Surrey v Northumberland catch-up
By the end of May, the Surrey v Northumberland birding patch challenge seemed to be going in just the one direction - and that was northbound! My spring campaign was heavy on effort but light on reward. And then Stewart's early summer was lit up by some truly memorable birding . It all seemed like a foregone conclusion that, regardless of my best intentions, I was going to get walloped. But then Beddington (above) came to the rescue. The sewage farm has always been a part of the 'uber-patch' but in recent times I have not been able to gain independent access to the site. That all changed in early July. The net result? A great big burst of wader additions to the list - Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Dunlin, Redshank, Oystercatcher and Turnstone - the latter two good species for the inland birder. A Red-crested Pochard and a Spotted Flycatcher (sadly a scarce passage migrant in my area nowadays) have also been gains this week. So, that means: Uber patch 2019 total is ...