NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Birds on visible migration (vis-mig) can provide some of the most spectacular of ornithological experiences, so much so that there is a band of birders who dedicate their time to seeking out such events. I count myself as one of them albeit on a lower plane than the most obsessive of aficionados. It is a sub-sect of the birding family that will spend hours scouring weather maps for tell-tell signs of a possible upcoming vis-mig happening and will then ensure that they are at their chosen vantage point by, or shortly after, dawn. There are websites devoted to the observations gathered by such birders (for example Trektellen ) and also WhatsApp groups where data can be instantly shared. It is an inclusive world in which the celebration of bird migration is a central pillar. People that you have never met become virtual friends and places that you have never visited become as familiar as your own back garden. Those that get their vis-mig kicks from sea watching will hopefully excuse my la...

In birding, timing can mean the difference between an average day in the field and that of a spectacular one. Good timing can be helped by reading the weather conditions correctly, or understanding local conditions but it is more often down to pure luck. In this case, I just got lucky... I had not visited Dungeness since March 2022, quite a gap for me. It was high time that I once more trod the shingle and my timing of a visit was down to several factors, mostly a personal liking for mid-late autumn but also because I needed to be at home until September 20th and could not make the journey south until then. I also chose to stay at the bird observatory for a few days rather than make it a day trip. All this conveniently found me stepping outside the observatory's back door in the breaking dawn of Sunday 22nd September, quickly making my way to the fishing boats, an area I prefer to stand to best appreciate any visible bird migration, an aspect of birding that I find exhilarating.  A...

Yesterday was taken up by wandering the Surrey Hills, mostly in the company of brother-in-law Bill. A cool dawn start at Box Hill saw a modest westerly passage of Common Swifts (59) with single Sand Martin and Swallow going in the same direction. The first sign of Woodpigeons flying purposefully south off of the scarp was also evident - there will be thousands doing the same thing by October and November. An 11-mile hike across the landscape was then enjoyed, starting and finishing at Denbies Hillside, taking in Ranmore Common, Polesden Lacey, Leatherhead, the River Mole to Westhumble and finally back up the hill along the side of the vineyard. A few highlights: Greater Dodder - this rarity was found on two nettle patches, at Leatherhead and Westhumble A family party of Swallows were being fed by their parents along the banks of the river A brief spell of sun saw a patch of brambles come alive with butterflies, including this battered White Admiral

My most enjoyable natural history events of the past five years continue: 7. Hirundines at Canons Farm The evening of September 20th 2017 saw me standing in the back garden when a group of Swallows powered through at head height, followed by another group a few minutes later. Over the next hour several hundred had done likewise, and as the daylight faded I resolved to be out in the field the following morning to see if this was the start of a meaningful hirundine push. Arriving at Canons Farm at 07.15hrs I was pleased to see that there were already a few hirundines on the move. I settled down at my favourite observation point and waited. My wait was not a long one, as within half-an-hour 1200 Swallow and 70 House Martin had moved through, at a modest elevation and seemingly taking two well defined routes. House Martins then came to the fore, as in the next 30 minutes they numbered a further 730 birds, with Swallows mustering 600. The passage then abruptly stopped. I was more tha...

Dawn at Holmethorpe. Under a clear sky there was never going to be a bumper drop of migrants, but within an hour it was clear that Gordon and I were going to have to dig deep to unearth any highlights. Apart from a modest suite of warblers (Cetti's, Reed, Sedge, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Willow), a Common Sandpiper and a paltry handful of hirundines it was hard work. A two-hour mid-morning skywatch from Nutfield Ridge was characterised by rising temperatures, a southerly flow of gulls (500+ Herring and 30 Lesser Black-backed) and three pristine Yellow Wagtails. A stop off at Mogador on the way home was soporific on many counts, not least the lack of birds, although the two Swallows in the photograph above posed for a picture. We spend all Winter dreaming of Spring, and when it comes a lot of our birding time is taken up wondering where all the birds are and whether or not the odd surprise will be thrown in for good measure. I'm due a good day...

Arriving at Canons Farm at 07.15hrs, practically the first birds that I saw were a small group of Swallows heading south - my hope that yesterday's movement would continue looked good! I settled down at a vantage point that gave me far-reaching all-round views and waited. It was soon obvious that it was all systems go... After half-an-hour 1200 Swallows and 70 House Martins had moved through, at a modest elevation and seemingly taking two well defined routes. It was then that House Martins came to the fore, as in the next 30 minutes they numbered a further 730 birds with Swallows mustering 600. The passage then abruptly stopped. I was more than happy with what I had seen, and took myself on a wander around the farm, with one eye on the sky in case the hirundines started up again, which they did at 11.00hrs. There then followed an incredible couple of hours. House Martins started to barrel in, in wide open flocks, up to 700 in 15 minutes then a massive pulse of 1800 in just 10 min...

They were arriving high above me, too high to be seen with the naked eye, and had I not been scanning with binoculars I would have missed them. They were spaced out and came in pulses, the largest group being 50 strong. A few of the birds dropped lower and resolved themselves to be mostly House Martins with a few Swallows as company. Being at elevation, standing on the mound that overlooks The Watercolours pits at Holmethorpe, I had a good 360 degree view. The hirundines continued to arrive and head off east, but they still mostly kept high. Had I not known they were up there they would have carried on with their remarkable journeys unobserved by human eye. A journey that many of them would be making for the first time, born of instinct and need. After only 45 minutes the procession dried up, leaving me wanting more, but my notebook told me that 700 House Martins and 300 Swallow had moved through. I stepped out into the garden at 18.05hrs to have three Swallows zip inches over my hea...

I was on site at 06.00hrs - not a breath of wind nor a cloud in the sky. Chiffchaffs were already proclaiming their place at the edges of the woodland, with at least eight birds present. Quite a few of them were moving through, singing briefly from a tree top before flitting on and repeating the process. I wouldn't mind betting that most of them are nowhere near Canons Farm this evening. A couple of Redpolls passed overhead, but little else was moving this early. It was not until 10.00hrs that things picked up. I bumped into David Campbell and we took up position at the watchpoint close to Canons Farmhouse barns. Almost immediately two Common Buzzards flew purposely through northwards, followed by a Red Kite, then possibly another, although we couldn't rule out that it was our original bird. 15 minutes later an undoubted second bird appeared from the east and headed westwards. A trickle of Meadow Pipits overhead went undetected save for the odd call and the flock of 200 Li...