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| Black Redstart. |
Tuesday 1st
Five Gadwall were the best I could manage at a quiet Snowdenham Mill Pond this morning. On the way home, a Red-legged Partridge was seen along New Pond Road, Loseley.
Wednesday 2nd
A bright, fresh morning meant a wander around Shackleford was enjoyable, with a constant – albeit light – southerly passage of Woodpigeons underway. The two Black Redstarts were at the south end – surely confirming them as the same ones first found on 22nd (and meaning the bird Joe and I had last Friday was probably not new). I got good enough views to confirm one as a first-winter male.
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| Black Redstart. |
Other bits included a single Yellowhammer, eight Reed Buntings, Lesser Redpoll, 50 or more Skylarks and some 100 Meadow Pipits.
Thursday 3rd
No birding.
Friday 4th
Finally, a switch in wind direction, and with it a tidy couple of hours at Thursley where 51 species represented a fine November innings. Woodpigeons were on the move and, in an hour of vis-migging from Shrike Hill, I managed some 3,760 birds going south. Other bits heading in that direction included the third site Yellowhammer of the year and 10 Lesser Redpolls.
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| Woodpigeons and Canada Geese. |
Redwings were moving west on the continental line with 500 tallied, along with two Bramblings, four Skylarks and 70 Starlings. The highlight of the watch came at 07:40, when a Merlin dashed low north to the west of my viewpoint. The bird, I suspect a young male, offered good views before it disappeared over West Bog. Cold north-westerlies often feel good for Merlin and I was very pleased with this – the first in south-west Surrey this year and my first locally since October 2020.
It was quieter on the deck, with two Water Rails and a Kingfisher at Pudmore.
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| The view from Ockley Common. |
Saturday 5th
A drizzly but thoroughly enjoyable wander across the Lammas Lands this morning, yielding no fewer than 52 species. In rarity terms the clear highlight was a Hawfinch bounding north-east over Overgone Meadow – presumably a site first and yet another unexpected record of this species in the Godalming area this autumn. Overgone also produced a first-winter Dartford Warbler (likely a bird that was found by Peter last weekend) and, bizarrely, one of the local Red-crested Pochard x Mallard hybrids.
Water levels and thus Snipe numbers were up on both meadows, with six flushed on Overgone, along with a surprise Woodcock – a first for me on the Lammas Lands. A minimum of 24 Snipe were then tallied on Catteshall Meadow and I was a touch disappointed not to score a Jack. Still, promising ahead of the winter.
Other bits included some decent vis-mig between the showers, featuring 600 or more Redwings, 100 Starlings and a Skylark west and 700 Woodpigeons south. Three Lesser Redpolls, Kingfisher, six Reed Buntings and two Stonechats were also seen.
Unstead Water Meadows were much quieter, as they often seem to be, though two Little Egrets, 13 Snipe and a Ring-necked Parakeet were of note.
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| Little Egrets. |
Sunday 6th
No birding.
Monday 7th
Another mild and drizzly morning after a couple of days of heavy rainfall. At Enton Lakes, a Shoveler pair were in the south-west corner – a site first for me. Kingfisher and Chiffchaff were also noted, but Aythya numbers were very low for November.
I then checked Frensham Great Pond, where a single female Pochard was asleep off the hotel. The wintering drake Tufted Duck x Pochard was also present, along with a Marsh Tit calling near the outlet pond.
Tuesday 8th
No birding.
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