On Saturday 7th May [2022] a 5 km bird race challenge is taking place in Surrey.
The idea is to bird within a 5 km radius of either your home or patch, with participation as relaxed or full-on as you’d like. Several teams and individuals have already entered and further entries are most welcome. If you’d like to find out more or enter as a team or individual then please drop an email to .
Field Trip – Sunday 20 March 10:00
Penny Williams will be leading a Surrey Bird Club field trip to Warnham Nature Reserve in West Sussex this Sunday [20 March 2022].
Warnham NR is nestled on the north side of Horsham and is made up of a wide range of habitats from reedbeds and open water to typha swamp and coniferous woodland. The variety of habitats means 168 species of birds have been recorded here, including Water Rail, Common and Green Sandpiper, Snipe and even the occasional Bittern or Osprey. A thriving heronry is also on site with an average of … Read more
Beddington Farmlands: 6 Water Pipits, 3 Jack Snipe, 8 Green Sandpipers and 7 Shelduck (A Dutta/A Ramesh).
Enton Lakes: 2 Great Egrets flew north-east (E Stubbs).
Hankley Common: male Brambling (J Snell).
Holmethorpe SP: 2 Little Ringed Plovers flew east through Spyne’s Mere; also Swallow (G Hay).
London Wetland Centre: 2 Redshanks, 2 Oystercatchers, Shelduck and 2 Bramblings (C Dewhurst).
Thursley Common: 2 Crossbills and Brambling (D Brassington).
Beddington Farmlands: Swallow flew over South Lake (D … Read more
Special Pre-Publication Offer until 28 Feb
Rare Birds of Hampshire, written by former Hampshire County Recorder, John M Clark, is a fascinating review of the occurrences of over 200 rare and scarce species in the county from the 1700s to the present day.
The book, approximately 500 pages, includes:
A Brief History of Rare Bird Recording in Hampshire.
A detailed systematic list including many previously unpublished accounts of the discovery of rarities and an analysis of the occurrences of all but the rarest species.
An unrivalled collection of photos of Hampshire rarities.
A unique series of paintings and sketches by … Read more
London Wetland Centre: Redshank, 2 Water Pipits and 3 Shelduck (J Klavins).
Reigate: female Ring-necked Duck on Priory Pond (D Harris).
Reigate Heath: 80+ Bramblings to north in crops along Clifton’s Lane (S Brownhill).
Tice’s Meadow: Ringed Plover in flight over Workings (J Hunt).
Beddington Farmlands: 1st-winter Caspian Gull, 5 Jack Snipe, Water Pipit, 6 Shelduck and 3 Green Sandpipers (N Gardner).
Crooksbury Common: 5 Crossbills (M Fincham).
Effingham Forest: Brambling at Dick Focks Common (A Bayly/J Sigrist).
London Wetland Centre: Bittern, Water Pipit, Pintail, Goldeneye and Jack Snipe (WWT).
Reigate: female Ring-necked Duck on Priory Pond (M Fincham).
Reigate Heath: 800 Bramblings to north in crops along Clifton’s Lane (J Cutting/C Lodge/M Fincham/T Smith).
Thorpe Park: drake Ferruginous Duck and female Scaup on Manor Lake (D Bookless/A Self).
Beddington Farmlands: 11 Jack Snipe, 2nd-winter Caspian Gull, 2 Shelduck, 3 Water Pipits and 5 Green Sandpipers (N Gardner/Z Pannifer/D Warren).
Effingham Forest: 2 Hawfinches, 2 Crossbills and 5 … Read more
28/12/21
It may be of interest to Surrey Bird Club members that Natural England is conducting a formal boundary review for the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). There has been a desire locally for many years for a review to decide whether additional areas adjacent to the existing AONB boundary should also be designated. They are asking for public contributions to assist the decision-making process.
Since AONBs are designated solely for their outstanding natural beauty, any decision about an extension to the Surrey Hills AONB boundary will be based on assessments of factors that relate directly to … Read more
22/12/21
Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year to all members.
Photo: Robin, London Wetland Centre, 24/04/17 (J Drewett)
18/12/21
A partnership of six councils has come together to support the purchase of the nature reserve and protect it as open space for the community. Surrey County Council, supported by funding from Hampshire County Council, Guildford Borough Council, Waverley Borough Council, Rushmoor Borough Council and Farnham Town Council, has bought Tice’s Meadow near Badshot Lea – on the outskirts of Farnham.
The land is 55 hectares (137 acres) of former quarry which is now fully restored as a nature reserve. It has been acquired from Hanson UK, and will become part of the Surrey County Council countryside estate. The … Read more
The next SBC field trip at Holmethorpe SP is going ahead on Sunday [12 December] despite being omitted from the latest edition of Birding Surrey. Here are more details and we hope to see you there. At the last field trip at Holmethorpe, the long-staying Ring-necked Duck was present there. Will it be this time? It’s currently nearby in Reigate, so fingers crossed!
Photo of Ring-Necked Duck at Reigate by C Turner