NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Last day of April. Cold. Dull. Wet. Very wet. What better antidote to all of this weather misery than to bathe in the memories of those warm, colourful days of summer with this offering of colour via the mass-flowering of plants, all mostly from a single species. They'll soon be here again... Kidney Vetch, Banstead Downs Wild Carrot, Langley Bottom Common Poppy, Langley Bottom Bluebell, Margery Wood

Part 14 September – October 1976 The settling beds at Beddington Sewage Farm were in good condition to entice passage waders down to feed, the effluent being not too wet and not too dry, and when seen from above they mimicked small inland estuaries. The star birds were a Spotted Redshank, a Little Stint and a flock of Ruff that, over the course of a week, built up to 17 birds. House Martin numbers were also increasing, and it was not just passage migrants that were swelling the numbers, as those that had been locally fledged were also taking to the skies. Up to 600 were feeding above Beddington in mid-September and a faithful group of 100-200 birds remained above Sutton town centre well into October. There were still young in some of the nests, these muddy cups being a common enough sight under the eaves of houses in many suburban streets. Another species gathering in numbers was the House Sparrow, with gangs of 30+ being found with regularity in the neighbourhood front gardens, th...

I have just spent a quite marvellous hour listening to a podcast created by Charlie Moores at 'The Sound Approach' in which he chats to Portland Bill Bird Observatory's affable warden, Martin Cade. It is a delight. The chat - this is no formal interview - is full of anecdote and insight into the good work of PBO down the years, their current plans and what it is that makes this particular warden tick. You can hear the podcast for yourself by clicking here. Portland Bill BO is one of those places that I have always enjoyed visiting but have not visited often enough. My first visit was in September 1977, when a Balearic Shearwater sailed onto my British list (there was also a sick Leach's Petrel in a cardboard box). This was followed by encounters with a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1979) and an Ivory Gull (1980). I didn't actually stay at the observatory until 1982, a late-April sojourn that was characterised by snow and a raging hangover. Since then it has been a place...

This is a species that has increased greatly here in Banstead. The first for the year came to the MV early on Saturday evening, but a thunderstorm overnight tripped the electricity, so I came down to an emptyish trap (and attendant cold bulb) on Sunday morning...

I have been collating material for a paper on the Hawfinch irruption in Surrey for future publication in the Surrey Bird Report. As this is unlikely to see the light of day for a while, I thought it worthwhile making the first draft accessible, not only because it is still fresh in the minds of those who witnessed it, but also in the hope that there will be plenty more information forthcoming from observers who will hopefully read it. This is very much a first draft. The Surrey Hawfinch irruption paper has been updated, with Wes Attridge's ringing data added. Please click on this link to download.

The past couple of nights has seen a welcome increase in the number of moths (and species) coming to the garden MV here in Surrey - nothing too unusual, but a Red Chestnut (above) is not annual here. Also pictured are Brindled Beauty (below) and Lunar Marbled Brown (bottom).

A splendid three days at Dungeness, staying at the exclusive 'Hotel Hollingworth', with fine whiskey and dodgy country music being the establishment's specialities... The birding was wonderful. High pressure and hot sun are never going to be the ideal conditions for a fall/arrival, but is always good for a bit of skywatching, and the sea was better than expected. An intense hour-and-a-half of birding with Mark H occurred yesterday (19th), with a marked movement of raptors, the birds seemingly arriving from the north and concentrating around the Water Tower/Boulderwall area before spiralling away high or carrying on southwards, across the reserve. The most numerous were Common Buzzard (14), Marsh Harrier (10, with a further four local birds), 4 Sparrowhawk, a Red Kite and most notable of all, a thuggish female Goshawk. Prior to this raptor-fest, a flock of three Hawfinches headed eastwards, possibly pitching down in bushes close to the RSPB visitor centre. Sea watch...