Gearing up

The past 10 days have produced enough gentle signs of autumn to suggest things are gearing up for migration proper, with midsummer slumber coming to an end. The weather has been mixed, although relatively settled in the context of 2024, producing a light feeling of summer that's otherwise been absent of late. 

Female Gadwall with ducklings.

Monday 15th

No birding

Tuesday 16th

No birding.

Wednesday 17th

I was up and at 'em this morning, which was set to be the first of a most welcome little run of hot days. However, dense mist lingering in the air and somewhat impeded my walk along the Wey, which began on the Lammas Lands.

Lammas Lands.

I was surprised to see a Little Grebe on the Overgone Meadow pool, presumably a bird from the breeding pair, the last of which I saw on 24 May. To be honest it's more amazing that the pool is still holding water – it's normally dry by the end of April, which shows how wet 2024 has been.

Otherwise it was quiet with poor visibility, though I did note a Reed Bunting pair taking food to a nest, presumably a second brood.

Reed Bunting.

I walked back along the Eashing stretch, which was seriously quiet – not a single Whitethroat or Garden Warbler were noted, and the disconcertingly long runs without Marsh Tit (last seen in January) and Spotted Flycatcher (none this year) went on. An adult Mute Swan was on the river near Milton Wood.

Eashing Marsh.

Thursday 18th

After yesterday's fog and a late-finishing BBQ last night, I had a lie-in today … but was zapped into action upon waking up and seeing a flurry of missed calls from Dave H. Shit! It was always likely to be a biggy and it transpired that a Franklin's Gull – an incredible first for Surrey – was at Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir. The same bird that had been further east along the Thames at Crossness for the past few days, it was a world lifer for me and I had to go.

I raced up there, negotiating the Wisley traffic fairly well, but was to be disappointed – the bird had seemingly flown and there was no sign. I gave it a good hour and a half, but had missed it … gutted. Dave was the only one to see it and this bird could well go down in Surrey birding mythology. A fully deserved discovery for him, the most consistent bird finder in the county. You can't see them all when it comes to twitching, but after missing the similarly mega Little Crake in April, this stung. 

Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir.

I consoled myself with a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, two Mediterranean Gulls, eight Little Egrets and five Common Terns.

By lunchtime, it was wonderfully sunny and warm. A quick walk around Eashing Fields provided a pleasing amount of butterfly action, including Marbled Whites and Essex Skippers. The male Stonechat was present, too, perhaps suggestive of a late second breeding attempt, and a Skylark was carrying food.

Skylark and Eashing Fields in bloom.

I did a little walk along the Wey around the village in the evening. A Kingfisher downriver at Eashing Bridge was, incredibly, my first in the 1-km this year! Such a statistic shows how high the water levels have been (Kingfisher normally breeds here). A party of 18 Swifts high south gave the impression of migrants.

Eashing Bridge.

Friday 19th

Another blinder of a day, warm and sunny early on, though Shackleford was giving autumn vibes this morning with an unexpectedly fun session feeling more like mid-August and producing a decent 45 species. 

Chiffchaffs were notable today. A species that's noted here in ones and twos during the spring and summer, today I counted at least eight, many giving their plaintive call from hedgerows and patches of dewy grasses and weeds. Certainly a sign of the autumn approaching times.

Two records were more notable, however. First up was two Yellow Wagtails fairly low south, calling as they went. A very early autumn occurrence, I've never before recorded this species in July – in fact my earliest previous was on 12 August 1999 at Shalford Water Meadows. Odd, especially considering the first-ever June and November records I've had at Thursley during the last two years!

Yellow Wagtails.

A Dartford Warbler was also good value and a site first for me this year. Bizarrely, I first picked it up foraging with a Pied Wagtail and two Linnets on the hay barn roof! Seriously incongruous, as was watching it fly high over the path and into the wheat field, where it began to follow one of the Stonechat family parties around. Shackleford is a good spot for non-breeding Dartfords but there were none last winter.

Dartford Warbler.

Also noted during an enjoyable hour and a half was a Little Owl sunning itself, a Red-legged Partridge, two or three fresh juvenile Kestrels, a male Sparrowhawk, excellent numbers of Whitethroats including many juveniles and a flock of Feral Pigeons – my first at Shackleford this year would you believe!

Little Owl, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Whitethroat, Small Tortoiseshell and Herring Gulls.

Saturday 20th

After the little run of sunny days, it was mizzly, murky and muggy this morning. I headed to Thursley but, after reassessing the conditions, only did a walk around Pudmore and South Bog. The annually eerie post-breeding quiet was in evidence, with the only bird of note a Kingfisher at Moat Pond. I saw no Teal or Curlew – unfortunately the latter are thought to have failed at the chick stage, with no sign of any birds for a couple of weeks now.

I had a look at Tuesley afterwards. Upon arrival I was surprised to hear then see a Yellow Wagtail among the Pieds and Greys – after my first-ever Surrey July record yesterday, here was another. Even more unexpected was that it was a juvenile! Presumably only a few weeks fledged, perhaps this is a product of earlier arriving spring migrants – maybe we'll begin to expect things like returning Yellow Wagtails and Whinchats in future Julys?

Yellow Wagtail.

The Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull was also present, though looking unwell. Also noted was four Common Terns and a fresh juvenile Red Kite over.

Black-headed Gull and Common Terns.

Sunday 21st

It was cloudy and muggy again this morning. I visited the Lammas Lands early on, specifically Overgone Meadow, where I've been checking the pool semi-regularly during the last few weeks. Normally dry by the end of April, the persistent rain this summer means it's still topped up. I have been hoping for a wader here ...

Lammas Lands.

Well, today that happened, with my first-ever Lammas Lands Green Sandpiper pottering around on the mud. Still in full summer dress, it looked quite the part, and I was chuffed with this little patch accomplishment. And who knows, maybe an even better wader will drop in this autumn …

Green Sandpiper.

It was otherwise quiet, though a Bullfinch calling near Borough Road was notable – never a particularly easy Lammas Lands birds and this was only my third of the year.

I had a look at Snowdenham Mill Pond afterwards. A fairly well-developed Tufted Duck duckling was present, along with 15 Mandarin and the Red-crested Pochard x Mallard hybrid.

It had brightened up by late afternoon, when a casual amble through Chiddingfold Forest produced some decent butterfly action, including White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries. I was also pleased to see a Spotted Flycatcher family party in Tugley Wood, where a Siskin flew over.

Chiddingfold Forest.

Monday 22nd

No birding.

Tuesday 23rd

It was a fairly cloudy and muggy morning, though it gradually brightened up throughout. I headed to Frensham Great Pond early on and was surprised to see six Gadwall along the south side – a curiously scarce species on this waterbody (this was only my third record of the year here).

Gadwall.

A few Tufted Duck broods were noted, too, along with an adult and juvenile Common Tern and a high count of 20 Egyptian Geese.

Tufted Duck and Common Tern.

I then visited Waverley Abbey. On Sunday, Kev D reported a brilliant breeding record of three broods of Gadwall here – only the second-ever documented breeding of the species in south-west Surrey, after a female with ducklings at Unstead SF in 2014. Indeed, Gadwall is a rare breeding species anywhere in the county, especially outer Surrey.

In total I counted eight youngsters, from three broods. They looked very cute with their stripey heads and boldly-marked bills. A really cool experience – I've seen ducklings of this species very few times before. Kudos to Kev.

Gadwall.

I also heard a Firecrest singing by the entrance and a juvenile Red Kite flew over.

Wednesday 24th

No birding.

Soggy summer

It's getting to the point where we can think about writing off summer 2024, such has been the extent of cool, wet weather. The first two weeks of July have been no different. A time of year normally associated with warm, pleasant conditions has, for the most part, been deeply unseasonal. Given it's High Summer I've not been birding at full throttle, but to be honest that's probably just as well – and it remains to be seen how severely the soggy summer will impact the breeding of various species.

Redshank.

Monday 1st

July began rather grey and cool, and I did a short walk of Eashing Fields before work. Two species stood out – an eastbound Little Egret, which is only my sixth for the site, and a calling Green Woodpecker in Top Field, a curiously scarce bird here. This was the first of 2024!

Little Egret.

Tuesday 2nd

Passing part of Thursley during a morning run, I noticed the Curlew pair aggressively and noisily mobbing a Carrion Crow out on Ockley Common – surely a sign of a nearby chick or two, which is good news indeed.

Wednesday 3rd

Another cloudy and cool morning, with occasional light rain. I had a look at Frensham Great Pond, where my first Tufted Duck broods of the year were nice to see. It was otherwise quiet, though, unsurprisingly given the date, with two Firecrests, a Common Tern, a Kingfisher and a Sand Martin of note, along with 30 odd Swifts – perhaps we'll get a big day for them soon.

In the evening I joined Jeremy for some Barn Owl ringing. The species has had a productive year, both locally (at least five occupied boxes in south-west Surrey) and nationally, it seems. However, the site we visited unfortunately had the remains of a juvenile nearby, which may have been the victim of a fox.

Barn Owl remains.

Thursday 4th

No birding.

Friday 5th

A miserably wet and breezy morning really didn't feel like July, though it tempted me to check a couple of waterbodies. I began at Pudmore, where the 2024 Teal-fest continued in the shape of a female with a fresh brood of six small ducklings – the second brood I've personally recorded here this summer. Two well developed juveniles and another female were also present, though little else was noted in a soggy, quiet walk along the boards.

Teal.

I then had a look at Tuesley. Here, a Common Sandpiper was pottering around in the increasingly grim conditions. My first of the autumn, it was somewhat on the early side. It does feel like adult waders are returning south in larger numbers than usual this late June/early July, which generally doesn't bode well for a productive breeding season …

Common Sandpiper.

I counted 18 juveniles Black-headed Gulls and, pleasingly, a juvenile Common Tern, presumably from Enton Lakes. The Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull hybrid was present as well.

Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull and Common Tern.

Saturday 6th

No birding

Sunday 7th

No birding.

Monday 8th

The weekend had been miserably wet and cool, but it was brighter this morning, albeit still fresh. I had a quick look at Tuesley where a summer-plumaged Redshank was a welcome tick on the July patch bingo card – an amazing 16 of my 22 south-west Surrey records of the species have been in this month. Great-looking birds.

Two juvenile Common Terns flew in from Enton, too, with an adult performing food-carrying flyovers, suggestive of another nest. Black-headed Gull juveniles were up to an impressive 22 as well.

Herring Gull and Common Tern.

Tuesday 9th

I was up early today – and it was worth it, with a tidy early autumn session enjoyed. Yesterday had been quite rainy again and, this morning, it was drizzly, murky and grey, though the wind had switched to a muggy southerly with a hint of east. It felt fairly rare as a result, even if it was yet another example of our robbed 2024 'summer' …

I started at the Lammas Lands, where the weather and time of year made it feel eerily silent. That said, male Kestrels and Sparrowhawks dashed over carrying food, and there were good numbers of Swifts over, presumably from Farncombe (which seems the healthiest local colony this year).

House Martin.

With the murk closing in somewhat, I headed to Tuesley, which proved wise. Both a Redshank and Common Sandpiper were on the shoreline, active and foraging away happily. There's a fair chance the Redshank was the same as yesterday, but it's hard to know for sure given they never tend to hang around long …

Redshank and Common Sandpiper.

Better was to come, though, when I started scanning through the gulls, which by now (7.30 am) were present in decent numbers. A cracking summer-plumaged Mediterranean Gull was preening amid the Black-headed Gulls – a real result! They are such great looking birds and, despite the increase in recent years, always feel like a prize locally.

Mediterranean Gull.

It was my first of the year in south-west Surrey, too, and this individual was sporting a small silver ring – presumably a BTO one. Unfortunately something spooked all the gulls before I could get close, and it didn't reappear …

Presumably it couldn't get much better, but when I began working through the large gulls on the buoys I was amazed to see a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull! A rare beast anytime in south-west Surrey, where it's not quite annual, this was quite a record – it looks like the fourth juvenile in Britain this year and can't have long departed the colony in Spain or France where it would have been born.

Yellow-legged Gull.

As a big lover of gulls I was pleased, though like the Med it was spooked by something and flew off east, but not after I was able to enjoy some bumper flight views. Super stuff – and perhaps a sign of a good autumn for the species.

Two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were also present, making for a very rare five gull species day, along with the Herring x Lesser Black-backed hybrid, while one juvenile and one adult Common Terns were noted.

Common Tern and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

I was about to leave when, curiously, the Redshank started contact calling. I couldn't work out why, but after a couple of minutes I noticed some high-flying birds – six in total, and they turned out to be Whimbrels!

I hadn't heard them call and may have otherwise missed them, but presumably the Redshank had clocked their presence. They powered south at great height. A very early record (my earliest autumn record in Surrey by 12 days), it is probably indicative of a poor breeding season in Iceland, which unfortunately seems to be the consensus among birders there.

Whimbrels.

A few minutes after the Whimbrels had disappeared into the murk, the now far livelier and more vocal Redshank flew to the other side of the reservoir, before itself deciding it was time to move on, taking off powerfully east. Migration eh – it doesn't get much better than this on patch, even if there was a lingering feeling of discomfort at the weather and levels of migration being witnessed for early July.

After the liveliness of this morning, which was experienced elsewhere in the south-east on a day of reports that felt more like mid-August, I headed to Tuesley for another look after work. It was quiet, however, with no gulls present, though another Common Sandpiper was in, joining this morning's bird.

Common Sandpiper.

Wednesday 10th

Yet another grey, cool morning, though without precipitation and with the wind back in the south-west, and things feeling decidedly less rare (or August-like) as a result. That said, there was still an autumnal whiff to a short walk around Shackleford, with the damp ground, fading colours of plants and grasses, early smells of ripening fruits and gatherings of post-breeding birds …

Among the latter were, pleasingly, a few juvenile Swallows, a species that's had a wretched year locally. Young Linnets and Whitethroats were also seen, plus one of the Stonechat family parties. Generally it was quiet, though, with an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull overhead of note, as well as my first Gatekeeper of 2024.

Gatekeeper.

Thursday 11th

No birding.

Friday 12th

No birding.

Saturday 13th

I counted an impressive five juvenile Common Terns during a quick look at Tuesley this morning, which was cool but bright. An adult came in carrying food, too. Clearly it's been a good breeding season for this species at Enton Lakes, which is welcome given the grim bird flu era we're currently in for terns and gulls.

In the evening, on a humid night in Köln, it was nice to see Black Redstart and Red Squirrel around my city centre hotel, plus four Alexandrine Parakeets over — only my second WP record of this naturalised species, with Germany one of two countries that has the Psittacidae on Category C of their national lists.

Sunday 14th

No birding.