Birdwatcher’s Diary No.327

Published on: 17 May, 2025
Updated on: 18 May, 2025

By Malcolm Fincham

Having experienced temperatures close to 30 Celsius in our local Surrey countryside on May 1, the warm weather rapidly receded in the days that followed as a north-easterly flow being pulled around the recent high pressure as it retrogressed to the west of the UK.

If these conditions were to have occurred during winter months it would certainly have brought severely cold conditions to the British Isles.

However, with the fortune of longer hours of sunlight at this time of the year daytime temperatures of 12 Celsius were the minimum recorded in southern counties on bank holiday Monday, May 5 with warmth slowly increasing during the days that followed, but with nighttime frosts still a threat to more rural parts.

All in all, it remained mostly dry for the first weeks of the month.

With so much in nature emerging during the first weeks of May and summer visiting birds still arriving, it was an impossible task for me to keep up with all that was being reported.

Swift flying over Stoughton.

A few locally breeding swifts had arrived back from their winter homes in Africa. They could be regularly seen in the skies over Stoughton by the first week of May, with three or four screaming as they flew over the garden at a least expected moment.

Common tern, Britten’s Pond.

At Britten’s Pond a few common terns regularly visited to fish during the first weeks of the month.

Common sandpiper, Britten’s Pond.

And the regular sightings of sandpipers stopping off on their passage through Surrey continued. This giving me the opportunity to photograph one feeding around the islands at the pond on May 2.

A previously taken photo of a wood sandpiper.

At Tice’s meadow, near Tongham on May 10, a wood sandpiper, too distant to photo, gave reasonable views through a ‘scope’ along with two common sandpiper and a green sandpiper.

In the company of Bob and Dougal, on May 3, I revisited Clandon Wood Burial Ground as well as Sheepleas, in East Horsley.

Green hairstreak butterfly, Clandon Wood.

At these locations I was able to get a few more photos of several green hairstreak butterflies.

Holly blue butterfly.

As well as a holly blue butterfly.

Dingy skipper butterfly.

Also adding to this year’s photos were dingy skipper butterflies.

Common blue butterfly.

Common blue butterflies.

Brown argus butterfly.

And a healthy number of brown argus butterfly compared to the amount seen last year.

Mother Shipton moth, Sheepleas.

A few mother Shipton moths could also be found.

Brimstone butterflies, showing signs of courting behaviour.

While courting brimstone butterflies continued perform their flying rituals.

Roman snail. Sheepleas.

Ending the day with assisting a Roman snail by relocating it from a well trodden path it was crossing and placing it into some nearby undergrowth.

Cuckoo, Elstead Common.

A revisit to Elstead Common on May 4, gave me my first opportunity this year to photograph (although only distantly) a cuckoo, this one having already been heard at various locations in recent weeks.

Tree pipit, singing on Elstead Common.

A few tree pipits could still be seen in song.

Parachuting tree pipit.

Even managing to photo one as it parachuted down and landed in the top of a pine tree.

A part of Whitmoor Common, just prior to sunset.

Most of my visits during the first weeks of the month were to my local heathland at Whitmoor Common in the hope of finding some of the secrets it might give up at this time of year.

Common whitethroat, Whitmoor Common.

Several common whitethroats could be heard singing during my walk.

Willow warbler, Whitmoor Common.

And even a willow warbler could be heard singing from within a clump of silver birch saplings during most of my visits.

Blue tit, Whitmoor Common.

A busy pair of blue tits could be observed, regularly returning to a hole in a tree with food for their young.

Stonechats, with young.

And pair of stonechats had already produced a brace of fledglings.

Dartford warbler, Whitmoor Common.

While several rather showy, as well as numerous other, singing Dartford warblers could be heard about the heathland.

Chiffchaff, Whitmoor Common.

Although less constant and repetitive than earlier in the year, a few chiffchaffs had begun to call again.

Hobby, Whitmoor Common.

I also had my first of what has been at least one annual sighting of a hobby there in recent years.

Kestrel, Whitmoor Common.

While the more regularly sighting of a kestrel could also be seen hunting over the heathland.

Linnet, Whitmoor Common.

And a small group of resident linnets continued to be present.

Common buzzard, Whitmoor Common.

Common buzzards also made daily visits.

Great spotted woodpecker, Whitmoor Common.

About the woodland areas great spotted woodpeckers could be occasionally seen and heard.

Green woodpecker, Whitmoor Common.

As well as green woodpeckers.

Roe deer running through a woodland area on Whitmoor Common.

And during one visit a roe deer ran though the under-story of woodland filtered by sunlight.

Buck roe deer, Whitmoor Common.

While on a walk about the old horse paddocks adjacent to the common, a buck roe deer could also be viewed.

Brown argus butterfly, Whitmoor Common.

Among the wild daisies and other small flowering plants now growing, brown argus butterflies could be found.

Common blue butterfly, Whitmoor Common.

Also counting numerous common blue butterflies on the wing.

Small copper butterfly, Whitmoor Common.

And adding small copper butterflies to my year’s sightings.

Common crab spider.

Also on one of the daisy-heads, photographing what I believe to be a common crab spider.

Fox, Whitmoor Common.

Across the field a fox could be viewed skulking through the meadow.

Dusk on Whitmoor Common.

During the first days of the month as dusk fell the first sounds this year of at least two male churring nightjars could be heard across the heathland.

These having also arrived back from Africa for their summer stay on our Surrey heaths.

Nightjar (male), Whitmoor Common.

Although visible as they adapted to twilight vision, the best I could get out of my camera were a few silhouetted shots.

Woodcock seen roding in silhouette across Whitmoor Common.

Finally, adding to my silhouetted shots, at least two woodcocks that could be viewed roding overhead.

High pressure continued to dominate the UK as we moved into the second week of May with daytime temperatures rising back into the low to mid 20s Celsius.

Great crested grebe family.

A visit to the Riverside Nature Reserve, near Burpham on May 8 saw the family of great crested grebes (mentioned in my previous post) had now left their nest site and could be viewed on the water tucked away below the overhanging trees. So far sensibly avoiding having their fledglings predated by the large number of gulls that still visited the lake.

Coots refurbishing great crested grebes old residence.

Their nest site had already been reoccupied, now by a pair of coots that were refurbishing and refurnishing it in their own preferred style.

Burnet moth, Stoke meadows.

By the lakeside I noted my first sighting of a Burnet moth this year.

Hairy dragonflies mating, by Stoke Lake.

And a surprise sighting of a pair of hairy dragonflies already mating.

At least three reed warblers could now be heard singing from the reed beds during my walk around the lake, but seeing them for long enough to photo was a tougher challenge.

Green-veined white butterflies mating.

A few green-veined white butterflies could still be seen on the wing about the meadows with one pair also mating.

Stonechat fledgling, Stoke meadows.

Also out in the meadow the pair of stonechats seen there earlier in the year had already produced several fledglings.

Common whitethroat, Riverside Nature Reserve.

Common whitethroats could regularly be heard in song. Some occasionally flying up from their perches in the brambles, fly catching.

Sedge warbler near Stoke Lock.

The sedge warblers had now settled in for the summer and had become less frequent in song.

Song thrush, Riverside Nature Reserve.

While just across the river, a song thrush could be seen collecting food to feed its young.

Little egret on scrape near Stoke Lock.

On the flooded scrape, now rapidly lessening in its water content due to the lack of rain, a little egret continued to be seen grazing.

Beautiful demoiselle along the River Wey towpath.

Along the towpath of the River Wey several species of damselflies were now starting to emerge. These including a few beautiful demoiselles.

Banded demoiselle along the River Wey towpath.

As well as banded demoiselles.

On May 10, the arrival of spotted flycatchers were being reported at various locations around Surrey. These birds have sadly greatly declined locally since my youth and are now on the UK Red list in conservation status.

Spotted flycatcher.

With fewer reliable places to view them, and the secrecy of possible breeding areas mostly kept undisclosed, once again in the company of Bob and Dougal we were still able to locate one that had just arrived and could heard in song.

Denbies Hillside.

The following day we ventured out to Denbies Hillside on Ranmore Common, near Dorking. This in hope of adding another species to our year’s sightings. On this occasion it was a butterfly species.

Adonis blue, Denbies Hillside.

A first brood of Adonis blues had recently begun to emerge and we were able to count in excess of 30, mostly males, on our transect across the hillside.

Adonis blues mating, Denbies Hillside.

Some of whom had already begun to pair up.

Small blue Butterfly, Pewley Down.

At Pewley Down on May 13 I was also able to add small blue butterflies to this year’s sightings, counting at least a dozen or so along its southern slopes.