Grey May week

The week since my return from Corsica has been pretty quiet locally, with mostly uninspiring weather and a run of grey, cloudy days. In general, there's been a feeling that things are quietly slipping into high summer mode, albeit with the odd surprise here and there.

Tundrae Ringed Plover.

Saturday 18th

After landing at Gatwick early afternoon, it was more or less straight to Frensham Great Pond. Shaun P had called me on Wednesday evening with stunning news of a female Ruddy Duck – a bird virtually extinct in Britain following the cull and not seen in Surrey for years. Given this status, I tentatively suggested that it may be a Maccoa Duck, with an escaped female at large in London and East Sussex in recent months!

The bird had been elusive and Shaun still wasn't sure, so I was keen to check it out, especially as he was leaning towards Ruddy this morning. It took a good hour plus after I arrived before I located it on the east side. As soon as I saw it, I disappointingly felt it was a/the Maccoa Duck, with a swollen bill base and strong facial markings … my photos confirmed as much.

So, it was no Ruddy return to the UK for me, but I did also note a single Common Tern, a Cuckoo, four Reed Warblers and the singing Cetti's Warbler in muggy, cloudy conditions.

Sunday 19th

This morning was grey and cool, with a light north-easterly breeze contributing to a feeling that it wasn't the second half of May. I headed to Shackleford which, unsurprisingly given the weather, felt quiet, and I only amassed 35 species during a session that felt end of season-y.

Highlights were limited to a Little Owl, which showed well, plus three Swifts and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls north, a Tufted Duck on the farm pond and three Red-legged Partridges. Interestingly a flock of Linnets were roving around the margins, around 35 birds – hopefully an amalgamation of family groups as opposed to failed breeders.

Little Owl and Skylark.

I checked Snowdenham Mill Pond afterwards. A moulting drake Gadwall roosting on the east side was a surprise and my first locally since 10 March, no less. The female Mute Swan was still sitting and the female Mandarin was continued to lead her ducklings around.

Before heading home I popped into Tuesley. The grey clouds and swirling masses of hirundines made it feel more like 19 April – or even 19 August – and I counted at least 40 Swallows, plus a couple of House Martins and a sole Sand Martin (plus 10 Swifts).

Sand Martin.

The poor spring for hirundines has been well-discussed among birders this year, ranging from a crap March for Sand Martin arrivals, through a dire April for Swallows and lack of breeding House Martins in May. These birds today felt like newly arrived migrants, I must say, which is a bit nuts for 19 May …

Swallows.

Otherwise it was quiet, save a Lesser Black-backed Gull, an unseasonal count of 13 Tufted Duck and a local Common Tern.

Monday 20th

I hadn't planned on birding this morning but I was up early, so I headed to Tuesley for a quick look. It was bright but the north-easterly wind was still blowing, perhaps accounting for a flyover Dunlin that called as it zoomed north – on the late side for around here.

A gathering of large gulls included a Lesser Black-backed, a second-year Mute Swan dropped in and there were still a few Swallows and Swifts around, too.

Mute Swan.

I walked through Eashing Fields on the way home. Three Skylarks in song was my highest count of singing birds here this year – perhaps they were celebrating their new signage. A Lesser Black-backed Gull flew east and a handful of Swifts went north as well.

Eashing Fields.

Tuesday 21st

It was a grey, overcast morning, cool with a light breeze. I did a two-hour walk at Thursley Common before work and despite the conditions it wasn't too bad a session, with 46 species noted.

Pusilla Place, Thursley Common.

A Lesser Redpoll over Shrike Hill was the most unexpected of these. After a bumper winter for the species, I had wondered if some birds may stay and breed on some of the heaths – this is my latest local redpoll record since 2000!

The Curlew pair were still around but rather mobile – hopefully she'll be sitting on eggs soon. A Spotted Flycatcher was singing at Will Reeds too, with a Water Rail showing at Pudmore also notable, all to a backdrop of rather muted birdsong – probably partially due to the weather, and also the date, as spring slowly ebbs into summer … that said, two Swallows powerfully north over Pudmore were probably exceptionally late migrants!

Tree Pipit and Kestrel.

Wednesday 22nd

Another cloudy day with intermittent rain called for a waterbody check in the morning. I began at a lively Tuesley, where large numbers of Herring Gulls had gathered (with a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls among them). This has been a theme in recent days here, probably due to the wind direction, though it is remarkable to cast one's mind back to when large gulls were scarce on the deck in south-west Surrey prior to the Beddington tip refuge area being closed a few years ago …

Herring Gulls.

A tundrae Ringed Plover on the shoreline was a fine sight, looking bright and fresh. These Arctic breeding birds move through much later than British ones and generally are tamer, as this individual was.

Ringed Plover.

A bird definitely on the late side was a female Yellow Wagtail, a fairly vocal bird rather comically hanging around with the Grey Wagtail family. In fact, this is my latest spring record in Surrey (by seven days). On 8 May I speculated that a flyover at Shackleford would be rounding off an excellent spring for the species locally, but I was wrong …

Yellow Wagtail.

Other bits included a Mute Swan and decent numbers of Swallows and Swifts (again, presumably late migrants), plus, surprisingly, a singing Skylark – only my fifth here in the last decade.

I headed to Frensham Great Pond afterwards. The female Maccoa Duck was still at large, diving often in the centre of the pond. It was quiet, though, with a few Reed Warblers and a Cetti's Warbler in song, plus 50 or so Sand Martins, 30 Swallows and a few Great Crested Grebe pairs with chicks.

Great Crested Grebes, Maccoa Duck and Sand Martins.

Thursday 23rd

It was a little brighter this morning but still cool, with a breezy westerly in place. A pre-work amble around the 1-km was predictably quiet, though a light westerly passage of Swifts was detected over Peper Harow, with two House Martins going the same way and three Skylarks in song.

There was little doing along the river and at the western end of Eashing Farm, though I counted at least four singing Whitethroats.

A pleasant early evening saw me venture to Thursley. Three Curlew were noted at Pudmore – the pair and another male, which I last saw on 18 April and suspect is one of last year's young. Two Teal were also there. A Hobby hawked over South Bog, too, and a family party of Woodlarks were on High Ground.

Friday 24th

After the run of cloudy mornings, it was beautiful and sunny today, though rather cool and dewy at the Lammas Lands early on where a fun session produced a decent 45 species.

Pick of the bunch was a veritable Lammas Lands mega – a Garden Warbler, which was singing in the south-west corner of Catteshall Meadow by the towpath. A tame bird, it was incorporating a few fluty Blackcap notes into its song … certainly a first for me here, the only other record seems to be one on Overgone that Rich F had a few years ago.

Garden Warbler.

There was plenty of breeding activity, including a Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting carrying food and, on Overgone, one of the Coot pair with the chick. Interestingly a Little Grebe was also on the pool – my first detection of the species here since 23 April. Maybe a female is sitting quietly out of view?

Other bits and pieces included a Kingfisher, both Greylag Goose and Lesser Black-backed Gull over and a decent count of eight singing male Whitethroats across both meadows (plus Almshouse).

Catteshall Meadow.

I had a quick look at the southern section of Unstead Water Meadows afterwards, where Cetti's Warbler and Reed Bunting were in song.