Summer's slow arrival

Steady, warm weather finally arrived during the last 12 days of May, following the exceptionally damp spring that preceded it. Vegetation has shot up and breeding birds are in full swing – though an unusual late push of migrants, especially waders, has been taking place too, and it certainly doesn't feel like summer yet. For me personally, it's been something of an underwhelming May, with limited finds or days of lively passage, both of which usually occur during this month. Perhaps June will produce a late surprise or two.

Woodcock.

Saturday 20th

No birding.

Sunday 21st

Turtle Doves have become tricky in Chiddingfold Forest during the last couple of summers, so I was pleased with the ease in which I encountered one today – a purring male that was giving it full welly in the warm morning sunshine.

A pleasant stroll in bright conditions also produced a singing Spotted Flycatcher, two each of Garden Warbler and Firecrest and three Nightingales.

Later in the morning I enjoyed my first Ho ney Buzzard encounter of the season, with a pair I've been 'on' for a couple of years. The male is a gorgeous dark bird and turns five this year, but there was no display as the duo lazily flew around in the breeze.

Hon ey Buzzards.

Monday 22nd

Two Hobbies were nice to see during a lunchtime walk of Eashing Fields – my first in the 1-km this year.

Hobby.

Tuesday 23rd

I walked the Lammas Lands this morning, which was mild and sunny. The Sedge Warbler was still holding fort on Catteshall Meadow and, at the Phillips Memorial Park, a male Reed Warbler was in song. I was surprised to find a breeding pair here last summer around the small pond – hopefully there will be further success in 2023.

Other bits of note included singles of Little Egret and Stonechat, four Reed Buntings and a male Kestrel busily taking rodent prey to a nest box.

Some wader action was being reported on various airwaves during the day so I headed to Tuesley after work, where I was rewarded with my first local Common Sandpiper of the month. There was nothing else doing, but Kev D messaged with news of a Little Ringed Plover at Waverley Abbey – amazingly the first south-west Surrey record of 2023!

With time on my hands I headed to the Abbey. There was no sign of the plover, but an enjoyable session was had nonetheless. The crazy wet spring means the flood here is still full of water, and a veritable wetland feast was to be had (in local terms at least!): a pair of Shoveler (a very late local date), no fewer than 11 Gadwall, three Little Egrets and two Mandarin were present, along with a Kingfisher carrying food to and from the Wey and a hooting Tawny Owl.

Little Egret and Shoveler.

The Lapwing pair were still around as well, being fiercely aggressive towards any gulls that flew too close. Hopefully they have chicks nearby. 

One of the beauties of local birding is the random and often temporary relevance of 'lesser' sites like this – if there hadn't been all the spring rain, few or none of tonight's birds would have been present …

Wednesday 24th

I visited Unstead SF this morning, racking up a steady list of 41 species which included a singing Garden Warbler, a drake Gadwall (a species that seems to be lingering with intent locally this spring) and a Common Tern. 

Gadwall and Common Tern.

Up to two terns have been present on and off since 14 May (found by Janet) and, for me, represented a first site record for 19 years! Perhaps it will become a breeding bird here again in the near future.

Thursday 25th

Towards the end of a warm, breezy day, I headed to Tuesley for a quick look. After the late Common Sandpiper here on 23rd, I wasn't expecting to see anymore this spring, so you can imagine my surprise when I counted seven pottering about this evening. My highest ever local count, this species seems to be heading north rather late this year.

Common Sandpipers.

Later in the evening, I teamed up with Abel for a dusk session. I've long been meaning to check out The Hurtwood for Nightjar – following the major tree clearance in 2018 the site attracted Tree Pipit, Dartford Warbler and Woodlark, so Nightjar seemed a likely new colonist, but I’d not yet got round to checking. 

The Hurtwood is another of these more ephemeral south-west Surrey sites, like Waverley Abbey in a way, with the sudden new habitat attracting the aforementioned breeders between 2019-2021. Trees have grown back rapidly and it already seems like Dartford Warbler and Tree Pipit are no more. However, tonight we were indeed treated to a Nightjar showing: at least two churring males, one of which we enjoyed views of.

It was a great encounter, but was eclipsed considerably by truly mega views of two roding Woodcocks. They performed a number of display lights at close range, leaving us both in awe. Such cool birds.

A male Cuckoo singing relentlessly, a Siskin, two Garden Warblers and a Tawny Owl rounded off a fun outing.

Friday 26th

With less than five site records of each, Little Egret and Green Woodpecker were notable sightings at Eashing Fields during a sunny, breezy late morning walk. Red-legged Partridge, Lesser Black-backed Gull and two juvenile Kestrels were also present.

I was actually mid-walk when a message from Mark B came through asking my opinion on a warbler he'd found at Wandle Park, Colliers Wood. Upon listening to it I was amazed to hear the energetic tones of a Marsh Warbler! He then broke the news, and following a surprisingly stress-free trip to south London I was on site by 12.30 pm.

The bird hadn't showed to the assembled crowd for an hour or so, but it eventually got going again, showing briefly and singing (more subsinging to be fair, as you can tell in my wretched recording below) often. A seriously cool find by Mark – kudos to him for birding such urban sites like this – and a welcome 233rd Surrey tick for me.

Saturday 27th

The Devil's Punch Bowl's microclimate was in play this morning, with the site shrouded in fog upon my arrival. Despite conditions akin to late autumn, it was still a decent session, with two Spotted Flycatchers, a Cuckoo, a Siskin and five Garden Warblers highlighting.

Sunday 28th

A rather lazy morning saw me opt for a stroll along the Wey at Eashing, where I was surprised to tally up 42 species – decent going for late May. A singing Cuckoo was a nice surprise near Rush Corner – of the three 1-km records I've had since moving here, this is the first I've heard, and was likely the same Simon A reported at Charterhouse earlier today.

Other bits included a showy and vocal pair of Spotted Flycatchers, a Garden Warbler carrying food around and a male Red-legged Partridge.

Spotted Flycatcher.

My second garden record of Little Egret came in the evening, when one flew west.

Monday 29th

This morning's walk at Shackleford was bright, breezy and quiet, with two Red-legged Partridges and a highly anxious pair of Stonechats among the observations of note.

Tuesday 30th

Almost a day of no birding, but not long after I'd switched my laptop off for the day Shaun called with news of three Black Terns at Frensham Great Pond. I headed down, and in the really quite fresh north-easterly breeze the trio were bouncing around, picking invertebrate prey off the surface.

Black Tern.

My first spring birds in Surrey, they always remained distant, but were a treat to see nonetheless. Furthermore, they perhaps cap off a truly excellent spring for Frensham.

Wednesday 31st

A drake Pochard was a most unseasonal surprise at Tuesley this morning, where it was grey, cool and not at all feeling like the day before June. Two late Common Sandpipers were pottering around as well.

Southern Turkey

I've spent the last eight days birding in southern Turkey, from Şanlıurfa along the Syrian border to the Antalya stretch of the Mediterranean coast. Accompanied by Dave and Matt, the trip was rather an intense one – we faced a range of situations, including a flight that was diverted in mid-air due to extreme weather, getting our car stuck in the sand and getting a bit too close to Syria!

Yellow-throated Sparrow: a special WP bird.

Long sessions in the field also contributed to feeling pretty shattered by the end of it, but the birding was good, with some highly specialist Western Palearctic species seen. I managed 21 lifers in all, which is excellent going for me on a WP trip these days. 

In total we saw 177 species, with personal highlights including Caspian Snowcock (bird of the trip for sure), See-see, Red-wattled Lapwing, Bimaculated Lark, Iraq Babbler, Menetries's, Olive-tree, Rüppell's and Upcher's Warblers, Krüper's Nuthatch, White-throated Robin, Radde's Accentor, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Pale Rockfinch and Cinererous Bunting.

White-throated Robin.

Cinereous Bunting.

Pale Rockfinch.

Red-wattled Lapwing.

See-see.

Krüper's Nuthatch.

Caspian Snowcock.

Radde's Accentor.

A stellar support cast included Asian Crimson-winged Finch, Red-fronted Serin, Pallid Scops Owl, a colony of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, hundreds of Rosy Starlings, tame White-winged Snowfinches and much more. Several iconic WP locations were experienced too, including Birecik and Demirkazik. An eBird trip report can be read here (I still need to process plenty of photos and recordings).

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater.

Pallid Scops Owl.

Red-fronted Serin.

White-winged Snowfinch.

The sole omission was rather a galling one: Brown Fish Owl. This enigmatic WP species is a key part of any Turkish trip but, despite birding until 3 am with a guide on our final night, we couldn't connect. With birds no longer at Oymapınar reservoir one has to visit remote mountain sites at night, and unfortunately our luck wasn't in.

Now it's back to the last dregs of spring in Surrey, before a restful 'summer' (i.e. about three weeks!) awaits …

Cretzschmar's Bunting.

Buffers, then a bolt from the blue

Following the excitement of March and April, things have hit the buffers somewhat in May in south-west Surrey. The first week or two of this month are reliably good fun, or at least turn up a decent variety of birds, but it's been desperately quiet this year – migration seems to have ended rather abruptly. I've not even seen a Common Sandpiper or Wheatear this month! Then, out of nowhere and amid this lull, a very special local bird turned up ...

Hoopoe.

Monday 1st

I wandered up to Eashing Fields mid-morning, where it was overcast. A few Swifts were zipping about, some heading north. Better still was a Cuckoo that dashed silently north-west – an Eashing Fields tick and smart 1-km record.

Cuckoo.

Tuesday 2nd

A grey, cool morning didn't feel especially May-like on the Lammas Lands. Birding was quiet, too, though I was pleased to see a/the Sedge Warbler back on Catteshall Meadow, singing away in the same area as last year's male. A late Snipe and a fetching-looking Little Egret were other bits of note.

After work I did a little 1-km session, which was most enjoyable. A Garden Warbler singing in the village was the first Eashing record of the year and likely a passage bird; a further two (a pair) were back on territory near Eashing Marsh, too.

Garden Warbler.

An early Spotted Flycatcher was a nice surprise at Greenways Farm – a typically brief first of the year encounter. Other bits included a Little Egret upriver, two screaming Swifts over Peper Harrow and stumbling upon an active Sparrowhawk nest.

Wednesday 3rd

It was bright and a little misty at Thursley this morning, where migration action was fairly limited during an otherwise enjoyable session. Two Yellow Wagtails over Pudmore highlighted; an unseasonal count of 10 Tufted Duck was also made here, with a drake Teal and a Snipe present too.

Teal.

Other bits of note among 54 species included Hobby, two Garden Warblers and plenty of second brood Woodlarks back in song. A distant Cuckoo was in song, but it seems safe to now say that 'Colin', the famous Thursley bird, is no more …

Cormorants.

A Little Egret low north over the house was only a second garden record at lunchtime.

Thursday 4th

A warm, rather muggy lunchtime walk to Eashing Farm was quiet, though I did finally get House Martin on my 1-km year list – number 95.

Friday 5th

A typically fleeting Dunlin was the highlight of a visit to Tuesley this morning. The bird flew through ahead of one of a several light showers which failed to produce anything else of note, aside a flock of 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls north.

Dunlin.

In the early evening I did a quick walk at Unstead Water Meadows, in warm, breezy conditions. Ray B found a Nightingale here on 23 April and it's held territory since – a very cool record of a species that bred here until the 1970s. I only managed a few croaks and whistles in the bird's favoured area of scrub. 

A Sedge Warbler was giving it large in a nearby bramble thicket too. It seems to be a good spring for them.

Saturday 6th

A 1-km session this morning along was firmly on the quiet side, with a Whitethroat at Peper Harow (I've not previously recorded this species here) and a Little Egret downriver over Greenways. The latter must surely be breeding nearby these days …

Sunday 7th

A warm, hazy afternoon visiting family in Sussex allowed for a short diversion to Medmerry, where a female Kentish Plover had been found earlier on. The bird – only my second in the UK – afforded fairly good views on Stilt Pools.

Kentish Plover.

Other bits among a total of 64 species logged during a pleasant walk included Grey Partridge, six Avocets, Hobby, Yellow Wagtail and Rock Pipit.

Monday 8th

It was rather grey and gloomy this morning, and an hour and a half at Shackleford was firmly on the quiet side. That said, presumably the same Lesser Whitethroat as on 30 April was still present, rattling away with gusto at the southern end of the farm. The hedgerows here seem tall and dense enough to support breeding lesser 'throats, so fingers crossed …

Lesser Whitethroat.

There was little else to write home about, though, with two Red-legged Partridge pairs and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls of some note.

An early afternoon check of Frensham Great Pond in breezy conditions produced some 100 Swifts and nearly double the number of Sand Martins.

Tuesday 9th

After a morning in which I didn't get out, and during a run of very quiet birding action in Surrey, it's safe to say an early afternoon BirdGuides report of a Hoopoe at Frensham Little Pond came as a bolt from the blue! I abandoned my 1 pm meeting and headed right down, hoping to get there before the rain.

Having got some firm gen from the finder (Penny Dixie, a visiting birder), I teamed up with Josephine around the south-western end of the pond. Initially there was no sign, but then the flash of orange-pink with black and white wings exploded from the heather. Hoopoe!

Early views of the Hoopoe.

I beckoned Josephine over, and the bird performed well for a few minutes, foraging along a sandy path. We got really mega views until it eventually flew to a tree. From then on, it became curiously erratic – and even started singing, which I didn't expect.

Hoopoe.

The first other twitchers didn't arrive until about an hour after me, so for the most part it was an intimate, peaceful encounter. It sounded like it became rather more elusive later on, but plenty of folks connected by dusk.

I've always wanted to find a Hoopoe locally – and maybe I one day shall – but today I was chuffed to have connected. It's not a Surrey tick, but is number 191 for my south-west Surrey list, edging me closer to my goal of 200. With nearly 40 records and one as recently as 2020, Hoopoe may not be a south-west Surrey mega, but it's a very special bird to see locally.

Hoopoe.

Other bits of note included singles of Redstart, Common Tern, Reed Warbler and Tree Pipit, two each of Siskin and Willow Warbler and a showy Hobby.

Robins.

Wednesday 10th

It was back to the steady pace this morning, with a two-hour session at Thursley giving off an end of season feel. The highlight was a Spotted Flycatcher singing and showing briefly at Crossbill Corner, with a drake Teal at Pudmore, two Cuckoos and a male Dartford Warbler taking food to a nest notable as well. I also bumped into Penny, the Hoopoe finder from yesterday.

Thursday 11th

Despite the light rain there was lots of breeding activity along the Wey at Eashing this morning, with nine species seen carrying food and a further two visiting nest sites. A second male Whitethroat was in – at Eashing Copse – and perhaps a new Garden Warbler was singing near Greenways.