Leaping into March

It’s been a mixed fortnight. A nasty bug (no, not that one) took me out of action for a few days at the end of February, but the past week or so has delivered both full health and spells of nice weather, which resulted in time in the field. I also finally got my camera back, which was almost like getting a new one. Two south-west Surrey year ticks and some pleasing discoveries on top of this have made for a good start to March.

The Great Grey Shrike at Frensham Common.

On 25 February, prior to being bed-ridden for a few days, I collected a couple of patch year ticks for my heavily neglected 2020 Thorncombe Street year list: Reed Bunting (incredibly absent from The Ridge this winter) and Chiffchaff. Later on, two Woodlarks were singing at an area of farmland nearby – noteworthy as no known site for this perfect songster is particularly nearby.

I was limited to observations from my window for the following few days, though they did include a Kingfisher on 26th and – best of all – a Great Black-backed Gull on 29th; only my second from the house and generally a good bird locally. That day I was feeling a little better, so ventured out to Frensham Common for a straightforward second helping of the Great Grey Shrike, which was showing consistently by this point (and still is as I write this).

A bit more shrike action ...

In the early spring sunshine, it felt great to get out the house. A few Dartford Warblers and Woodlarks were good value, but easily eclipsed by the first-winter shrike which was moving around and hunting successfully at an eyebrow-raising rate – who knew such a feast of insects could be harboured in the winter?

It was nice to enjoy this rather iconic south-west Surrey species, after fleeting flight views a couple of weeks prior and having not seen one on this part of the world since 2016. Afterwards, I enjoyed super views of some vocal Firecrests nearby.

Local Firecrests are getting back to breeding territories and singing frequently at present.

The following day [Sunday 1 March] I felt much better, and undertook an overdue maiden search for woodpeckers in new haunts. I’ve spent the winter identifying promising and un-watched areas with a view to search for Lesser Spot when the time is right. Despite the steady decline, this species is doing OK in pockets of Surrey, though the lack of site connectivity poses a real concern. The pair on my patch have been successful every year since 2017 (and are present and correct, albeit most elusive so far, this year). Birds have been logged at another known site too – all pointers there being more out there.

Anyway, the 10-mile walk in the Low Weald started off well with heaps of 'peckers loving the sunshine and overdue calm conditions. Some three hours later, though, the breeze had really picked up and second half of the walk was a bit of a slog. That said, most pleasingly two sites delivered the goods in absolutely classic habitat for the species – a really uplifting result. Unfortunately both were fleeting and, seemingly, alone. Plenty of Marsh Tits were logged too. I will be back …

There's plenty of suitable Lesser Spotted Woodpecker habitat in the far corners of Surrey, but not many of the woodpeckers themselves or birders to look for them.

With the breeze really making itself known but the sun still out, I undertook a raptor watch elsewhere afterwards – a perfect way to chill out after an arduous walk; the Low Weald clay is most strenuous after all this rain, squelching and hissing at your every step!

A foot-less Muntjac, one of several seen in the past couple of weeks.

The dry days have enticed plenty of raptors up into the air.

On Tuesday 3rd I checked out another couple of areas I’d earmarked for woodpeckers, but had no joy. I soon gave up, before sticking my head in at Cutt Mill Ponds and then Shackleford farmland – both were quiet, save three Goosander at the former site and good numbers of Skylarks at the latter.

I then wasn’t in the field until Friday. I opted for Thursley, hoping to add Curlew to my year list. According to current Thursley guru Dave B, the Thursley Common stalwart and legend Mick Pankhurst used to say you can expect the Curlews – Surrey’s only breeders – back anytime from Valentine’s Day. So it’s safe to say we’re in the ‘worrying zone’ for this iconic Thursley breeder, as none are back yet.

Goosander (top) and Great Crested Grebe are two species well-associated with Cutt Mill Ponds.

A Buzzard on watch at Shackleford.

My two hour, four-mile stroll around the common was most enjoyable and relaxing – a chorus of Woodlarks and Dartford Warblers (the latter seem to have had a very good past 12 months), as well as a flyover drake Goosander and squealing Water Rail on Pudmore highlighted. But no Curlews. And nor did Dave have any over the weekend. There is still time, of course (and one arrived at Tice’s late on Sunday afternoon), but the intense pressure from ever-increasing dogs off leads on the common will spell the end for this declining wader at some point in my lifetime, if not this year. Very sad indeed …

Dartford Warbler seems to be doing rather well at present.

After torrential rain on Thursday, the water meadows in the Wey Valley in my part of the world were at a similar level to when Sam found Water Pipits on the Lammas Lands at Godalming over Christmas. So, with this in mind, I made the Lammas Lands my first stop on Saturday morning. And, lo and behold …

101: Water Pipit

Amazingly it was one of the first birds I heard, as I stepped over the footbridge onto the soggy water meadow. Soon after another was heard – this time I managed a poor-quality sound recording and decent bins views as it flew off east. Given the time of day (dawn) and behaviour I wonder if these had actually been roosting in the sedges by the main pool.

Sunrise over the Lammas Lands.

It’s all rather interesting, this Water Pipits in the water meadows stuff, and I’m going to write a full blog post on the situation soon. What’s for sure if that their presence (at least in accessible areas) is very much tied to water level. Also noted were five Reed Buntings, all singing males – a good tally for here.

Next up was another 'pecker search, at a site I had a male last March. After walking more than five miles it’d had been nothing but Great Spots – 18 to be precise – before I heard a calling LSW twice. Sadly it soon vanished and I didn’t hear it again. This is a bit of a theme so far with ‘pecker searching in 2020, and I think the regular breezy westerlies have kept action to a premium. Hopefully some mild and still days will be on the cards soon.

Great Spotted Woodpeckers are entering peak time for territorial activity.

Otherwise, another hugely muddy walk was rather quiet, with a particular dearth of finches – another theme of winter 2020. I was chuffed to spy a displaying Lapwing over the A281 on the way back, though. A pair bred just over the south-west Surrey (and Thorncombe Street) border, at Rooks Hill Farm, last year and I guess this will be from the same pair. This is a species that just about hangs on as a breeding bird in the farmland fringing the A281 from Bramley down to the Sussex border.

That evening, I decided to undergo a vigil at Frensham Little Pond. For many years, wintering (or passage) Bitterns have performed dusk flights over the reedbeds here in early/mid-March, as they prepare to head back to the Continent. I remember a seriously atmospheric encounter with one, as it called, with Matt back in 2015.

A few Little Egrets are still to be found along the Wey Valley, but they'll soon depart.

Armed with all the gen I could need from Shaun P, the Frensham king, I got in position at sundown. The wind was too strong, though, and with cloud cover it never felt right – unsurprisingly I dipped, though several shrieking Water Rails and whinnying Little Grebes was a nice consolation.

Yesterday, I decided to give the patch some TLC. Winkworth was quiet, though another Water Rail here (in Phillimore) was a patch year tick, as was – rather shockingly – a flyover Lesser Redpoll. As
I’ve mentioned several times recently, it’s been a really poor winter for finches. But what a truly wretched one it’s been for Lesser Redpoll – this was only my third record anywhere this year, and my sixth since 1 December 2019.

Later, I walked a small area of farmland that had caught my eye before, between Dunsfold and my patch. It proved a lovely little walk, too, along a densely vegetated lane that held Marsh Tits, Chiffchaff and Bullfinches. Best of all, though, was no fewer than five Yellowhammers (including three singing males), a few Skylarks, nine ‘wild’ Red-legged Partridges (unlike the chickens on my patch) and a nest material-carrying Red Kite. Another bookmarked spot to revisit.

One of my favourite species, and a joy to stumble upon an apparent hot-spot for them near Dunsfold.

A session at Unstead was quiet. In the evening, Abel fancied trying for Bittern at the Little Pond that night, so we gave it ago in far better conditions – virtually no wind, a largely clear sky and a beaming full moon. Again, Water Rails performed, and a party of Teal departed to the north well after dark, along with two Shoveler. It seemed perfect for a Bittern to set off, but we didn't get the rub of the green.

We were heavily compensated, though, when – some 40 minutes after sundown – a most unexpected call over the pines behind us caught us off guard …

102: Mediterranean Gull

This bizarre moment could have passed off as a ‘surely not’ write-off, had it not called a further two times! Initially, weird, but it was heading towards the Great Pond, where a small gull species roost can hit 2,000 Black-heads. Given the amount of Meds moving north/inland at the moment, it perhaps wasn’t such a shock. Later, we heard a cacophony of Black-heads from the direction of the Great Pond, so presumably there were staying up late that night.

A nice Red-legged Partridge, but during the next couple of weeks I'll be trying to unearth their Grey congeners, of which a tiny handful go largely undetected in the far south of Surrey. 

Anyway, a seriously handy addition to the year list – Med Gull is still pretty rare in south-west Surrey – and consolation for a second Bittern dip. There is still time for Bittern, but the weather doesn’t look great over the next week and I fear any wintering bird may have left on Friday night, when conditions were decent.

It’d be nice to hit 105 before the first migrants arrive at the end of the month but, whatever the scores on the doors, this varied yet somewhat structured choice of birding in 2020 has so far proved most enjoyable.