A flat start to February

The first week of February picked up where January left off, with grey, mild and windy weather dominating. Hardly the most inspiring conditions for local birding, it's safe to say things have been pretty quiet so far this month, though the gradual increase in suggestions of spring you get at this time of year have been welcome.

Drake Teal.

Thursday 1st

It was a fairly bright, cool morning, and I had a quick look at Frensham Great Pond before work. Pochard numbers were down a bit, with only 14 counted. A Shoveler pair were also present and I enjoyed the first Great Crested Grebe courtship display of the season, too.

At the end of the day, a calling Chiffchaff a few gardens along was a surprise – I've not had a winter record in the Eashing area before.

Friday 2nd

A spring-like atmosphere among certain species belied the grey, dull conditions at the Lammas Lands this morning, where a breezy westerly was blowing through. Like last Friday, I enjoyed a fun session, with no fewer than 12 species in song. 

Kestrel.

This included my first singing Reed Bunting of the year and clearly an arrival has occurred here in the last week, with at least five counted across both Overgone and Catteshall Meadows. A Stonechat pair on Overgone were my first here since November and too were perhaps a sign of the times – maybe a prospective breeding pair back. 

Stonechat.

An even greater prize was lurking on Overgone, though, in the shape of a female Shoveler with a flock of Mallards on the pool. This species has always been rare here but used to be slightly more regular (i.e. I had three records in the winter of 2014-15). This bird was my first for nine years, though, so felt a smart prize.

Shoveler.

Curiously, Andrew L and Dave B went on to see the Shoveler actually on the Wey here in subsequent days ... 'Mark' the Tufted Duck was also amid this wildfowl assemblage, incongruously diving in the small pool at times, but soon moved to the river. 

Tufted Duck.

Other bits of note included two Jack Snipe on Catteshall Meadow (13 Common Snipe across both meadows) and two Greylag Geese over – not an especially easy Lammas Lands bird!

Saturday 3rd

Another grey, gloomy morning led me to Thursley Common, where I met up with Dave for a big walk. As mentioned following my last visit here on 20 January, this site has had a desperately quiet winter – and today was a truly mundane session.

Thursley Common.

Highlights were limited as a result, with Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail at Forked Pond of note, plus a few Woodlarks occasionally in song. Passerine numbers were very low indeed, though a male Stonechat at Pine Island was a faint whiff of spring.

It was then west, from bird-less Surrey to the bird-filled Somerset Levels, namely Greylake RSPB reserve. This brilliant, impressive site had a major target for me: a drake Baikal Teal, which has been here on and off since late December. It was quite elusive, but on occasion showed nicely amid the thousands of Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler. A cracking bird.

Baikal Teal.

A drake Green-winged Teal, found in January, was lurking distantly, too, though was often asleep. Only my third in Britain …

Green-winged Teal.

The supporting cast was pretty awesome too – three Cranes, two Marsh Harriers, 100 or so Golden Plovers (amid thousands of Lapwings), triple-figures of Snipe, three each of Great Egret and Water Rail, Kingfisher and 25 Pintail. 

Teal, Shoveler, Wigeon, Pintail, Great Egret, Marsh Harrier, Cranes, Snipe and Lapwings.

Passerine action included a few vocal Cetti's Warblers, a Kingfisher and a Chiffchaff by the car park. A quality site, and one I could have spent all day at ...

Greyake RSPB.

Before heading home, a quick look at nearby Ham Wall produced a wintering group of seven Scaup on Long Drove – a fine count for Somerset. Also noted here were 50 or so Cattle Egrets in nearby fields, plus two Pochard and a few more Great Egrets and Water Rails.

Cattle Egrets and Scaup.

Sunday 4th

Once again it was a moody, mild and breezy day, this time with occasional light drizzle. Shackleford was the choice of site this morning but I popped my head in at Eashing Farm first, where a Tufted Duck pair on the reservoir were a nice surprise – a rare 1-km beast and only my second Eashing area record since moving here.

Despite the rather squally conditions, Skylarks were full of life at Shackleford. Annually at this site, in the early part of the year, a Skylark switch seems to flip – one visit will be the last of them being quite unobtrusive, and gathered in winter feeding flocks, before the next sees the sky filled with their song. Almost like two different species … Today, at least nine males were in voice, with plenty of territorial chasing going on as well.

Otherwise, though, there was little going on, as the quiet winter here continues. Impressive Fieldfare numbers were still about – a minimum of 200, but possibly more – and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was amid a modest larid gathering on the polo pitch. 

Fieldfares.

Other bits included two Stonechat pairs, a male Sparrowhawk, three Red-legged Partridges and, on the farm pond, a Little Grebe.

Shackleford.

Monday 5th

I visited Unstead SF for the first time in a few months, meeting up with Janet on yet another mild, grey and breezy morning. She wanted to talk about some of the changes taking place here and birding was fairly limited, though we did have a Raven west – never regular here and a year tick for Unstead patch-watcher extraordinaire Janet!

Other bits included five Gadwall, two Shoveler and a Teal amid low waterbird numbers, two Water Rails and a Cetti's Warbler in Dry Lagoon and a couple of Chiffchaffs in Works Field.

Some 15 Mandarin at Snowdenham Mill Pond afterwards included a few displaying drakes.

Snowdenham Mill Pond.

Tuesday 6th

The wind had picked up today, but it was still overcast and mild. I headed to Frensham Great Pond early on, where a female Goosander was one of the first birds I saw along the south side. Pochard numbers were well up on 1st – some 41 in total. 

Pochard and Tufted Duck.

On the way back, it was a real shame to note a dead Barn Owl beside the A3 at Rodborough Common – the second I've seen in four days after passing one in Wiltshire on Saturday.

I walked Eashing Fields before heading home. Three Skylarks chasing each other around in The Meadow were welcome, as I'd not had any here this year. There's no denying the number of dog walkers visiting the site has steadily increased since I moved to Eashing …

Wednesday 7th

No birding.

Ice, Isha and back to an indifferent winter

The cold spell that arrived in the middle of January, featuring in much of my last blog post, soon fizzled out and, following Storm Isha's arrival on 21st, the winter weather has reverted to type: mild, middling conditions with similarly steady birding. Like many birders, I'm already dreaming of spring days that lie not too far away …

Firecrest.

Thursday 18th

The big freeze was still firmly grasping the landscape this morning and even Tuesley had frozen over a little bit. Tufted Duck numbers had shot up since my last visit, to 54, and two Pochard – a pair – were among them.

I then had a look at the Loseley farmland. Here, 24 Lapwings were huddled down at Brickfields Farm, though goose numbers weren't especially high. Unsettling work has been taking place here during the last two weeks, including hedgerow removal …. It seems another quiet spot of local farmland is set to change for the worse.

Lapwings.

I didn't record a single Lapwing in the Eashing area during 2023, so a flock of 24 heading west over Eashing Fields late afternoon was most welcome. Normally I'd assume they were cold weather related, but given the number involved I guess it was the group from Loseley, heading to roost somewhere.

Friday 19th

It was a cool -6°C when I set off for Shackleford this morning, as the bitterly cold weather continued. It was a glorious, bright day, though, and after yesterday's Lapwings at Eashing Fields it was perhaps no surprise that some were to be found here this morning.

Shackleford.

In fact, I managed no fewer than 73 – a decent modern-day count and my highest at Shackleford for nearly three years. The main flock of 72 was flighty in the northern fields and I probably missed a few. A lone bird flew over later on.

Lapwings.

Things were relatively steady otherwise, though Fieldfare numbers remained high (it's proving a great winter for this species), and I also noted six Stonechats, 30 Skylarks, 50 Linnets, seven Siskins (uncommon here) and two Teal.

Fieldfare, Red Kite and Stonechats.

I checked Loseley on the way home. Lapwing numbers were in fact down here, to 17, and three adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls were arguably more of note, given the time of year.

Saturday 20th

The wind had shifted to the south today but, while it felt notably milder, the breeze was still cold and plenty of frost and ice remained in situ. This included at Tuesley, where only about 20% of the water was unfrozen. Collected on it this morning were 56 Tufted Duck – a high count – and a drake Pochard.

Pochard.

Even more notable was a female Shoveler – a bird clearly frozen out of a more typical haunt. The first-ever site record only occurred in August last year (and involved two flyovers).

Shoveler.

I then headed to Thursley, for my first proper walk of the site in over a month. It was fairly bright for the most part, but clouded over as the two-hour session went on, and things were quiet. Indeed, this is a site that has seen its winter avian cast change during the last decade or so – gone are the regular wintering Great Grey Shrikes, Merlins and Hen Harriers, with even Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings becoming thin on the ground.

Thursley Common.

The highlight today was probably three Crossbills – my first of the year – which flew over South Bog. Also noted were 40 or so Lesser Redpolls, a Little Egret over West Bog and four Dartford Warblers, plus flyover Greenfinch and Starling (both relative oddities out on the common). A Sparrowhawk pair displayed over the south end of the site, too.

Sparrowhawk and Little Egret.

Sunday 21st

It was dramatically milder today, with a moderate breeze blowing from the south-west under grey skies. The ice had all disappeared at Tuesley, where I was astonished to count no fewer than 30 Pochard – my highest-ever count in south-west Surrey away from Frensham! Where had they all come from?

Pochard.

I then headed to Unstead Water Meadows. One of my plans for this year is to try and target south-west Surrey lifers – even unlikely ones – and Bearded Tit was on my mind today. It's been a decent winter for the species in Surrey, with birds at two sites, and the Tannachie reedbed is the biggest in the local area away from Frensham. There is a historical record from here, too, but of course none were found today …

Unstead Water Meadows.

Indeed, it was quiet, with 17 Snipe and two Water Rails the best I could muster out on the meadows. A Firecrest showed nicely along the footpath near Upper Unstead Farm, too. 

On the way home I checked Broadwater Lake. While out on the meadows I'd noticed four smaller duck appear to drop in here and, lo and behold, four Shoveler were sat on the remaining ice – a rare Broadwater bird. Three Great Crested Grebes were also present.

Shoveler and Great Crested Grebes.

On the way to visiting family in the afternoon, a quick stop at Burpham, West Sussex, produced the wintering herd of Bewick's Swans – 10 in total, all adults. A pair of adult Peregrines flew over while I watched.

Bewick's Swans and Peregrine.

Monday 22nd

No birding.

Tuesday 23rd

No birding.

Wednesday 24th

No birding.

Thursday 25th

It was a grey, damp and mild morning, and I headed to Frensham Great Pond for a pre-work look. It's been a good winter for Pochard locally and this was demonstrated by a decent count of 48 along the south side, 28 of which were drakes. The Common Pochard x Tufted Duck was knocking about too.

Pochard and Black-headed Gull.

Also of note was a calling Chiffchaff (a year first), a flyover Greenfinch (uncommon here; I saw none in 2023) and a Kingfisher.

I had a quick look at The Tarn at Cutt Mill Ponds on the way home, where 10 Goosander included two territorial drakes chasing each other around. I don't think it's impossible that this increasing species could try and breed locally one year (indeed it may have happened in 2023 …). A Kingfisher was noted, too.

Goosander.

Friday 26th

I walked the Lammas Lands before work, on a bright, fresh morning with a gentle breeze from the west, as the January 'Wolf Moon' lit up proceedings early on. 

'Wolf Moon'.

Among 43 species, the highlight was a Skylark over Catteshall Meadow – a bird less than annual here these days. It's crazy to think they were still breeding at the Lammas Lands (or trying to) less than a decade ago … 

Overgone Meadow.

Other bits included my first Lammas Lands Coot for nearly three years on the Wey at Overgone Meadow (likely the same bird found first by Neil on 13th), with 'Mark' the iconic Godalming Tufted Duck nearby (also seen back for the first time this winter by Neil), plus four Lesser Redpolls, a Reed Bunting and nine Snipe.

Tufted Duck and Coot.

Two Stonechats were at Eashing Fields late afternoon – a species that seems to be wintering in lesser numbers in the Godalming area this winter.

Saturday 27th

I met up with David and Jake early afternoon for a bit of Sussex birding in the Cuckmere and Ouse Valleys. The weather was bright, mild and pleasant, and our first session was at Rodmell Brooks. It was fairly quiet, though a cream cap Marsh Harrier was nice, three Chiffchaffs were around the small sewage works and plenty of Lapwings and winter thrushes were present.

We then headed to Cuckmere Haven for a big wander. Unlike my last visit here on 28 December, we managed to score the wintering Long-billed Dowitcher today, in a creek west over the Cuckmere River. It was mobile and vocal, allowing us to enjoy flight views and get to grips with the call.

Long-billed Dowitcher.

Much gull scanning failed to produce any Casps, but we did note an two adult Yellow-legged Gulls. Other bits included Spotted Redshank, Cattle Egret, Barnacle Goose, plus plenty of common wildfowl and waders.

Cattle Egret, Great Black-backed Gulls, Barnacle Goose and Wigeon.

Sunday 28th

It was another bright, fresh morning, with a touch of frost. I met up with Kit for a walk of his Shalford Water Meadows patch. This stretch of the Wey really is good and, in a south-west Surrey sense, offers some of the most untapped potential in my eyes (Kit has visited with less regularity in recent years).

Anyway, the highlight today was the simply mega numbers of Snipe. A proper stomp of the two main marshes produced a minimum of 85 – by far the biggest haul I've ever had in Surrey! This included 50+ on the marsh north of St Catherine's Pool, with the rest on Broadford Marsh, and a couple in St Catherine's Meadow.

Among them were two Jack Snipe. One was found with the thermal imager and the other, after taking flight, was relocated with the naked eye! Both showed superbly. Seeing this species up close really is cool…

Jack Snipe.

A Woodcock in some willow scrub on Broadford Marsh completed the set. A brilliant effort and well worth the wet feet.

Other bits from a fun session included a decent count of four Water Rails, five Shoveler, four Teal, three Lesser Redpolls, four Reed Buntings, a Stonechat pair, a male Sparrowhawk that tried to take a Feral Pigeon and my first display-flighting Blue Tits of the season.

Monday 29th

No birding.

Tuesday 30th

No birding

Wednesday 31st

It was an overcast and cool morning as I walked Frensham Little Pond before work. All told it was a quiet session, with the highlights some brief song from the Cetti's Warbler in the western reedbed, singles of Crossbill and Water Rail and seven Pochard.

My first singing Chaffinches of the year were pleasing to hear. Woodlark was also in song, with a few Reed Buntings feeding on Phragmites heads and a handful of Lesser Redpolls zipping about (though no sign of my probable Mealy from 20 December).