Bank holiday songsters

Last year the Early May Bank Holiday felt like high summer, with temperatures reaching 24 Celsius amid blue skies and a dearth of migrants. This year it was quite the opposite, at times akin to late winter with a chilly northerly dominating and even a sharp frost on Sunday morning. Thankfully however the birding wasn’t too bad, though given this period is prime time for the inland birder a little frustration at the conditions is justified. 

Wheatear, Bonhurst Farm, 4/5/2019.

I was able to get out on Thursday morning in far more agreeable conditions. Birdsong was everywhere and all the classic summer visitors were in voice. I’ve always thought Nightingale should be one of those songsters at Thorncombe Street but, despite breeding less than a mile to the east of the site, they are rare here. So, when that sweet familiar sound powered into my ear drums at Palmers Cross I was delighted (video below).

Nightingale, Palmers Cross, 2/5/2019.

A little patch of scrub here has always felt ideal but this was only my third patch record of the species, and second spring singer. He was still giving it large on Monday so perhaps he’ll attract a mate; Nightingale bred here until the 1970s at least. Perhaps they’ll mount a comeback similar to the one at Anfield last night?

Sylvia warbler numbers seem to be through the roof this spring. Whitethroats are never common here but over the last few days I’ve logged a minimum of 10 territorial males – compare with 4 in 2015, 5 in 2016 etc. They had a great breeding season locally last year, helped by the heatwave. Blackaps are more abundant than ever and I’ve had Garden Warblers at new sites too. On the other hand, Chiffchaff numbers have been low (outnumbered by Whitethroat on Thursday, which is sensational) and Willow Warbler records have been totally wretched; a singing bird at Tilsey Farm on Monday was only my second on patch this year and fourth locally.

Firecrest, undisclosed, 2/5/2019.

Mandarin, Winkworth Arboretum, 4/5/2019.

Come Saturday morning thoughts of summer were paused with a cold stroll around the central and east sections increasingly uninspiring. My latest ever Brambling over Junction Field said it all. My luck changed, though, at Bonhurst Farm, where I finally got Wheatear on the patch year list. A female dropped out of the sky and proceeded to bop around the scrapyard and horse fields, feeding away.

Wheatear, Bonhurst Farm, 4/5/2019.

Other patch highlights over the weekend included the apparent nesting of Woodlarks and the continued presence of Yellowhammer: it’d be superb if these species successfully breed (in the case of the former it’d be borderline remarkable).

With migrants not really on the cards over the weekend I spent most of my time scouting for species ahead of the south-west Surrey big day coming up on Saturday. It was most enjoyable to be honest – I visited places I’d never been, ones I’d not gone to for years and more familiar local spots. I ended up finding sites for several hard species in the south-west, notably Lesser Whitethroat (which is curiously rare, this perhaps one of two breeding sites!), Lapwing and Siskin. At present, Barn and Little Owl and Kingfisher (!) seem set to pose problems (as might the weather).

Red-crested Pochard, Snowdenham Mill Pond, 6/5/2019.

Wren, Winkworth Arboretum, 2/5/2019.

Lesser Whitethroat, 5/5/2019.

The Hurtwood was shamefully a site tick for me but what a great spot – it was here I had a singing Siskin, but also Tree Pipits; I’d no idea the latter knocked about here. I popped into Unstead a few times over the weekend too. No Red-rumped Swallow among the 100+ House Martins on Saturday, but loads of warblers (including at least four Reed) on Monday. Finally, I couldn't resist a trip to Cambridgeshire on 3rd to connect with the lingering Baikal Teal.