Lammas Lands 90

I've done little local birding this month, but last week a gloomy, mizzly stroll around Overgone Meadow produced a Dartford Warbler. This encounter meant it was the fourth winter out of the past five that I've recorded Dartford Warbler at the Lammas Lands – and also marked the 90th species for me at the site in 2024, my best-ever total.

Overgone Meadow on a warmer, sunnier day in September.

I've not tried any harder than usual to reach that figure, but I noticed on eBird a few weeks ago that I was having a decent year in species number terms at the Lammas Lands. It was nice to set a new personal record of 88 on 15 November when I had a Water Rail on Catteshall Meadow (not common here and, funnily enough, I had another last week on Overgone).

Probably my best bird of the year here was number 89 – a Great Egret lumbering low west over Catteshall Meadow on 29 November. This was a site first, one of two in 2024, the other being Lesser Whitethroat on 2 August. Little Grebe, Garden Warbler and Green Sandpiper have all been Lammas Lands lifers for me this year as well.

Great Egret over Catteshall Meadow.

The Lammas Lands is a cool site and one I've got progressively more into post-COVID, when lockdown showed me that this underwatched site was sitting in the middle of Godalming – and right in front of me. It's small, and parts of both core meadows (Catteshall and Overgone) can become busy on summer afternoons and evenings, but it's easy to work and offers a biodiverse wetland experience somewhat lacking elsewhere in south-west Surrey.

It boasts a smart breeding assemblage of birds and, as confirmed this year, Harvest Mouse – a threatened and rather iconic small mammal. Indeed, unearthing a used nest on Catteshall Meadow this autumn felt almost as good as finding a rare bird. In the spring, I helped Neil lead a walk of the site for the town's councillors – and early plans are afoot to try and obtain Local Nature Reserve status.

Harvest Mouse nest.

Missing lynx

I recently spent a long weekend in northern Andalucia, in Sierra de Andujar. This beautiful region is famous for its Iberian Lynx population – it is the best place in the world to see this localised and threatened big cat. After dipping the feline during a brief, bird-focused visit in 2016, I had vowed to come back and try again one day.

One of the vistas from the La Lancha track.

Unfortunately, and immensely frustratingly, we had no luck. This was despite a huge amount of effort put in, including a whopping 26 hours spent just at the renowned La Lancha viewpoints. Most people who visit for a targeted lynx trip score, so we felt a little hard done by, especially when we missed a female, 'Margaza', by a couple of seconds, a near encounter that goes down as genuinely one of the most galling wildlife moments I've endured!

Despite this, the weather, scenery, company and supporting cast of wildlife was lovely. The focus was on mammals – we scored our three sub-targets of Granada Hare, Iberian Ibex and European Mouflon – but saw some cool birds, including good and regular views of Spanish Eagle, Black Vulture and Iberian Magpie. As I said in 2016, I'll be back …

Iberian Ibex (hispanica form).

Red Deer.

Mouse-eared Bat.

European Mouflon.

Crag Martin.

Black Vultures.

On the marsh

You know winter's approaching when it's time to don the wellies and get out on the marshes and wet meadows in the local area, something I've already done a bit of this month. The Wey Valley has a few such sites including the Lammas Lands – now cow free for the winter – where I've undertaken my first snipe searches of the season.

Jack Snipe.

Numbers seem to be fairly good at this early stage, with at least 28 Common Snipe counted on Catteshall Meadow in recent visits. It's always hard to accurately tally this species and I suspect there may in fact have been more.

Common Snipe. They rarely pose for photos on the Lammas Lands.

A Jack Snipe, first seen a little on the early side on 1st, is also back. It showed exceptionally well on that date – even by thermal-imaged snipe standards – and was probably the closest I've ever got to this wonderful species. I suspect I saw the same bird today. Hopefully a couple more join in the coming weeks.

A combination of factors make Catteshall Meadow optimum for snipe right now. Firstly, water levels are quite low, after a relatively dry autumn and the fact we're still early in the winter. Secondly, the summer herd of cows have churned up various areas leaving appealing little pools (especially good for Jack Snipe). Furthermore, their dung is popular for probing!

Snipe probing action.

On Sunday (3rd), I was splashing around at Shalford Water Meadows, because Dave B had found a true local mega – south-west Surrey's first Bearded Tit for 20 years! It was a properly cool encounter, with the bird vocal and showing fairly well (if mobile and hard to photograph).

Bearded Tit. A local mega!

A female, it was ravenously feasting on seeds of what seem to be Purple Loosestrife (thanks Steve G for suggesting this species) in the marsh by St Catherine's Lock. Far away from any reeds, it opened my mind to where 'vagrant' Bearded Tit is possible to find in the future … a mini irruption seems to be occurring in the south (presumably due to reed seed failure in some areas), and this is the third Surrey record this autumn, notable given the county goes some years without any.

Purple Loosestrife.

Two Hawfinches flew over here too. Ridiculously it was the 16th local record I've had since 12 October, and at a ninth different site, many of which have been so unlikely for producing Hawfinch records. It's not 2017, but it's some influx nonetheless …

Hawfinch at Shalford.

Dave and I visited again on Wednesday (6th) when the Bearded Tit was still there, albeit ranging across the marsh on a wider scale and proving far more elusive to boot. It'll be interesting to see how long it hangs around (and indeed if any others join it). The food supply seems plentiful. 

Some 10 Wigeon on St Catherine's Pool were good value too – my largest-ever count of this locally scarce bird in south-west Surrey away from Wrecclesham.

Wigeon.

Shalford is a properly underwatched site and, as I've said on this blog before, it's got great potential. The last south-west Surrey Bearded Tit away from Frensham was as long ago as 1974, which says everything about the quality of Dave's find – a county rarity, which is locally mega, and at a poorly covered location. Kudos to him.

I do enjoy being on the local marshes. There's a particular feeling of being 'in habitat' and understanding the denizens of these landscapes that you don't always get at other sites.

Three fine mice

A fun morning nest box checking with the Surrey Dormouse Group earlier today, in beautiful, sunny autumn conditions in a local woodland. The highlight was a first-year male Hazel Dormouse – one of Britain's more iconic mammals that has suffered a long-term decline.

Hazel Dormouse being weighed.

Also cool to see were two Yellow-necked Mice. Although doubtless under recorded, they aren't a common species in Britain and this pair represented a (live) mammal first for me. They are very similar to Wood Mouse, but are larger, have bulgier eyes and bigger ears and, diagnostically, a continuous yellow band across the chest.

Yellow-necked Mouse.

For good measure we also had a few Wood Mice – three fine mouse species (well, two and a dormouse).

Wood Mouse.

Four Hawfinches flew over as well, as the mini-influx begins to show signs of being something larger. Two Marsh Tits and a cronking Raven were also noted.

Scandinavian Herring Gulls

A loaf-chucking session at Gremista harbour, Shetland, during my recent visit produced some close encounters with three argentatus Herring Gulls – and seemingly birds from the northern part of their range to boot. 'Scandinavian Herring Gulls' are genuinely quite scarce in southern England. In a typical winter I may see one or two along the Sussex coast, and I've only ever had a handful locally. Indeed, in some South-West counties they are description birds.

First-winter

With much retained juvenile plumage (the scapular moult is most notable), this was a truly eye-catching beast and stood out from the local birds of the same age. Swarthy, dark and serious-looking, with dark underparts and pale undertail coverts.

Third-winter

A really striking bird with a very mean expression, heavily built and lots of streaking on the head and neck. Brutish, with the mantle shade a notably darker grey, and rather bright pink legs. Lots of white in the primary tips and broad white tips to the tertials and secondaries.

Adult (female?)

This bird stood out the most, with bright pink legs, a very dark mantle and limited streaking in the head (likely due to the time of year). It gave slight Vega Gull vibes! This bird was especially dainty, for argentatus, with a rather cute head and slighter size – maybe it was a female. As with the third-winter, there is a lot of white in the primary tips and broad white tips to the tertials and secondaries.

Shetland stuff

I recently spent a week on Shetland – my first visit to the archipelago since the epic Sibe autumn of 2016. The birding was pretty slow, but the company good and it was nice to get away. However, the trip reaffirmed that I much prefer visiting the lesser birded Scottish islands in the autumn.

Pechora Pipit at Quendale.

Below are some photos and video from the trip, the eBird report of which is here.

Female Hawfinch at Scousburgh.

First-winter male 'continental' Blackbird.

Yellow-browed and Wood Warblers being ringed at Geosetter.

Twite at Scousburgh.

Pallas's Warbler at Cunnisburgh.

One of an extraordinary 'superpod' of c 250 White-beaked Dolphins off Sumburgh Head. Below, a distant pod of Orca at the same site.

Siberian Chiffchaff at Scousburgh.

Little Bunting at Sound.

Eastern Crowned Warbler at Sandness.

Juvenile Glaucous Gull at Loch of Spiggie.

Eurasian Otter at Scatness.