Author: Malcolm Toyer

Thirteen members assembled in the walker’s car park next to the Jolly Farmer pub.  A Jay hopped around in a nearby oak tree and a Blackbird foraged for worms on the adjacent grass as we began the walk.  Moving to view the woodland next to some houses there were numerous baby birds calling and a blue tit begging to be fed by its parent on the telegraph wire.  An unusually stationary Nuthatch could be seen in the trees.

We could hear birds such as Robins, Wrens and Goldcrests calling all around us as we walked further through the woods but nothing more of note was seen until reaching the pond.  Here a single Moorhen swam across the surface, two Canada Geese flew over and a male Bullfinch put in a brief appearance, seen by two of the group.

We took the boardwalk out onto the first heathland area and immediately began to hear Whitethroat, Dartford Warbler and Linnet singing.  A surprise Grey Heron flew over us.  Eventually we had good views of Whitethroat, Stonechat and Dartford Warbler.  The Dartford Warbler in particular was very obliging, singing loudly in a pine tree and posing for photos.

On a sandy path near to the railway line that cuts across the common someone pointed out a Bee Wolf Wasp cautiously emerging from its burrow and we watched these fascinating insects for some time as it transpired there were numerous wasps in the area

Crossing the bridge over the railway line onto a second heathland area we saw a Buzzard soaring along with a couple of Red Kite.  A Green Woodpecker flew onto a dead tree and as we were watching it a Willow Warbler came into view singing at the top of the same tree.  More Stonechats were perched on vantage points.  A bird was briefly seen which presented an identification challenge, but the consensus was that it was a female Redstart.  A Song Thrush flew from the leaf litter beside us to a nearby tree as we walked.

Retracing our steps back to the cars through the woodland area added Chaffinch and Coal Tit to the list.  We arrived back having seen a total of 29 species with 5 heard.  A very pleasant walk in warm sunshine.

A respectable group of 20 assembled at Newlands Corner for a “lovely walk with added birds”. Pausing on the slope below gave us our first of several singing Chaffinches heard on the walk, as well as perched Whitethroat, skulking Blackcap and ever-present Chiffchaff. Descending through the cereal field to the farmhouse, we were rewarded with views of the Skylarks we could hear, including two having a squabble over land rights near to the barn. Passing the chicken coop to the sounds of chirping House Sparrows flitting in and out of the hedgerow, a Green Woodpecker was heard in the adjacent field. Along the sandy path, no sign of the Green Woodpecker until one member of the group saw it fly into a dip in the grass, but it was sadly not then visible to us all. Fledged tits peeped from the hedgerow, and we paused to enjoy low-flying Swallows darting over the long grass. 

Crossing the road and climbing to St Martha’s was quiet but for the urgent piping of a young Great Spotted Woodpecker demanding to be fed, a parent bird duly flying in with something tasty. Our slow and steady ascent to the Church was rewarded with another stunning view and a refreshment break. 

Some of the group had seen a Red Kite, and in the churchyard a Greenfinch wheezed, a noisy Whitethroat sang, and a Pied Wagtail hopped among the gravestones. Descending from the Church, a Buzzard in flight was seen through treetops, some briefly heard the song of a Willow Warbler, and another noisy G S Woodpecker was being tended to by its parent. Through the Rhododendrons and a second Green Woodpecker yaffled. Then a quiet but unmistakable “Cronk” of a Raven – two in fact, one perched above for the group to see (possibly a juvenile) before both flew off but remained close by. 

Weaving through the tall sequoias, the group remained quiet for the sound of either Gold or Firecrest. Nothing at first, but we were rewarded with at least 5 singing Firecrests in close proximity, with glimpses of 2 of them flitting in the foliage. Onward and climbing again, along the hawthorn-hedged path, some of us saw our first Swifts and House Martins of the day. Emerging back out onto the chalk grassland slope, Skylarks were still singing and a solitary Swift darted above our heads. A brazen Fox sat out in full view, ignoring 2 disgruntled Magpies. 

Entering the ancient Yew woodland finally gave us a Goldcrest, a vocal Coal Tit and a perched Buzzard which flew off low through the trees then called above us as it circled away. A quick detour onto the Yew Project boardwalk to hug a tree and our walk ended with 34 species seen or heard.  

18 people joined this walk, including RSPB members, some of the Common’s conservation volunteers and Alex, one of Thursley’s Reserve Managers. Weather conditions proved challenging: weeks of warmth and sunshine ended with this cold and windy morning. The hobby, redstarts, flying curlew, whitethroats,  blackcaps, garden warbler and little grebes regularly found a few days earlier could not be seen or heard. On this walk, a curlew called very briefly and was glimpsed in vegetation by some of the group.

Despite the wind, goldfinches, a linnet and several stonechats were seen perched on scrub along our route. A Dartford warbler sang briefly from the top of a gorse bush and there was a tree pipit near Parish Field. Willow warblers were, as usual, in the trees at the bottom of South Bog. Some of our group noticed woodlarks flying with another woodlark heard. Pudmore had only tufted ducks, sharply-reduced numbers of mallards and Canada Geese with a single lapwing nearby.

Number of species (including those only heard): 22     

A small, select party of just 22 eager birders left the Spectrum at 8, and enjoyed a smooth drive to East Anglia, arriving at RSPB Lakenheath just before 11.  The sky was blue, and thankfully remained so all day.

After a helpful introductory talk in the visitor centre, we began by studying the Washland pools just beyond the River Ouse.  There were lots of geese on view (Greylag, Canada, Egyptian), plus ducks (Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler) and several waders (Redshank, Avocet, Lapwing).  One particular small, although distant wader required careful scoping, and turned out to be a Wood Sandpiper!  A return visit to the pool later in the day produced a solitary Garganey.  Remarkably, hirundines were notable by their absence on this occasion.

The first of several (up to 10?) Cuckoos flew over and prompted us to move on to the main reserve, our walk accompanied at all times by the singing of numerous warblers (Cetti’s, Sedge, Reed, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff).  At the New Fen reedbed, we waited in vain for Bittern to fly or boom, but we enjoyed watching Coots feeding their young and we added Pochard and grebes  to our list.  A Reed Bunting called frequently, while nesting corvids flew to and fro over our heads.

We hoped to see a posing Kingfisher at Mere Hide, but had to be content with a high-speed fly-by.  Many dragonflies (Broad-bodied, Hairy) and damselflies were on the wing.  From here, it was a short stroll to our lunch stop overlooking Joist Fen, which did not disappoint.  A distant Great White Egret aroused interest, as did the sight of various raptors: not just Buzzard and Kestrel, but also several Marsh Harriers and lots of Hobbies.  The highlight of the day came when a Bittern flew past us in full view!

We made our way back to the start via the riverbank footpath.  Several Mute Swans enhanced the glorious green scenery.  All in all, this is a beautiful venue.

We then drove the short distance to Weeting Heath, but were sad to find no Stone Curlews in view from the two hides.  Better luck next time!  Surprisingly, there was one ‘normal’ Curlew in the field opposite the reserve.

A straightforward return drive saw us back in Guildford by about 6.15pm.  Our species total for the day was around 57, some of which were heard but not seen.

An enthusiastic group of 8 others joined me for the walk at Otmoor. Some arriving early in the hope that early birders catch the Grasshopper Warbler. Unfortunately that was not to be. Otmoor is a great reserve and at this time of year, full of a wide range of warblers. Reed, Sedge, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Chiffchaff, Willow, Blackcap, Garden and the inevitable Cetti’s were all seen or heard. The big ticket warbler however is Grasshopper. Normally they can be heard along the Roman Road, but not this time. Steve had however found one by the feeding station. Some of the party heard a snatch of the song and/or a glimpse of the bird. One of the RSPB volunteers promised to message us if he came across another. We were only 200 yards away when one was found. This resulted in marginally better views.

The previous day a Garganey had been reported. Despite searching only the usual wildfowl subjects and a few dodgy hybrids were seen. Feral Barnacle Goose was probably the pick of the sightings.

Waders were fairly limited. Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew and Snipe are priority species for this reserve as their numbers are declining and are uncommon in southern areas. These together with Oystercatchers were seen, many with young. The highlight to me were the drumming Snipe – the drumming sound is produced by the vibration of the outer tail feathers and is part of courtship.

Many hobbies were seen hawking for insects or sitting on posts. Marsh Harriers, Red Kites, Kestrels and Buzzards made up the birds of prey sightings. Cuckoos were calling well and seen by some. 

There are a number of cranes on the reserve. These originate from the western population i.e. descendants of the Slimbridge Great Crane Project. Normally we get good views. This time however we were limited to one flyover. A Bittern was heard booming and Tony thought he may have seen one flying. Noone else connected.

Tony who was keeping score tells me that the tally was 69 species.

Geoff

21 of us met at RSPB Pulborough Brooks and were fairly soon treated to a Nightingale perched out in the open singing well by the Zig Zag path.  A Greenfinch was also in fine voice here and further down the path the first of many Whitethroat was seen.  A Lesser Whitethroat was also heard but kept hidden away in the already dense foliage.

We could hear the sound of Cuckoos calling as we walked around the paths.  There are apparently three Cuckoos on site this year.  We also heard in the region of five Nightingales on our route.

Fattengates Courtyard was quiet but there were Chiffchaffs and a Garden Warbler singing.  In the margins of the nearby pond a Song Thrush was looking for food.

Round at West Mead hide there were baby Lapwing under the watchful eyes of their parents, with wading Avocets and Redshank.  We got our first views of the day of one of the resident White Tailed Eagles causing panic amongst the Geese far out on the Brooks.  There were quite a few Swallows, House Martins, Sand Martins and Swifts on the wing.

Moving on there were a pair of Stonechat in a field with Rooks feeding intently in the grass and we also heard a Sedge Warbler which unfortunately did not show itself.

Winpenny Hide added yet more birds to our list, with many Gadwall, Mallard and Shoveler.  A pair of Wigeon were also seen.  Eventually amongst the Redshank three graceful Greenshank were discerned.  A pair of Little Ringed Plover flew in and joined the party.  A surprise Black Swan was out on one of the pools and some Cattle Egrets lived up to their name and could be seen in and amongst the distant cattle.

We stopped briefly to watch some female Broad Bodied Chaser dragonflies which were enjoying a bramble patch in the sun.

Making our way round to Hanger view we added three Black Tailed Godwit to our growing tally.  The wind was quite strong and cold by this point so we simply walked back to the Visitors Centre, stopping to admire a striking male Bullfinch close to the path on the way.  Some of us stayed on for lunch and were treated to further splendid views of White Tailed Eagle in flight being mobbed by Shelducks and Grey Heron as we sat at the picnic tables on the terrace.  Finally, a Hobby arrived and circled around in the sky bringing the walk total to 63 species with one heard.

23 people met at Heather Farm on 20^th March, the first day of astronomical spring and fittingly the warmest day of spring so far. 

We set off along the river meadows of the Heather Farm ‘SANG’ following the river Bourne. Pleasingly 3 or 4 pairs of lapwings were displaying in the damp fields opposite the carpark, hopefully settling to breed for a third consecutive year. The further fields held Egyptian, Canada and Greylag Geese together with Mallards and a pair of distant Mandarins. Several circling Red Kites and a couple of Buzzards were above, with a single perched Kestrel

We saw and/or heard a good selection of resident passerines in the bordering hedgerows and trees. In addition small groups of Redwings were still present. Of the summer migrants the Chiff Chaffs had arrived in force, and a single Blackcap was heard.

On the heathland Stonechats were displaying and a few Dartford Warblers were seen by most of the group, together with several pairs of Long-tailed Tits in the birches. A detour onto the McLaren fields gave us singing Skylarks and parachuting Meadow Pipits, and as we headed back to the heathland via the pine woods the highlight of the walk had to be excellent views of two Firecrests showing in close quarters in the sunlight.

Little Grebe, Coots, Cormorants and a Moorhen on the wetland brought the morning’s total to 55 species.

Eleven people assembled for the walk at Farlington Marshes for an overcast and slightly misty start.  The tide was out and a first glance over the mud and remaining water revealed numerous Redshank, Oystercatcher and Pintail and a couple of Little Grebe.  Gulls were well represented and amongst the Black Headed, Common, Herring were one or two Lesser Black Backed.  It became apparent that there was a fair number of Mediterranean Gulls too, some already developing their jet black heads for the breeding season.  Walking down to the sea wall through the scrub Greenfinch and Song Thrush were singing and gave good views.

Standing looking over The Lake Lapwing wheeled around in the sky and landed again and we started to see large numbers of Canada Geese and Brent Geese, more Pintail and Teal and some Shelduck.  A Marsh Harrier was picked out sitting on the ground at a fair distance away.  Grey Plover and Curlew were on the seaward side of the wall.  A couple of people saw a lone Avocet fly in some distance away.  Further round the sea wall a Peregrine perched on the RSPB island.  Our leader had seen two Spoonbill a few days earlier and sure enough, we began to see them in the distance.  At times throughout the walk they flew around giving some great views.  The Pipits present gave some identification dilemmas but we did eventually settle on having seen Rock Pipit, Water Pipit and more numerous Meadow Pipit.

Harbour Seals, Red Breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe were all in the harbour in the main channel.  Huge numbers of small waders, mostly Dunlin, wheeled around in spectacular formations and were feeding on the waters edge, along with some Turnstone.

By The Deeps an unexpected Dartford Warbler flicked around in the brambles, Shoveler, Tufted Duck were on the water and eventually two Ringed Plover could be seen.  We were treated to a couple of fly pasts from a Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard drifted over our heads.  We had our lunch and afterwards there were a pair of Stonechat in one of the fields. Near the visitors hut a surprise Chiffchaff put in an appearance, alerting us to it’s presence with some sub-song.  

As we were putting our telescopes away back in the car park a bonus three   Goldfinch flying over brought the day’s total number of species to 59, and to cap it all off, the sun was out by this time.

Seventeen of us set off from the visitors centre at RSPB Pagham harbour, and, with the fluting accompaniment of two Song Thrushes, we headed straight for the Ferry Pool, which, at first, looked a little bare, but, on closer inspection, revealed plenty of ducks (Teal, Wigeon, Shoveler, Shelduck) and a small group of Black-tailed Godwits.

A few yards further on, we enjoyed super views of a male Kingfisher on the edge of the main channel. Intriguingly, he launched his fishing forays from the muddy bank and sat in the open for long periods.

We then picked our route carefully along the main path.  It was quite tough going on account of the slippery, muddy surface!  (Thankfully, no one fell over all day.)

From the lookout point just past the reedbeds, we could see literally hundreds of birds in massive flocks over the main harbour ahead.  Frustratingly, all the action was taking place a long way away, but that encouraged us to continue along the bund.

When we got closer, we saw just about every wader species you might hope to spot, including large groups of Golden Plover (200+) and Knot (400+).  Perhaps one of the most ‘productive’ Pagham Harbour visits for the group ever!  Skeins of Brent Geese were constantly flying directly over our heads.

We eventually reached the beach and enjoyed a bit of sea-watching.  We had plenty of telescopes trained on distant specks, one of which was identified as a Long-tailed Duck!  A few Red-throated Divers flew past, plus a couple of auks which were probably Guillemots.

We had our lunch at Church Norton, but by now the tide had reached its highest point and very few birds were left in view.  

Returning through the Churchyard initially, a Mistle Thrush gave good views perched high in a conifer.  The highlight of our return walk was seeing a hunting female Sparrowhawk which landed in view and remained so for the next ten minutes!  There were also three Red Breasted Mergansers in the main channel and other small birds such as Yellowhammer were seen.  A small contingent went on after the main walk to another undisclosed location on the Selsey peninsular and were successful in seeing the long-staying Long-eared Owls there.  Although not all of us had seen all the birds by any means, a total of 57 species were seen during the course of the day.

Eight of us braved the early morning ritual of defrosting our cars in minus 5 degrees, to convene at the sea wall of Leysdown on Sea on the Isle of Sheppey.  On arrival we began to see Oystercatcher, Redhsank, Sanderling and Turnstone, at times very close in front of us.  On close inspection one or two Grey Plover emerged amongst the more numerous waders.  There were some Shelduck out on the sea and Herring, Black headed, and Common Gulls.  A large flock of Brent Geese flew in and landed in front of us.  Then it was possible to start picking out numerous Red Throated Diver.  In all we estimated there to be at least 75 visible, a number which none of us had ever seen together in one place before.  We spent some time watching and soaking in this spectacle, and in pondering whether there were any Black Throated or Great Northern amongst them (inconclusive.)

We re-grouped further down the sea wall at a parking place and walked down the track to Shellness.  A large number of Golden Plover glinted in the sunlight along with a handful of Ringed Plover in an adjacent field.  The first of numerous Marsh Harrier for the day drifted across in front of us.  A couple of Stonechat flitted around in the undergrowth nearby and a pair of Reed Bunting sat obligingly in some bushes.

We then returned to the cars and transferred to the RSPB Raptor viewpoint.  Lapwing, Red Legged Partridges and Corn Buntings were in the fields and scrub.  One of the group had a brief glimpse of a small falcon flying, probably a Merlin.  More Marsh Harriers appeared, then a ringtail Hen Harrier was picked out with the characteristic white ring around the tail.  Another raptor turned out to be a passing Peregrine which sped off.  A Kestrel sat on a telegraph pole giving a prolonged view.  Whilst taking in all the sights we also heard the squeal of a Water Rail and the explosive song of a Cetti’s Warbler from the reedbeds.

Some of the group then decided to go on to Elmley nature reserve.  Most of the shallow pools were still frozen along the entrance track.  Lapwing were dotted about here and there, and one or two Black Tailed Godwit could be observed.  Arriving in the car park a Barn Owl was seen flying over, and then we spotted the first of around seven Short Eared Owls, perched on fence posts and in flight.  Some of the group had good views of Bearded Reedlings further out onto the reserve.  Unfortunately the resident Little Owls stayed hidden away in the old schoolhouse building and the Long Eared Owls were not showing either by the toilet block, but despite this we really had a very enjoyable day with some wonderful sightings with 45 species seen and 2 heard.