Birds and football

On the evening of 26 April 2022 I met up with fellow birder-cum-football fanatic Jake Everitt to watch the Sutton United v Crawley Town league clash. As we stood in the balmy sunshine, appreciating the home team's demolition of their West Sussex opposition (3-0 final score) we started to talk about the football grounds we had visited and - more pertinently - the species of bird we had seen while watching football. I was surprised to learn that there was another person barmy enough to keep a 'birds seen at football' list - I thought that I was alone in such a niche pastime. As it turned out Jake had been to many more grounds than me and also seen plenty more birds. My records of a Little Egret and Lapwing flying over Gander Green Lane just didn't cut it. There and then we decided to embark on a season-long competition (2022-23) to see who could record more species of bird from football grounds than the other, with the rules of combat being thrashed out. They were:

The winner be the person who has observed (or heard) the highest number of birds species during the 2022-23 season, from football ground premises whilst attending a match. Birds seen prior and post kick-off will count, but hanging around outside of the ground does not!

Confined to games that involve at least one club from Steps 1-6 in England and Wales (Scottish equivalent permitted.)

Friendlies, league, cup and play-offs allowed.

No optics, just eyes and ears.

The result of that season's competition was written up here if you are so inclined to see what happened. But what has occurred since then and how is it best to approach this dual role of football spectator and birder?

Big isn't best. Generally speaking the larger the ground the least likely that you will record many bird species. The White Hart Lane Stadium may well be one of the best in the world, but the vast stands blot out most of the sky, leaving a postage-stamp area of blue available. I did manage Cormorant on my last visit there. My best observation at what could be termed a 'proper' stadium was a Red Kite at Reading v Fulham, sometime before that species became so common that it now appears on all of my ground lists from Surrey-based teams. In fact a recent match between Banstead Athletic and Chessington & Hook was accompanied by a Red Kite that regularly patrolled the pitch side as the players huffed and puffed below, oblivious to the raptors presence just feet above them.

Unhindered views from the ground. It seems obvious that if you can see out from - and therefore beyond - the ground you increase your chances of recording the birdlife in the general area. South Park Reigate, Cobham and Chipstead are just three of the local grounds that offer fairly clear views across the neighbouring fields and paddocks. On my one visit to the Netherne Stadium at Coulsden (a grand name for a football pitch surrounded by rope!) the surrounding hedgerows abutted the playing area to the point that I spent as much time watching Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Yellowhammers as I did the match itself (a friendly between Reigate Priory and Beckenham). This is still the only occasion that I have recorded the latter two species mentioned. 

Water nearby is a big plus point. Tooting and Mitcham's ground is right next to the River Wandle and has supplied me with calling Little Grebe and Coot. Leatherhead's ground is but a stone's throw from the River Mole (which often floods the pitch!) which no doubt helped entice a pair of Egyptian Geese to fly onto my list here. A preseason friendly at Axminster Town allowed restricted views of some ponds that tantalised me enough to almost strain my neck in trying to see through a small gap in the fencing, but a calling Moorhen made up for the aches and pains.

Night games can provide! Chipstead's ground is close to horse paddocks with large mature trees that are spaced out so that the area resembles parkland - I always thought that it looked good for Little Owls - and so it proved with a calling bird on chilly winter evening. More unexpected was a calling Common Scoter recently over the Banstead Athletic ground at Merland Rise.

Noise is an enemy. Needless to say, a crowd of 60,000 will stop you from hearing a flock of 1,000 screaming Ring-necked Parakeets, but even at the other end of the scale, a crowd of 100 can create enough background noise to muffle out most bird calls overhead. Another dampener is any ground that plays pre-match music over a tannoy. Fortunately a number of the grounds that I attend are still music free.

Expect the unexpected. So far my highlights include Little Grebe, Little Egret, Egyptian Goose, Common Scoter, Osprey (Redhill v Guildford City), Lapwing, Little Owl, Whitethroat, Raven and Yellowhammer. There are still plenty of species to expect, with Skylark and Meadow Pipit surprising omissions. As for the likes of Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Siskin, Redpoll and Bullfinch, I need a ground which has habitat right up against the pitch and relative silence!

So far my species total is on 70. How do I boost that in one easy go? Next time I'm down at Dungeness and Lydd Town are playing at home I need to go. The ground is on the edge of Dengemarsh and I reckon that a number of additions will not just be possible, but almost certain...