Slow-cation

The first period of October has mirrored the latter half of September – incessant westerly winds and slow local birding as a result. Having booked the first week of the month off, my plans to be on Shetland or western Ireland broke down for various reasons, and I ended up having something of a staycation. Upon reflection, finding two south-west Surrey year ticks – including a locally mega Rock Pipit – was a good return. But this masks the fact most of my birding has been steady, with vis-mig continuing to stall as the spring-like conditions (that feel like they've been in place since March) roll on.

Male Stonechat among October colours.

Saturday 1st

A lively morning session at Shackleford this morning produced my best-ever species count here: 52. Perhaps the highlight was the site's first Yellowhammer of the year, with a mobile bird around the northern fields. Presumably this species is dispersing from breeding sites at the moment …

A flock of 14 Lapwings went over – incredibly and depressingly my first double-figure count in south-west Surrey this year. Migrants included 10 Redwings, two Wheatears and a Yellow Wagtail, while decent counts of Stonechat (11), Meadow Pipit (200) and Skylark (45) were achieved.

Wheatears and Lapwings.

Sunday 2nd

No birding.

Monday 3rd

An initially slow morning at Thursley eventually ramped up into a session peppered with quality, as the first proper vis-mig of the year took place. The main movers were Meadow Pipits, with passage really picking up after 08:30 and totalling as many as 300 birds.

Among them was a most unexpected Rock Pipit, calling with gusto as it powered south-west on its own. Thankfully I managed a low-quality recording – this is a monster rarity locally (two records I had at Tuesley last year were only the 10th and 11th for south-west Surrey!). A seriously incongruous bird for Thursley and a site first, though it later transpired that it was a big Rock Pipit day in southern England with plenty of inland sites scoring birds, often multiple individuals.

Not long after the excitement died down, two Bramblings buzzed south – my earliest-ever in Surrey and by several days too. Only my fifth local Crossbill of 2022 then headed west, before a group of eight Redwings went south-west. Exciting stuff, at least by the low vis-mig standards so far this autumn.

It was rather quiet on the deck, with a late Tree Pipit and five Snipe the only bits of note.

On the way home, I flushed a Yellowhammer from The Meadow at Eashing Fields – presumably the same bird as 30 September. It's encouraging that it's hung around.

A mid-afternoon walk along the Wey north of Godalming was quiet, though six Lapwings at Unstead Water Meadows were most welcome. This small group has been gradually picking up new birds since I first saw them here on 12 August.

Lapwings.

Tuesday 4th

A quick look at Eashing Farm this morning produced another early Brambling, with a bird heading south.

Wednesday 5th

A Marsh Tit was in a mixed flock at a windy Eashing Fields late afternoon. This species breeds along the Wey little more than 1 km to the north (as the tit flies) but was still a nice surprise and new bird for me here. Eight Stonechats, three Reed Buntings and a Sparrowhawk were also noted.

Marsh Tit.

Thursday 6th

A beautiful but quiet morning, starting at the Devil's Punch Bowl where a Crossbill over Sugar Loaf Hill was the highlight. Some very light passage of Meadow Pipits, hirundines and Chaffinches was taking place high above, while 15 Redwings, two Marsh Tits and three Firecrests were on the deck.

Milford and Witley Commons were even quieter afterwards, although Raven and Skylark – both flying over the latter common – were of note.

Raven.

A dusk walk around a scenic Thursley didn't produce much either, other than a late Whinchat, a Snipe and cracking views of a Noctule.

Friday 7th

Another day of breezy south-westerlies and thus little expectation, though it turned out OK. No fewer than three Yellowhammers were at Shackleford in the morning, including a pair roving around the stubble fields amid good numbers of Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Goldfinch. Presumably one of the birds was the same as on 1st. Hopefully they settle for the winter ...

Yellowhamer.

The surprise of the session was a female Dartford Warbler that flushed out from a ditch. It was typically skulking thereafter. Only my second here, stumbling upon extralimital Dartfords is always enjoyable.

Dartford Warbler.

I checked a few waterbodies mid-morning and came up trumps at Frensham Great Pond: a moulting adult Little Gull. A favourite species of mine, the bird was eagerly picking prey of the water's surface, occasionally settling for short periods, and I enjoyed good – albeit distant – views. Pleasingly, several folk were able to connect with it during the day.

Little Gull.

Having failed to score a local Little Gull in 2021 this was an especially sweet find, and only my third in south-west Surrey, all of which have been at Frensham. While this week off may not have been as action-packed as it would have been on Shetland or similar, I can't turn my nose up at Rock Pipit and Little Gull discoveries, even if the birding has been slow.

Saturday 8th

No birding.

Sunday 9th

A bright, cold autumn morning, fit for a long walk around the Weald. I started at The Hurtwood where one of the first birds I noted was a Hawfinch, which was bounding over Holloways Heath. My second record here in the last two months, I wonder if this may be a reliable site for the species outside of the breeding season? 

A steady southerly push of Chaffinches (evidenced all morning) included a couple of Bramblings which dropped in. Otherwise it was steady, with a Firecrest heard at Great Copse and plenty of Jays noisily going about their October business.

Brambling.

I walked down to the farmland east of Hambledon, where a group of seven Stonechats were in a mixed cover crop at Little Burgate Farm, joined by a Reed Bunting. Another Stonechat was at Court Farm.

Back home later on, I was pottering about in the garden when, to my great surprise, I heard a Hawfinch. The bird was high above and heading north. Around here Hawfinch is seriously rare away from the Weald and I definitely didn't have it on my 1 km radar. In fact, following some research, this bird looks like the first Eashing area Hawfinch since 1952 and, beyond that, the mid-1800s (see below).

From the epic Letters of Rusticus, published in 1849.

Monday 10th

No birding.

Tuesday 11th

At the end of a glorious day I walked Eashing Fields, which was proving quiet until a surprise Little Owl started calling somewhere to the south-east 20 or so minutes after sunset.