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.
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!
