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 128 species (60.09% of personal historic total).

My focus will now be on a few missing passage migrants such as Tree Pipit and Common Redstart, before I head off down to Dungeness for a few days.

Comments

Stewart said…
Wood Sand would be a patch first for me Steve, and Greenshank is less than annual, but I had a bonues tonight with 4 Knot, my first on site since 2011...keep up the good work.
17 August 2019 at 23:53
Steve Gale said…
It’s certainly going to be close Stewart. And those Knot are the equal of a Giant Petrel...
18 August 2019 at 14:33
Yossarian said…
Wonderful how a little scraggy forgotten part of London-Surrey, that's not at all souped-up as a wildlife centre, can be so rich in birdlife and flora.
20 August 2019 at 10:11
Steve Gale said…
It’s been a Mecca for over a century Adam.
20 August 2019 at 13:54
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