Wild White-tailed Eagle in Surrey

The first wild White-tailed Eagle to be seen in Surrey for 114 years was photographed yesterday [Monday 13 April] by Isaiah Rowe as it flew high south over his Worcester Park garden at 2.30 pm.

White-tailed Eagle, Worcester Park (I Rowe).
White-tailed Eagle, Worcester Park (I Rowe).

The extraordinary record comes following a reintroduction scheme on the Isle of Wight and this individual, an immature, was initially thought to be one of these birds – two have already flown through Surrey since 23 March, according to the data from their satellite tags. However, Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation – the organisation behind the project – have since … Read more

Chiddingfold Forest survey

Photo: Nightingale, Shaun Ferguson

Following the further restrictions announced by the government on Monday 23 March, Surrey Bird Club and Sussex Ornithological Society have decided that the first part of the survey of the Chiddingfold Forest planned for this spring (a survey of Nightingales in late April and early May) will have to be postponed until next year.  It may still be possible to carry out the Turtle Dove part of the survey in mid-May to mid-July, but this will depend on the new restrictions on movement being relaxed.  If they are not, the Turtle Dove part of the survey will also be postponed until … Read more

Woking Peregrines

Peregrine, Woking, 19/03/20 (C Denford)

The popular Peregrine Falcons of Woking town centre have been successfully breeding since 2016. They now have four eggs and you can watch the live webcam here.

Photo supplied by Craig Denford

Field trips cancelled

In view of the latest government advice over the coronavirus / COVID-19 outbreak, all the field meetings up until the end of April have been cancelled. We anticipate that it may well be necessary to cancel subsequent field meetings but we will update this website to confirm the situation by the middle of April.

Photo Yellow Wagtail by Dave Harris

Changes to the website

Photo: Nightingale, Shaun Ferguson

We have made a few changes to the website. Sites and Sightings are now two separate menus. We will be adding suggested walks to the Sites Menu and we have moved the page Where to find Nightingales to that menu too. If you have bookmarked any pages, such as Recent Sightings, you might have to update that bookmark. We apologise if inconvenience is caused but the reason is to provide better content for users of this website.

Photo Nightingale by Shaun Ferguson

Tice’s Meadow under threat


Thanks to the hard work of the Tice’s Meadow Bird Group (TMBG) and other local organisations, Tice’s Meadow is now one of the premier birding sites in Surrey. 

All that hard work could be undone following a decision by Hansons, the gravel extraction company, to sell the site.  Although Tice’s has to be maintained as a nature reserve for a fixed period, there is no stipulation about how the site should be managed.  Hansons have told TMBG that they will make no test of the new owner’s suitability for managing a nature reserve, the new owner will be under no … Read more

2019 Records Committee decisions

Great Egret, Richmond Park (D Muthalib).

The Surrey Bird Club Records Committee held their annual meeting in March, when many excellent records were considered, including two county firsts. You can find full details here.

Great Egret photo supplied by D Muthalib

Surrey list

Brent Goose, Tice's Meadow (E Stubbs).

The complete list of all bird species recorded in the vice-county of Surrey has been updated, up to May 2019. You can find it here.

Photo: Brent Goose, E Stubbs

Peregrines

All five of the juvenile Peregrines at Woking have now fledged. An adult and one of the juveniles can be seen in this photo, taken by James Sellen on 15 June.

Want to learn more about this species? Come to East Horsley Village Hall on Friday night to hear Keith Betton’s Return of the Peregrine talk. Here are more details. Free entry and you do not need to be a member to come along.

Nightingales

Photo: Nightingale, Shaun Ferguson

Our County Recorder has written an article about where you might find Nightingales in Surrey.  If you find one singing please do let the County Recorder know.  See 3 Ways to Submit

Photo: Nightingale, Shaun Ferguson