New Year, new lockdown

The inevitable return to national lockdown has put the brakes on any big birding start to 2021. To be honest though, local has always been ‘my jam’ and a personal goal for this year was to both keep things even closer to home than before (by focusing most of my south-west Surrey efforts on the area within a 5 km radius of the Godalming Pepperpot) and try and travel as green as possible; on foot or bike. In the coming weeks a fair few of my daily posts will be restricted to window observations from home so we’ll see if the blog persists in this format / at all during the rest of lockdown.

A local Yellowhammer pair unbound by a lockdown ...

Friday 1st

A Robin singing in the garden was the first bird of 2021. A different New Year’s Eve than usual meant I was fresh and at Thursley long before dawn, hoping for White-fronted Geese in the Pudmore roost. No joy, but two Green Sandpipers, a Snipe and a Shoveler more than made up for it, while two male Tawny Owls sang in the gloom. On Ockley, the Rustic Bunting and two Little Buntings soon appeared in their usual spot, vocalising a lot to boot. It was almost dark, so excuse the poor photos …

Bunting bonanza at Thursley.

A walk around the rest of the site was a bit underwhelming with only 35 species logged. This included a Little Grebe on Forked Pond, eight Woodlarks, two Dartford Warblers, eight Crossbills and 10 Lesser Redpolls. 

Next up was Enton Lakes, where a really handy south-west Surrey year tick was notched up in the form of Wigeon. A pair were roosting in bankside trees – not bad given I only had five records last year (and only two of them were away from Wrecclesham). Three drake Pochard, 46 Tufted Duck and singles of Common Gull, Great Crested Grebe and Egyptian Goose were also seen, along with a Nuthatch stashing seeds in bark.

Good value local wildfowl at Enton.

The Shelduck hadn’t miraculously returned to Snowdenham Mill Pond upon a visit after Enton; two drake Gadwall highlighted. Passing Broadwater Lake en route to the Lammas Lands I noted Sam’s flock of six Pochard – a great site record. Some 12 Snipe were counted on said Lammas Lands but sadly no Jack, and the previous day’s Dartford Warbler had done a bunk too. A Stonechat pair consoled.

Later in the day, a quick check of the house pond at Cutt Mill produced two drake Goosander and a Teal pair. It was really murky and dull by mid-afternoon and Shackleford was quiet – there was nothing to shout about at all, save some 100 roosting Fieldfares, until a Little Owl began calling close to dusk.

Saturday 2nd

I headed to Frensham Great Pond early afternoon, where Shaun P had relocated yesterday’s drake Red-crested Pochard, which had initially been found on nearby Lowicks Pond. This stunner was showing well off the hotel when I arrived as it hung out with 66 Tufted Duck and 21 Pochard. Away from Bramley this is a proper hard bird in south-west Surrey.

A dapper drake Red-crested Pochard at Frensham.

A much more successful dusk vigil was had at Shackleford in far better conditions. The usual Fieldfare numbers were into roost and, about 20 minutes after dark, a couple of Grey Partridges began singing – at least five were present with two seen in the fading light. Two Lapwings dropped in to feed and the Little Owl called to the north.

Sunday 3rd

An early morning dash to Broadwater Lake enabled me to connect with the adult White-fronted Goose before it left roost before sunrise. Only one of the three is left along the river now and had proven a slippery customer during the first couple of days of 2020, so it was nice to get it in the bag. I then visited Unstead SF but it was quite in dull and cold conditions. A couple of Chiffchaffs, a Bullfinch, two Mute Swans heading east and a male Stonechat highlighted before a sharp shower sent me back home.

Grainy white-front at Broadwater ...

Once the rain passed I headed to Thorncombe Street, where I undertook a long walk around the east and central sections. A Mute Swan at Birtley House Pond was notable but Bonhurst Farm was quiet, save a flyover Lesser Redpoll. A Marsh Tit was working along Poplar Avenue and a Grey Wagtail was near Lea Farm, but most of the action was from the top of Broomy Down where sightings of Crossbill, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch, two Ravens and 85 or more Greylags were obtained.

The crops on the valley tops were quiet and it was the same on Allden’s Hill, though a male Sparrowhawk here was my first of the year. A Red-legged Partridge was sitting beside a hedgerow and a couple of Linnets were knocking about too.

Monday 4th

It was a morning of Kestrels with a female over Binscombe, before another was seen hunting at Shackleford. The latter site was terribly cold and windy. A few gulls overhead included a Lesser Black-backed and seven Teal on the reedy pond at Lydling Farm.

Tuesday 5th

A cold, windy and short-lived window watch from home delivered two each of Red Kite and Buzzard, as well as a trickle of the three common gull species heading north up the River Wey.

Wednesday 6th

A less windy but still cold window watch mid-afternoon produced a flyover Cormorant, a small flock of Goldfinches perched in birches and a Coal Tit.

Thursday 7th

The first stop on a looped bike circuit from home was Shalford Water Meadows. In the cold mist, a check of the Dagley Lane pools revealed the latest hiding place of the last remaining White-fronted Goose in this part of the River Wey, tucked in with its Canada congeners. Presumably this is an alternative roost site for it away from Broadwater and Stoke. Some 12 Shoveler were also on the pool and a Green Woodpecker and Reed Bunting were heard.

More grainy white-front action.

My next stop was Shackleford where a walk of the main fields was quiet, save three Stonechats and two Ravens, the latter of which were seemingly a pair and occasionally engaged in some bonding: a few light cronks, preening of each other and a bit of bill tapping. 

Ravens and friend.

The game crops the other side of Hook Lane were much better though and indeed held the biggest congregation of seed-eaters I’ve seen locally this winter. Best of all was a huge flock of Chaffinches – 90 or more, but possibly well over 100. At least one Yellowhammer was present, along with a few Reed Buntings and a Bullfinch. A Chiffchaff called and a covey of Red-legged Partridges scuttled up a slope before, having looked up after hearing a familiar flight call, a flock of no fewer than 21 Woodlarks headed south. Perhaps they’d come off one of the nearby winter stubbles. Whatever the case, it was the biggest flock of this species I’ve ever seen in Britain.

Friday 8th

A hard frost had taken over the farmland around Hydestile and Hambledon on my morning cycle. Court Farm was dead the other week but there were a few more bits around today. The main path runs along the Greensand Ridge and I wondered if some cold weather movement was going on: small parties of Chaffinches and Linnets headed west, as well as a single Skylark and two Woodlarks. That said, the first three species are regular in the fields here during winter and I’ve had January Woodlark at this site before too …

Flocked up birds included 50 Linnets, 34 Siskins heading south-west and an impressive mixed thrush congregation of 150 or more. I’m certainly seeing a lot of Redwings and Fieldfares locally at present. Singles of Stonechat, Bullfinch and Crossbill were detected too, while a Yellowhammer pair flirted with each other while flitting about the fields.

Yellowhammer and Stonechat braving the cold.

Passing Tuesley on the way back, another big thrush flock was seen – 100 or more mainly Redwings. On the reservoir, seven Little Grebes were accompanied by four Tufted Duck.