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| Redwing, Slade's Farm, 29/10/2017 |
Sunday 29th
I was in position at New Barn before sunrise, and what was nearly the first scan of the skies revealed a flock of geese flying about mid-distance between myself and Winterfold at 06:38. The birds weren't travelling at a great height, and their diminutive size, stocky shape and all-black appearance suggested Brent Geese.
As they moved south-west, part of the group moved into a V-shape, and as the sun peeked through the extensive cloud the white back-ends of the flock showed nicely. They continued at quite a rate, lost after around 3 minutes, and it certainly seemed like they'd gone straight through the 'gap' between my patch and Winterfold and beyond. Quite a sight, and the second record of Brent Goose here, after 3 flew south in February 2015.
After this explosive start, the rest of the watch was slightly underwhelming, though still mixed and enjoyable. The next best birds were probably 3 Hawfinches that went over, followed by a 1st-winter Great Black-backed Gull that flew south. Redpoll (32) and thrush (200+ from 4 spp.) numbers were notable, and over 1000 Woodpigeons went south or east.
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| Woodpigeons, Ridge, 28/10/2017 |
Saturday 28th
A day that will go down in the patch history books for Woodpigeon numbers. Throughout the day, a whopping 7,641 went over, including an astonishing 5,365 in an hour (!) over Juniper Hill and 1,863 over the Ridge in 80 minutes. A true spectacle, and a comfortable record count for here - the Juniper Hill hour was simply captivating at times.
A very foggy start delayed my arrival at the Ridge, and I instead took in (with ears only) 2 Hawfinches at Winkworth. When I did ascend, I found the crops on the top packed with birds, mainly finches, including half a dozen Redpoll, 10+ Reed Buntings, at least 4 Brambling and a few Yellowhammer.
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| Greenfinches, Sunflower Strip, 29/10/2017 |
My first Fieldfares of the autumn finally came through, and 4 more Hawfinches went over, but neither were the best Ridge birds of the morning. That award is probably best shared between a delightfully showy female Stonechat, that was feeding along the crop and hedgerow edges, and a single flock of 12 Yellowhammers going north-west. The former are rare here - just 5 records in the past 4 years, and the latter moving in a group that size not something I'd seen before.
Other notable birds recorded were 7 other Hawfinches (1 at Slade's, 2 at Leg-of-Mutton Copse and 4 over Juniper Hill), a Kingfisher at Mill Pond and late Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.
Midweek
Restricted to fairly brief, pre-work vis-mig watches from Allden's Hill. 7 Hawfinches were recorded over 4 days, a late House Martin went east on the 23rd, and there were 2 flyover records of both Brambling and Skylark. A high-flying Great Spotted Woodpecker on the 27th was also of note.
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| Female Stonechat, Ridge, 28/10/2017 |
Week ahead
Autumn will slowly wind down here, though an extra hour of light in the morning is most welcome for me, and the mixed winds forecast could prove interesting. We're definitely into optimum Ring Ouzel time now, despite the lack of easterlies this autumn - in the previous 2 years the period of October 31st to November 5th has produced 5 bird days, and I'll be disappointed if I don't connect with this species in 2017.
Interestingly, early November seems to be a decent time for Rose-ringed Parakeet movements in/into this part of Surrey, where they are absolutely still rare. Indeed, any unusual flyover (Woodlark, Snipe etc) could still be attainable.
