It's been a while but here we are again, and I'm sad to say this will be the last one of these patch reviews I'll do for Shalford Water Meadows. Not too sad though as a new patch and county list beckons with my southward migration to Pulborough in West Sussex this week.
As is typical for midsummer it's all been a little bit quiet on the bird front lately and it's at this time of year that one's attentions are drawn to keeping tabs on the rather more scarce resident and migrant breeding species on the patch rather than the unpredictable excitement of passage birds in spring and autumn.
As of the middle of June I'm pleased to report there were at least three active nest holes in the Sand Martin colony on St Catherine's Hill, with the adults busy feeding youngsters. When I revisited on the 29th it had all gone rather quiet, but I'm hoping that just means they're between broods. Perhaps someone with more experience of this species' breeding habits can enlighten me? Either way it really is wonderful to see this species breeding so close to Guildford.
I was getting a little anxious about the Stonechats at St Catherine's Lock as the young seemed to be taking forever to fledge but I'm pleased to report that both adults were seen with two juveniles in tow on 20th June, this increasing to three juveniles by the 29th. Great to see and another nice one to confirm as breeding here after last year's mystery juvenile at the lock in mid-June aroused suspicions that this species was more than just a winter visitor here.
Juvenile Stonechat
Juv Stonechat
The Spotted Flycatcher pair were also still present in the trees on the western edge of Shalford Park as of this past weekend (via Kit Britten) following on from my delight at discovering a week or two ago that they are indeed nesting in this area. Surely one of the closest remaining breeding pairs of this declining species to Guildford town centre now?
Spotted Flycatcher on nest
From a species that is dwindling as a breeder in Surrey to one that is very much on the increase: it's been great to confirm the presence of at least one breeding pair of Firecrest on the patch this year (I obviously won't say exactly where), as this species continues to spread ever closer to urbanity in this part of the world.
Firecrest - photo by Kit Britten
Away from the scarcer stuff there's so many juvenile birds around now, including a regular gang of Mistle Thrushes at Shalford Park, all the common Tits, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Blackbirds and Grey Wagtails plus the first young Swallows and House Martins at St Catherine's Lock the other day.
Mistle Thrushes - photo by Richard Waters
Mistle Thrush - photo by Richard Waters
Green Woodpeckers have been notable by their absence in recent weeks - as Kit pointed out on our walk around the patch ten days or so ago - so it was good to see an adult and a juvenile together just west of the railway line near the Park and Ride on the 29th.
Green Woodpecker (juvenile)
Reed Buntings, Song Thrushes and Whitethroats have all been seen carrying food and until recently there were still at least three or four Garden Warblers singing around the area; a large increase on last year if they all breed successfully. Reed Warblers have gone quiet, if indeed there are any on territory at all (last year it seemed only one pair bred) but there's still at least one pair of Sedge Warblers near St Catherine's Lock; one was singing by St Catherine's Pool on the 25th while another was seen carrying food into Broom Meadow on the same day. As I mentioned in my previous patch diary post a Water Rail regularly alarm calling in Mill Mead Meadow towards the end of May would suggest breeding success as I'm told they often call in such a way when they have young around.
Whitethroat - photo by Dave Carlsson
It's been such an enjoyable eighteen months or so patch watching Shalford, getting to know its birds and other wildlife. Patch birding is always full of surprises but I don't think I ever would have imagined a year and a half ago I would find Garganey, Brent Goose, Med Gull, Curlew, Lesser Whitethroat, Crossbill, Cuckoo, Nightingale and many more locally scarce species just a stone's throw from Guildford town centre, not to mention breeding Stonechat, Sand Martin, Spot Fly and Firecrest. It just goes to show the value of putting in that bit of extra effort to find birds on your own doorstep. I can't wait to get out and about in the Pulborough area and start all over again!
Well, what with my week away and various other bits and bobs it's been over three weeks since my last patch diary post.
Typically for the time of year things have now quietened down somewhat with the resident and migrant breeders all largely getting on with the task at hand. Aside from the usual common Tits and Mallards it's been good to confirm plenty of other species as breeding at Shalford, some more common than others. The first Mandarin ducklings were found by Kit Britten on the 13th while family groups or juveniles of Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldfinch, Goldcrest and Mistle Thrush have all been seen recently. The regular Stonechat pair, meanwhile, are apparently still feeding nestlings at St Catherine's Lock. Surely they should be fledging any day now.
Mandarins
Stonechats
Best of all though has been confirming Sand Martins breeding in the railway cutting on the east side of St Catherine's Hill, with three birds regularly seen going into a hole here recently. Like so many places in Surrey this was once a regular breeding site for this declining species but had apparently been abandoned for many years so it's great to see them back. I suspect the tree and scrub clearance carried out on the embankment has opened the area up enough to encourage them back.
Sand Martin
The only patch year tick since my last round-up came on the 27th when I stumbled across a pair of Spotted Flycatchers in the wet woodland on the west side of Shalford Park. This is a part of the patch I've not explored much previously and I went to investigate it on this day with this exact species in mind. Only my third patch record of this species following on from singles in spring and autumn last year, and particularly encouraging to see a pair. I do hope they stick around and breed. Spotted Flycatcher is the 103rd species recorded at Shalford this year and my 101st.
Onto warblers and there are now at least four Garden Warblers and two Sedge Warblers holding territory on the patch, one of the latter near St Catherine's Lock proving particularly showy on recent visits (see video below!). Reed Warblers have been rather scarce this spring with just singles on the 20th and 31st the only ones recorded since my previous patch round-up. The first juvenile Chiffchaffs of the year were seen in the Broadford area on the evening of the 30th.
Swift numbers have been really increasing in the last couple of weeks, with a conservative count of thirty noted on the 29th, at least some of these presumably local birds but others still clearly moving through. At least a couple of pairs have been dashing around over Shalford village with the House Martins recently; the latter were busy working on their nests on the 21st, I noticed, when a Hobby appeared low over the rooftops and sent them all into a panic! A regular sight over the village recently via Kit which is good news as I only had a handful of patch records of this species in 2016.
House Martins
A Kingfisher carrying a fish through Broadford on the 29th was, remarkably, only my second patch record of the year while a Water Rail alarm calling in Mill Mead Meadow early on the 31st was only my third record this year and my first ever breeding season record here. This species famously bred, or possibly still does breed, at Unstead SF and Sam Jones has recorded breeding at Firs Bridge down towards Godalming but this would seemingly be the closest breeding site to Guildford town centre on the south side at least.
The only other bits of note recently have all been flyovers with three Lapwings south-west on the 16th, a 3cy Great Black-backed Gull east and two Mute Swans south, both on the 25th. Also on the 25th a Skylark flew west over St Catherine's Lock, singing, while one flew east over the same area on the 29th. I would guess these are birds either breeding at Loseley and commuting to the arable fields south of the Chantries or vice versa.
Mute Swans
One last little nugget I thought I'd share: I mentioned in my previous patch diary about a Bullfinch plucking seedheads off Dandelions along the Railway Line Walk, well I saw another one doing the same on the edge of Shalford Park the other day. Presumably just feeding on the seeds but not behaviour I've seen before this year anyway.
Bullfinch
Away from the patch it was great to notch up my hoped for 90th species on my Chilworth garden list, with a Nightjar churring somewhere to the south towards Blackheath on the evening of the 21st. This was followed closely by two Curlews which flew east/north-east this morning. I'm working on a garden list special blog post which I'll post when we eventually move!
Aside from two trips to South Africa I've done very little birding abroad, so when my girlfriend and I decided to book a few days in Sardinia to use some of the air miles we'd accrued from our SA trips I was excited to see what new birds we might encounter.
We flew into Cagliari at lunchtime on Tuesday and headed to Hotel Chentu Lunas in Poetto where our wonderfully friendly host Graziella had arranged for hire bicycles to be dropped off. We hopped on and headed along the beachfront to the Parco di Molentargius; a Ramsar protected site and one of several large wetlands on the outskirts of the island's capital city. En route we saw and heard the ubiquitous Hooded Crows, Serins, Spanish Sparrows, Tree Sparrows and Spotless Starlings in the beachfront gardens.
Tree Sparrow on a lamppost! A common sight in Poetto
We had seen Greater Flamingoes from the plane as we came into land so it was no surprise to see lots of them as we entered the park. I knew Sardinia has a healthy population of this species but was still amazed to see so many: every body of water was covered in them, interspersed with smaller numbers of Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Shelduck and Pochard. There were several Terns flying about, including singles of Gull-billed Tern and Little Tern plus a few Common Terns, while among the numerous Yellow-legged Gulls it was nice to pick out a couple of Slender-billed Gulls.
Greater Flamingo
Slender-billed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
In the vegetation around the park Reed Warblers and Cetti's Warblers were very vocal, while the scrubbier fields and hedges held Collared Doves, Spotless Starlings, Zitting Cisticolas and Sardinian Warblers. At one point we flushed a Cattle Egret as we cycled past and later a Purple Heron which flew off into one of the massive reedbeds. As we headed back past the biggest pool near the main entrance a Squacco Heron gave a nice flypast. Overhead there were large numbers of both Common Swift and Pallid Swift plus Barn Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins; so numerous their combined calls provided a constant soundtrack to our time here. As we parked up our bikes to check out one of the tower hides a familiar call alerted me to two Bee-eaters amongst the hirundine flock above us. Around the same time Kate pointed out a Crimson Speckled moth on the ground which unfortunately proved too flighty to allow good views or a photo. Molentargius is up there with West Coast National Park in South Africa as one of the best nature reserves I've visited; I wish we could have stayed for longer.
Cattle Egret
Spotless Starling - strangely the only photo I got of this common species
Sardinian Warbler - this male was busy collecting food and taking it back to a nest
The next morning (Kate's birthday) we woke to the sound of singing Serins and Greenfinches and a quick scan from the balcony produced a Peregrine flying in front of the mountain and scores of House Martins and Swifts over the water and buildings behind the hotel. After breakfast at one of the beachfront cafes we hit the road for the three hour drive up to Dorgali in the mountains up the east coast. The drive was incredible and slightly terrifying at times as we wound our way along mountain passes in an unfamiliar car on the other side of the road! There was plenty of bird interest along the way including several Turtle Doves and two Monk Parakeets flying across the road and perched on wires, a Bee-eater hawking near the road, Crag Martins nesting under a road bridge and the first of several high altitude raptors which at the time suggested Honey Buzzard but was later identified from my photos by others as a Marsh Harrier.
By mid-afternoon we'd made it to Agriturismo Canales - a charming traditional farmhouse set on a hill by the edge of Lake Cedrino and with great views across into Gennargentu National Park - our home for the next two nights. The first thing that struck us here was the overwhelming quietness of the setting, interrupted only occasionally by goat and sheep bells and bleats, and bursts of song from Turtle Doves and Cirl Buntings. We also found our first Spotted Flycatcher of the holiday squeaking away near our chalet here. It's a cliché to say it but it really is striking how these scarcer species still seem to be thriving further south in Europe, presumably due in no small part to the more sensitive way in which the land is managed; for the time being at least, intensive agriculture with its flailed hedges and monocrops sprayed within an inch of their life are nowhere to be found on Sardinia, or not that we saw anyway. It's a sobering glimpse of a landscape that is becoming such a distant memory in much of Britain.
Cirl Bunting
Turtle Doves
As night began to fall the valley below our chalet really came to life as the first Robins, Wrens and Blackcaps we'd heard during the trip, amongst others, burst into song. After dinner we returned to our balcony to the distinctive sound of Scops Owls duetting and a curious call which I soon discovered to be Barbary Partridge. I regularly heard them calling quite close to our chalet during our stay here and spent a good couple of hours or more in total trying to track them down but sadly they remained frustratingly elusive!
After a hearty breakfast on Thursday morning we drove down to Baunei as Kate had suggested we try the walk from the Golgo Plateau down to Cala Goloritzé – a picturesque beach only accessible by boat or by hike, and reputedly a good site for Eleonora's Falcon. No sooner had we got out of the car at the Golgo Plateau than one drifted overhead; a good start! The hike down took us through deeper and deeper vegetation, soundtracked almost constantly by Firecrests and occasional Sardinian Warblers. At one point I heard a Dartford Warbler calling as well.
A little clearing halfway down dotted with Holm Oaks produced at least two Spotted Flycatchers, a Pied Flycatcher and a Wood Warbler while our second Eleonora's Falcon powered overhead. Nearer the beach we saw Crag Martins and Alpine Swifts flying around the cliffs while down at the beach itself a couple of Ravens and another Peregrine flew over along with another high altitude broad-winged raptor which I judged to be a Honey Buzzard from its shape and 'whole wing' wingbeats.
Spotted Flycatcher
Pied Flycatcher - sadly the only picture I got as it wouldn't stop moving!
The hike back up proved challenging and during one of several hard-earned rest stops we were rewarded with a little group of Corsican Finches flitting about in the bushes quite near the path in the aforementioned area which I nicknamed 'Flycatcher Corner'.
Corsican Finch
Overhead a couple of soaring Common Buzzards were joined by another Marsh Harrier which drifted east, as did another Eleonora's Falcon. On the way back to the main road we were drawn to stop by a gathering of pigs and donkeys on the dirt track ahead and it was here we heard our only Cuckoo of the holiday.
Back at Canales we had dinner on the balcony again to the sound of Scops Owls and Barbary Partridge plus a brief burst of churring from a Nightjar.
Our fourth day in Sardinia saw us again on the road for a long drive down to the south-west - Portovesme to be precise - from where we caught a ferry over to Isola di San Pietro. Though this holiday was primarily about having a few days away for Kate's birthday I made a special request that we go and see the Eleonora's Falcon colony on the island. I wasn't sure they'd be back on territory yet but having seen three the previous day my confidence was bolstered. The ferry over to the island proved productive with two Scopoli's Shearwaters flying past, one very close, plus two flyover Little Egrets, several Shags and two Black-headed Gulls: the only time we saw this species during the whole trip.
After making shore and indulging in a bit of tapas we headed over to the west side of the island and the LIPU reserve at Faro di Cala Sandalo, the most westerly point of Italy and home to the Eleonora's Falcon colony. As soon as we'd got out of the car I spotted a couple of them sailing about over the cliffs. A friendly chap showed us a mouthwatering photo of one of the birds he'd seen earlier perched on a crag and pointed us in the right direction. Within a few minutes we were sat on the cliff edge watching in awe as at least four of these magnificent birds - both pale and dark morphs - put on an incredible display right in front of us, sometimes cruising about amongst the gulls and Alpine Swifts, at other times dashing and diving at breakneck speed towards the ocean before veering back up, almost looping back over on themselves, calling excitedly as they did so. Breathtaking. Sometimes in life and in birding you sense that a moment will live with you forever. To top it all off Kate spotted a dark morph individual that had just alighted on the cliff less than 50 metres below us. Magical.
I could have stayed there for hours but unfortunately we were rather short of time as we had to catch the ferry back to the mainland and check in to our B&B in Portoscuso. A quick check of one of the stagni (saltwater lagoons) near Carloforte on the way back produced more Greater Flamingoes, Avocets and Black-winged Stilts, lots of Little Egrets, a single Grey Heron (our only one of the trip!), a couple of Slender-billed Gulls and Common Terns and a very vocal Zitting Cisticola carrying food.
Black-winged Stilt
Saturday was our final morning in Sardinia so I couldn't resist a little seawatch from our hotel window before we packed up our bags, hoping I'd be able to pick out a distant seabird or two. I was pleasantly surprised to find not just one but at least four Scopoli's Shearwaters almost straight away, feeding quite close in to the shore. After watching them for a while a smaller and more strongly contrasting black and white bird darted across my scope view: a Yelkouan Shearwater! One of two seen during this session and a very nice way to end our time here in Portoscuso.
Soon we were on our way back to the airport but the birding fun wasn't quite over as a couple of rest breaks and a petrol stop added Corn Bunting and Skylark to the holiday list, singing in the fields near the road, while birding from the car* produced another Bee-eater and two Black Kites over one of the recently cut hay meadows. If we ever come back here I'd definitely like to spend a bit more time exploring the more agricultural areas of the island as I suspect there were many avian treats hiding there. The very last bird of the holiday was a Marsh Harrier quartering over the reeds that separated the airport tarmac from the Stagno di Cagliari beyond.
It wasn't all about the birds of course. We saw a great many butterflies during our trip, particularly Clouded Yellows, but also Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Brimstone, Cleopatra, various Whites and a Small Copper. Most were too flighty to photograph, sadly, but I did manage to capture a shot of one on the walk back from Cala Goloritzé which I didn't recognise. Looking in my Collins guide when we got home I realised this was a Corsican Wall Brown which is endemic to this part of the world.
Corsican Wall Brown
Everywhere we went, particularly in the Gennargentu area and on Isola di San Pietro we saw lizards, most of which I think were Tyrrhenian Wall Lizard, like the one pictured below which scuttled across our balcony at Canales.
All in all a great few days in a wonderful part of the world. There's really far too much to see in four days though - I hope to return one day and it's certainly inspired me to do more European birding!
* If you're looking to hire a car while in Sardinia, I must just implore you not to go anywhere near Avis, they are absolute crooks who swindled us out of £300 for the tiniest of chips on the rear spoiler which any respectable hire company would have overlooked as general wear and tear. Worst customer service I've ever experienced in years of hiring cars. Avoid!
Phew, well it really has been a while since I last posted on here, partly due to other commitments and not wanting to spend fine evenings sat at a computer, but also because it's been a rather quiet few weeks on the local patch. Nonetheless I've been plugging away making regular visits to the meadows in the hope of some autumnal magic. On 22nd August a Lesser Whitethroat in Broom Meadow gave me my only patch year tick (105) of August and offered some reassurance that the migration season was underway. This was followed by two together in the same area on the 26th. I didn't manage any photos of them unfortunately but the Common Whitethroats have been rather more obliging.
Common Whitethroat
Phylloscopus warblers have remained present in good numbers through
recent weeks, my most thorough count of the whole recording area on 13th
August yielding a conservative estimate of 50 Chiffchaffs and 5 Willow
Warblers. By early September many of the Chiffchaffs were giving their
distinctive two-note song once more, albeit rather more half-heartedly
than in the spring. On the 3rd I also heard a Blackcap singing weakly
along the Railway Line Walk. Also on the same morning there was a Sedge
Warbler with the Whitethroats in Broom Meadow; the first I've seen here
for a while so quite likely a migrant. Another species notable by its absence or
at least silence of late has been Reed Warbler so I was surprised
to stumble across a family group by St Catherine's Pool on 25th August.
Aside from the juvenile during the summer the first returning Stonechat
of autumn was present in Broadford Meadow from 22nd August while the
first (and so far only) returning Spotted Flycatcher was flycatching
from Hawthorns near Broadford Marsh on the 26th.
Stonechat
Spotted Flycatcher
Early on 8th September
while walking the footpath across the now very dry Broadford Marsh I
heard the unmistakeable call of a Yellow Wagtail and looked up to see
one flying south overhead - 'Great', I thought, 'the first of Autumn'.
Just a few minutes later another four went over heading the same way and
these were then followed in dribs and drabs by a further 17 over the course
of the next hour or so! One of my highest totals of this species in a
single sitting, certainly in Surrey anyway, and bolstered I'm sure by
the presence of cattle in some areas of the water meadows. Clearly an
excellent day for movement of this species with flyover records coming
from at least half a dozen sites across Surrey including 7 seen by Ed
Stubbs over the Thorncombe Street Ridge just a couple of miles south of
Shalford later in the morning. Interestingly there were also notably
boosted numbers along the Sussex coast the following day, with 80+ at Medmerry alone. Hirundine numbers are now typically swelling, with
over 300, mostly House Martins, drifting west/north-west early on the
9th of this month. The last Swift of the year meanwhile was among a
mixed hirundine flock over Broadford Marsh on 31st August. Gull numbers
are increasing now, with the Black-headeds in particular noticeably
resuming their winter commuting route south-west early morning then back
north-east in the evening. Fingers crossed they bring in something a
bit rarer in the coming weeks. Teal numbers were growing fairly steadily
until most of the pools in the recording area finally dried up at the
end of August. My highest count before the drought was 11 on 26th
August, while the first Shoveler returned on 4th September.
Teal
Lesser Black-backed Gulls
The lack of
rain has rather scuppered my hopes of getting a wader dropping in,
although my second Curlew of the year was a nice surprise on 21st
August, flying south-west mid-morning. Raptors have been largely
represented by the usual trio of Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel,
although singles of Hobby were seen on 13th August and 12th September, and Peregrines on 22nd and 26th August, while
on 14th August there were six Red Kites in the patch airspace, with one
north closely followed by five circling together in the direction of
Loseley Park; my highest count to date of this species here. It was also nice recently to stumble across a Buzzard nest in an area of the meadows were I had suspected breeding earlier in the year.
