Birdwatcher’s Diary No.67

Published on: 1 Aug, 2014
Updated on: 1 Aug, 2014

By Malcolm Fincham

As we progressed into the second half of July so did the temperatures, with mercury levels close to 30c for several days around Guildford.

In spite of the heat (for me) but a lover of all seasons, yet still with hopes of plenty more summer weather ahead, it was the start of a transition time of the year for some of our avian species.

All of our ‘tracked’ cuckoos have now left the UK on their journey back to Africa (click for updates), leaving their young to be tended to by their fostered parents.

Common sandpiper on tern raft at Stoke Lake.

Signs of reverse migration by some of the more northerly breeding birds, mostly waders such as black-tailed godwits and both green and common sandpipers, were starting to be seen and reported at a number of Surrey reserves including a common sandpiper I spotted at Stoke Lake one evening as it sat on the tern raft.

A last picture of a young common tern before they fledge from Stoke Lake.

July 18 was my last sighting of the juvenile common terns at Stoke Lake. Guessing it would be my final sighting of them before they moved on from the lake, I made the most of the opportunity of taking a few last photos.

Adult common tern feeds one of its young.

I watched them guided by their parents as they continued to teach them how to fish – now at the far end of the lake well away from the raft where they first hatched.

A view across Thursley Common.

A trip to Thursley Common on a hot afternoon on Sunday, July 20, with Dougal gave us both good views of families of redstart and tree pipits, as well as a brief view of a hobby.

Young families of redstarts on Thursley Common.

Some families of our more resident species could also be viewed, including stonechats and woodlarks with even hearing the brief scratchy call of a Dartford warbler. This is a bird now making a noticeable comeback on many of our Surrey heathlands.

Male stonechat on Thursley Common.

Dartford warbler- this one pictured recently by me on Ash Ranges.

Along the boardwalks we able to count more than 100 of both adult and young common lizards, even having to be careful not to tread on some as they basked in sunshine.

Common lizard this one spotted out on the heathland on Thursley Common.

Continuing our walk up on to the drier sandy part of heathland, we began to look for our target species of the day – a critter which carries the same name as a species of fish.

Grayling on Thursley Common.

The grayling is also a heathland butterfly that comes out at this time of the year and one I had never seen before. So having seen several that day in their usual swift flight it was pleasing to track one down as it settled on some flowering heather long enough get a few pictures.

A view of flooded srapes at Medmerry.

On the following Sunday, with the addition of Dougal’s friend John, we decided to revisit Medmerry Nature Reserve in West Sussex. We visited it back in May to view the black-winged stilts.

Click to view previous report.

With eggs now hatched and all three of their young still surviving and now quite sizeable, they had, unfortunately for my camera, become much more mobile. They had been take  by their parents to a more secluded part of the reserve giving only distant views through the heat haze that day. I therefore only managed a few distant record shots and a short video clip.

I was just pleased to know that they had been so successful!

Click here of a short clip through the heat haze of black-winged stilts at Medmerry.

Avocet in flight at Medmerry.

They maybe as successful one day as the avocets that could be seen in good numbers around the reserve, many also with young.

Adding to what turned out to be another rather pleasant day was furtherevidence of noticeable seasonal changes with the sightings of a few different species of waders, now making their way back on reverse migration from both Arctic and other less northerly breeding grounds.

Sanderling still with summer plumage arriving back from Arctic breeding grounds.

These included: on the shoreline a dozen sanderling seen running back and forth in time with the tide.

Dunlin in flight.

A flock of 50 or more dunlin flew up and down the coastline, seemingly agitated by our presence, most still in breeding plumage.

Sandwich tern takes a dive.

While not far out from the shore line a good dozen sandwich terns fished in the sea.

Little ringed plover on a lagoon at Medmerry.

On the lagoons a few families of little ringed plover could be seen.

Common sandpiper at Medmerry.

Along with several common and a green sandpiper.

Wood sandpiper at Medmerry.

Even getting a record shot of a less commonly seen wood sandpiper.

Kestrel watching for a rodent.

On a fence post a female kestrel could be viewed as it watched optimistically into the long grass for some movement of a small mammal and the chance of a meal.

Clouded yellow settles on a thistle at Medmerry.

Several clouded yellow butterflies could be seen around the reserve adding to my  list of butterfly species seen this year!

Wheatear on the shingle coast line at Medmerry.

Personally, my most surprising sighting of the day was that of several wheatear on the shingled beach feeding up on insects and already preparing for their long trip to their winter home in Africa.

Locally, one of the most noticeable but overlooked changes to me at this time of the year is the lack of sound from our common blackbird -‘the silence is deafening’ one might say.

This occurs with a number of resident species after breeding and during moulting of their feathers.

Male linnet on Whitmoor Common.

A brief visit to Whitmoor Common on the evening of July 30 gave me some good photos of male linnets still in their bright chested summer plumage.

Female linnet on Whitmoor Common.

As well as several females still looking in pristine summer condition.

In contrast however, small mixed flocks, mainly made up of blue and long-tailed tits, could be noted moving among the silver birch trees.

Rowan trees – many already with their brightly coloured berries.

And rowan trees also known as mountain ash were already displaying their brightly coloured berries, a good few weeks earlier than I reported last year.

Swifts start to gather over Stoughton.

Having already raised their young and previously seen in a large group over the skies of Stoughton, I have not seen any swifts for nearly a week now. Nor have I heard their renown screaming sounds.

And with evenings drawing in, the seasonal tide is certainly starting to turn – just not to quickly one hopes?

Red kite hunting over newly harvested field in Shamley Green.

Saving my best personal sighting over the past few weeks of July until last had to be that of a numerous sighting in the Guildford area of red kites. Especially on one particular occasion when I watched two as they hunted over a freshly cut field in Shamley Green looking for any mammals that may have been left behind that they could feed on.

Another red kite sighting in Shamley Green.

And to get a few pictures of one as it flew not far above my head was a real bonus.

The beautiful red kite.

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