Second gear

Spring is slow arriving this year and local birding has been quiet this past week, as indeed it has for most of March. Save the early Sand Martins, migration has been at a premium locally, with a bit of Meadow Pipit movement and not much else to report. So, this week I took my foot off the gas a little bit (at least in terms of the usual effort I make), trying to refresh ahead of 'spring proper'.

A Surrey Whooper Swan.

Friday 19th

I had the day off and ended up enjoying an excellent day in the field. It started rather inauspiciously at Thursley – a prolonged band of drizzle and a strong north-easterly greeted me following my pre-dawn hike out to Pudmore. It was all worth it, though, when a male Curlew began display flighting. The soundscape and setting made me feel like I was very far from Surrey indeed – rather nice after this mighty long lockdown.

Following the concern about the late return of the Curlews this year it’s good that one male is back on territory. He performed several flights, always returning to the same patch of sedges on Ockley Common. The weather cleared, too, and the list of notable other species included one each of Little and Rustic Buntings, 45 Lesser Redpolls, four Crossbills and Water Rail.

I headed to Crooksbury Common afterwards, hoping again for the crossbill sp., but didn’t see much during my hour-and-a-half on site. I managed flyover Herring Gull and Grey Heron, as well as 30 'normal' Crossbills. While at Crooksbury, news of a Whooper Swan at Earlswood Lakes broke. This came amid a mass departure of the species from British and western European breeding grounds back to Iceland; the bird in question had been part of a group of six that presumably wintered somewhere like northern France.

Anyway, after months of being well behaved I decided I’d go for it – and how worth it that decision was. In beautiful sunshine, the one remaining adult Whooper Swan gave crippling views on the upper lake of this site that was new for me. It even called a bit, and was getting some grief off one of the many local Mute Swans. After some 15 minutes of observation it decided it’d had enough, and it flew west (it was relocated later at Mercers CP). 

A really quality encounter, much like how you see them in Iceland. Presumably this group ditched down the previous evening in the grim weather, attracted by the many Mutes (I counted 28). Why this one didn’t go with its fellow Whoopers I’m not sure … whatever the case, a welcome Surrey lifer, making up a little for the Smew I didn’t twitch earlier in lockdown. Other bits of note here included three Pochard and a Treecreeper. 

Later that night, I enjoyed an encounter with a local Barn Owl. It didn’t appear until long after sunset, hence the very grainy image (taken on a super high ISO!). No fewer than six Tawny Owls vocalising in the surrounding woodland made for an evocative night. On the way home, I stuck the microphone out at Shackleford as a bit of an experiment. It picked up nothing major, but the level of Little Owl activity was surprising with at least two birds vocalising often throughout the night. The recording below sounded as if it was very close to the mic indeed.

Saturday 20th

Birding is different every day and, after the excitement of yesterday, today proved underwhelming and indeed a little frustrating – this despite the slightly rare feeling conditions. I circuited Tuesley Farm first thing but, aside from the roosting Green Sandpiper, there was little else doing in the mist. Shortly after I left Dave had a Great Egret over Enton, which I surely would have picked up at Tuesley had I been there a little later.

Green Sand action.

Snowdenham Mill Pond held four Gadwall and a territorial male Mute Swan. I then headed to Chiddingfold Forest but it was very quiet indeed – singing Firecrest, Chiffchaff and Yellowhammer (the latter along Plaistow Road) headlined, along with Marsh Tit, a Bullfinch pair and a small flock of Fieldfares.

I decided to visit Tice’s Meadow afterwards, where I knew I’d at least be guaranteed some birds. This included the first-winter Brent Goose that has curiously been wintering here with the Canada Geese. It was asleep the whole time I was there. The Black-necked Grebe, present a month, showed nicely on The Workings, close enough to make out its red eye and moulting nape and head feathers. Other bits included a handful of Wigeon, a single Shoveler, four Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Chiffchaff.

Tice's Meadow headliners.

Later on, I spent a miserable time not seeing a Black Redstart that had been reported at Shackleford – a species I’ve wanted to see or find at this site for a while. I’ve missed two in the last few months. A Little Grebe on the polo pitch reservoir and a vocalising Little Owl (the latter perhaps not such a surprise given the noc-mig results) were as much consolation as the first parts of their respective names.

Sunday 21st 

A bit of a lie in this morning but I eventually headed to the water meadows around Burpham – I’d wanted to visit here for a while to understand why it gets so many more wildfowl than 'my' stretch of river between Shalford and Unstead. If you took the best elements of such sites as Shalford, Lammas Lands and Unstead Water Meadows, you’d get something a bit like Burpham – it has pools and ditches aplenty and no public access, meaning it gets wildfowl numbers the south-west Surrey birder could only dream of.

I counted some 90 Wigeon as they grazed peacefully on the meadows. This bird is a genuine scarcity in south-west Surrey, yet merely 4km away it’s a distant story … I also tallied up 21 Teal, a Lesser Redpoll, singing Treecreeper and Chiffchaff and a heard-only Ring-necked Parakeet (another species that’s hard to see in south-west Surrey). My main quarry eluded me, until I scanned a large pool along the towpath south of Willow Lodge – four Pintail, two pairs complete with handsome drakes, feeding away merrily. 

At least one Pintail has been in this area since 9 March and it seems up to eight are on site. Again, in south-west Surrey, this has become a very rare bird indeed (it’s always been scarce in outer Surrey) and six is a fine modern-day count. Unfortunately, while there is the odd pool, scrape and undisturbed stretch of water meadow around my way, there is no area that has the ‘perfect storm’ combination of all these factors. And that’s probably why I haven’t seen a Pintail in south-west Surrey away from Frensham Great Pond since 2015 … 

Monday 22nd

A Sparrowhawk flew over the garden at lunchtime.

Tuesday 23rd

A Blackcap, presumably the wintering male, was singing in the garden over the road at the end of the day.

Wednesday 24th

A circuit of Tuesley in misty conditions felt ripe for something good, but produced nothing of note, save a small party of Fieldfares and a singing Chiffchaff.

Thursday 25th

Despite the sunshine that graced the first hour or two of the morning, it felt wintry, with a light frost slowly turning into mist. I was at Thursley early doors and headed out to Pudmore. The usual species included Water Rail, Snipe, Lesser Redpoll and Crossbill, while two Chiffchaffs were in song. The male Curlew performed a couple of lazy display flights, and also landed on Pudmore briefly, but even he wasn’t feeling the spring love this morning. 

The male Curlew patiently waiting for spring and the return of his mate.

I circuited Shackleford next, where it really did feel like winter – a flock of 60 Fieldfares and a Raven were the best birds, along with two Red-legged Partridges and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.