Holmethorpe Nature Reserve, Merstham – 30th April 2023

Having not been to this great Surrey nature reserve in 2022 many people were keen to revisit. As always superbly led by local birders Ian Kehl and Gordon Kay (our thanks to them both), 13 members had a very enjoyable walk around the varied habitats of Holmethorpe Nature Reserve.

Meeting at Mercers Country Park, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard and Eurasian Coots were seen on Mercers Lake, with various tits and finches seen flitting around the surrounding woodland. As with 2021, as we headed over to Spynes Mere, Gordon yet again found a very well-camouflaged Little Owl in one of the mature oaks. With the use of the scopes everyone managed to get excellent views of this resident species – ever present, but ridiculously difficult to locate.

Skylarks were high up singing with Greenfinches making their wheezing call from the boundary hedges. With  the extreme amount of rainfall over the previous month, the water levels at Spynes Mere meant there was little mud exposed for potential migrant waders to stop by, but we were fortunate to find a feeding Common Sandpiper on the recently created new shingle island. Plenty of Sand and a few House Martins fed avidly, with four Common Swifts joining in.

An abundance of warbler song made for interesting discussions as to Common Blackcap versus Garden Warbler, but listening carefully to the more structured song of the Blackcap versus the longer song with flutey and scratchy tones of the Garden Warbler, we all managed to distinguish the two songsters. We did manage to see a number of Blackcaps during the morning, but only caught a fleeting view of the Garden Warbler. Chiffchaffs, Cetti’s Warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats were all singing and calling in the surrounding scrub.

Overhead we had Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Kestrel and then a superb Eurasian Hobby, with a further two hunting hirundines as we made our way back close to Mercers Lake. Of note was a distressed young Roe Deer getting caught out between us and a cyclists which caused it to panic, hitting the hedge on its way – thankfully seemingly unhurt.

As we walked back towards Mercers Farm and across the road passed the cricket club we heard the melancholy notes of a Bullfinch. Sadly no Yellowhammers in their regular field. Heading towards The Moors, we picked up a host of more regular birds with Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, House Sparrow and Common Chiffchaff, together with a good number of corvids across the fields of Chilmead Farm.

Unfortunately, the path around the Moors was flooded; so having checked for any birds on the flooded fields, we headed back to the Watercolour Lakes 1&2. A Great Crested Grebe was on a nest, two male Reed Buntings were calling from prominent perches in the reeds as were at least four Common Reed Warblers. This rounded off a really enjoyable morning’s walk, with an excellent tally of 54 species seen or heard (h).

Greylag Goose	Common Sandpiper	Carrion Crow	Goldcrest
Canada Goose	Herring Gull	Eurasian Blue Tit	Eurasian Wren
Mute Swan	Great Cormorant	Great Tit	Common Starling
Egyptian Goose	Grey Heron	Eurasian Skylark	Song Thrush
Mallard	Red Kite	Common Reed Warbler	Eurasian Blackbird
Tufted Duck	Common Buzzard	Sand Martin	European Robin
Common Pheasant	Little Owl	Common House Martin	House Sparrow
Great Crested Grebe	Eurasian Green Woodpecker	Common Chiffchaff	Common Chaffinch
Feral Pigeon	Common Kestrel	Cetti’s Warbler (h)	Eurasian Bullfinch (h)
Stock Dove	Eurasian Hobby	Long-tailed Tit	European Greenfinch
Common Woodpigeon	Ring-necked Parakeet	Eurasian Blackcap	European Goldfinch
Common Swift	Eurasian Jay	Garden Warbler	Common Reed Bunting
Common Moorhen	Common Magpie	Lesser Whitethroat (h)
Eurasian Coot	Eurasian Jackdaw	Common Whitethroat

Andy Harding

RSPB Pagham Harbour – 18 March 2023

Ignoring the challenging weather forecast, 15 SBC members travelled south to the famous RSPB Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve with expectations for a great morning’s / day’s birding. We were not disappointed! The day was split into three venues :an early morning sea watch at Selsey Bill, a full walk along the West side of the Harbour from the Visitor Centre and an afternoon sortie along the main path at RSPB Medmerry.

Selsey Bill sea watch (07.00 – 08.45) – drizzling on arrival the rain soon stopped and in a light south easterly, 4 birders experienced the delights and frustrations of sea watching with a steady stream of birds at distance (difficult to identify) but with some birds coming closer in, affording good views of a variety of birds. The first sighting of note was a Harbour Seal which showed for only a few minutes before disappearing. A pair of Red-breasted Mergansers flew east close-in giving great views, soon followed by the first small flock of 5 Common Scoters again going east. During the session a total of 26 were seen. A steady flow of adult Gannets, were travelling west, mainly further out to sea, with a total of 11 Red-throated Divers all heading east, but at some distance from the shore. The first 5 Sandwich Terns of the year were seen fishing offshore. Other birds of note were a solitary Great Crested Grebe on the sea, 15 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, the local Ruddy Turnstones moving up and down the shoreline whilst Oystercatchers speedily moving west low just above the sea.

Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve – we met at The Ferry Pool hide and set up scopes to look over Sidlesham Ferry – always a good place to start with both wildfowl and a selection of waders to enjoy. Of note were 5 Avocets feeding with a group of Black-tailed Godwits, a single Green Sandpiper, along with a variety of ducks – Shoveler, Shelduck, Gadwall, Eurasian Teal, Mallard and Eurasian Wigeon. The feeders behind the hide and at the Centre had Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Blue and Great Tit, Robin and Blackbird.

Heading up the west path towards Church Norton, we could hear the continual explosive calls of the Cetti’s Warbler (with some of the group getting a couple of glimpses). Reed Buntings were very active with males starting to call whilst Skylarks filled the air with their beautiful song at altitude. Stopping to get a closer view of the main channel, we managed some excellent views of Grey Plover, Redshank, Curlew (of which there were many on the Reserve), a decent number of ducks including a smart male Pintail. Of note was a feeding Common Sandpiper on the far bank. As we moved away someone shouted “raptor” as we all turned to watch a large female Sparrowhawk hunt low down the channel (a very smart male was also later seen).

With so many birds to stop and see we did well to get to the shingle viewpoint in the Harbour in good time allowing us all plenty of time to scour the Harbour at low tide. Of note was the large mixed flock of both Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls (most in summer plumage – see photo) and were able to contrast the dark brown head of the Black-headed to the very smart black hood of the Mediterranean. In amongst these gulls were up to 20 Sandwich Terns. Plenty of the regular waders were also easily seen and identified.

Spending limited time at the sea we headed back via Church Norton to see up to 8 Chiffchaffs feeding avidly around the Moat. More of the same was on show on the way back but we were very fortunate to see a superb flock of c.100 Golden Plovers gathering height from an adjoining field. Finally we were relieved to find the long-staying Spotted Redshank in the channel behind the hide. Feeding next to a Common Redshank, the differences in greater size, longer leg length, greyer plumage and the distinct white supercilium were all very self-evident in the Spotted Redshank.

RSPB Medmerry – 6 of the group decided to stay on to visit the relatively new reserve on the west of the peninsula. A decent walk to the sea via farmland, gorse hedges, wetlands and sea, this Reserve is not to be underestimated for birding, especially in winter for raptors. Of special note was the sight of two Barn Owls out in full sunshine hunting at 15.30, affording fantastic views as they seemed undisturbed by our presence. Fantastic birds! In addition, we had excellent views of 3 male Yellowhammers in full yellow breeding finery – incredible colours against the sunshine.

The walk to the sea and the Stilt Ponds is fairly long but we were rewarded by picking out a Common Ringed Plover together with a pair of Little Ringed Plovers – the latter’s yellow longer legs, slighter build and yellow orbital eye ring were diagnostic.

In total we had 66 species at Pagham Harbour, 18 at Selsey Bill and 44 at RSPB Medmerry, listed below. In addition, birds only seen at Selsey Bill were Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Gull, Red-throated Diver and Northern Gannet. Seen only at RSPB Medmerrywere Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover (2), Barn Owl (2), Stonechat and Yellowhammer (2).

Brent Goose	Collared Dove	Mediterranean Gull	Common Chiffchaff
Canada Goose	Common Moorhen	Herring Gull	Cetti’s Warbler
Mute Swan	Eurasian Coot	Great Black-backed Gull	Long-tailed Tit
Common Shelduck	Pied Avocet	Sandwich Tern	Eurasian Wren
Northern Shoveler	Eurasian Oystercatcher	Great Cormorant	Common Starling
Gadwall	Grey Plover	Grey Heron	Eurasian Blackbird
Eurasian Wigeon	European Golden Plover	Little Egret	European Robin
Mallard	Northern Lapwing	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Dunnock
Northern Pintail	Eurasian Curlew	Common Buzzard	House Sparrow
Eurasian Teal	Black-tailed Godwit	Great Spotted Woodpecker(h)	Meadow Pipit
Tufted Duck	Ruddy Turnstone	Green Woodpecker(h)	Common Chaffinch
Common Pheasant	Dunlin	Common Magpie	European Greenfinch
Little Grebe	Common Sandpiper	Eurasian Jackdaw	Common Linnet
Great Crested Grebe	Green Sandpiper	Carrion Crow	European Goldfinch
Feral Pigeon	Spotted Redshank	Eurasian Blue Tit	Common Reed Bunting
Stock Dove	Common Redshank	Great Tit
Common Woodpigeon	Black-headed Gull	Eurasian Skylark

Andy Harding

The London Wetlands Centre Saturday 18 February 2023

The SBC’s annual pilgrimage to the London Wetlands Centre did not disappoint 13 members with the weather cold but dry, seemingly keeping most of the usual visitors away and leaving the South Route almost free for us to roam.

Starting off at the Dulverton and then WWF Hides, in search of the elusive Bittern (failed again!), we all remarked how great it was to be up and close to the wildfowl and gulls. We were able to analyse and differentiate between Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed, Herring and Common Gulls in a variety of plumages and age. Equally with the wildfowl moving into breeding plumage we were able to identify Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Common Pochard and Northern Shoveler. Heading round the Sheltered Lagoon, via the bird feeders, we again had great close views of feeding Chaffinch, female Reed Bunting, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Robin, with a few lucky to see an elusive female Siskin. Someone called “Peregrine!” and directly above us ,the impressive falcon lazily flew over, clearly in no immediate hurry to move off, allowing everyone to get great views. Cetti’s Warblers were calling from the lake fringe with a single bird giving the group a tantalizing, but brief view as it worked its way through the scrub.

Finally reaching The Peacock Tower, with 13 pairs of eyes, we were able to seek out a number of challenging birds to both find and identify. On the Grazing Marsh, miraculously a Common Snipe was found tucked down in the reeds, but which afforded great views via our shared scopes. Despite not finding any Water Pipits, we did locate a pair of Stonechats on the fence line.

On the Main Lake, a very odd looking small duck was seen – shaped like a Tufted Duck but with a full grey back. For a moment, we all thought ‘male Scaup’ but on closer inspection, it wasn’t the size or the shape. Having checked some ID apps, it was identified as a male Common Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid – apparently the commonest duck hybrid, with a majority being males. In the distance, a small diving duck was identified – constantly diving close to the reeds, identified as a female Goldeneye.

Heading back to the Visitor Centre, we heard the pig-squeals of a skulking Water Rail. We then headed along the West Route, but on reaching the Wildside Hide, via the extensive reed beds, very little was showing other than a Grey Heron, some very noisy Egyptian Geese and more wildfowl and gulls, but nothing new. In total 47 species were seen or heard (h):

Canada Goose	Great Crested Grebe	Great Cormorant	Cetti’s warbler
Mute Swan	Feral Pigeon	Grey Heron	Common Starling
Egyptian Goose	Common Woodpigeon	Great Spotted Woodpecker	Song Thrush
Northern Shoveler	Water Rail (h)	Common Kestrel	Eurasian Blackbird
Gadwall	Common Moorhen	Peregrine Falcon	European Robin
Eurasian Wigeon	Eurasian Coot	Ring-necked Parakeet	European Stonechat
Mallard	Northern Lapwing	Eurasian Jay	Common Chaffinch
Eurasian Teal	Common Snipe	Common Magpie	European Greenfinch
Common Pochard	Black-headed Gull	Eurasian Jackdaw	European Goldfinch
Tufted Duck	Common Gull	Carrion Crow	Eurasian Siskin
Common Pochard x  Tufted Duck (hybrid)	Herring Gull	Eurasian Blue Tit	Common Reed Bunting
	Common Goldeneye	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Great Tit

Andy Harding

Beddington Farmlands -Sunday 22 January 2023

12 intrepid birders braved the freezing fog conditions to walk the perimeter path at Beddington Farmlands, a tough morning’s birding given the lack of visibility. However, everyone had an enjoyable time and did get to see a range of birds, albeit many kept low or were too distant in the fog to be identified or even seen. The target birds at this time of the year are Water Pipit, Green Sandpiper, Jack Snipe, Shelduck and Caspian Gull and all had been seen on the reserve this month.
Making our way firstly to South Lake we heard and then saw Ring-necked Parakeets, Redwing and Great Tit. The lake was almost completely frozen but there were small groups of birds directly in front of the hide including a number of gulls – all Black-headed, but on closer inspection a Common and Herring Gull were found. Close by, a group of waterfowl were gathered – a combination of Eurasian Teal, Shoveler, Coot and Mallard.
Directly in front of the hide someone saw a flash of movement and two very small waders took flight and headed low to the other side of the lake – identified as Jack Snipe, this was a great start to the walk.
Taking a leisurely route to the North Lake, it was clear that, with an area of the lake unfrozen, nearly all the birds had congregated there. A large group of gulls were standing on the ice – which included some well-spotted Lesser Black-backed Gulls. In the near distance (but at our maximum range of visibility) we could just make out 5 Shelducks sleeping on the ice alongside a family group of Mute Swans. Waterfowl included Mallard, Teal, Gadwall and Shoveler.
A further walk down towards the 100 Acre area yielded very little on the Wet Grasslands and along the path; so a quick revisit to North Lake hide provided better views of the Shelduck and from the island we could hear the pig-squealing calls of a Water Rail which unfortunately remained elusive. Despite the poor visibility and freezing temperatures, 33 species were seen or heard (h):

Canada Goose	Common Moorhen	Grey Heron	Long-tailed Tit
Mute Swan	Eurasian Coot	Great Spotted Woodpecker (h)	Song Thrush
Common Shelduck	Jack Snipe	Eurasian Green Woodpecker (h)	Redwing
Northern Shoveler	Black-headed Gull	Ring-necked Parakeet	Eurasian Blackbird
Gadwall	Common Gull	Common Magpie	European Robin
Mallard	Herring Gull	Carrion Crow	Dunnock
Eurasian Teal	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Eurasian Blue Tit	Common Chaffinch
CommonWoodpigeon	Great Cormorant	Great Tit	European Goldfinch
Water Rail (h)

Andy Harding