Wet beginnings

The start of 2023 has been breezy, mild and wet – very wet. Rain has fallen almost every day so far and coupled with a generally poor winter for British birding, it's not exactly been an inspiring time to get in the field. Despite this I've managed some fun and productive sessions in the opening 11 days of January, as another year of patch graft in south-west Surrey gets underway. 

Water Rail.

Sunday 1st

It was a mild, blustery morning and I had a later than usual start to New Year's Day birding. I ventured along the river first which was very quiet – two Marsh Tits (including one in song) highlighted.

I then headed up to Eashing Farm where an impressive flock of 145 Linnets perched on wires in Corner Field, my highest Eashing area count to date.

I decided to check Tuesley before heading home, conscious that yesterday's storm and today's closure of landfill sites might mean a few more gulls than usual were about. It was late morning by the time I arrived and it was immediately clear that unprecedented Larid numbers were loafing – approximately 390 Herring Gulls, with 60 or so Common, 40 Black-headed and a couple of Lesser-black Backed to boot (the latter species always rare in winter locally).

Herring Gulls (mostly).

The Herring count was more than triple the previous site record – and perhaps the most I've ever seen in south-west Surrey (where gatherings of large gulls are virtually unheard of these days). Patience was required but eventually it paid off when I picked out a cracking first-winter Yellow-legged Gull at the edge of the flock.

Yellow-legged Gull.

The strikingly pale head with a dark eye-mask, heavy bill, 'anchor' markings in the mantle and narrow pale tertial edges were all seen nicely, along with the pale inner webs on the primaries and black tail band/white rump combo on the one occasion it flew. Less than annual in south-west Surrey, Yellow-legged Gull is exceptionally rare in the winter and I've never seen this age in the area before – only adults and juveniles. A most satisfying find and a great start to 2023.

Monday 2nd

Today looked like the only nice forecast for a while and, given it was a Bank Holiday, I opted for a long morning session in the Weald. I started at The Hurtwood, which was seriously quiet. In an hour I just about logged 28 species, with Raven and six Bullfinches highlighting. The lack of local winter finches was evident here – not a single Siskin or redpoll, and very few Chaffinches.

Raven.

Things were livelier down in the farmland along the Greensand Way towards Hambledon. At Little Burgate Farm a Little Owl was a bit of a treat – showy daytime birds are scarce these days, so I made sure to enjoy this individual, which spent its time either singing or being mobbed by small passerines.

The fields at Court Farm were pretty empty, so a flyover Woodlark was a surprise. Interestingly, this is the third time I've recorded this species here in the winter.

A late afternoon walk around Frensham Little Pond produced 10 Pochard, a drake Shoveler and a squealing Water Rail.

Tuesday 3rd

No birding.

Wednesday 4th

No birding.

Thursday 5th

I walked along the river this morning in mild, grey conditions. At the Lammas Lands, impressive numbers of Snipe were on Catteshall Meadow – a minimum of 35, including 24 put up together near the old carping pond. Presumably these were birds displaced by recent floods. A single Jack Snipe flushed near Plover Pool was most welcome after a blank 2021-22 winter for this species here. The wintering Peregrine flew over as well.

Peregrine.

The Eashing stretch was much quieter, but a female Brambling in with a Chaffinch flock at Greenways Farm was quite the surprise – it's been a desperate winter for this species in southern England and this was my first record locally since mid-November.

Friday 6th

A quick stop at Snowdenham Mill Pond early on produced 18 Gadwall – a notable local count for this species – along with three each of Teal and Mandarin.

I then headed to Unstead SF, where the sun was out on another mild morning. As a result there was some decent warbler action, including four Chiffchaffs and an interacting Cetti's Warbler pair. Two Water Rails showed well in Dry Lagoon – interestingly one of them was bearing a metal BTO ring, though I couldn't decipher anything other than a 'D'.

Ringed Water Rail.

Other bits included 60 Pied Wagtails in the works and a group of six Reed Buntings.

Saturday 7th

Three drake Goosander brightened up a miserably wet and windy check of Frensham Great Pond this morning, where only 11 Pochard and 40 Tufted Duck were counted.

Sunday 8th

No birding.

Monday 9th

Water levels along the Wey were high this morning during a quick pre-work walk. A Snipe flushed at Rush Corner was a nice surprise – it took me until late September to get my first of only three 1-km records in 2022. A Marsh Tit was heard but it was otherwise a steady session.

Tuesday 10th

No birding.

Wednesday 11th

It was another breezy morning for my first Thursley visit in a few weeks, which proved very quiet – covering 6 km in an hour and a half I saw not a single Redwing, Fieldfare, Siskin, redpoll or Chaffinch, and tallied a paltry eight Meadow Pipits, two Reed Buntings and five Linnets. All reflective of a poor winter nationally ...

Thursley Common.

Bits of note as the sun came out included a Little Egret at Forked Pond, a Snipe at Pudmore and a couple of Woodlarks in song.

I walked along the river early afternoon, by which point it was bright and mild – a singing Marsh Tit, a tumbling Raven (one of three) and Red Admiral on the wing made it feel like late March!

Raven and Grey Wagtail.