NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Part 2: Jan – February 1975   I was starting to move away from the local parks and woodland to get my bird watching fix, and was drawn to two locations in particular – Beddington Sewage Farm and Epsom Common. The former site had come to my attention via the pages of ‘Where to Watch Birds’ by John Gooders. This book listed some of the best places in Britain to go birding, and Beddington had received a glowing write-up from the author, accompanied by a species list and details of how to obtain a permit to visit. Apart from being but a twenty-minute cycle ride from home, the promise of a Short-eared Owl was all the encouragement that I needed. Within a week I had that permit in my hand, a flimsy white piece of paper that had been crudely typewritten – not the grand illuminated document that I had hoped for. But never the less, it was my golden ticket to a promised land, my entry to a place that was notable for its birds. My excitement was barely containable. That first visit was ...

Part One: April 1974. Sutton Manor High School, Greater London. That morning’s art lesson was to create a picture titled ‘Conflict’. We pupils, almost as a whole, interpreted this as an excuse to let our 14 and 15-year old minds loose and depict images of battle, blood and weaponry. The poster paint and charcoal in our hands was soon being used to manufacture imagined violence. But one pupil had expressed a different take on the subject matter, and one that was to have a lasting effect on me. I stood over this ‘alternative’ painting – that of a cat, leaping into the air with paw outstretched, a claw-tipped swipe narrowly missing a fleeing bird. The latter appeared exotic, and my curiosity was aroused. “Is the bird a parrot?” I asked. My classmate slowly shook his head, accompanied by a chuckle that suggested I had made a foolish mistake. “No, it’s called a Jay. You’d see them in your garden.” This, I could not believe. I had never before observed a bird that was so colourful, at ...

This was Downs Field this morning, from the lower, south-eastern corner. It is a big field - I don't know its acreage or hectarage I'm afraid, but I wouldn't like to have to run around its perimeter thank you very much! As you can see from the photograph above, it gently slopes up towards the west, reaching a plateau that continues for a good 200m towards a minor road. It is at this furthest point that the Night-flowering Catchfly used to be found, along with more Sharp-leaved and Round-leaved Fluellens that you could shake a stick at. In fact, this strip held a vibrant arable weed community. I could find four loafing Lapwing, but no interaction or display was observed. A further lurking Lapwing was found on 40 Acre Field South. As I have mentioned before, The Woodland Trust are going to plant this field with trees to establish their Centenary Wood. Although I have not totally given up on attempts to persuade them to spare the field from such action, I do think it high...

This afternoon I was able to attend a meeting between The Woodland Trust and a few of us local naturalists who have voiced concerns over the Langley Vale Wood project. I don't believe this post to be an appropriate place to name those present or to quote directly from any specific conversation. Three senior WT staff were present, with 'concerned' representation coming from several birders, botanists, entomologists and general all round naturalists / conservationists. The discussion was robust and direct from both sides. In brief, the provision for the care of the existing arable flora is, on the whole, better than I could have hoped for. Plantlife are preparing a working document for the WT, and there is provision to have an eminent botanist as part of a specialist steering group. There is a commitment to continually monitor the plants and adjust management on a rolling plan. The designated 'arable plant areas' are in the correct places. That's the good... T...

Today appears to be the day that the spring migrants have chosen to arrive in good number for the first time - coastal stations are widely reporting Wheatears (with some London birders also getting in on the act), Garganey are filtering through on sea and arriving at wetlands, and there are even Alpine Swifts blessing a few birders with brief, pulse-quickening fly-bys. Me? None of the above. I have tried, a couple of hours at Priest Hill this morning that, although summer migrant-less, did have its interests. A flock of 25 Meadow Pipits were restless brief stop overs; there were still three Reed Buntings on site; up to 15 Skylarks were present (with much singing and chasing); two Little Owls were calling from the south-eastern hedge; and a Tawny Owl joined in from the main copse. Yesterday, I met up there with local birder Steve Thomas, someone who has visited Priest Hill infrequently over the past few years. He successfully gripped me off with tales of old - two reeling Grassho...

This morning's circuit of Priest Hill revealed a small number of Meadow Pipits (above) moving through, at least two Reed Buntings were still hanging on, and for the second consecutive day there were seemingly no Stonechats. Species recorded that were unusual on site included a female Bullfinch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Much scanning of the nearby playing fields could not reveal a single White-arse... patience dear boy, patience...

With frequent rain and a few chores to be getting on with at home, I sneaked out during a dry period in the late morning and made a stealth visit to Priest Hill. Highlight was a Red Kite, that came in lazily from the SW, then drifted north before making a sudden U-turn and purposefully left southwards. A couple of what can only be described as 'record shots' are presented above. A Cormorant east was the only other unexpected sighting.