On the marsh

You know winter's approaching when it's time to don the wellies and get out on the marshes and wet meadows in the local area, something I've already done a bit of this month. The Wey Valley has a few such sites including the Lammas Lands – now cow free for the winter – where I've undertaken my first snipe searches of the season.

Jack Snipe.

Numbers seem to be fairly good at this early stage, with at least 28 Common Snipe counted on Catteshall Meadow in recent visits. It's always hard to accurately tally this species and I suspect there may in fact have been more.

Common Snipe. They rarely pose for photos on the Lammas Lands.

A Jack Snipe, first seen a little on the early side on 1st, is also back. It showed exceptionally well on that date – even by thermal-imaged snipe standards – and was probably the closest I've ever got to this wonderful species. I suspect I saw the same bird today. Hopefully a couple more join in the coming weeks.

A combination of factors make Catteshall Meadow optimum for snipe right now. Firstly, water levels are quite low, after a relatively dry autumn and the fact we're still early in the winter. Secondly, the summer herd of cows have churned up various areas leaving appealing little pools (especially good for Jack Snipe). Furthermore, their dung is popular for probing!

Snipe probing action.

On Sunday (3rd), I was splashing around at Shalford Water Meadows, because Dave B had found a true local mega – south-west Surrey's first Bearded Tit for 20 years! It was a properly cool encounter, with the bird vocal and showing fairly well (if mobile and hard to photograph).

Bearded Tit. A local mega!

A female, it was ravenously feasting on seeds of what seem to be Purple Loosestrife (thanks Steve G for suggesting this species) in the marsh by St Catherine's Lock. Far away from any reeds, it opened my mind to where 'vagrant' Bearded Tit is possible to find in the future … a mini irruption seems to be occurring in the south (presumably due to reed seed failure in some areas), and this is the third Surrey record this autumn, notable given the county goes some years without any.

Purple Loosestrife.

Two Hawfinches flew over here too. Ridiculously it was the 16th local record I've had since 12 October, and at a ninth different site, many of which have been so unlikely for producing Hawfinch records. It's not 2017, but it's some influx nonetheless …

Hawfinch at Shalford.

Dave and I visited again on Wednesday (6th) when the Bearded Tit was still there, albeit ranging across the marsh on a wider scale and proving far more elusive to boot. It'll be interesting to see how long it hangs around (and indeed if any others join it). The food supply seems plentiful. 

Some 10 Wigeon on St Catherine's Pool were good value too – my largest-ever count of this locally scarce bird in south-west Surrey away from Wrecclesham.

Wigeon.

Shalford is a properly underwatched site and, as I've said on this blog before, it's got great potential. The last south-west Surrey Bearded Tit away from Frensham was as long ago as 1974, which says everything about the quality of Dave's find – a county rarity, which is locally mega, and at a poorly covered location. Kudos to him.

I do enjoy being on the local marshes. There's a particular feeling of being 'in habitat' and understanding the denizens of these landscapes that you don't always get at other sites.