Never a dull moment

'Rarely a dull moment' would probably more accurate than 'never', but the point is that August – especially the second half of the month – scarcely fails to produce entertaining moments for the Surrey patch birder. Despite the past seven days being bookended by slightly inclement weather, we've enjoyed a rare settled spell – there's even been some warm days! Birding has swung between exellent and steady, but the gaps between good moments have been short.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

Friday 18th

A morning of breezy easterlies and rain had many birders licking their lips, and while my early session had some good birds it felt like it flattered to deceive a touch. 

I teamed up with Dave at Pudmore first thing, where a Whinchat showed disappointingly briefly in a dead tree along the boardwalk. A very late first of the year for me, it was also my 150th species of 2023 in south-west Surrey – the earliest I've ever hit the landmark total, although in rather underwhelming circumstances (previous '150s' have been Short-toed Lark, Little Stint and Wood Sandpiper)!

Nine Teal, a Water Rail, two Tree Pipits and one of the juvenile Curlews – which seem to be only using the site to roost now – were also seen.

Dave continued on for a big loop of the site and I headed to Tuesley. In all, my hour and a half vigil was very quiet – not even any hirundine or gull flocks passing through. I did hear a distant, high-flying Ringed Plover to the north-east – a species not to be sniffed at locally – but that was it.

By lunchtime it was bright, muggy and hazy. I walked Eashing Fields where the highlight was my first 1-km Tree Pipit of the year, which bombed south-east, giving both the typical spihz flight call and far less usually heard (on passage at least) sut call. Two Swifts headed south, too. 

Eashing Fields.

Saturday 19th

It was greyer and breezier than forecast this morning, as the wind switched back to a south-westerly overnight, bringing with it the odd light shower. As a result, a long hike around the Devil's Punch Bowl felt somewhat like the wrong choice, and it was quiet – highlights were limited to four Marsh Tits, three juvenile Sparrowhawks and two Tree Pipits (a likely migrant south over Gibbet Hill and a probable local bird on Sugar Loaf Hill).

Sparrowhawk and Grey Heron.

Sunday 20th

This morning was brighter and milder, as I met up with Sam for a walk around Puttenham Common. After giving this site a bit of attention during 2021 and 2022, it's fallen off my circuit this year, and today was only my second proper visit of 2023. 

It started very well, though, when we first heard and then saw a Crossbill (a female-type) chip-ing south-west near the top car park. Crossbill has had a shocking year in southern England and, amazingly enough, this was my first record in south-west Surrey since 6 October 2022 – nearly 11 months ago! I also fondly remember seeing my first ever Crossbills at Puttenham back in July 2000 when my mum took me (aged eight!) for a walk and we encountered a small flock.

It wasn't long until Sam and I bumped into a large mixed flock, and sifting through it revealed at least 60 birds of 12 different species. Pick of the bunch was a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, which was particularly discreet and hard to view. At least three Spotted Flycatchers were also in the group – we later saw two other birds at different parts of the site.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Spotted Flycatcher.

Other bits from 45 species during an enjoyable two and a half hours included seven each of Tree Pipit and Willow Warbler, two Ravens, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls and three House Martins (scarce here). 

Tree Pipit and the view from Hillbury Fort.

A cursory glance at the ponds at Cutt Mill produced a decent August count of nine Shoveler on the House Pond, plus a juvenile Mandarin.

Monday 21st

Something of a lazy start today saw me awake to a dull, muggy and occasionally drizzly morning, and without a real plan I plumped for a walk of Thursley before work. It actually felt somewhat rare in the aforementioned conditions though it was anything but, and a little over two hours on site saw not a single discernible migrant detected. 

Among the standouts were a family party of four Spotted Flycatchers and a perched adult Hobby at Crossbill Corner, seven Teal and two Water Rails at Pudmore and flocks of nine (Shrike Hill) and six (Pusilla Place) Woodlarks. 

Hobby, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart and Teal.

Better still was a mega flock of some 33 Mistle Thrushes over Truxford Corner, perhaps flushed from the paddock across Thursley Road. Not the first large count of this species I've had this summer, presumably they've enjoyed a good breeding season …

Tuesday 22nd

Again it was mild this morning, but brighter, and thus nice conditions for an amble around The Hurtwood. Not long after I'd arrived I heard the chip chip of a Crossbill, and soon a male alighted atop a pine on Holloways Heath. I enjoyed my first prolonged views of this species for nearly 11 months, with this my second record in three days, in true London bus fashion. 

A separate, roving flock of seven birds were later seen, making it my highest count of Crossbill in Surrey since October 2021! Perhaps it'll be a half decent winter for this charismatic species. 

Crossbills aside the walk was fairly quiet, despite locating a couple of mixed feeding flocks, with the best of the rest four Willow Warblers, a Firecrest and two Siskins.

On the way home I checked Snowdenham Mill Pond. Here, my first local Teal away from Thursley since mid-April were present at the far end, along with an eclipse drake Shoveler, six Gadwall and four Mandarin. The female Tufted Duck still had four ducklings too – not a bad effort.

Mandarin, Shoveler and Tufted Duck.

It ended up a really warm, sunny day – the kind notable by their absence this summer. A short walk along the river at lunch was quiet, save a late-ish Garden Warbler, but an after work session at Eashing Farm was much better. I stuck to Farmhouse Valley and was rewarded with one of those classic little August moments that local birding produces. 

First, a female-type Redstart popped up ever so briefly, before vanishing. In the following 35 or so minutes I only got three glimpses, but did manage some photos. I've always thought Redstart is a fine prize on passage – and I don't find many in a typical year. A long overdue first ever record for the Eashing area (species 127 for the Eashing area and 115 on my life list), it was also the 100th species in the 1-km this year.

Redstart.

While I was staking out the Redstart, I also spotted a Lesser Whitethroat, in the very same hawthorn bush! As mentioned many times on this blog, 'lesserthroat' is a scarce bird in south-west Surrey, and very notable on passage. What a fine double act, as the sun lowered towards the end of the day – vintage patch birding.

Lesser Whitethroat.

Wednesday 23rd

A lovely, bright morning ahead of one the warmest days of the year. I did a two-hour walk around Milford and Witley Commons, with Pied Flycatcher in my mind, as it has been for much of this past week. There wasn't one to be found here, alas, though two Spotted Flycatchers were at Witley Common.

The spotflys were just part of absolutely masses of passerines across both commons. I estimated a minimum of 70 Blue Tits (probably many more), which seem more abundant than ever this autumn. Other bits of note from among the roving flocks included 30 Chiffchaffs, six Willow Warblers, a female-type Redstart and, best of all, a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which showed well on Milford Common. A site first for me.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

Flyover content included Siskin, Tree Pipit and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, as I equalled my best-ever checklist total at Milford and Witley (38 species).

Great Spotted Woodpecker and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Such nice days have been few and far between this summer, so I chose to make the most of it after work and do a long walk along the river. After yesterday's success at Eashing Farm I went that way to Godalming and was rewarded with another site first: a Spotted Flycatcher, which was sallying away from the thicket at Farmhouse Valley. Some 50 Swallows on wires here included many juveniles.

Spotted Flycatcher.

It was a truly hot early evening and the Godalming area was busy with people. As a result, birds were at something of a premium, though the Lammas Lands did produce a Hobby over Catteshall Meadow, which was thermalling with a Red Kite and a Sparrowhawk.

Unstead Water Meadows were quiet, with some of the meadows having been cut recently. Upon arrival at Unstead SF I bumped into Janet, and we ended up walking the site for an hour, as she showed me the currently in construction viewing shelter between South Meadow and Dry Lagoon.

South Meadow, Unstead SF.

A skittish Common Sandpiper – present a few of days – was the highlight of the session, with singles of Willow Warbler and Reed Bunting also noted.

Common Sandpiper.

Thursday 24th

Light overnight and early morning easterlies from the Low Countries, coupled with some bands of rain, were cause for anticipation this morning. I hadn't left home when Dave messaged with news of a brief Greenshank at Thursley – had it headed to Tuesley? Upon my arrival, as rain was falling, there was no sign, nor indeed of anything else.

I settled into a position for a stakeout when I picked up a Greenshank-sized wader low over the water – but it was a Ruff! In a flash the bird disappeared south, having presumably not fancied landing on the rubber. Thankfully, after a couple of minutes, it reappeared, circling several times (and even contemplating landing on the water!) before once again bombing south, this time for good.

Ruff.

What an extraordinary record – of the many wader species I've dreamed of or speculated turning up here, Ruff was not one of them! Add in the fact it's a true south-west Surrey rarity (if not mega), with only 16 prior records (and few twitchable ones), then it goes down as a special encounter – and likely one of my highlights of the year. It comes hot on the heels of last September's bird at Pudmore, which has always seemed a far more likely site for a Ruff, too.

South-west Surrey Ruff records in the last 40 years.

It felt like anything could drop in, and while the stakeout didn't peak like that again, I did score another Tuesley first: two Shoveler that circled a few times before, like the Ruff, not fancying it and leaving south. Dave had two at Pudmore first thing and I suspect these were the same.

Shoveler.

Other bits included only my fourth Tuesley Raven, high south, a Tree Pipit south and a family party of five Common Terns.

I had time to check Frensham Great Pond before heading home. It was quiet, but two Shoveler were of note – and quite possibly the same that had already visited Thursley and Tuesley this morning.

Late morning a Reed Bunting, heard from the window of my study, was a garden first.