What you do with what you've got

It's widely considered that this winter is a poor one for birding. Numbers of many species are down, including wildfowl, thrushes and finches. It's the same in my corner of Surrey. Nevertheless, time in the field hasn't been too bad this season, and the same can be said for the first week of February. There may not be tonnes of birds about, but by appreciating what is around – as well as enjoying those species that are present in lower numbers than usual – rewarding birding sessions have been had.

Corn Bunting.

Wednesday 1st

A morning circuit of Frensham Little Pond produced 41 species, including five Pochard, two Water Rails, a Little Egret and two Woodlarks. I quickly checked the Great Pond afterwards, counting seven Pochard. This meant my Aythya totals for both waters were 39 Tufted Duck and 12 Pochard: woeful!

Thursday 2nd

I finally encountered my first Lesser Redpolls of the year today: two around the tumulus at Thursley Common. I spent a bit of time admiring them – this is the second successive wretched winter for redpoll and I don't think I’ve had on the deck views in Surrey for the best part of a year! It's also a particularly favourite species of mine, being my 'trigger' bird when I was young …

Lesser Redpoll.

It was the clear highlight from a quiet hour and a half walk, with other bits of note including a Snipe flushed from Ockley Common, 45 or so Meadow Pipits and my first singing Blackbird of the year (always a welcome sound). Thursley really feels like a site waiting for spring this year …

Friday 3rd

I walked along the river to Godalming this morning, which was mild with broken clouds. The Eashing stretch was quiet, save a (the?) Water Rail in Eashing Marsh. On the Salgasson stretch between Eashing and Godalming I was surprised to hear a Red-legged Partridge singing in a garden along Peper Harow Road.

Snowdrops at Hurtmore Bottom.

Once at the Lammas Lands I only had time to do Overgone Meadow, but it was a decent little session, highlighted by the wintering Dartford Warbler pair, which were following a female Stonechat around. I last had one here on 7 November, but Peter O has been recording them on most visits. This is the third winter in a row Dartfords have wintered on the Lammas Lands. 

Dartford Warblers and Stonechat.

A vocal, soaring Raven, a Grey Wagtail and a Reed Bunting were also noted.

At night a Tawny Owl was singing close to the garden. This species has made a rather quiet start to the year locally, so I took a few moments to appreciate it.

Saturday 4th

No birding.

Sunday 5th

A gentle northerly wind and clear skies had it feeling wintry again at Shackleford this morning, where 47 species was an excellent early February tally. The highlight was a female-type Yellowhammer around the northern fields. I had a sprinkling of records here in autumn and it's tempting to think this bird has wintered, avoiding detection. It would be great if this species recolonised this site one day …

Yellowhammer.

Other bits included a singing Red-legged Partridge, 12 Reed Buntings, two Stonechats, some 30 Skylarks and flock of 200 or more Herring Gulls that included some unseasonal Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

I was wrapping things up at the Chalk Lane end of the farm but thought I'd better check the triticale field in case the Corn Buntings were still about (I didn't see them on my visit last week). I wasn't too surprised to see that they were, with all three sat out on the hedgerow. Nice.

Corn Buntings.

This trio are seemingly very elusive indeed, with plenty of people missing them since they were last reported on 20 January. It reaffirms my suspicion that they came in during the December freeze and went unnoticed for a little while. I wonder how long they'll stay?

Monday 6th

What was supposed to be a short pre-work walk along the river turned into an excellent, 44 species-strong session in the wintry sunshine. The clear highlight was four Hawfinches that were perched at the top of the wooded valley between A3 Fields and Hurtmore Bottom. They were super vocal (had they roosted?) but soon flew south-west down the river. It adds to the exceptional – and frankly quite bizarre – winter for this species in the Godalming area, where they are traditionally very rare.

Other bits of note included my first Eashing area Woodcock (Eashing Marsh) and Greylag Geese (six over Rush Corner) of 2023, plus a Marsh Tit, two Red-legged Partridges, four Skylarks, 80 or more Chaffinches, a Fieldfare and nearly 100 Rooks.

At the end of a gloriously sunny day I had time to check Shackleford, where Abel had scored the buntings mid-afternoon. I failed to connect, but a flock of 50 Linnets were ample consolation.

A quick look at Cutt Mill afterwards produced 40 Mandarin, three Shoveler and a Gadwall on the house pond.

Tuesday 7th

Heavy fog took until lunchtime to burn off, at which time I popped up to Eashing Fields, where an adult Peregrine stooped unsuccessfully for a Feral Pigeon to the north. This is my fourth Peg record here since mid-December and I suspect each sighting involves the same bird.

Sunny Eashing Fields.

Wednesday 8th

No birding.