March madness

You're always in with a shout in south-west Surrey when easterlies dominate and the end to March has been a shining example of this. Despite sustained high pressure (and plenty of frosty, migrant-less mornings to boot) it's been a brilliant little period for me, including some really satisfying finds and sessions that I'm sure will stand out as year highlights come the end of 2022.

Spring drake Garganey: a dream patch find.

Monday 21st

A red-letter morning. I got to Tuesley first thing and, to my disbelief, three Garganey were sat on the water! The birds – a clear pair and another drake – were surprisingly settled and, after waiting for Dave and Eric to arrive, we were treated to crippling views of this most beautiful of ducks. Eventually however they powered north but, after a while, they seemed to whiffle down somewhere ...

Garganey action. What exquisite birds.

On a 'surely they wouldn't drop in there' hunch I checked out the tiny, reedy pumping station pool at the other end of the farm … and to my amazement they were there! I soaked up the encounter which even included multiple vocalisations from the single drake. Mega vibes all round and exactly why local birding is the best.

I've always wanted to find Garganey locally but it's a really tricky south-west Surrey bird. Indeed, this is only the eighth record since 1998 and fourth since 2010. Personally, it's my second in the area after Matt found a pair at Shalford Water Meadows in 2017. It's also the highest count of the species in south-west Surrey since 1988!

To boot, two adult Mediterranean Gulls and a Brambling flew over, with a Green Sandpiper briefly present as well. What a morning!

Med Gull.

Tuesday 22nd

Unsurprisingly after a clear night there was no sign of the Garganey at Tuesley, so I headed to Frensham Great Pond. The Cetti's Warbler was in good voice in the eastern reedbed, a single drake Pochard was noted and a Kingfisher flew over the west end.

Later on I walked along the river from home, finally scoring my first Blackcaps of the year. Four, in fact, all singing males and presumably part of a fresh arrival. It was lovely to hear their fluty tune once again after six months with no records anywhere.

Blackcap.

Wednesday 23rd

After the excitement of Saturday, it was back to normal at Thursley, with a quiet session highlighted by a pair of Teal on Pudmore – birds back for the breeding season, perhaps. A slight increase in Lesser Redpoll was also noted but Meadow Pipit numbers remained shockingly low, especially as we're now entering peak passage for them. The lingering high pressure presumably to blame …

Teal.

I walked home via Rodborough Common, where I was treated to a singing male Brambling – something I've heard only a couple of times before. What a winter it's been for this species, with this the 15th local site I've recorded them at since November. Two Firecrests were also in voice.

eBird map of local Brambling records since October.

Thursday 24th

A quick walk before work produced an unexpected male Reed Bunting singing at Eashing Fields. As mentioned on 12 March, this species is enjoying a bit of a population boom along the Wey so I suppose territory overspill is inevitable. Eight Red-legged Partridges were counted across here and Eashing Farm, where a couple of Ravens were present.

Reed Bunting.

Friday 25th

Another crisp and clear morning produced a bit of a surprise at Eashing Fields: a male White Wagtail in Top Field. The bird remained distant before, bizarrely, flying and settling in an oak tree for several minutes. It then took off high north, presumably to continue its long northbound journey … nice to see after a blank 2021 for this scarce local passage migrant. The Reed Bunting was still holding fort as well.

White Wagtail.

Later on I caught up with Sam and we walked Puttenham Common, scoring three Woodlarks, five Shoveler, four Teal, a Kestrel and a Firecrest. In the early evening a flyover Ring-necked Parakeet and singing Blackcap were noted from the Cyder House Inn garden.

Saturday 26th

I opted for a trip down memory lane first thing this morning, walking my old Thorncombe Street patch. I saw a few familiar faces and spots I haven't visited for a long time, but the avian action was rather limited. A Little Owl at Bonhurst Farm highlighted, with two Linnets on The Ridge and a Skylark singing over Broomy Down. The dark Red-crested Pochard x Mallard hybrid was at Snowdenham Mill Pond.

I then did a big walk around Thursley, noting 51 species in the sunshine. I was very pleased to spot three Lapwings over Woodpigeon Wood, later relocating them on Pudmore. Hopefully these are birds back for another breeding attempt (after last year's failure). Pudmore also produced my first Curlew visuals of the year following heard-only records so far here and at Tuesley. 

Pudmore action.

Other bits included two Greenfinches over Pylon Pool (only my fifth record on the common proper!), a female Kestrel, a Blackcap on High Ground and a couple of singing Lesser Redpolls in a small flock at Spur Wood.

Sunday 27th

No birding.

Monday 28th

Nearly a day of no birding, but I decided to quickly do Eashing Fields after work. After scanning the fence line at Top Field a couple of times the sight that all patchwatchers annually wait for revealed itself: a cracking male Wheatear. My first of the year, it was a lively bird, flycatching along the margin and in the ploughed field. A dog walker carrying binoculars was very happy to be shown the bird, marking the first-ever Eashing Fields twitch in the process!

Wheatear.

Things then took a crazy turn when a pair of Shoveler – of all things – whizzed high west. What they were doing over here and at this time of day, who knows … interestingly Peter had a pair over Witley Common earlier (similarly incongruous) and perhaps these were the same birds. Whatever the case, not a species I expected to get on my 1 km year list so I was very pleased. A brilliant hour or so, all within a couple of hundred metres of home.

Tuesday 29th

The first overcast morning in ages, coupled with murky north-easterlies, always threatened to produce and so it proved at Shackleford. It was initially quiet, but a crazy 10-minute spell began when I reached the cow shed. First, a flashing red rump disappeared behind the wall – surely a Black Redstart, I thought, but then a male Wheatear appeared round the other side.

I was stumped but not for long, as a female-type Black Redstart then flicked round the hay barn. Excellent! This was my nemesis species last year (I dipped two and saw none locally) and I've long wanted it to get on my Shackleford list as well. The bird was highly active and began working up the fence line alongside the alfalfa. Amazingly, it was then joined by another, albeit very briefly (if I hadn't managed a woeful shot of them both I may have even doubted it, for it was that fleeting).

Black Redstarts (two in the final photo, honestly ... ).

As I followed the remaining Black Red up the path I was most surprised to then hear a Willow Warbler singing above me. The bird, incongruously sat in an isolated tree in the middle of a load of arable fields, confirmed that some sort of fall had occurred overnight and I'd been very lucky to jam into it.

Willow Warbler.

It was all over within minutes. An amazing little period, showing how ephemeral spring migration encounters can be. Peter managed to get there just in time to connect with the lingering Black Red, though it soon disappeared as well …

Other bits included an impressive flock of some 70 Linnets (the biggest gathering here for some time), five Red-legged Partridges and a female Kestrel.

Wednesday 30th

A Thursley wander was looking like a quiet one, with four Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a small Brambling flock and a Greenfinch highlighting before that special spring moment took place over Pudmore: the first hirundine of the year. In this case it was two, as a Swallow and a Sand Martin zipped through north, on a mission. My latest ever spring Sand Martin, but it's always nice to get a March Swallow …

Thursday 31st

Another right place, right time morning, with two Great Egrets flying north into the chilly headwind over Tuesley. The birds, seemingly a pair with one bird in breeding plumage, were struggling in the wind and sailed right over my head and away to the north-east – amazing stuff.

Great Egrets, with the left bird displaying a darker, breeding season bill.

What a brilliant last 10 days of March. Great Egret, while routinely seen in Surrey these days, is still decent currency locally with this something like the 11th south-west Surrey record (and only my third).