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General Information about our Field Meetings

All the walks are FREE (except for travel costs, car park or entrance fees) and where trips are stated as morning only, sometimes we may run over a little so it is always a good idea to bring something to eat and drink. Unless otherwise stated, all trips will be led by Andy Harding (contactable on 07884 063589 or ).

Please let the trip leader or Andy know if you are coming to a meeting so we have an idea of numbers and we can then let you know if the trip has to be cancelled at short notice e.g. because of a severe weather warning. We have a Surrey Bird Club Field Trips Whatsapp Group and members are encouraged to join this group to help with travel queries, trip updates, car shares etc. Please message Andy, if you are a member, on the above number to join the WhatsApp Group.

Dave Kiddell is leading some field trips aimed at people who are new birdwatchers and may have been put off joining one of our walks because of their lack of knowledge or identification skills. As well as hopefully seeing some less common birds Dave will help you identify some of the more common species such as separating Crows from Jackdaws and both from Wood Pigeon in flight. Another example is helping you tell your Coots from your Moorhens. Because of this, each walk will be a little slower than our usual walks and last approx. 2 hours. These walks are called “Field Trips for New Birders” and are shown in italics to distinguish them.

Surrey Bird Club is committed to sustainable birding and encourages people to car share and use public transport where practical. Please let Andy know if you want to arrange a lift or use the Whatsapp group to arrange with others.

Children are welcome on trips but must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Non-members are welcome to attend but priority will be given to members if spaces are limited. Also, if a non-member attends 2 or more meetings, they will be strongly encouraged to join the club if they want to attend any more meetings.

Please note dogs are not permitted on these trips.

Field Meetings 2026

Saturday 5th September: Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

PLEASE NOTE: part of the Reserve is closed due to suspected outbreak of avian botulism, but still a large part of the Reserve is open. In the event that the Reserve is closed, we will be heading to Dungeness which is 20 mins along the coast.

Meet 0830 | all day | max 3 miles walk on mostly made-up and flat paths | wear sturdy shoes and clothing dependent on weather | cafe and WCs on site assumed open at 0930 | parking onsite – donations

Park and meet at car park along Harbour Road by the Martello Tower (postcode TN31 7TT; what3words///variation.tonal.again)

A superb Reserve managed by Sussex Wildlife Trust and which covers 465ha providing a variety of habitats – intertidal, saltmarsh, shingle ridges, sand, marsh, scrub and woodland.

At this time of year, migration will be in full flow with chance of increasing numbers of waders, the first wildfowl arriving, hirundines, warblers, chats and other summer visitors readying for their migration south.

Expect to see upwards of 50 species.

Dependent on timings to get round the Reserve, some may want to head across to either RSPB Dungeness and check-out Burrowe’s Pit (potential for rare terns, gulls and waders) or if we run out of time, the ARC pits opposite the RSPB Reserve entrance.

RSPB Entrance: Boulderwall Farm, Dungeness Road, TN29 9PN / what3words///breathed.dizziness.growth

ARC Pits: directly opposite Boulderwall Farm (same postcode) what3words///aunts.angry.willpower

Thursday 17th – Saturday 19th September – Suffolk Coast – FULLY BOOKED

Saturday 3rd October – Beddington Farmlands

Meet 0830 | am only | max 3.0 miles on mostly made-up paths | wear sturdy shoes and clothing dependent on weather | bring refreshments | no WCs on site | park at Hackbridge Station (pay and display) or Wandle Road (see below)

Meet at the Mile Road Gate at 08.30am (postcode SM6 7NN; what3words///these.parade.lunch). 

Parking is either at Hackbridge Railway station (pay at meter) or in some of the side roads – suggest Wandle Road (permitted after 1pm) and is a 10 minute walk from the meet point ( (SM6 7EF | What3Words///noted.theme.empty) – enter Beddington Park and then immediately following the path to the left which takes you to the meeting point, passing the South Lake Bird Hide. Hackbridge station is a 5 minute walk to the meeting point. If coming by bike they can be locked up in one of the hides, but left at your own risk.

An excellent time to visit this famous Surrey birding hotspot where, despite it’s location within the heart of urban inner Surrey, has yielded an enormous number of rarities over the years. Expectation of circa 50 species where genuinely anything could show. Key time of the year to visit with migrtation in full flow so a selection of passage waders, early arrival of winter ducks along with herons, egrets and raptors.

Please note that no dogs are permitted.

Thursday 15th October – RSPB Pagham Harbour & Medmerry Reserves

Morning walk 0830 meet | 4.5 miles flat | uneven in places | WCs open at 0900 | bring own refreshments | aim to eat back at the Centre at 1300

Afternoon walk | Medmerry | 3.0 miles flat on good paths | no WCs

Pagham Harbour is a superb reserve at any time of the year, but visiting in mid-October is a prime time with winter birds. Increasing volumes of wildfowl and waders to be expected including Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Pintail, Wigeon and Teal together with chance of sea ducks such as Red-breasted Merganser, Eider and Common Scoter from the beach; Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, the odd Spotted Redshank and late Whimbrel to also be expected.

Raptors such as Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel are regular.

Expectation of seeing 70+ species in the day.

Plan is to meet at the RSPB Visitor Centre at 08.30 (PO20 7NE What3Words///outsmart.narrating.singing) to spend some time at the Ferry Pool hide and then a flat walk along the southern path up to Church Norton, the beach and the reedbeds at the Severals and then return to the car park for 13.00.

For those that feel energetic, the afternoon will be at RSPB Medmerry (car park on Drove Lane, PO20 7NX; what3words///serve.coffee.banquets) which comprises extensive farmland with gorse and scrub areas towards the sea, which transitions into extensive wetlands and productive pools before reaching the beach. A much newer reserve it is becoming an exciting location for rarer birds, particularly Spoonbill, Great White and Cattle Egret, Merlin, Dartford Warbler whilst also being a good site for Barn Owl, Yellowhammer and Kingfisher. Expecting to be back at the car park at 17.00

Full Field Meeting Itinerary 2026

*please note the dates for the Global Bird Fair is for information only. There is no Group outing planned for this event, but is well recommended with tickets available from early 2026 from www.globalbirdfair.org.

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Here is some feedback from our trips:

“we learnt such a lot but also everyone was so friendly & we had some lovely chats, sharing suggestions of places to visit, stories of bird related holidays & even book recommendations.  We would love to join the Club”

“Thoroughly enjoyed today…never seen so many lapwing in my life!!!Great company too😊Thankyou Andy and all you helpful experts🤗“

For all enquiries email Andy Harding at