Birding in the slow lane


Any birding trip taken close to my home is not going to be one laden with expectation. The woods, heaths and downs are picturesque, brilliant for plants and invertebrates, but are lacking when it comes to birds. Breeding diversity is poor; spring and autumn passage is hit-or-miss (mostly miss); wintering flocks are either feast or famine (mostly famine). But working on the assumption that 'if you don't look you won't see' I soldier on. I can always nip down to the coast if I start to get ornithological stir-crazy.

This morning I visited a completely new site, Great Hurst Wood (above). It is situated between Walton-on-the-Hill and Headley, and is bisected by that modern monstrosity, the M25. A section of the wood is elvated on a hill, the soil here being quite wet, and this is where I came across a small party of three Marsh Tits, whose calls were thankfully not drowned out by the thousands of vehicles only a few hundred metres away. There are quieter sections of the wood, but apart from the expected woodland species, little was seen. It is pleasing to have another northern Surrey outpost for Marsh Tit, these birds being close to those at Headley Heath and Little Hurst Wood. It makes me wonder why the Banstead Woods birds seem to be either on the way out, or already gone.

I returned to Epsom Downs via Walton Downs, where highlights were a covey of 4 Red-legged Partridge and 80+ Stock Dove. I didn't manage to locate the Langley Vale Farm Skylark flock, nor any of the roosting Little Owls. With the skies leadening and the wind quickly picking up, I beat a retreat.

Comments

Derek Faulkner said…
3 Marsh Tits will make both you and the new site the envy of many people.
12 December 2015 at 16:06
Steve Gale said…
They are hanging on in my part of Surrey, Derek. For some reason the Banstead Woods population seems to be on the way out.
12 December 2015 at 16:21
GeoffB said…
The last place I saw Marsh tit at CFBW was Pages Acre Steve about 3 years ago , not since sadly
12 December 2015 at 19:28
Steve Gale said…
Alas Geoff, I think they've gone. Even though the populations that are mentioned above are only 3-4 miles away, they don't seem to wander.
12 December 2015 at 20:49
Gibster said…
Well you say that Steve, but I've had Marsh Tit on Epsom Common a couple of times in the past 3 years but only in the winter period. Where are they in the breeding season? I also remember Willow Tit on the same site, no sign of them (winter or breeding season) for many years now.
13 December 2015 at 00:24
Steve Gale said…
Nice to know that Marsh Tits are still on Epsom Common, Seth. I, too, remember Willow Tits there, but as you say, that is many years ago now.
13 December 2015 at 08:04
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Goldfinches and Lavender

Image
We have three medium-sized Lavender bushes in our back garden. Throughout the summer the flowers (which last for several months) are a magnet for insects and give off a most restful aroma. As tempting as it is to cut the dead stems in the autumn, we always leave them, as we know that during the late winter we will get visitors to feed on the seed heads... This video was taken from the kitchen window this morning. We will normally see one or two birds over a few days, but have had up to 14 at once. We never tire of watching them. Lavender is a wonderful plant to have in the garden, with year round natural history benefits. So what are you waiting for? They are readily available at a garden centre close to you right now! There is an historic association with Lavender in this part of northern Surrey and south London. Lavender fields have been harvested for many years, with one particular field close to Woodmansterne being very popular with day trippers. A significant proportion o
Read more

Time to reflect

I normally come up with the title for a post after I have written it. If I'm feeling creative it will be some sort of play on words, or if I'm not then an all-encompassing word or two will do. As for this particular post, and with a few things to discuss, I've written the title first, inspired by having just read a feature about musicians who have used the title of an album as the starting point for their creative exercise. Here goes... Firstly, blogs - yes, this very medium that I am writing in and you are reading from. - what content they derive, the reason that the content exists and what the writer should (or should not) expect from any reader that visits the blog. This was brought into sharp focus by a series of posts to be found here, at Jono Lethbridge's excellent 'Wansted Birder'.   His blogging output has recently included detailed and entertaining reports on his recent overseas trips which have received a bit of flak from certain quarters. None of us b
Read more

To tell it like it is, or not...

Image
I am grateful to Gavin Haig (Not Quite Scilly) who drew my attention to an opinion piece, penned by Matt Phelps, which appeared in the November issue of 'Birdwatch' magazine, entitled 'Positive Approach', which I have now read. In it, he suggests that there is too much negativity being posted on social media regarding the state of our birding world, which is then acting as a deterrent towards a younger generation in adopting conservation and wildlife study. He also suggests that a lot of this negativity is being generated by older birders, and that these old timers keep banging on about the 'good old days' which isn't helpful in encouraging the youth to pick up a pair of binoculars and get out into the field. Does he have a point? Now, I am undeniably an older birder, and I am also guilty of having posted, blogged, written and spoken about the slump in bird and invertebrate numbers. I also like nothing better than to revisit my notebooks and share in the hi
Read more