The Godalming area diary: 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.