Chamber Mead Wetland

Chamber Mead Wetands October 2023 (Robin Buller)

Surrey Bird Club wants to see more wetland habitats restored and created. As such, we were excited to hear about a major project to create a new Surrey wetland on the outskirts of London. It will form part of the existing Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve (LNR), and provide new habitat for birds, plants, and insects.

The Hogsmill River is a chalk stream, which starts from a spring in Ewell and travels through Ewell, Old Malden, and Berrylands, before reaching the Thames.  Chalk streams are globally rare, and the new wetland will improve the water quality in the Hogsmill River by … Read more

May 2024

Friday 31st

Island Barn Reservoir (permit only): Short-eared Owl east (D Harris).

Wey Manor Meadows: 3 pairs of Lapwings with chicks (J Snell).

Thursday 30th

Kittiwakes, Bankside (R Braddock).
Kittiwakes, Bankside (R Braddock).

Bankside: 9 Kittiwakes over Blackfriars Bridge (R Braddock).

Wednesday 29th

London Wetland Centre: 2 Oystercatchers (C Moore).

Unstead SF: 2 Shoveler (J Parr).

Tuesday 28th

London Wetland Centre: female Pochard with ducklings (A Salmon).

Monday 27th

Burpham: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker along River Wey (W Justice).

Leigh: Spotted Flycatcher at Deanoak Lane (I Kehl).

London Wetland Centre: Bittern booming from Reservoir Lagoon (A … Read more

April 2024

The new Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex book is out now and available here: www.bloomsbury.com/where-to-watch-birds-in-surrey-and-sussex-9781399404235/

Tuesday 30th

Wood Sandpipers, Beddington Farmlands (A Ramesh).
Wood Sandpipers, Beddington Farmlands (A Ramesh).

Beddington Farmlands: 2 Wood Sandpipers on Wet Grassland; also 4 Wheatears and Common Sandpiper (D Bulling/G Howgate/I Jones/A Ramesh).

Bookham: male Yellow Wagtail and 3 Wheatears at Goldstone Farm (D Cox).

London Wetland Centre: Yellow Wagtail on Grazing Marsh (A Salmon).

Pewley Down: Whinchat (M Kettell).

Richmond Park: Wheatear (H Bradshaw).

Tadworth: Osprey over (J Darter).

Westcott: female Wheatear at Milton Court Farm (M Davis).

West End … Read more

March 2024

The new Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex book is out now and available here: www.bloomsbury.com/where-to-watch-birds-in-surrey-and-sussex-9781399404235/

Sunday 31st

Little Gull, Frensham Great Pond (E Stubbs).
Little Gull, Frensham Great Pond (E Stubbs).

Ash Ranges: 4 Tree Pipits, Willow Warbler and Crossbill (C Jones).

Beddington Farmlands: Avocet on Wet Grassland; also Ring Ouzel at Enclosed Lagoon, Jack Snipe, 3 Water Pipits, male Wheatear, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Green Sandpipers and 5 Shelduck (M Bravery/G Howgate/J Pettit/J Quinn).

Crooksbury Common: 11 Crossbills (J Gates).

Frensham Great Pond: adult Little Gull (S Peters/E Stubbs).

Marsh Harrier, Thursley Common (B Henricot).
Marsh Harrier, Thursley Common (B Henricot).

Hedgecourt Lake: … Read more

February 2024

The new Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex book is out now and available here: www.bloomsbury.com/where-to-watch-birds-in-surrey-and-sussex-9781399404235/

Thursday 29th

Black Redstart, Tate Modern (J Reeves).
Black Redstart, Tate Modern (J Reeves).

London Wetland Centre: 2 Oystercatchers and female Goldeneye on Main Lake (A Salmon).

Tate Modern: female Black Redstart on roofs next to community garden (J Reeves).

Wednesday 28th

Beddington Farmlands: 3 Green Sandpipers and Shelduck (G Howgate).

Effingham Forest: 2 Goshawks at Dick Focks Common (BirdGuides).

Horley: 45 Waxwings at Riverside Garden Park (BirdGuides).

London Wetland Centre: female Goldeneye on Main Lake (A Salmon).

Tate Modern: female … Read more

January 2024

Wednesday 31st

Effingham Forest: 2 Goshawks at Dick Focks Common (A Bird).

Kew: Common Sandpiper by Kew Bridge (M Wright).

Kingston upon Thames: 1st-winter Caspian Gull at recycling centre (BirdGuides).

Leatherhead: drake Goosander on River Mole (A Holden).

London Wetland Centre: male Bearded Tit; also Bittern on Reservoir Lagoon and 2 Shelduck on Main Lake (A Salmon/A Wilkinson).

Richmond: Common Sandpiper by River Thames (M Bravery).

Tate Modern: female Black Redstart (BirdGuides).

Tuesday 30th

Cutt Mill Ponds: 8 Goosander (A Smith).

Effingham Forest: Crossbill at Dick Focks Common (P Davies).… Read more

Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex pre-order offer

Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex

The new and updated Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex book, out in early 2024, is available for pre-order here. Surrey Bird Club members are entitled to a special 30% off that applies to pre-orders. This discount can be obtained by entering the code SURREYBIRDS30.

Steve Chastell

Steve Chastell

( 1964 – 2023)

We were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Steve Chastell last week, at the age of only 59. Steve was our county bird recorder, former chair of Surrey Bird Club, and a well-known figure to many in the worlds of birding and nature, both in Surrey and beyond.

Steve was a dedicated local patch watcher, spending many hours in the field, usually on his bike. The Stoke area was his main focus, along with other sites in the Guildford area. He was also an experienced ringer, ringing with the group at Queen Mary … Read more

December 2023

Sunday 31st

Waxwings, Balham (J Reeves).
Waxwings, Balham (J Reeves).

Balham: 13 Waxwings on Calbourne Road (BirdGuides).

Blackheath: 2 Crossbills (J Brown).

Chantries: Waxwing flock (BirdGuides).

East Horsley: 6 Waxwings at Kingston Avenue (BirdGuides).

Egham: 4 Waxwings briefly (BirdGuides).

Farnham: 40+ Waxwings at Badger Court/Haven Way (BirdGuides).

Waxwings, East Horsley (D Robinson).
Waxwings, East Horsley (D Robinson).

Kingston upon Thames: 2 (adult and 1st winter) Caspian Gulls and adult Yellow-legged Gull at recycling centre/waste transfer station (BirdGuides).

London Wetland Centre: 3 Pintail on Reservoir Lagoon and female Goldeneye and 2 Shelduck on Main Lake (A Salmon/A Wilkinson).

Westminster: 1st-winter Caspian … Read more

Unstead: SWT award

Unstead Wetlands (David Hodson)

On 3 August 2023, Surrey Wildlife Trust hosted a Community Celebratory Evening and announced the winners of the Community Champion Awards. These awards celebrate the individual and collective actions being taken for nature by Surrey community groups. The event saw representatives from 35 different community groups come together, all with a common collective goal: to support nature’s recovery in Surrey.

The Rising Star Award was presented to Unstead Nature Community Group which manages Unstead Wetland Nature Reserve (formerly known as Unstead Sewage Farm): a 25.7 acre (10.4 hectare) site located in the River Wey valley, near Peasmarsh, south of Guildford. … Read more