Shalford patch diary, 18th-28th April

Late April is surely one of the most exciting times of year to be a watcher of a local patch, when each day seems to bring new surprises and regional scarcities take on the guise of megas - a patch year tick or even better a patch lifer delivering all the excitement and more of connecting with a brand new species.

Despite the persistent lack of rain, late frosts and pesky northerly winds it's been a pretty great ten days at Shalford with seven year ticks, one of them a first for the site as far as I'm aware.

18th April

A good start to the new week after the Easter weekend. In the scrub between Horse Field and the Railway Triangle I discovered first a Chiffchaff with an interesting 'swee-oo' call (thanks to David Darrell Lambert for info and ID help on this. Further reading here: http://birdingfrontiers.com/2011/07/23/swee-oo-calling-chiffchaffs/) and then a Nightingale singing intermittently in the bushes right by the railway line. No doubt there have been previous records but as far as I can tell it's the first documented site record and a very nice way to notch up my 90th species on the patch year list! On to St Catherine's where I found the regular pair of Stonechats still in attendance in St Catherine's Meadow along with the first Sedge Warbler of the year singing in Broom Meadow. Other bits of note from today included one Red Kite, six Whitethroats, two House Martins, one Swallow and one Willow Warbler.

19th April

Rather quieter today after yesterday's excitement. Indeed, the Nightingale and Sedge Warbler were both missing in action. The highlights from today's two visits were the pair of Red-legged Partridges in Horse Field, three Stonechats and five Whitethroats. A Greenfinch was observed nest-building while three Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew north.

Lesser Black-backeds on the move

20th April

A very quiet skywatch from St Catherine's Hill this morning was saved at the last minute by a Cuckoo singing down in the meadows below. The 93rd species on the Shalford year list and my 92nd. Kit Britten, meanwhile, was down at ground level at the same time I was up the hill and was rewarded with a very smart male Redstart at St Catherine's Pool - the first of the year here. Sand Martins - three in total - were still whizzing about checking out the railway embankment on the side of the hill while the only apparent movers were singles of Grey Heron and Herring Gull north. A male Sparrowhawk posed briefly in a tree by the hill.

Sparrowhawk

An evening visit to the patch sadly produced neither Cuckoo or Redstart, but a Water Rail squealed at St Catherine's Pool and four House Martins were hawking over the rooftops of Shalford village.

21st April

Another pre-work stroll around the meadows produced the first Garden Warbler of the year singing in the brambles by Dagley Lane allotments. Other bits of note were the Stonechat pair again in St Catherine's Meadow, three Mandarins and at least two Kestrels.

Stonechat

22nd April

A quiet couple of hours down the southern end of the patch was enlivened by a message from Kit Britten who'd just found two Common Sandpipers up at St Catherine's Lock. I raced up to find at least one bird still present although flighty. While we were at the lock five Sand Martins flew north along the river. Kit also informed me he'd just seen one of the adult Stonechats carrying a fecal sac in St Catherine's Meadow - great to confirm breeding here after it was suspected in 2016.

An afternoon skywatch from the Horse Field, meanwhile, produced the first Reed Warbler of the year, singing very occasionally from a dense Blackthorn on the eastern edge of the field. There wasn't a great deal of stuff flying over aside from one Peregrine, two Red Kites, two House Martins and three Swallows.

Another two patch year tick day taking the total Shalford year list to 97 and my own total to 95.

23rd April

A rather quiet afternoon visit after an extended Leith Hill tower migration watch in the morning, though it was nice to catch up with Richard Waters. At least four Buzzards were up and displaying in the warm sunshine along with a single Red Kite. There were plenty of Whitethroats around including two males squabbling in Broom Meadow. A Little Owl was calling in one of the usual Oaks in St Catherine's Meadow, although heard from Railway Triangle. The Stonechat pair were again busy in St Catherine's Meadow while hirundines were represented by six Swallows and four House Martins.

24th April

It was pretty clear a few minutes into this morning's visit there'd been a big arrival of Whitethroats overnight, with at least seventeen singing males just in the St Catherine's/Broadford area alone, one already nest building in brambles by the Horse Field. Otherwise it was a fairly quiet visit with just a singles of Swallow and Sand Martin over and a Skylark singing west of Horse Field.

Whitethroat

25th April

Despite the much colder conditions and north-westerly wind, evidently some migrants were still filtering through as this morning there were apparent new arrivals of Garden Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler, singing by St Catherine's Pool, in Mill Mead Meadow and by the Guildford Park & Ride, respectively. Also of note were five Swallows, the usual two Red-legged Partridge, a singing male Stonechat on Broadford Marsh along with the usual St Catherine's pair plus a dozen Whitethroats, and a Skylark which flew west.

26th April

Clearly an overnight fall of Garden Warblers had occurred with at least four singing around the mid-patch this morning - one by the Horse Field, one by St Catherine's Pool, one in Broom Meadow and one in Mill Mead Meadow. There were at least eleven singing male Whitethroats, while it was good to confirm the presence of two pairs of Stonechat - one in the Railway Triangle and one at St Catherine's. It will be interesting to see if yesterday's singing male at Broadford turns out to be one of a third pair. Overhead, four Herring Gulls flew north while five House Martins moving strongly south-west were surely evading the incoming weather front, and I can't say I blame them!

27th April

A rare day away from the patch for me as I had a lie-in (shocking, I know) then dashed to Island Barn Reservoir after work to twitch the Red-rumped Swallow Dave Harris had just found. A very nice bird indeed - wouldn't mind one of those at Shalford!
Kit did make it down the patch, however and was rewarded with two Garden Warblers, a Sedge Warbler and a showy female Bullfinch, this species continuing to do well here with at least two pairs around.

Bullfinch - Kit Britten

28th April

Rather more clement this morning after some quite severe frosts for the time of year earlier in the week. At St Catherine's Lock I found another flighty Common Sandpiper plus the usual pair of Stonechats. There were three Garden Warblers singing, one Sedge Warbler in Mill Mead Meadow and a dozen Whitethroats around, including one gathering nesting material again. The visit was rounded off nicely by a Peregrine flying over.

Shalford patch diary, late March

Well, what a few days it's been on the patch. The pair of Garganey stayed longer than expected and were enjoyed by at least 50 people. I met and chatted to visiting birders from West Sussex, London and all over Surrey, clearly enticed by some of the fantastic photos of the birds, a few of which I've included below.

Photo: Richard Waters

Photo: Dave Carlsson

Photo: Stevie Minhinnick

Photo: Richard Waters

Photo: Richard Waters

Photo: Richard Waters

Away from the main action on St Catherine's Pool, the first Blackcap (82) of the year was singing near the Dagley Lane allotments early on the 21st, before a more noticeable fall on the 30th when at least five singing males and a female were noted. Early on the 29th the first Willow Warbler of the year was singing by St Catherine's Pool. Chiffchaff numbers are steadily increasing, peaking at an impressive 17 males noted during a patch 'big day' on the 24th - but more on that later.

Chiffchaff - Richard Waters

Wildfowl numbers remain fairly decent with 27 Teal recorded on the 24th and two pairs of Gadwall on the 26th. There were also still two pairs of Shoveler present as of the 28th. There were three Egyptian Geese present in the Broadford area on the 24th, along with the usual numbers of Canada Geese and a single Greylag.

Teal - Richard Waters

Gadwall

Lingering winter visitors include singles of Redpoll over on the 24th, 25th and 27th and just a scattering of Redwing (4 on the 22nd, 3 on the 30th). Two Fieldfare flew west over the Horse Field on the 24th. Meadow Pipit passage is beginning to pick up now with several noted flying north on recent patch visits.

Back to the epic eight hour patch day on the 24th now which saw me notch up a patch record day list of 69 species, including my first Kingfisher (83) of the year, heard calling by the bridge where the Railway Line Walk crosses the river. Other highlights from the day included two Little Egrets flying north and a Firecrest in Mill Mead Meadow while an extended lunchtime skywatch from St Catherine's Hill produced 3 Red Kites, a male Crossbill flying east, an adult Great Black-backed Gull north and a Raven soaring high overhead before doing a couple of barrel rolls and flying west.

Buzzard - Richard Waters

The Little Owl in St Catherine's Meadow has been noticeably more vocal, giving its yelping call from one of the Oaks here both morning and evening on my recent visits.

After finding my first ever patch Red-legged Partridge on the 12th I've seen two together in the Horse Field/Broadford area a couple of times recently. The regular pair of Stonechat are still hanging around near St Catherine's Lock, while on the morning of the 30th a 'new' male was singing by Broadford Bridge.

The first patch Skylark of the year was heard singing to the west of Horse Field early on the 28th, while the first patch hirundine of the year was a Swallow seen by Kit Britten later the same day - exactly the same date as the first one in 2016.

The last week or so has seen a good emergence of the overwintering butterfly species, with Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Red Admiral noted in good numbers, plus a Small or Green-veined White seen briefly on the 26th in Mill Mead Meadow.

Small Tortoiseshell

As a final note on this post, thank you to Shaun Ferguson for producing this new map of the patch which you'll be able to find in 'The local patch' section of the blog, for reference.

Shalford patch diary and local round-up, early March

2nd and 3rd March

A couple of reasonably productive after work visits, making use of the lengthening daylight hours. St Catherine's Pool was notably busy on the 2nd with an unusually high count of four very vocal Little Grebes, the now regular pair of Egyptian Geese, three each of Coot and Moorhen plus a drake Gadwall with at least twenty Mallards - this only my second patch Gadwall record of this year.
The evening of the 3rd, meanwhile, at last delivered my first patch Tawny Owl (76) of the year with both male and female calls coming from the 'Pine Island' area east of Broom Meadow (see map). Also of note were a Little Egret north and a record count of at least thirty-six Magpies into roost.

4th March

A dawn start for a ninety minute skywatch from St Catherine's Hill produced a proliferation of gulls: 225 Black-headed, 32 Common and a new patch high count of 271 Herring Gulls, all south, plus a single adult Lesser Black-backed north. This isn't the first time I've noticed LBBGs following a different track to the main flow of gulls. Also of note were 27 Pied Wagtails south, two Kestrels (one high east and another local bird displaying), three Greylags south - one very high - and two Peregrines. There was the usual loud chatter from the Siskin flock in the Alders below the hill but it was very difficult to get a good estimate of numbers.

Herring Gulls over St Catherine's Hill

From St Catherine's I headed straight to Albury Sandpit where I met up with John A and Dave G for our regular fortnightly survey of this site. The highlights here were at least four Skylarks (two singing), four Kestrels getting territorial, two Red-legged Partridges, a flyover Redpoll and circa thirty Meadow Pipits.

Skylark

Back home I had a Red Kite and nine Redpoll over my Chilworth garden - one of the highest numbers of the latter species I've seen in what seems to have been a pretty poor winter for them, in this part of the world at least.

5th March

The planned Leith Hill tower watch was sadly postponed due to the inclement weather (although Wes A put in a Spartan hour up there on his own in the pouring rain!) so I headed to the patch late morning and was pleased to see more standing water around after the rain. In Mill Mead Meadow I was watching a few Teal when a familiar 'huweet' drew my attention to a very fresh-looking Chiffchaff working its way through the riverside Alders. Hard to say if this is a rather early arrival or a wintering individual moving through but it was a very welcome taste of spring all the same and takes my Shalford year list to 77, so I'm now level pegging with my total for the same time last year.

There was still one Little Grebe pair on St Catherine's Pool but otherwise not much in this area so I headed down towards Broadford Marsh which was also very quiet apart from a singing Reed Bunting. After sheltering from a heavy downpour in this area I twice could've sworn I heard a Sand Martin call but unfortunately didn't see any to confirm it wasn't just wishful thinking - won't be long now anyway!

Also of note from today's visit were two Red Kites east together, four Buzzards (making use of the sunshine between the showers), at least fifteen Redwing, a similar number of Teal and a single drake Shoveler.

Shalford patch diary, 2017 so far

I've got a bit out of the habit of doing my regular patch diary blog posts so am going to attempt to summarise the first seven or so weeks of 2017 in this one with as little waffle as possible! As I write this the patch year list stands on 75, just one behind this time last year and with several 'easy' species still missing, most notably Tawny Owl! One of the best things about patch watching though is it makes otherwise common species more rewarding when they do make an appearance, and it's been interesting to note several species that have been recorded earlier this year than last, and others that have been notable by their absence.

Greylag Goose is the third most commonly seen goose species on the patch and only ever seen in smallish numbers in 2016, so it was quite surprising to see approximately 70 flying NNE from Loseley direction towards Guildford on 28th January. Canada Geese are just as common as ever, with reasonable numbers (20-30) flying in to roost on St Catherine's Pool on all my evening visits recently. As was the case last year Egyptian Goose seems to be largely a flyover species here, so it was a bit of a surprise to see a pair in the dead tree in Broadford Meadows on 5th February, seemingly vying with a gang of Jackdaws over a nest box. Then this weekend a pair seem to have taken a liking to the St Catherine's Pool/Broom Meadow area, having been seen either on the water or in one of the Oaks here the past couple of days.

Egyptian Goose

Moving on to ducks, it took me until the end of March last year to record Wigeon on patch, with the 31st March birds remaining my only Shalford record until 7th January this year when I heard that familiar whistling call somewhere over Broom Meadow at first light, this then followed by two drakes on St Catherine's Pool during my WeBS count on 12th February. Shoveler, on the other hand, have been rather more elusive this winter than last, with the first ones not seen until 30th January. They've since been a fairly regular feature, peaking at 11+ on 12th February.

Wigeon and Shoveler flying off from St Catherine's Pool - great photo, I know

Another duck species that took me until spring last year to add to the patch list was Gadwall so it was nice to find a pair on Broadford Marsh on 12th February, again during my WeBS count. As was the case last winter, Teal is rivalled only by Mallard as the commonest duck on the patch. They tend to be quite scattered around the area though so it's hard to get an accurate count, but numbers of between 15 and 25 are regular, with a high count of 30+ on 15th January. Mandarin Ducks have been around in small numbers, peaking at at least 6 on 19th and 25th February - 4 flew from roost below St Catherine's Hill early on the latter date.

Gadwall

Teal

There's been at least one Little Grebe kicking about since the middle of January, mostly on the navigation downstream of St Catherine's Lock although more recently I've had one on St Catherine's Pool on a couple of occasions, where they bred last year. It was particularly unusual seeing one swimming amongst the trees in Mill Mead Meadow after the river burst its banks a few weeks back!

Little Grebe

On to gulls, and it's been the usual palette of Herring, Common and Black-headeds flying over recently, peaking at either end of the day, some of the latter occasionally coming down to check out the river or flying low over Dagley Lane towards the village green. Lesser Black-backeds are rather less common and I've had just one record of Great Black-backed Gull so far: one adult flying high south-west on 21st January.
Three species of wader have made it onto the year list so far, with Lapwing perhaps the most notable. In 2016 I only had a handful of records of this species, mostly in small numbers aside from a flock of 26 over in October. Again it was good to get them on the year list early this year with a flock of c.35 wheeling around towards Loseley on 21st January followed by around 30 flying over the same area on 5th February, then half a dozen north-east on 26th February. Keeping with the theme of record breaking counts, there were at least 18 Snipe towards the northern end of Broom Meadow near St Catherine's Lock on 7th January - by far my highest count here! Still waiting to find that Jack though... I did quite well for Woodcock on the patch last year, with several records in January/February. I was glad then to finally add the species to the 2017 year list when two flew up from Broadford Marsh and right over my head at dusk on 15th February.

Lapwings (you'll have to take my word for it!)

Little Egrets are a frequent sight in this part of the county in winter now and Shalford is no exception, with several records of this species on the patch already in 2017, most recently one which flew up from near St Catherine's Hill on 25th February.

Little Egret

Up until this week Barn Owl was the only Owl species I'd recorded on the patch in 2017 with up to two present at times. Hopefully this species will breed here this year after no proven breeding records in 2016. On the 21st of this month though Barn was joined on the year list by at least one Little Owl calling at dusk - first at the southern end of St Catherine's Meadow (their favoured area last year) then closer to the lock, seemingly in a tree right by the navigation, though it was too dark to see. Whether this was one bird or two I'm not sure but I'll be monitoring them closely as this is my first record of the species here since last June.

Red Kite

Moving onto raptors now and the first patch Red Kite of the year was recorded on 21st January followed by singles on the 4th, 5th, 25th and 26th February. As with Buzzards in this area it's becoming increasingly hard to separate the locals from the movers but it's certainly good to see both these species becoming such a regular sight. Talking of Buzzards, there seems to be a pair hanging around in the same area that they bred last year which is good news. Last year I also suspected Sparrowhawks to have bred in the Broadford area and I've already seen birds displaying around here again on warmer days recently. Last week a male was loitering around in the trees in the same area.

Kestrel remains the most regularly seen raptor on the patch with at least one or two present on all visits. This morning (26th) it was good to see a pair hanging around near one of the nest boxes towards the southern end of the patch. My only Peregrine record of the year so far was one that flew south-west over St Catherine's Lock on 28th January.

Kestrel

Fieldfare have been in rather short supply so far this year but there's a fairly decent Redwing flock kicking around, usually scattered about in the wetter areas of Mill Mead Meadow and Broom Meadow. Stonechats have been a fairly consistent sight so far this year with up to three present on the 7th and 14th January. I hadn't seen one for a week or two until yesterday though when a female was near Broadford Bridge. I'm finding Firecrest rather harder to find this winter than last with my only record so far one in the bank of Holly along the Railway Line Walk on 5th February.
My first skywatch from St Catherine's Hill of the year on 25th February produced the first Raven record of 2017 with two flying west not long after 7am, seemingly coming up from roost in the trees on the north-east side of the hill. This is exciting as all my previous records of this species involved high-flying birds simply passing over the patch.

A very obliging Greenfinch in Broom Meadow

Siskins are an ever present species at this time of year with good numbers around, particularly in the Alders at the top of Broom Meadow, but not quite so many as last winter - c.120 on 15th January my highest count so far, and not a sniff of a Redpoll! Compared to last winter, there are lots more Linnets around and I've noticed they are roosting in the bushes in Broom Meadow -  at least 30 coming into roost on 22nd January.

The same skywatch on 25th February that delivered Raven also yielded the first Crossbill of the year, with one flying in from the direction of the Chantries before turning and flying south. Another species that has made it onto the patch year list earlier that in 2016 - considerably earlier in fact, as it took until October to record one last year. Given the amount of records of possible breeding in the county this year this is not exactly surprising but a very welcome addition nonetheless.
Reed Buntings are now back on the patch in reasonable numbers with at least half a dozen around since early February, and a pair already looking to be checking out nest sites in St Catherine's and Broom Meadows.

Reed Bunting

2016 patch review: a year at Shalford Water Meadows

2016 was my first full year patch watching Shalford Water Meadows and, whilst it may not have proved to be the undiscovered rarity trove I had hoped for, it still turned up some goodies and surprises. I notched up 106 species in 175 visits, earning me 113 points on Patchwork Challenge. Really not too shabby for an inland site, especially in Surrey, and it just goes to prove that you can find decent birds anywhere if you're prepared to put in the time and effort to look for them.

My girlfriend and I are currently looking to buy a house which may well see us leaving the Surrey Hills area this year, if not the county altogether - possibly hopping across the border into West Sussex. Twelve months' dedicated patch working after a couple of years as a bit of a birding nomad has really reminded me how rewarding the hobby can be and, wherever we may end up in 2017, finding myself a new local patch will be high on my list of priorities!

As a final round-up of my year at Shalford I thought I'd just do a chronological list with a few photos and notes thrown in rather than ramble on for too long. Enjoy reading, and Happy New Year!

3rd January

1. Coal Tit - Reasonably common, thought to have bred.
2. Song Thrush - Reasonably common, thought to have bred.

3. Robin - Very common all year certainly bred.
4. Blue Tit - Very common all year, certainly bred.
5. Nuthatch - Reasonably common in the wooded areas. Thought to have bred.

6. Mallard - Common all year, several breeding records.
7. Woodpigeon - Very common all year and certainly bred. The highest count in autumn was 690 south/south-west on 2nd November.
8. Wren - Very common all year, certainly bred.
9. Canada Goose - Common all year but particularly in winter when reasonably large flocks were seen to leave roost in the Broadford area, often in excess of 60-70 although no definitive counts were made.
10. Common Gull - A regular flyover species in winter, sometimes in large numbers (200+ on 20th March), presumably birds going to and from roost at Walton Reservoirs. Some of these are surely the same birds Ed Stubbs sees down at Thorncombe Street, although it's interesting to note that when the gulls are flying north to roost they appear to come from both the south-west and the south-east and merge at the Wey and Arun Junction.
11. Bullfinch - Thankfully still common on the patch, especially along the Railway Line Walk. Recorded on pretty much every visit. Almost certainly bred.

12. Magpie - Common all year, highest count was 26 into roost near Dagley Lane allotments on 5th February.
13. Black-headed Gull - A very common flyover species away from the breeding season. The highest count was 1035 south over St Catherine's Hill on 8th November, clearly birds heading out from roost to feed.
14. Dunnock - Very common all year, certainly bred.
15. Goldfinch - Common all year, breeding presumed. Often forming big flocks with Siskin in Alders around St Catherine's Lock in winter.
16. Pied Wagtail - Unsurprisingly the commonest Wagtail species on the patch, presumed to have bred as juveniles were seen in the summer. The highest count was 105 south early on 24th December, these presumably birds coming out of the roost outside Frankie & Benny's in Guildford.

Pied Wagtail adult and juvenile, Horse Field, June 2016

17. Great Tit - Very common, certainly bred.
18. Jackdaw - Very common, presumably bred nearby.
19. Blackbird - Common all year, certainly bred.
20. Herring Gull - Common flyover species away from the breeding season although generally not as numerous as Black-headed or Common. The highest count was 190 over St Catherine's Hill on 24th December.
21. Redwing - A common sight and sound around the meadows in winter. The last of the first winter period were heard along the Railway Line Walk on 29th March while the first of the second winter period were 8 over St Catherine's Hill on 5th October. The highest counts were 60 on 8th October and 2nd November.

22. Great Spotted Woodpecker - Very common in the more wooded areas of the patch. A pair bred along the Railway Line Walk.
23. Siskin - Common and numerous in winter, the highest count was 300+ which flew out of roost in Alders near St Catherine's Lock on 31st January.
24. Jay - Common all year, presumably bred locally.
25. Goldcrest - Common all year and probably bred, numbers noticeably supplemented in winter. The highest count was 10 on 1st October. 
26. Firecrest - Plenty of records this year of this increasingly common species, mostly along the eastern edge of the patch between Dagley Lane Allotments and Shalford Park. Most records were of single birds but two were present on 3rd January.
27. Treecreeper - Reasonably common all year but never numerous. Probably bred.

Treecreeper - Richard Waters

28. Long-tailed Tit - Common all year, probably bred.
29. Grey Wagtail - Common along the river and on the marshy areas. A pair was thought to have bred under Broadford Bridge. The highest count was 6 on 17th September.

Grey Wagtail - Richard Waters

30. Carrion Crow - Very common all year. A pair bred in the Broadford area but the outcome was unknown.

4th January

31. Green Woodpecker - Common all year round, two juveniles were seen on 16th July.
32. Teal - The commonest duck species on the patch in winter, the highest count was at least 30 on 3rd April although always hard to get an accurate count owing to the scattered location and variable water level of the various pools.

33. Mandarin Duck - A reasonably common sight away from the breeding season, though rarely in large numbers. The highest count was 6 on 23rd September.

Mandarin Duck - Richard Waters

34. Woodcock - Seen quite regularly in the first winter period, usually flying out from the more wooded areas near the railway line towards dusk. At least 3 were present on 10th January.
35. Snipe - Common in winter, again usually seen or heard flying around at dusk or else flushed from the wetter areas during the day.
36. Egyptian Goose - Regular flyover species, seemingly following the river to and from roost. The highest count was 13 over on 28th January.

Egyptian Geese

6th January

37. Kestrel - The commonest raptor on the patch, at least one pair bred. A ringed female was observed to catch and eat a Slow-worm by the railway line on 20th September. This bird was ringed as chick by Jeremy Gates in Worplesdon on 30th May 2014.

Kestrel - Richard Waters

38. Pheasant - Sadly a very common sight!
39. Barn Owl - Seen fairly regularly, particularly in the first winter period, but sporadic records right through the year suggest the species may have bred nearby. All my records were of single birds but lengthsman Rob Craig tells me he's recently seen two hunting together around the St Catherine's Lock area.
40. Moorhen - A common sight on the navigation and the marshy areas of the patch. A pair bred in the large puddle between the Railway Line Walk and Horse Field. A juvenile Moorhen was taken by a Sparrowhawk on 21st July.
41. Grey Heron - A common sight all year round, generally in small numbers. The highest count was 6 on 7th September.

42. Tawny Owl - Never seen but often heard particularly in the little copse near the entrance to the meadows by Dagley Lane Allotments. There were two males and a female calling here at dusk on 31st December.

9th January

43. Buzzard - A very commonly seen raptor. One pair bred. The highest counts were 10 on 31st March, 9th April and 12th April.

Buzzard - Richard Waters

44. Stock Dove - Common resident, thought to have bred. Often heard singing in the more wooded areas of the patch.

45. Reed Bunting - More common in the breeding season, presumably birds disperse away from the area in winter. There were at least 7 singing males around the meadows on 26th February.

Reed Bunting

46. Starling - A reasonably common sight on the patch. A pair bred in one of the Oaks in Broom Meadow.
47. Greenfinch - Still fairly common here although only in small numbers, the highest count was 6 on 20th February. A pair may have bred in Broom Meadow.

48. Stonechat - A common sight in the meadows in the winter months, particularly around St Catherine's Lock. The highest count was 5 on 21st February. A very young juvenile at St Catherine's Lock on 18th June suggested local breeding.

Stonechat

49. Cormorant - Very common, seen on pretty much all patch visits in 2016, either flying up or down the river or sometimes perched in a favourite Alder by St Catherine's Pool. The highest count was 18 south on 30th September.

Cormorants

50. Mute Swan - A reasonably common sight on the navigation or flying over. There was a family group of four upstream of Broadford Bridge towards the end of July, presumably originating from Shalford village pond where the species regularly breeds.
51. Lesser Redpoll - Sometimes found the Siskin flocks in winter or recorded as flyovers but generally only as singles or small numbers. The highest count was 12 on 5th February.
52. Feral Rock Dove - Very common in small numbers or as flyovers, bred under the railway bridge across the navigation.
53. Sparrowhawk - Perhaps the third most commonly seen raptor on the patch. Regular sightings in the Broadford Marsh area in the breeding season including adults carrying nesting material and food suggests local breeding.

10th January

54. Green Sandpiper - There were six records of this species on the patch this year, likely involving only four birds; 10th/11th January, 12th July, 6th November, 29th & 31st December

Green Sandpiper

11th January

55. Shoveler - A common sight in winter on the more secluded pools on the patch. The highest count was 14 on 14th March.
56. Coot - Not massively common on the patch, only really seen in the spring when the water levels were at their highest.

13th January

57. House Sparrow - Reasonably common all year round but largely confined to the eastern edge of the patch and the gardens in the Dagley Lane area. Presumably breeds in these areas.
58. Mistle Thrush - Reasonably common all year, particularly around Shalford Park. Presumably bred locally. The highest count was 7 over on 24th December.
59. Chaffinch - Common all year, presumably bred locally. The highest counts were 23, mainly flying over, on 29th October and 8th November.
60. Rook - Common flying over or feeding in St Catherine's Meadow. The nearest rookery is probably the one on the edge of Wonersh so it's likely many of the patch records are birds from there.  
61. Linnet - Reasonably common although generally only as a flyover away from the breeding season. The species may have bred in Broom Meadow, however, as there was a regular little flock in this area in the spring, peaking at 10 on 7th April.

62. Meadow Pipit - Relatively common in small numbers in winter, the highest numbers seen though were during the autumn migration season (185 south in an hour on 30th September).
63. Fieldfare - The last seen in the first winter period were 3 in the 'Horse Field' on 6th April while the first of the second winter period were 2 over on 29th October. The highest count was 45 on 25th November.
64. Blackcap - This was the only winter record, a male in a Holly by Dagley Lane Allotments. Otherwise very common in summer with at least 19 singing males on 1st May and many juveniles seen.

14th January

65. Red Kite - This species was recorded on 19 of my patch visits in 2016, usually in ones or twos but there were 3 over on 31st March while the highest count was 6 on 14th August.

66. Lesser Black-backed Gull - Relatively common flyover species on the patch though in much smaller numbers than Common, Black-headed or Herring. The highest count was 9 south on 27th August.
67. Great Black-backed Gull - There were just a few flyover records of this species in 2016, all involving single birds.
68. Chiffchaff - The first of a few winter records of this species. Very common in the breeding season; at least 23 singing males on 12th April and many juveniles seen later in the year. A very grey individual in the Broadford area on 29th December looked very good for a 'tristis' but unfortunately didn't call (not the bird pictured below).

22nd January

69. Little Owl - Seen regularly at the start of the year in the Oaks across the navigation from the lock keeper's cottage. A pair were observed mating on 1st April and there were then fairly regular sightings until the end of June all involving just one bird, then no further records.

23rd January

70. Collared Dove - Reasonably common although somewhat seasonal, largely confined to the eastern edge of the patch and the gardens in the Dagley Lane area.

24th January

71. Little Egret - A common sight away from the breeding season. Most records were of single birds bird but two were present on 20th February and 24th December.

Little Egret - Richard Waters

30th January

72. Greylag Goose - There were occasional flyover records but this was by no means a common species on the patch. The highest count was 18 west on 22nd September.

Greylag Geese - Richard Waters

73. Raven - Given how much they are increasing, particularly in this corner of Surrey, there were just five flyover records of this species on the patch in 2016, as follows: 30th January (2), 5th February, 20th February, 7th March, 12th April.

5th February

74. Little Grebe - A reasonably common sight, generally either on the navigation or St Catherine's Pool.  A pair bred on St Catherine's Pool where one adult and four juveniles on 11th June represented the highest count of the year.

18th February

75. Water Rail - There were just four records of this species on the patch in 2016, all either seen and/or heard near St Catherine's Lock aside from one alarm calling at Broadford Marsh on 17th December. One gave lovely views as it swam across the navigation at St Catherine's on 29th December.

20th February

76. Peregrine - There were nine records of this increasingly common species on the patch in 2016, all involving single birds, aside from a presumed family group of three over together on 11th July.

Peregrine

7th March

77. Mediterranean Gull - A very welcome addition to the patch list, a winter plumage adult of this species flew low over Broadford Marsh on this date before gaining height and flying north-east.

12th March

78. Ring-necked Parakeet - Just four records of this species on the patch this year, perhaps surprisingly given how common it is in some areas of the county. The south-west corner of Surrey though remains largely screech-free for the time being it seems!

20th March

79. Lapwing - Just a handful of flyover records of this species, the highest count being 26 on 8th October.

28th March

80. Swallow - A very common sight over the river and meadows in the summer months. The first one of the year was one on 28th March, while the last were 130+ over St Catherine's Hill on 2nd October. No doubt there were later records but I was away on Shetland from 9th-16th October.

31st March

81. Sand Martin - The first of the year was one north on 31st March and the last was on 26th August. I was pleasantly surprised to see this species present in small numbers on the patch right through the breeding season. The highest count was 13 on 14th July.

82. Brambling - The first of just three records of this species on the patch in 2016. This was a heard only record over St Catherine's Pool, followed by another heard only record from St Catherine's Hill on 8th November then at least 12 west on 10th November.
83. Tufted Duck - Remarkably scarce on the patch, present only ever in small numbers on some of the more secluded pools. The highest count was 8 on 11th May.
84. Wigeon - Surprisingly the only record of this species at Shalford in 2016 with at least four flighty individuals in the Broadford area on this date.

1st April

85. Gadwall - There were just a handful of records of this species in 2016 but it was a very welcome addition to the year list. A drake was present on St Catherine's Pool for ten days at the start of the month and a pair were then seen flying over St Catherine's Lock on the 29th. On 24th December a drake and two females were with Mallards on the navigation near Ferry Lane.

86. Skylark - There were ten records of this charismatic species at Shalford in 2016, largely involving single birds and mostly flying over, although two flew from St Catherine's Meadow on 1st May. One was often heard singing well to the west of the patch early on summer mornings, perhaps coming from the arable fields on the west side of the Old Portsmouth Road.

3rd April

87. Willow Warbler - A singing male near St Catherine's Lock early on this date heralded this species' welcome arrival to the patch in 2016, albeit only as a passage migrant these days. By the 12th there were at least 7 singing males around the meadows, numbers then tailing off until return passage started again on 2nd August. The last one of the year was on 17th September.

88. House Martin - The first one of the year was a single bird which was seen to fly up under the eaves of a house on the corner of Kings Road on the evening of this date. There were at least five active nests on the row of shops and restaurants here in the breeding season. The highest count was 860 over St Catherine's Hill on 24th September and the last of the year were 50+ west on 2nd October, although as with Swallows I suspect I missed some later departures owing to being away on Shetland mid-month.

House Martin nest above 'The Snooty Fox'

7th April

89. Redstart - The first of two spring records of this species, this one involving a male which dropped down during heavy rain on this date, followed by a female which was on the fence on the west side of the 'Horse Field' early on 28th April. My first ever 'self-found' Redstarts on passage in my patch birding life, always a lovely bird to stumble across.

10th April

90. Whitethroat - After the first record of a single singing male near the railway line on the western side of the patch on this date numbers increased to at least 14 by 23rd April, this representing the highest count of the year. The species certainly bred in Bog Meadow and Broom Meadow with many juveniles and family groups seen. The last record of the year was 6 on 3rd September.

15th April

91. Great Crested Grebe - Just a couple of records of this species on the patch this year. This particular individual was present on one of the pools for a couple of days, while on 9th May two flew over heading south-west.

21st April

92. Swift - Quite an early arrival for this species with one over on this date, followed by larger numbers in early May. The highest count was 80+ on 11th July and the last record of the year was one over Broadford Marsh with hirundines on 31st August.

93. Yellow Wagtail - A well-recorded species on the patch in 2016, present on three days in spring and three days in autumn. Most were just flyovers but a couple of singles came down in the 'Horse Field' on 21st and 23rd April. The highest count was a remarkable 22 south in small groups early on 8th September, some of these surely flushed from the meadows having been attracted down by the cattle.

26th April

94. Common Sandpiper - Just the one record of this species on the patch, with one present on the towpath of the navigation early morning on this date before being flushed by a cyclist.

95. Sedge Warbler - A common sight and sound around the meadows in summer, this species was thought to have bred in 2016. The highest count was at least 6 on 12th May while the last record of the year was one in Broom Meadow on 3rd September.

4th May

96. Garden Warbler - After this first arrival there were 3 singing males present around the meadows for much of May but breeding was not confirmed. A pair were seen together on 25th June while one in Broom Meadow on 3rd July was surprisingly the last one seen on the patch in 2016.

9th May

97. Reed Warbler - A rather late arrival for this species, there then followed one or two singing males present in the Broom Meadow/St Catherine's area on and off through May and June, then nothing until 25th August when I observed a family group together by St Catherine's Pool.

11th May

98. Spotted Flycatcher - There were just two spring records and one autumn record of this increasingly scarce summer visitor at Shalford in 2016, all in the Broadford Marsh area.

14th May

99. Kingfisher - A surprisingly tricky species to find at Shalford, it took 19 weeks to add it to the patch list (Although Richard Waters had one at the end of February when he took the excellent photo below). The species was then recorded again fairly regularly through until September, suggesting local breeding, although all records were of single birds only.

Kingfisher - Richard Waters

18th May

100. Common Tern - Surprisingly the first of only two records of this species on the patch this year, this one involving two birds flying south early morning, and the other record being a single bird on 11th June. This was a big surprise as with birds breeding at other sites along the Wey I really expected to see more of this species as they commuted to and from their feeding sites.

29th May

101. Brent Goose - Certainly the biggest patch surprise of the year for me, finding this bird asleep on Broadford Marsh before it flew off south.

Brent Goose

17th June

102. Cuckoo - The only record of this species on the patch this year. A singing male which was heard first near the railway bridge towards Broadford Marsh and then again a little later on further north towards Shalford Park.

18th June

103. Curlew - There were two flyover records of this species on patch this year, not one I particularly expected so a nice addition to the list. One flew north on this date followed by one south-west on the morning of 21st August.

3rd July

104. Hobby - Remarkably few records of my favourite raptor, especially given the amount of feeding opportunities over the marshy parts of the patch. One north-west on 12th September was the last record of the year.

7th July

105. Grasshopper Warbler - One I missed unfortunately but a great patch record, heard by lengthsman Rob Craig reeling in Bog Meadow.

22nd  August

106. Lesser Whitethroat - It took until autumn to add this elusive warbler to the patch list, with two records at the end of August involving three birds.

29th October

107. Crossbill - The first of two records of this species on the patch in 2016, both being flyovers. The bird(s) on 29th were heard only from Shalford Park while three flew west over St Catherine's Hill on 10th November.

A view south along the navigation at Broadford, early morning in April