in recent years (three in 2018, for example), hand-in-hand with the species’ population upsurge. I can’t say I’ve gone to bed dreaming of discovering a Gannet, but it was still a class moment. In South-West Surrey it’s a bit of a mega, with just six (listed below) prior to this bird, though one did fly over Stoke on 8 May 2004, Dave B had one over Loseley in the early 2000s that I sadly don't think ever got formally submitted and I recall Brian telling me about three possibles he had high over Unstead the day three flew over Beddington in September 2010. Anyway, a memorable encounter, and a vindication of my recent broadening of site coverage.

South-West Surrey Gannet records

1840 – An exhausted bird found near Frensham Ponds (SALEC).

1844 – One in a field near Haslemere killed by a boy with a stick (Bucknill).

17 February 1906 – One at the River Wey near Godalming (Dalgliesh).

27 August 1963 – A sick female taken to London Zoo sadly died of haemorrhagic enteritis (SBC).

15 October 1999 – An adult southwest over Wrecclesham Floods at 11:45 (J Gates).

10 November 2007 - A juvenile over Thursley Common (R Warden).