Normal but nice

The first 10 days of March have stood out for feeling, well, normal. Unlike the modern norm of balmy late winter days and freakishly early arrivals of migrants, things have felt decidedly 'typical' or as they should be, with winter still gripping on and the seasonal changes having a more subtle feel to them. And this has been quite nice. Things like the light passage of Stonechats, gradual increase in morning birdsong and longer daylight hours, combined with a few additions to both my south-west Surrey and 1 km year lists, have made for a good start to the month.

Migrant Stonechats have been on the move locally.

Tuesday 1st

A pair of Red-legged Partridges wandered through the garden in the morning. 

Red-legged Partridge.

On my lunchbreak I walked to Eashing Fields, where three adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls heading east marked a 1 km patch first for me this year.

Wednesday 2nd

A gloomy, drizzly check of Frensham was quiet, with a nest-building Great Crested Grebe, eight Pochard, a flyover Kingfisher and a singing Firecrest of note.

Thursday 3rd

A Green Sandpiper greeted me at Tuesley first thing – my first of the year and presumably a migrant. A Greylag Goose flew over and there’d been something of a clear out of Little Grebes, too.

Green Sandpiper

I walked home along the river, noting 40 species including a hooting male Tawny Owl and a Woodcock flushed from Eashing Marsh (perhaps the bird seen twice in January). Some 16 Mandarin included displaying drakes – this species has become a lot more visible in the last week or so, as birds get ready to pair up and find nest holes.

Friday 4th

During a damp, grey walk along the Wey I was treated to a brief burst of song from a Meadow Pipit on the Lammas Lands. Although likely just an enthusiastic winterer it was still a treat – I'm pretty sure I've never heard this species in song locally away from Thursley (where it's now a very rare sound). A count of five Stonechats here suggested some were migrants moving through, while singles of Snipe and Sparrowhawk were also seen.

A displaying pair of Great Crested Grebes and a Kingfisher at Broadwater Lake were good value, though Unstead Water Meadows was quiet. The flood opposite Unstead SF held a drake Gadwall, with four Shoveler on the main flash towards Peasmarsh.

Later in the day an innocuous stroll to Peper Harow resulted in an excellent 45-minutes in the field. A female Brambling in with a Chaffinch flock was a decent start, but things took an unexpected turn when a juvenile Goshawk dashed low east, before disappearing over the A3, terrifying the local Woodpigeons and corvids as it went. 

I couldn't really believe it – I can only assume it was a dispersing bird having a big old wander, and perhaps roosted in the area the previous day. There's certainly a lot of prey around, but not any suitable areas for a breeding pair. An adult Peregrine dashing south and a ringed female Kestrel (one of Jeremy's birds) capped off an enjoyable 1 km session.

Saturday 5th

It felt wintry this morning at Shalford Water Meadows – cold and grey. Despite some 48 species noted there wasn't loads of highlights, with the best bits 13 Shoveler and a Little Grebe on St Catherine's Pool, seven Teal, three Kestrels, two Stonechats, a Little Egret and a Water Rail.

Sunday 6th

The cold northerly was still in situ this morning, making it all the more surprising that I managed 57 species at Thursley – my best haul since Dave and I did a big day on 1st May last year. The clear highlight was an adult Great Black-backed Gull cruising high north along Thursley Road. Always very notable locally, this was my first on the common for more than six years and a nice way to hit 100 for my south-west Surrey year list.

Great Black-backed Gull record shot.

Other bits included an impressive tally of six Water Rails at various parts of the site, a Woodcock in flight over The Neck, a Little Grebe on Pudmore, a Brambling over Ockley Common and a Kingfisher at Forked Pond. 

Great Crested Grebe and Stonechat.

Finally, an interesting footnote to this visit: Matt had a male Curlew flying strongly north over Pulborough Brooks at about 08:15 – I speculated to him at the time that it could be a returning bird heading to Thursley. Lo and behold, about an hour after I left the site at roughly 10:30, Dave had a male Curlew on Pudmore ...

Monday 7th

Two singing warblers stole the limelight at Frensham Great Pond this morning: Cetti's Warbler and Chiffchaff. The former is a bird present in the eastern reedbed since early January, when it was found by Shaun. I'd managed to miss it on every visit until today, when it was belting out song. Still of great significance locally, it was my first in south-west Surrey away from the Unstead / Catteshall hot-spot. My first 'proper' spring Chiffchaff was also in voice. Lovely stuff. Other bits included Kingfisher, eight Pochard, Marsh Tit, Water Rail and Firecrest.

Tuesday 8th

It was bright and breezy at Shackleford this morning, where the highlight of a very quiet session was five Stonechats. All gave the impression of migrants, with one pair interacting lots and the male even singing briefly. Some 22 Linnets included a few in song, but only one Meadow Pipit was noted – this species has been really thin on the ground this winter and I've only managed counts of 20 or more twice since the start of December in south-west Surrey.

I walked home along the river, scoring pairs of Teal at Milton Pool and Weir Marsh. I'm pretty sure this isn't a low-key winterer along the Wey here so presumably these birds were on passage. Either way, they marked a 1 km year tick. Three Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Marsh Tit were also noted.

Teal.

Wednesday 9th

The Bramley waterbodies were quiet this morning, with two Mandarin at Snowdenham Mill Pond and a singing Firecrest at Bramley Park Lake. I then walked the water meadows at Peasmarsh, where three Wigeon were very much of note on the flash at Lower Trunley Heath Farm. A Kingfisher, 11 Shoveler, 10 Teal and a couple of Lesser Redpolls were also seen.

Thursday 10th

I walked Chiddingfold Forest in the morning, scoring seven finch species. The highlight was a flyover Hawfinch near The Triangle – my first 2022 encounter with this elusive and rare south-west Surrey bird. Three Chiffchaffs were in song, hinting at an arrival. A Brambling and a few Lesser Redpolls were also noted, along with three Marsh Tits and a singing Firecrest.

Later on I popped up to Eashing Fields, where the presence of a Stonechat pair hinted at migration – the wintering birds were last seen on 7 February. Skylark song was markedly increased with at least four singers, a decent flock of 30 Linnets were in Top Field and a Red-legged Partridge pair crept around the meadow edge.

It was veritably spring-like by lunchtime, when a Brimstone flew through the garden – my first of the year – and a Goldfinch pair furtively took nest material in and out of one of our hedges.

I was able to sneak out for a quick walk along the river mid-afternoon. It was easily the warmest it's felt all year and two singing Chiffchaffs helped generate the feeling winter was officially passing the baton over to spring.

Chiffchaff.

Peckers

After a steady February, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker action has picked up in March. I've had birds at seven sites so far, with breeding behaviour witnessed at two. Below is a photo of a male at one site and a pair drumming in tandem at another.