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!
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.
After a frustrating medically enforced absence from the patch at the beginning of the month it's been good to get back into the swing of things in recent days and see spring starting to get into gear in this little corner of Surrey, although the persistent north/north-westerly winds are clearly holding a lot of stuff back as I've only added three species to the patch list since my previous round-up post.
The Garganey pair appear to have departed now after staying for at least two weeks - the last confirmed sighting via John Austin on 3rd April. Wildfowl numbers in general have tailed off now, as one would expect for the time of year, with the winter ducks all absent this week and just the local Mallard and Mandarins remaining. Eleven Mallard ducklings on St Catherine's Pool on the 12th were my first here this year.
Garganey - Richard Waters
Garganey - Richard Waters
Following Kit Britten's Swallow on 28th March I finally caught up with this species on patch on the 14th of this month with one flying north followed by four the next day. Kit also had the first patch Sand Martins of the year with two on the 30th. On the 15th there were four of them whizzing around over St Catherine's Hill, occasionally ducking down towards the railway cutting; the highlights of an otherwise pretty uneventful two hour skywatch. I had suspected local breeding last year and have since discovered from Steve Chastell that they've bred in this area in the past, so perhaps they're looking to do so again this year. Fingers crossed.
Sand Martin over St Catherine's
The full set of hirundines was at last completed this morning with four House Martins back on territory over the rooftops by Shalford station - a full two weeks later than in 2016. My 89th patch species of the year; I'm now slightly behind my total for this time last year but still missing a number of relatively easy bits, most notably Green Sandpiper, Great Crested Grebe and Ring-necked Parakeet. I'm aiming to reach at least a hundred before we move house.
Warbler numbers have been increasing steadily, with at least 15 each of Chiffchaff and Blackcap present on the 14th, several of the former already nest building and the latter pairing up. Willow Warbler numbers have been at a consistent three for a few days now, although I've not covered the whole of the patch in a single session for a while so no doubt there have been several I've missed. The first Whitethroat was singing in the scrub just south of the Railway Triangle on the morning of the 12th - the exact spot I had my first one last year. By this morning there were at least six singing around the mid-patch (St Catherine's/Broadford).
Sunrise over Broom Meadow
Gull numbers are dropping now, with Lesser Black-backed the most numerous in recent visits and generally all moving north (7 north on the 14th, 4 north today), with just occasional appearances from Black-headed, Herring and Great Black-backed. The Stonechat pair are still kicking about, usually in or around St Catherine's Meadow, although this morning there was a male in the Railway Triangle. The two Red-legged Partridges, meanwhile, are still to be found most days in the Horse Field which, as yet, has failed to deliver any migrant passerines. Last year I had Redstart and Yellow Wag here in late April so I'm hopeful the next two weeks will produce the goods - just need the wind to change!
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.
After a couple of days' absence from the patch I headed down at first light this morning in less than inviting conditions: drizzle and a brisk south-westerly wind. 'Surely this should drop some migrants though', I thought as I did my usual pre-work circuit of the Broadford/St Catherine's area. There were clearly more Chiffchaffs around, with at least 7 singing despite the inclement weather. Reed Buntings too were in fine voice, and it was good to see the pair of Stonechats again hopping around on the fence near St Catherine's Lock. A scan of the Horse Field produced two Red-legged Partridges; only my second patch record after the single bird I had on the 12th. Heading on down to St Catherine's the drizzle got rather heavier and I scanned the sky every few seconds, expecting to see a hirundine appear at any moment - no luck.
Last stop on my circuit was the usual scan of St Catherine's Pool which produced at least 7 Teal, 3 Gadwall and a couple of Little Grebes. Just as I was about to head off I noticed something else lurking, huddled up in the vegetation at the back: a small duck, and although the light was poor and the angle odd surely that was a head stripe I could see?
As I crept forward slightly to get a better view, the bird(s) in question swam out into open water where I was left in no doubt: an absolutely stonking pair of Garganey! Suffice to say a patch first for me and the first Wey Valley record for 15 years. Certainly a species I'd dreamt of finding on patch but still a magical find. I fired off a couple of record shots before contacting a few people and putting the news on Twitter. At work during the morning I received various reports from local birders including Steve Chastell, Richard Waters (who got some excellent photos) and fellow Albury SP surveyor John Austin who'd been and connected and, heading back myself this evening, I was pleased to see so many familiar and new faces. Sadly by the time I got back to the pool the birds had gone back into hiding in the vegetation and a few visiting birders left without seeing them. I'll be back to check first thing in the morning but with a clear night ahead I suspect they may move on. Still, a fantastic bird to find locally and what a way to ring up my 80th* patch species of the year!
Photo: Richard Waters
Photo: Richard Waters
* Whoops, actually my 81st - completely forgot to add Redpoll after my skywatch on the 17th!
With the year list getting off to a rather leisurely start so far (70 at the time of writing - Gadwall the most recent addition) and all my species accounts completed for the latest Surrey Bird Report, I thought I'd have a go at putting together a historic list for my Shalford patch as a way of passing the dark evenings. Besides, as it's now very likely I won't be watching the area by the end of the year I thought it'd be good for posterity, in case any future local birders want to add to it! No doubt there are many species missing here, but I'm only including those that I've recorded myself or those for which there are documented or anecdotal records.
Watercolour of St Catherine's Hill circa mid-1800s by Francis Oliver Finch
1. Mute Swan
2. Bewick's Swan - Records from 1956 and 1966. There were 12 present on 17th March 1963, towards the end of the famously severe winter that year.
3. Whooper Swan - Coinciding with the aforementioned Bewick's record, up to 12 were present from the 8th to the 23rd March 1963
4. Greylag Goose
5. Canada Goose
6. Barnacle Goose - Almost certainly of feral origin, single birds were recorded in 2001 (E Stubbs) then on 7th and 9th September 2007 at Broadford Bridge.
7. Brent Goose - One was on Broadford Marsh on 29th May 2016 (M Phelps)
8. Egyptian Goose
9. Ruddy Shelduck - One, presumably an escape, was present on 23rd March 2009
10. Mandarin Duck
11. Wigeon
12. Gadwall
13. Teal
14. Mallard
15. Pintail - One record from 1963, no further details
16. Garganey - One record referenced in Birds of Surrey (Wheatley) on an unspecified date between 1955 and 2007(!)
17. Shoveler
18. Tufted Duck
19. Goldeneye - One record, a female, at St Catherine's Lock circa January 1988 (R Stride)
20. Goosander - 4 were present on 19th January 2014 (C Gray)
21. Red-legged Partridge - Only two documented records, in 2004 and 2007
22. Grey Partridge - One was at St Catherine's Lock on 24th June 2006
23. Pheasant
24. Cormorant
25. Bittern - One record in 1979, no further details. Lengthsman Rob Craig has reported more recent sightings, but dates not specified.
26. Little Egret
27. Grey Heron
28. Little Grebe
29. Great Crested Grebe
30. Red Kite
31. Harrier sp. - One high over on 30th September 2015 ('Birding Vicar' on Twitter)
32. Sparrowhawk
33. Buzzard
34. Osprey
35. Kestrel
36. Hobby
37. Peregrine
38. Water Rail
39. Moorhen
40. Coot
41. Stone-curlew - One was on Broadford Marsh in July 1944 (Birds of Surrey, Wheatley)
42. Golden Plover
43. Lapwing
44. Little Ringed Plover
45. Whimbrel - One record from 1993 is referenced in Birds of Surrey (Wheatley), no further details.
46. Curlew - Two flyover records in 2016
47. Ruff
48. Common Sandpiper
49. Green Sandpiper
50. Wood Sandpiper - Two in 1967 (Birds of Surrey, Wheatley), no further details
51. Jack Snipe
52. Woodcock
53. Snipe
54. Black Tern - One record from November 1895 (Bucknill)
55. Common Tern
56. Black-headed Gull
57. Mediterranean Gull - My flyover adult on 7th March 2016 is the only documented record
58. Common Gull
59. Lesser Black-backed Gull
60. Herring Gull
61. Great Black-backed Gull
62. Feral Rock Dove
63. Stock Dove
64. Woodpigeon
65. Collared Dove
66. Turtle Dove- Anecdotal records from John Austin but no precise details. Another species that was, presumably, reasonably common in the area once upon a time.
67. Ring-necked Parakeet
68. Cuckoo
69. Barn Owl
70. Little Owl
71. Tawny Owl
72. Swift
73. Kingfisher
74. Wryneck - One was recorded at Shalford Common (just to the east of the Water Meadows and not officially in my patch) on 31st March 1923, a notably early arrival date for this species which presumably bred locally at one stage.
75. Green Woodpecker
76. Great Spotted Woodpecker
77. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - Once a relatively common sight along the river, as was the case in many places. There was a record of 5 together in 2007.
78. Chough - Bucknill refers to one shot at St Catherine's Hill on an unspecified date in the 1800s. The origin of the bird in question was never determined although most other records from this time involved escaped birds.
79. Magpie
80. Jay
81. Jackdaw
82. Rook
83. Carrion Crow
84. Raven
85. Goldcrest
86. Firecrest
87. Blue Tit
88. Great Tit
89. Coal Tit
90. Skylark
91. Sand Martin
92. Swallow
93. House Martin
94. Cetti's Warbler - One was at 'Shalford Weir' on 27th April 2010
95. Long-tailed Tit
96. Chiffchaff
97. Willow Warbler
98. Blackcap
99. Garden Warbler
100. Lesser Whitethroat
101. Whitethroat
102. Dartford Warbler - One near St Catherine's Lock on 10th December 2015 (J Gates)
103. Grasshopper Warbler
104. Sedge Warbler
105. Reed Warbler
106. Waxwing
107. Nuthatch
108. Treecreeper
109. Wren
110. Starling
111. Siberian Thrush - An intriguing one this as it remains the only Surrey record - just a shame it's never been proven! Bucknill dedicates two pages of his Birds of Surrey to the record of a female of this species apparently shot by a Mr Drewitt at St Catherine's Hill in February 1855, during an exceptionally bad winter. There are some discrepancies in the account though and the record has never been formally accepted.
Was the only Surrey Siberian Thrush really shot on my patch? Sadly, we'll never know!
112. Blackbird
113. Fieldfare
114. Song Thrush
115. Redwing
116. Mistle Thrush
117. Spotted Flycatcher
118. Robin
119. Pied Flycatcher - One record from 1983, no further details
120. Redstart - My two records in spring 2016 appear to be the only documented records of this species on the patch.
121. Stonechat
122. Dunnock
123. House Sparrow
124. Tree Sparrow - As with many species this once numerous breeder has now virtually disappeared from Surrey. In 1965 there were 30 pairs recorded at Shalford alone!
125. Yellow Wagtail - It seems that Shalford remained a breeding stronghold for this species until at least the 1920s but now is only recorded as a passage migrant.
126. Grey Wagtail
127. Pied Wagtail
128. Meadow Pipit
129. Chaffinch
130. Brambling
131. Greenfinch
132. Goldfinch
133. Siskin
134. Linnet
135. Lesser Redpoll
136. Crossbill
137. Bullfinch
138. Reed Bunting
139. Corn Bunting - One breeding season record from 1970 (Birds of Surrey, Wheatley), no further details.
Also-rans
Little Auk - 'One was captured alive in a deep chalk pit near Guildford by a youth' in February 1860 (Bucknill). It's hard to be sure but this could be the chalk pit at the north-eastern corner of the patch.
Two-barred Crossbill - A male of this species was shot in 1849 in 'Unsted Wood' (Bucknill). The wood which borders the western edge of the patch along the old railway line has a sign saying 'Unstead Wood' but I would imagine this record more likely relates to the only Unsted Wood with that spelling on the OS Map, just south of Unstead SF. I merely include the record here for local interest as it's only just outside my patch boundary.
So that's it, as far as I can tell. Species notable by their absence include Shelduck, Pochard, Wheatear, Whinchat and plenty of others. Hopefully I'll be able to add at least one or two more to the list before I leave the area but after that who knows!
