Bookham Common and Riverside Park, Surrey

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Hawfinches are one of those species which are genuinely scarce, but whose unobtrusive behaviour makes them appear even less common. In spite of their large size (for a finch anyway!) and distinctive appearance they are hard to locate, and recent reports of a small group at Bookham Common resulted in a 20 minute drive to see if I could find them.

Bookham Common is well-known for butterflies, with purple emperors and white admirals found in the summer. This reserve is on London clay, resulting in an oak and beech dominated woodland. There are also more scrubby areas due to grazing, creating a mosaic of habitats (image above; click for larger). Wandering around I found over 25 species, including a marsh tit and a pair of courting kestrels performing a tightly choreographed aerial ballet.

There was initially no sign of the hawfinches, apart from a brief view of a 'maybe', flicking over. As I was thinking of wandering home when I caught the characteristic view of a hawfinch flying over - superb! A short while later three more were visible on the crown of a tree, giving clear views for a couple of minutes before they disappeared off into the distance.

On the way home I stopped off at Riverside Park Nature Reserve, aiming to see if there was any barn owls around (a couple of years ago one wintered at Bower's Lock). Light was failing, but there was still enough time for a look around (River Wey silhouettes; click for larger). Another birder had located a green sandpiper which we watched for a time, and then I wandered up to the lake, which I hadn't visited before. Not much was showing (some tufted duck, little grebe and these mute swans taken at water level; click for larger), but it was interesting to see a new site.



Not a bad few hours then; in total over 40 species, including hawfinch - one of those memorable birds which everyone should see, and sadly as time goes on that is less and less likely to happen.

Winter atlassing

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Managed to find a stretch between the downpours to get my final Timed Tetrad Visits done for the winter part of the new BTO atlas project. The basic idea of the atlas project is to map the summer and winter distribution of birds in the UK and Ireland at the 10km square resolution, with volunteer recorders covering 25 'tetrads' within each square.

 My first serious birding came with the first winter atlas, carried out in the three winters between 1981 and 1984. I get all nostalgic when I look through the published book - the county where I grew up was covered by very (and I mean single figures) few birders and I truly got to know every corner, especially in the latter years of the survey. The data collected was impressive and given how rapidly populations are changing - usually for the worse - it has proved invaluable. So, 25 years on I'm at it again, in a different country with a very different avifauna - no geese, waders, choughs or divers on my home patch!

Not much of any note today, but atlas work does encourage you to get to know your local patches - I spent most of my time in Fox Corner, an excellent little nature reserve that just 12 years ago was a wasteland, and Bullswater Common, a heathland SSSI which is giving way to the forces of succession due to the lack of grazing. So, nothing startling, just the usual mix of passerines and a few other species, but at the same time there's satisfaction in knowing that data like this makes a real difference when combined with the efforts of many other volunteers.

Lavell's Lake, Berkshire

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Bright blue skies, no rain and a lunch hour after four hours of teaching, so it was time to make a quick dash to Lavell's Lake. Nothing hugely exciting on show, but a bullfinch (much less common than they used to be, currently they are at around 30% of their 1960s population size) started things well. Water levels on the lake were high, and there was a large flock of lapwing (Vanellus vanellus; click for larger) near the hide, as well as a few snipe and large numbers of gulls.

There was a range of waterfowl, including tufted duck (Aythya fuligula; click for larger), coot (Fulica atra; click for larger), teal, wigeon and pochard.

There was little else on show, and no sign of the bittern. There was also a few cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo, click for larger), including one which looked like the continental race with its white head as well as over a dozen of the more common form.

So, nothing particularly exciting, but it beats having lunch in the office...

UPDATE!

Went back late afternoon on the next day before going home - the barn owl (Tyto alba; click for larger) was present in the nest box and waited for near dark before taking flight. Very poor light (this image is at ISO3200, 1/15 sec @ F4.5) but always good to get close to any owl species.

London Wetland Centre

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The London Wetland Centre is an impressive feat of modern conservation in action. Considering how close to the centre of London this site is, it is home to a surprising diversity of animal life. I spent a couple of hours there this afternoon, and given the light, I was regretting leaving my camera at work. 

It was interesting to see how my birding is completely different when I don't have a camera, 500mm lens, tripod and Wimberley over my shoulder, and a large camera bag with a couple of other lenses, a flashgun and accessories - weighing something like 12kg all told. While manageable, you tend to take a more thoughtful view of what you're going to do - it encourages patience. At the same time, some hides are not suitable - small high windows are out as they're difficult to access, and raised hides (which most are) are not so good as you don't get a flattering eye-level view of your quarry, which means that some hides are just not up to scratch. When I go to the LWC I tend to spend most time at the wildside hide, which always has the fewest visitors too, but it means that while I get decent views of waterfowl, there are areas I miss out on.

Unencumbered with the camera kit, I headed towards the tower hide overlooking the grazing marsh, which I normally never go to. A pair of water pipits have been wintering here, so they were my target for the afternoon. No sign of them at first even though they were around - they can be quite unobtrusive and need a bit of searching for. One of the other birders had a jack snipe in this 'scope, and he kindly let me have a look. I've rarely had the opportunity to study jack snipe closely - instead I've tended to flush them, missing a close look. They show very distinctly different behaviour from common snipe, bobbing up-and-down on the spot, and this was nicely on view. 

With a bit more checking through the grazing marsh and the islands, I managed to locate the water pipit, a new species for me. Water pipits are a scarce winter visitor to the UK, with somewhere around 100 seen each year. Until recently, they were considered to be a sub-species of rock pipit, a much more common resident of rocky coastal areas. The views were distant, but this is a relatively distinctive pipit.

There were good numbers of duck species, lots of snipe, lapwing, grey herons and shrieking ring-necked parakeets too. So - in spite of not spending a huge amount of time birding, I've picked up some decent species over the past few days and I've already racked up 117 species for the year - pretty satisfactory hey?! 

Lavell's Lake, Berkshire

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There's  going to be a couple of non-photographic entries - I've cleverly managed to leave my camera in the office... 

Went to Lavell's Lake on the way home from work as a bittern was reported there yesterday. Lavell's is a great little local nature reserve, with an excellent hide which has a tarmac path - essential if you're wearing a suit and a pair of smart shoes! I was definitely the best dressed birder there - I'm sure that they realised that fifty years ago all field-work was done this way, and that standards of dress have sadly slipped since then. 

No sign of the bittern initially, but there were good numbers of duck (shoveler, teal, pochard, tufted duck, mallard) and a decent flock of lapwing. The light had almost completely gone when the bittern showed - climbing the reeds to roost. These chunky herons are always worth seeing - their camouflage and behaviour is something different to the norm - and the views through a borrowed 'scope were excellent. There was a real feeling of satisfaction running through the hide. I imagine that there was around a dozen people who'd waited long enough for the view, and their patience had paid off. Strange how seeing a single bird can really make a lot of people happy - some pleasures in life really are free...

Lower Farm Gravel Pits, Berkshire

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No photographs this time - too late in the day to even bother trying! Went out for a quick hunt in the late afternoon for the American wigeon at Lower Farm. The drake has been around for about a month, and after some time we managed to locate it in the gloom, a new species for me. The light didn't help, but we still managed to get some excellent views. There were plenty of other ducks (wigeon, pochard, tufted duck, mallard, teal and gadwall) and gulls present too. 

The best bird for me though was a green sandpiper, a species I don't see very often, and this individual was feeding just yards from the hide - superb. A female fallow deer also dashed past and buzzards were calling in the distance. Sometimes it's good to get out without having to lug around the camera, but I wouldn't mind a record shot of the american wigeon!

Cow Down, Berkshire

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Arrived in work early, got a couple of hours done before dawn, and then headed off for a a couple of hours giving Cow Down a good going over for short-eared owls. Two were reported yesterday, but true to form, there was no sign of them today.Superb morning though. A fairly thick fog covered the countryside, with the watery sun failing to cut through (about the only time it's safe to point a 500mm lens at the sun! Click for larger).



The sun did eventually manage to get through, leaving a view over the fog with trees and the steam and cooling towers from Didcot power station managing to push through (click for larger). There was a few birds around, with merlin, kestrel, buzzard and some singing (! It was subzero) corn buntings the highlights. Corn buntings are pretty uncommon down my way, so getting a good view of these is always worth a trip out.

There were large flocks of wood pigeon (Columba palustris; click for larger) and finches (these are mainly linnet and goldfinch shot into the sun; click for larger) feeding on the stubble, but the owls will have to wait for the next visit...

Ash Ranges, Surrey

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Headed out at dawn to try (yet again) to see the great grey shrike. The great freeze is over and there was a half-decent sun-rise over the heath (click for larger) and the early morning light was pretty good.


Little was moving (a dartford warbler the most interesting species), and there was no sign of the GGS. The comparison between the tree on the left yesterday and today (both taken at around the same time; click for larger) is striking.

I returned after lunch for a longer look, and wandered further along that I had been before. The view from the top was superb - just like being in Scotland! The heath seemed to go on for miles, with the heather broken only by stands of Scot's pine and silver birch (click for larger). I still can't believe that this site is only five minutes from home...



Still no sign of the GGS (which very frustratingly was reported as present on Birdguides this morning), but the scenery and views of a fantastic female hen harrier quartering the heath more than made up for that. I even managed to get my first late winter atlasing timed tetrad count done for my home square, so a pretty good day, in spite of the recalcitrant GGS.

Ash Ranges, Surrey

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Minus 6C according to the back garden thermometer this morning, so obviously perfect for seeking out the great grey shrike again on Ash Ranges. The GGS had been seen yesterday, and seems to be fairly site faithful, as most wintering birds are. The British wintering population of GGSs is thought to be in the order of only 60-70 birds, so I'm fortunate to have one just down the road. Birds tend to return to favoured wintering sites, so the same bird can turn up for many years.

There was a freezing fog, and the heath looked even more impressive this time, with most vegetation covered in thick hoar frost. First thing in the morning the impression of desolation was overwhelming. I concentrated on landscapes again, using the ultrawide-angle 10-20mm lens. I converted all to black and white, again to emphasise the bleakness (click all for larger).

Little was moving, with the best bird being a dartford warbler. Given how cold this winter is, I suspect that we may see a real decline in numbers this year, following steady increases for at least the past decade. No sign of the GGS, but given viewing conditions that wasn't a surprise. I spent an hour wandering around, before my fingers gave in - a magnesium alloy camera body turns into a block of ice very quickly, and there's a limit to how long you want to lug that around for.

I returned again in the evening, just because I had another hour and I really do like being out in the cold weather. Only -4C now, so positively balmy. Still no sign of the GGS, and still little moving. I got a few more images, and as I headed back to the car I stopped to watch a green woodpecker, and sitting on a branch in full view was a little owl - a real treat!

Cow Down, Berkshire

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I took a very quick lunchtime dash down the motorway to Cow Down, as the weather looked promising and there had been recent reports of good numbers of short-eared owls. The view from the Ridgeway was stunning - a deep hoar frost covered everything. No SEOs of course, that would be too much to expect, but the views made the trip worthwhile.

I only carried the 500mm lens, so standard landscapes were out, so instead I took a couple of images to illustrate the chill (black and white conversions; click for larger). I think that B&W really suits winter subjects - for me at least it brings out the harshness through the increased contrast between the extremes of light and dark.

There were few birds around. This stonechat (Saxicola torquata; click for larger) was the most obliging, and even she didn't hang around for long, so this is just a record shot.

The other highlights were a kestrel, some winter thrushes, lapwing and this mixed flock of linnets, skylarks and meadow pipits feeding in the stubble (click for larger). I like this final record shot as it captures an impression of the height of the Downs, looking across the stubble field and down on the roads below. Not a bad way to spend an hour!

Welney, Norfolk

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Typical! Going home today, and of course I wake up to see snow and a blue sky. The light is great and the wind has died down, so even though it's colder, it doesn't feel anything like that. Decided to take a slight detour to visit Welney, a WWT reserve on the border between Nofolk and Cambridgeshire. Welney is famous for its winter swans, with up to 5000 Bewick's and whoopers visiting each year.


I only had an hour and a half to see the site, which I have to admit to preferring to most WWT sites, as it doesn't have a captive wildfowl collection. I understand why the WWT has the collections, but I guess that I like my reserves to feel a bit more wild. Most of the open water was frozen over, with only small areas kept open by the waterfowl. Photographically, I concentrated on the whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus; click for larger), trying to get a suitably wintery feel. Many of the swans were surrounded by large numbers of pochard (Aythya ferina; see the whooper images).



Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos; click for larger) gamely coped with the cold. Unlike the swans, the challenge of not burning out the whites made exposure a lot easier. For the swans, I metered off the reeds, took a couple of test shots to check the histograms, and then ended up knocking a couple of stops off the exposure, which was then spot on. By using the camera in manual, I just had to remember to compensate if I was taking shots of anything else.


Oh well, such is life... I was pleased to have made it to Welney though, and will definitely come back. Back to work tomorrow, after a holiday which from a wildlife perspective was fantastic, but intensely frustrating photographically, with very few keepers from the week!

Titchwell Marsh and Thornham Harbour

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Getting boring I know - yet another bitterly cold day, driven by a strong easterly wind. Greeted by snow first thing in the morning, and there were continual flurries throughout the day. Also continuing the week's theme, the light was poor, with no let up from the dark, overcast conditions.

Started at Titchwell, but little was showing - little egret was the highlight there, with the wind keeping the harriers down. A few snipe (Gallinago gallinago; click for larger) were roosting at the edge of the reeds and showing how excellent their camouflage is, and there were decent duck numbers (shelduck, pintail, shoveler, teal and mallard) around. A flock of oystercatchers roosted on a spit, joined by a few dunlin and a solitary sanderling.

After the disappointing start, I stopped off in Thornham Harbour following up reports of a large flock of twite, which is a pretty uncommon small finch. They showed straight away, with a flock of over 30 rising from the vegetation near the car park. The tide was out, and I managed to get some images of waders, including redshank (Tringa totanus; click for larger), dunlin (Calidris alpina; click for larger; Black and White conversion at bottom too) and ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula; click for larger). Curlew, turnstone, grey plover and greenshank were also present.


Took the route home through the countryside where the barn owl had shown so well a few days ago. No chance of any images, but great views of two individuals separated by a few miles. Also some great views of hare, so yet again it was a challenging day with few good images, but some good species picked up along the way.

Cley, Norfolk

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Cley is the third of the great triumvirate of north Norfolk coastal birding sites, along with Titchwell and Snettisham. The forecast had been for a freezing day, but the cloud cover had held overnight so it was cold, but not as punishing as the previous few days. At the same time, I was hoping for clear skies and decent light, but yet again, the conditions were poor for photography.

A lot of the images today from the scrapes were record shots - birds were a bit distant, such as these avocets (Recurvirostra avosetta; click for larger), and brent geese in front of one of the hides (Branta bernicla; click for larger). A marsh harrier hunted in the distance, and there were groups of redshank, ruff, lapwing, golden plover and black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa; click for larger).


On the shore, only turnstones allowed a very close approach (Arenaria interpres; click for larger), but there was very little else moving. Searching through nearby fields turned up more brent geese (Branta bernicla; click for larger), teal, wigeon, snipe and a solitary bean goose, which was a good highlight to end the day on.

Snettisham, Norfolk

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Quick visit to Snettisham at sundown to watch the pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus; click for larger) returning to the Wash to roost. Completely incredible - not what I expected at all. Tens of thousands of geese flying over in formation at sunset. If the numbers yesterday morning were impressive, this seemed to be all returning overhead in the space of a few minutes. Truly awesome and impossible to capture...

Snettisham, Norfolk

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Following on from ending the last year well, I decided that I would continue and start the new year as I'd like to be able to continue (a vain hope I know!). It was an early morning start today to get to the coast at Snettisham before dawn, aiming to catch one of Britain's most incredible wildlife spectacles - the flight of pink-footed geese from their roost on the Wash to their feeding grounds on nearby stubble fields.

Again, the weather was bitter and the light very poor, so photographic opportunities were limited, and instead I made the best of the chance to see some interesting wildlife. Walking down the causeway, which splits the shingle shoreline from the pools, I saw a stoat dash across the path. A couple of seconds later, a rabbit dashed from the vegetation, hotly pursued by the stoat, eventually escaping.

The noise from the pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus; click for larger - Black and White conversion) was incredible, and suddenly 1000s rose into the air and headed off, with their clangorous calls and the sound of their wings filling the air. Over the next hour or so it felt like a constant stream of geese passed over - absolutely amazing. These geese only winter in a few areas, and the Wash is one of their most important sites, with around 150,000 arriving here from breeding locations in Iceland and Greenland. I have never seen anything quite like this before, and feel very privileged to have had the opportunity.


While the mudflats had large numbers of waders (primarily dunlin and knot) in the distance, I spent some time overlooking the pools. These were formed during the second world war, when the gravel was extracted to make concrete for bomber runways. The pools are now important wader roosts, especially at spring high tides, but this week the tides are not particultly high, so few waders came in, with only turnstone, redshank (Tringa totanus; click for larger) and lapwing (Vanellus vanellus; click for larger - Black and White conversion) present. There were also goldeneye, mallard, tufted duck and large numbers of wigeon. A hare also dashed past - they're evidently more common in Norfolk than Surrey!


The light actually got worse as the day progressed, and as the drizzle threatened to set in, I headed back. Most of the geese had gone, but there was one more pleasant surprise on the way back - a small flock of snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis; click for larger) foraging on the shore line. Snow buntings are long distance migrants, visiting us in the winter from the Arctic. They are one of my favourite small birds, and provided an excellent end to the day.