Surrey Bird Club would like to remind birders of the dangers of the theft of birding equipment from cars and even the risk of mugging. Unlike most other personal possessions, our equipment is easily visible to casual observers and valuable items become an obvious target for the ruthless who are out to make quick and easy money, regardless of the impact on others. The well-known bird watching sites and car parks, often quite remote, are a convenient focus for these activities.

There are a number of recommendations which it is worth considering at the start of a new year.

• Watch

There are two active petitions to Parliament which might be of interest to Surrey Bird Club members:

Limit the shooting season of Woodcock

Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay (Wild Justice) want the opening of the Woodcock shooting season to be pushed back to 1 December. 160,000 Woodcock are shot for fun across the UK whilst their population is declining. The Defra Secretary of State has powers to vary the shooting season.

Limit the shooting season of Woodcock – Petitions (parliament.uk)

Deadline: 25 January 2023

Make swift bricks compulsory in new housing to help red-listed birds

Swifts have declined … Read more

The reformed RSPB Crawley & Horsham Local Group invites Surrey Bird Club to attend a free Zoom meeting:

Saving special places

by Dr Andre Farrar, Protected Area Campaigner, the RSPB

Wednesday, 23 November 2022: 7.30 pm

To take part in this event, please email: 

We will send you the link to join the Zoom meeting a few days before the event.

Imagine the confusion as a bird returns to the place that a few months previously had provided for all its needs. But now the landscape has changed, nesting scrub has gone to be replaced by roads and houses, … Read more

The latest batch of decisions from the Surrey Bird Club Records Committee can be read here.

The remaining 2021 BBRC decisions for Surrey have been published.

The Thorpe Park Ferruginous Duck, found by J Snell on 25 November 2021 and present until 31 January 2022, has been accepted. This marks the 38th record for the vice-county.

The other two accepted 2021 records were published earlier this year, namely the Crooksbury Common Two-barred Crossbill and Thursley Common Black Stork (see here).

The remaining three 2021 BBRC records were deemed non-proven.

RSPB England has issued a Twitter thread in order to highlight the dangers of the proposals to relax the controls which protects UK wildlife. It says:

“This Government has today launched an attack on nature. We don’t use the words that follow lightly. We are entering uncharted territory.

What the Government has proposed in today’s mini-budget on top of yesterday’s announcements potentially tears up the most fundamental legal protections our remaining wildlife has.

“The government has agreement in principle with 38 areas to establish tax-cutting Investment Zones which will drive growth & unlock housing development.” says the Treasury.

And it … Read more