RYE HARBOUR Sunday 26th February 2012
Seventeen members from Richmond and Twickenham RSPB joined fifteen members
from SDBWS on this coach trip to Rye Harbour. We enjoyed excellent weather, warm
enough for some members to risk lunching on the beach. Three members elected to be dropped off by the footpath leading to Castle Water, giving them a longer walk and a chance to see a Bittern. The rest of us carried on to the Rye Harbour reserve.
At first the wader pool looked empty, but closer inspection revealed a flock of GOLDEN PLOVER, with a few REDSHANK, SHELDUCK, DUNLIN and RINGED PLOVER amongst them. Alongside the river there was a solitary CURLEW and some TURNSTONE by the harbour entrance.
SKYLARKS were heard overheard and a couple of them spotted on the ground, giving good views. A MEDITERRANEAN GULL was heard, then seen flying over, adding to the HERRING GULLS, BLACK-HEADED and LESSER BLACK-BACKED gulls already noted.
The sea watching was disappointing even though it was a calm day. In the very far distance, what may have been Red throated divers were flying by, but not well enough to record.
The Ternery and Quarry pools gave us good views of BAR-TAILED GODWIT, LAPWING, OYSTERCATCHER, GREY PLOVER and yet more GOLDEN PLOVER and RUFF. As we left the hide, most of us saw the plovers and lapwings suddenly head skywards, but only the lucky few saw the PEREGRINE FALCON that caused the disturbance!
The inland lakes produced a good mix of COOT, MALLARD, GADWALL, TEAL, and POCHARD. GOLDENEYE, SMEW and AVOCET were also recorded.
MARSH HARRIER and KINGFISHER were briefly seen bringing our species total up to 73.
The Castle Water trio didn't get to see the Bittern, but did report seeing an early Peacock Butterfly and a strange fungi, identified by Glen as a Many zoned polypore.
BOLDER MERE Sunday 25th March
Report by Jonathan Hannam
Eleven people joined me on a sunny and dry day for an amble around this local but seldom visited site. At first, the reason for the lack of recent visits seemed obvious, due to the traffic noise from the nearby A3 and M25, but once we had moved away from the mere and ventured into the surrounding woods, fields and common, life became more peaceful and the site much more appealing. The mere itself held MALLARD, COOT, TUFTED DUCK, POCHARD, MUTE SWAN, LITTLE GREBE, GREAT CRESTED GREBE, CANADA GEESE, GADWALL and TEAL. The surrounding woods had good views of NUTHATCH and LONG TAILED TITS, and a highlight was a small flock of SISKIN, Later on CHIFFCHAFF were heard (and glimpsed) in the woods, as was a TREECREEPER. Once out into the open areas of the old Wisley aerodrome, numerous SKYLARK were heard and a GOLDCREST showed very well at eye level, a great improvement on the previous sightings which had tended to be at the top of very tall trees. Several BUZZARDS were spotted and at one time we had seven of them in view at the simultaneously. Moving on to the heathland areas, REDPOLL were heard, as was a possible CROSSBILL, though not well enough to be recorded. Altogether, 40 species were seen during the morning.
April 12th -" Plan B" walk led by Paul Spencer
On April 5th, I carried out my recee for the Society trip to Canon's Farm at Burgh Heath/Banstead. I was pleased to record 36 species including my first Willow Warbler of the year and sizeable flocks of Stock Dove, Linnet, Yellowhammer and Fieldfare. I was excited to learn that on April 12th a Ring Ouzel and 5 Wheatears had been recorded by David Campbell who co-ordinates the Canon's Farm and Banstead Woods Bird Group website. So I was pretty disappointed that only two Society members decided to meet me in Surbiton for the official trip and no one with a car, particularly as later I discovered that there were up to 4 Ring Ouzels and 7 Wheatears on site over the weekend!
Myself, Dorothy and Irene did make a herculean effort to get to Banstead by bus but unfortunately we missed a connecting hourly service bus by a couple of minutes and the other bus route from Epsom available only runs during the week. I activated Plan B which was a walk from the Cricketers Pub duck pond, Epsom to Chessington via Epsom and Ashtead Common and Rushett Farm. Our first nice sighting was a Coal Tit foraging at ground level which was shortly followed by a nice view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker. On the High Meadow on Epsom Common we had a singing Willow Warbler, a soaring Sparrowhawk (also seen later over Chessington Wood) and a pair of Linnet in the gorse bushes - the female Linnet was carrying a large insect in her beak. Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were very numerous on both commons - at one point there were four mates and one female of the later in one patch of trees, the males chasing each other whilst singing! As we reached the boundary path of Ashtead Common to Rushett Farm, a Common Buzzard flew low along the treeline. Several Skylarks were seen and heard as we zigzagged across Rushett Farm. We saw a male Kestrel carrying prey in one talon, three migrating Swallows and half a dozen Yellowhammers plus lots of House Sparrows on the farm buildings. Best of all we flushed five Grey Partridges and saw three Common Buzzards soaring playfully in the sky above. Leaving the ladies at Chessington World of Adventures, I headed back to Chessington via Green Lane and was rewarded by two minutes of song from a Nightingale just arrived . 46 bird species were recorded altogether plus 3 butterfly species by a party of three!
MOLESEY HEATH 5th May
Report by Thelma Caine
Four members braved a grey, damp and very chilly morning to join this walk. Before we even set foot on the reserve we could hear a CUCKOO calling near the River Mole. It flew off before we could locate it, but it kept on calling and eventually, we caught a glimpse as it flew over the trees above us. A GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER was active early on and we later heard the yaffle of a GREEN WOODPECKER. A SKYLARK was heard singing briefly, while along the River Mole, a pair of GADWALL, MUTE SWAN, MOORHEN, COOT, MALLARD and a GREAT CRESTED GREBE were all seen and a pair of SHELDUCK flew up from Island Barn Reservoir, heading towards QE2 Reservoir. Also along the Mole we located a male REED BUNTING and saw another singing by Fieldcommon Gravel Pit. No fewer than seven species of WARBLERS were recorded during the morning, including numerous WHITETHROAT, BLACKCAPS, several CHIFFCHAFFS, singles of WILLOW WARBLER and LESSER WHIETHROAT (both heard), excellent views of a SEDGE WARBLER singing on the far bank of the Mole and a REED WARBLER singing in the reeds at Molesey Gravel Pit. All over the heath, GREENFINCHES were much in evidence and we also recorded several LINNETS, CHAFFINCHES and GOLDFINCH during the morning as well as LONG-TAILED TITS and a STOCK DOVE. Over a hundred SWALLOWS and MARTINS were feeding low over the water at Island Barn Reservoir, then we suddenly located s bird of prey perched on a post at the top of the reservoir bank. We just managed to get it in the telescope view briefly before it flew off - the black crown and cheeks, grey wings and boldly streaked breast identified it as a HOBBY! Despite the chilly conditions, the walk produced an excellent tally of 48 species.