Birdwatcher’s Diary No.318 Some Pre-Christmas Rambles

Published on: 24 Dec, 2024
Updated on: 24 Dec, 2024

By Malcolm Fincham

Continuing my ventures around the local Surrey habitats, a few brighter spells prevailed during the early days of December.

Thursley Common.

Although not producing much in the way of unusual bird sightings, a few pleasant walks in limited sunshine could be achieved.

Linnet, Thursley Common.

A walk across Thursley Common allowed some seasonal scenic photos also adding a flock of 30 or so linnets as I traversed the heathland.

Stonechats, Thursley Common.

A few stonechats made an appearance perched up on gorse bushes. While some opportunistic gorse bushes were still in flower with hope of being pollinated.

Dartford warbler on Thursley Common.

And a few Dartford warblers made a brief appearance, but with the heathland being renown as a place of feast or famine at this time of year in respect of wildlife sightings, the latter was very much the case that day.

Weather conditions remained cool and mostly dry until the end of the first week of December when storm Darragh arrived on a strong Atlantic jet stream.

In the wake of the strong, mild westerly, a high pressure system returned and sightings of the sun became a rarity. Grey clouds similar to the first weeks of November had returned bringing leaden skies for many of the days to come.

The only brief few hours of sunshine coinciding with my photography fell on December 15 when Bob and I made a return visit to Prews Farm, near Papercourt, Send, where the finches there seemed to have increased in their number since our previous visit, attracted by the sunflowers and other crops that had been left to go to seed in the fields.

Linnets, Prews Farm.

Congregations of linnets had certainly increased in number with several groups in excess of 50 birds seen flying about the fields of sunflowers then melting out of sight as they merged within the seed heads.

Ring-necked parakeets, Prews Farm.

Ring-necked parakeets continued to be more visually and even more so vocally. Their lime green colouration glistening in the sunlight.

Ring-necked parakeets, feeding on sunflower heads at Prews Farm, Send.

Possibly more unusual for me was to photograph them once again perched up feeding on the sunflower heads, having not seen photos of such before in the UK or in Europe.

Wood pigeons, Prews Farm.

Wood pigeons also continued to take advantage of the crops.

Brambling, Prews Farm.

While wintering bramblings had also begun to increase in number, counting 14 and mostly males during our visit.

Reed bunting, Prews Farm.

A few more reed buntings had also arrived.

A brambling within a group of chaffinches at Prews Farm.

While plenty of chaffinches continued to be present.

Greenfinch, Prew’s Farm.

As well as a growing number of greenfinches.

Little egret, Prews Farm.

A little egret also made an appearance, and perched up for a few moments before disappearing into a boggy area of sunflowers.

Sparrowhawk, Prews Farm.

Inevitably of course, with all the activity a sparrowhawk was never far from view.

Britten’s Pond.

Several visits to Britten’s Pond allowed me to practise photographic shots of some of the more common species about the pond.

Cormorant, Britten’s Pond.

With cormorants occasionally visiting to fish.

Dabchick (little grebe), Britten’s Pond.

A wintering dabchick was viewed during most visits to the pond.

Egyptian goose in flight.

And pair of Egyptian geese continued to regularly visit, giving me the challenge of some optimistic flight shots.

Kingfisher in flight, Britten’s Pond.

In my experience, outside of breeding season kingfishers are usually very territorial about their feeding areas, usually seeing just the one about at Britten’s Pond during winter months. Therefore it was of some surprise to view two chasing one another around the pond during several of my visits.

Kingfisher, Britten’s Pond.

Although adult kingfishers pair in the autumn, they usually retain separate territories until the spring, when they gradually merge together.

Grey heron, Britten’s Pond.

The daily presence of the resident grey heron continued to be seen perched up or flying to various locations about the pond.

Nuthatch, Britten’s Pond.

And several nuthatches could often be viewed feeding on the seed put down for the ducks by the fishing swim near the car park.

Long-tailed tit, in flight.

The sighting of a group of long-tailed tits continued to be ‘target practice’ for my camera.

Mallards, Britten’s Pond.

And a good dozen or more mallards made for some practice focusing shots when in-flight.

Drake pintail, Britten’s Pond.

With much thanks once again for a phone call from Clive, one of the regular anglers at the pond, for recognising and alerting me to a drake pintail duck, on December 15, dabbling among a group of mallards.

This being only my second sighting of one there. The last one, also a drake, I saw on January 20, 2023.

Also known as Northern pintails, they breed in tundra regions and are primarily winter visitors to the UK.

In winter months they can more often be found in coastal habitats including estuaries, salt marshes, and large shallow lakes.

Previously photographed red-throated divers in summer plumage.

Also on December 15, at Frensham Great Pond, a first winter red-throated diver was spotted.

These birds can often be seen wintering in southern coastal regions and seen breeding in lochs and lochans in the Scottish highlands.

A rarity to be seen in Surrey, and this one of which after a few days was sadly found dead by the lakeside.

Goosanders, Cutt Mill Pond, Puttenham.

On December 16 the first goosanders were reported to have arrived on Cutt Mill Pond at Puttenham.

These wintering birds also breed in the north of the UK and are regular winter sightings in Surrey.

Mandarin ducks.

While the resident mandarin ducks continued to be viewed across the water on the ‘house pond’.

Whitmoor Common.

Other local visits included one to Whitmoor Common where it was pleasing to see gorse bushes had flourished this year, due to the absence of wildfires.

Dartford warbler, Whitmoor Common.

The gorse hopefully now harbouring enough spiders and insects for Dartford warblers feed on and to shelter in over the winter months.

Stonechat, Whitmoor Common.

A few stonechats continued to perch up on several branches and bushes.

Redwing, Whitmoor Common.

Redwings could still be found, feeding among the remaining berries.

Firecrest.

And a firecrest made an appearance from within a cluster of holly bushes.

Roe deer.

Also picking out a roe deer in the old horse paddocks.

Lydling Farm, Shackleford.

Kestrel, Lydling Farm.

A visit to Lydling Farm, Shackleford allowed me a photo of one of several kestrels I had seen at various locations during the past few weeks.

Little owl, Lydling Farm.

The little owl seen on previous visits in a distant oak tree continued to be present, but on this occasion not easy to pick out.

Fieldfares feeding on grassland at Lydling Farm.

In the fields, just half a dozen or so wintering fieldfares were feeding within a group of starlings out in the fields.

Female stonechat, Lydling Farm.

A pair of stonechats hopped about the fence posts in close proximity of each other as I walked the track.

Common buzzard, Lydling Farm.

Over the fields there were the now regular sighting of common buzzards.

Red kite.

And red kites had become a daily sighting, both there as well as most parts of Surrey.

Grey wagtail, Lydling Farm.

Also adding grey wagtails to my day list.

Effingham Forest.

The last of my ramblings (of both walk and writing) was to Effingham Forest, near East Horsley.

This time back in the company of both Bob and Dougal on a final pre-Christmas venture on December 22.

Although overcast and breezy on our arrival, and with very little in the way of wildlife sightings, it was reasonably mild and mostly dry during our visit.

Marsh tit, Effingham Forest.

Although hard pushed to view much and with little in the way of birdsong, eventually we heard a softly spoken, but recognisable ‘pitchuu’ call of a marsh tit. And with some patience we all eventually managed to locate it, although mostly obscured among tree branches, in poor light.

Finally, I was also able to pick out what had been one of our targeted species, a hawfinch perched up in a tree not far from the viewpoint across the valley.