The two Barn Owls were still at Canons Farm. A Woodcock was inadvertendly flushed from Harholt Plantation (The Scrub). The pair of Stonechats were again in Hither Field. A Bullfinch, two Fieldfares and two Redwings were also seen in the Banstead Woods sector. Two Yellowhammers were noted at the farm.
Geoff Barter and Duncan Jennings
Sorry, but there will be no updates till at least 14th December - please continue to submit your records and they'll be caught up on upon my return to the country - DKC
New map
A 'prototype' of a new map covering extra sub-sites and incorporating updated names (in light of discovering official/historical/local names as well as making an effort to be make other names more relevant to the local area) has now been uploaded to the Map page. It also plots public rights of way. This is very much a work in progress, so please let us know what you think via email.
Also please note that after tomorrow evening there will be no updates till at least 14th December unless any group members would like to volunteer to post updates during this period
Also please note that after tomorrow evening there will be no updates till at least 14th December unless any group members would like to volunteer to post updates during this period
28th November 2016
In the evening, both Barn Owls were seen again as they patrolled Harrier Field. A group of five redpolls were seen between Piddly Pond and The Scrub and a singleton flew over the farm. Five Siskins were showing well around the larches near the Reads Rest Lane entrance to Banstead Woods.
Other sightings from the Canons Farm sector included a Pheasant, three Common Buzzards, a Common Gull, 50 Skylarks, 50 Fieldfares, 30 Redwings, a Mistle Thrush, two Pied Wagtails, a Meadow Pipit, a Bullfinch, four Greenfinches, 100 Linnets, 40 Goldfinches and seven Yellowhammers. The Banstead Woods sector held a Common Buzzard, 10 Redwings and three Bullfinches among a typical assortment of woodland birds.
Geoff Barter, David Campbell (photos), Duncan Jennings and Phil Wallace
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| juvenile Common Buzzard, Reads Rest Cottages |
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| adult ♂ Yellowhammer, Infront George Field |
Other sightings from the Canons Farm sector included a Pheasant, three Common Buzzards, a Common Gull, 50 Skylarks, 50 Fieldfares, 30 Redwings, a Mistle Thrush, two Pied Wagtails, a Meadow Pipit, a Bullfinch, four Greenfinches, 100 Linnets, 40 Goldfinches and seven Yellowhammers. The Banstead Woods sector held a Common Buzzard, 10 Redwings and three Bullfinches among a typical assortment of woodland birds.
Geoff Barter, David Campbell (photos), Duncan Jennings and Phil Wallace
27th November 2016
A late (wintering?) Chiffchaff and a Lesser Redpoll were noted in Pages Acre and a Grey Wagtail flew over Wood Lane. Come the evening, the Barn Owl was seen in the usual area and two Little Owls were calling. In Banstead Woods, the female Stonechat was still in Holly Lane Meadow. A reasonable number of Fieldfares and Redwings were enjoying the ample supply of berries along Slangs and using Lunch Wood as a refuge, conservative totals for each being 75 and 60 respectively. Other sightings in the Canons Farm sector included a Pheasant, a Common Buzzard, two adult Common Gulls on the Legal & General sports field with 115 Black-headed Gulls, three Kestrels, 15 Jays, a Rook, 17 Goldcrests, just 16 Skylarks, 35 Long-tailed Tits, 13 Song Thrushes, two Pied Wagtails, a Meadow Pipit, three Bullfinches, four Greenfinches, 200 Linnets, 60 Goldfinches and eight Yellowhammers. Further sightings over in the Banstead Woods half of the patch were two Common Buzzards, a Kestrel, 12 Fieldfares, 50 Redwings, five Bullfinches and a Greenfinch.
Jack Barnes, David Campbell (photos 3-6), Nick Gardner, Ian Magness and Ian Ward (photos 1-2)
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| Herring Gulls squabbling, Banstead Woods |
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| ♀ Stonechat, Holly Lane Meadow |
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| Fieldfare, Slangs |
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| Kestrel, Canons Farm |
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| Kestrel, Canons Farm |
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| Common Gull, Legal & General |
Jack Barnes, David Campbell (photos 3-6), Nick Gardner, Ian Magness and Ian Ward (photos 1-2)
26th November 2016
Five Lapwings appeared in Infront George Field mid-afternoon; a treat considering the species' scarcity in our recording area so far this year. In the late afternoon, one of the Barn Owls quartered Harrier Field and a Woodcock was seen to drop in there; two Little Owls and a Tawny Owl were also heard at the farm in the twilight. Six Siskins were seen in Banstead Woods, including three still around the larches near the Reads Rest Lane entrance. Four Mistle Thrushes included two in each sector. Four Meadow Pipits were seen over Broadfield and two more flew over the Woods. Three Rooks included two over Fames Rough and one at the farm. As many as 150 Redwings busied themselves by gorging on berries and sub-singing in Banstead Woods.
Other sightings included a hen Pheasant, seven Bullfinches and a Greenfinch in the Banstead Woods sector and two Pheasants, a Common Buzzard, a Kestrel, 60 Skylarks, 50 Fieldfares, 40 Redwings, two Pied Wagtails, a Bullfinch, a Greenfinch, 75 Linnets, 50 Goldfinches and eight Yellowhammers at the farm.
David Campbell (Mistle Thrush and Treecreeper photos), Darragh Culley, Paul Goodman, Ian Magness (Lapwing photo) and Ian Ward
Other sightings included a hen Pheasant, seven Bullfinches and a Greenfinch in the Banstead Woods sector and two Pheasants, a Common Buzzard, a Kestrel, 60 Skylarks, 50 Fieldfares, 40 Redwings, two Pied Wagtails, a Bullfinch, a Greenfinch, 75 Linnets, 50 Goldfinches and eight Yellowhammers at the farm.
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| Lapwing, Infront George Field |
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| Mistle Thrush, Sheep Brow |
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| Treecreeper, Banstead Woods |
David Campbell (Mistle Thrush and Treecreeper photos), Darragh Culley, Paul Goodman, Ian Magness (Lapwing photo) and Ian Ward
25th November 2016
A decent day for finches in Banstead Woods was headlined by a female Brambling feeding busily with Chaffinches in an ash tree between Piddly Pond and The Scrub. Three Siskins had discovered a convenient tree hollow from which to drink by the larches near the Reads Rest Lane entrance and said larches drew in a Lesser Redpoll. Two Stonechats, a male and a female, looked at home in Hither Field and a pair of Mallards paraded around Piddly Pond. A Rook flew over the east side of the Woods and six Bullfinches were counted in the sector. Highlights at the farm were limited to a Meadow Pipit, five Rooks and six Common Gulls.
Other sightings included two Common Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, 40 Skylarks, 12 Fieldfares, three Redwings, a Pied Wagtail, 150 Linnets and a Yellowhammer at the farm; additional sightings at Banstead Woods included a Pheasant, a Common Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, three Fieldfares, four Song Thrushes, three Redwings.
David Campbell (photos), Paul Goodman and Duncan Jennings
Please note there will be no updates from 30th November to 15th December, unless any group members are willing to take the reigns and post brief key updates for a couple of weeks..?
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| ♂ Siskin, Banstead Woods |
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| ♂ Chaffinch, Reads Rest Cottages |
Other sightings included two Common Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, 40 Skylarks, 12 Fieldfares, three Redwings, a Pied Wagtail, 150 Linnets and a Yellowhammer at the farm; additional sightings at Banstead Woods included a Pheasant, a Common Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, three Fieldfares, four Song Thrushes, three Redwings.
David Campbell (photos), Paul Goodman and Duncan Jennings
Please note there will be no updates from 30th November to 15th December, unless any group members are willing to take the reigns and post brief key updates for a couple of weeks..?
24th November 2016
A blustery day, with a Siskin feeding in trees along the Short Route in Banstead Woods and a redpoll heard flying over there being the highlights. Two Rooks were feeding with the other corvids in Broadfield. Two Mallards flew over the farm, where a Meadow Pipit remained and three Pied Wagtails flew over. Thrushes included around 20 Fieldfares and 60 Redwings at the farm and 10 more of the latter in Banstead Woods. Three Lesser Black-backed Gulls passed overhead and Linnet numbers at the farm increased to around 500. The approachable juvenile Common Buzzard maintains its residence around Reads Rest Cottages and one of the Barn Owls was still on site, as were at least six Yellowhammers.
A late Comma was seen in Banstead Woods.
Please note there will be no updates from 30th November to 15th December, unless any group members are willing to take the reigns and post brief key updates for a couple of weeks (which would be appreciated)
Geoff Barter and David Campbell
A late Comma was seen in Banstead Woods.
Please note there will be no updates from 30th November to 15th December, unless any group members are willing to take the reigns and post brief key updates for a couple of weeks (which would be appreciated)
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| juvenile Common Buzzard |
23rd November 2016
Limited coverage at the farm produced nothing 'better' than two Mistle Thrushes and five Meadow Pipits. The fog tempted a few gulls onto Legal & General in the morning, including a single Common Gull among 52 Black-headed and 19 Herring Gulls. An influx of Blackbirds was quantified as a minimum of 50 birds.
Two Little Owls were heard in the evening, which is when the wind chose to pick up and a blank was drawn on the Barn Owl vigil which was maintained until nearly 17:00.
The only other birds to report from the farm were two Pheasants, two Common Buzzards, a Kestrel, 50 Fieldfares, five Redwings, five Song Thrushes, two Pied Wagtails, a Bullfinch, a Greenfinch, 175 Linnets and three Yellowhammers.
Jack Barnes, David Campbell and Ian Magness
Two Little Owls were heard in the evening, which is when the wind chose to pick up and a blank was drawn on the Barn Owl vigil which was maintained until nearly 17:00.
The only other birds to report from the farm were two Pheasants, two Common Buzzards, a Kestrel, 50 Fieldfares, five Redwings, five Song Thrushes, two Pied Wagtails, a Bullfinch, a Greenfinch, 175 Linnets and three Yellowhammers.
Jack Barnes, David Campbell and Ian Magness
22nd November 2016
Yes, today was also a bit grotty. Some observers braved the conditions, though, but nothing new of great consequence was discovered. A female Stonechat was in the fairly unusual location of Holly Lane Meadow, one of the Barn Owls was quartering the meadows north of Reads Rest Lane from 16:08 (an addition for DJ) and at least 60 Skylarks convened as a single flock.
Otherwise, the 'tame' juvenile Common Buzzard continued to frequent Reads Rest Cottages and a Pheasant, a Sparrowhawk, two Little Owls and a Pied Wagtail were at the farm. Additional sightings from the Banstead Woods sector included two Common Buzzards, a Fieldfare, a Song Thrush, five Redwings and a Bullfinch.
Geoff Barter, Steve Gale and Duncan Jennings
Otherwise, the 'tame' juvenile Common Buzzard continued to frequent Reads Rest Cottages and a Pheasant, a Sparrowhawk, two Little Owls and a Pied Wagtail were at the farm. Additional sightings from the Banstead Woods sector included two Common Buzzards, a Fieldfare, a Song Thrush, five Redwings and a Bullfinch.
Geoff Barter, Steve Gale and Duncan Jennings
21st November 2016
Another unpleasant day and a bit of a write-off for birding. The best the farm had to offer were 14 Rooks, a Mistle Thrush, a Meadow Pipit and a Pied Wagtail; other sightings there included two Common Buzzards, 25 Stock Doves, a Kestrel, 50 Skylarks, 30 Fieldfares, three Song Thrushes, 20 Redwings, 200 Linnets and five Yellowhammers.
David Campbell
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| 1cy ♂ Pied Wagtail |
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| 1cy Common Buzzard |
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| Adult ♂ Yellowhammer |
20th November 2016
The dingy, chilly conditions didn't stop a Red Kite drifting over in the afternoon. A redpoll, a Rook and nine Mallards also flew over. Two Barn Owls put on a good show as they quartered the meadows, the first one emerging at 16:20; meanwhile, four Little Owls and a Tawny Owl proclaimed themselves.
Otherwise, birds at the farm included two Pheasants, a Sparrowhawk, three Common Buzzards, a Common Gull, 30 Stock Doves, 10 Goldcrests, 30 Fieldfares, a Song Thrush, 15 Redwings, a Mistle Thrush, a Meadow Pipit, 110 Linnets and seven Yellowhammers.
David Campbell (photos) and Paul Goodman
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| Red Kite |
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| Barn Owl |
Otherwise, birds at the farm included two Pheasants, a Sparrowhawk, three Common Buzzards, a Common Gull, 30 Stock Doves, 10 Goldcrests, 30 Fieldfares, a Song Thrush, 15 Redwings, a Mistle Thrush, a Meadow Pipit, 110 Linnets and seven Yellowhammers.
David Campbell (photos) and Paul Goodman
19th November 2016
One of the Firecrests was still in Pages Acre (an addition for IGM) and a small influx of Siskins was noticeable, with six feeding in a birch in Banstead Woods and a further three flying over the farm. Two Mallards whizzed over the farm. Machinery moving in Skylark Field late in the afternoon attracted an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, around 80 Black-headed Gulls and 22 Herring Gulls to pitch down; earlier on, an adult Common Gull was quartering.
Other sightings at the farm included two Sparrowhawks, four Common Buzzards, 20 Stock Doves, around 60 Skylarks, 13 Fieldfares, two Redwings, four Song Thrushes, a Mistle Thrush, two Pied Wagtails, a Meadow Pipit, three Greenfinches, 70 Linnets and three Yellowhammers.
The Woods held six Bullfinches and another Common Buzzard.
A Red Admiral flew along the edge of Pages Acre.
David Campbell (photo), Ian Magness, Qasim Syed and Ian Ward
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| Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, Skylark Field |
Other sightings at the farm included two Sparrowhawks, four Common Buzzards, 20 Stock Doves, around 60 Skylarks, 13 Fieldfares, two Redwings, four Song Thrushes, a Mistle Thrush, two Pied Wagtails, a Meadow Pipit, three Greenfinches, 70 Linnets and three Yellowhammers.
The Woods held six Bullfinches and another Common Buzzard.
A Red Admiral flew along the edge of Pages Acre.
David Campbell (photo), Ian Magness, Qasim Syed and Ian Ward
18th November 2016
The highlight of the day came when two vocal Firecrests, a male and a female, performed well at the north end of the eastern flank of Pages Acre. A redpoll and two Mallards overflew the farm and a Brambling was heard above Fames Rough. The Barn Owl was still at the farm.
Eight Meadow Pipits were at the farm and another in Hither Field, two Bullfinches were at The Scrub while another Bullfinch, four Pheasants, two Little Owls, two Greenfinches, eight Skylarks, an adult Common Gull, 55 Linnets, a Pied Wagtail, four Yellowhammers and four Kestrels were at the farm. As for thrushes, around 20 Fieldfares and 55 Redwings were at the farm and a further six and one respectively were in the Woods. Treecreepers included one in Tawny Wood and three in the vicinity of Piddly Pond while three Common Buzzards were represented by a single at The Scrub and two at the farm.
Geoff Barter and David Campbell (photos)
Eight Meadow Pipits were at the farm and another in Hither Field, two Bullfinches were at The Scrub while another Bullfinch, four Pheasants, two Little Owls, two Greenfinches, eight Skylarks, an adult Common Gull, 55 Linnets, a Pied Wagtail, four Yellowhammers and four Kestrels were at the farm. As for thrushes, around 20 Fieldfares and 55 Redwings were at the farm and a further six and one respectively were in the Woods. Treecreepers included one in Tawny Wood and three in the vicinity of Piddly Pond while three Common Buzzards were represented by a single at The Scrub and two at the farm.
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| Firecrest, Pages Acre |
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| Common Buzzard, Reads Rest Cottages |
Geoff Barter and David Campbell (photos)
15th November 2016
Sightings from Banstead Woods included two Stonechats in Woodpecker Meadow, as well as a Sparrowhawk, three Fieldfares and 30 Redwings.
Duncan Jennings
Duncan Jennings
14th November
Another evening session during which it was too cloudy to see any special lunar events but sticking it out was worth it for the Barn Owl, which emerged a little later than last night, at 17:15 and began to quarter Horse Pasture. Four Little Owls were heard and local birds noted included two Pheasants and singles of Common Buzzard, Kestrel and Yellowhammer.
David Campbell and Phil Wallace
David Campbell and Phil Wallace
13th November
Eight angry Goldcrests were among the birds betraying the roost site of a Tawny Owl in, appropriately enough, Tawny Wood today. Thrushes at the farm included a single Mistle Thrush, at least 80 Fieldfares and perhaps 10 Redwings. The caravan site held a Pied Wagtail and in Hither Field were six Meadow Pipits and a Kestrel; two Bullfinches were elsewhere in the Woods sector. At 16:55, the Barn Owl was seen quartering Horse Pasture and at least six Little Owls were vocal at dusk.
Regular birders, please note: The texting system (or rather my phone) is broken again, so any urgent news will be disseminated via the Twitter feed
David Campbell, Phil Wallace and Ian Ward
Regular birders, please note: The texting system (or rather my phone) is broken again, so any urgent news will be disseminated via the Twitter feed
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| Tawny Owl in Tawny Wood (Ian Ward) |
David Campbell, Phil Wallace and Ian Ward
11th November
It was a pleasant, near-calm day that produced some reasonable birding. Highlights included singles of Reed Bunting and Cormorant over the farm and two Stonechats in Hither Field, where a Grey Heron flew over. A brief listening session at the farm in the evening produced six Little Owls, a Tawny Owl and a Barn Owl. Also of some note were three Rooks, four Common Buzzards and a scattering of around 40 Skylarks at the farm (plus two more over the Woods, where the species is uncommon) and around 470 Starlings, many of which were moving west in small flocks and surely of continental origin. Winter thrushes remain relatively thin on the ground, with 33 Fieldfares and two Redwings at the farm, and around 20 more of the latter feeding in the Woods. Three Meadow Pipits, two Pied Wagtails and 50 Linnets were at the farm, Lunch Wood had a Bullfinch and two more were heard around The Scrub.
David Campbell (photos), Paul Goodman and Ian Jones
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| Common Buzzard, Lunch Wood |
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| ♂ Great Spotted Woodpecker, Legal & General |
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| Kestrel, Infront George |
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| Little Owl |
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| Pied Wagtail |
David Campbell (photos), Paul Goodman and Ian Jones
10th November
A reasonable gathering of thrushes at the farm included 40+ Fieldfares and 100+ Redwings. Three Yellowhammers, 12 Linnets, three Goldcrests, four Common Gulls, a Common Buzzard and a Pheasant were also seen. Over at Banstead Woods, a Skylark was noteworthy and a Sparrowhawk was also seen.
Paul Goodman and Duncan Jennings
Paul Goodman and Duncan Jennings
8th November
Sighings at the Banstead Woods sector included 45 Fieldfares, five Redwings and a Sparrowhawk.
Duncan Jennings
Duncan Jennings
6th November
A male Brambling was seen as it called atop a tree on the edge of Hither Field. Elsewhere in the Banstead Woods sector was a Fieldfare and three Redwings. Three Common Buzzards and two Kestrels were at the farm.
Paul Goodman and Natasha Preston
Paul Goodman and Natasha Preston
5th November
A Grey Heron flew over the farm, where 200 Jackdaws, six Skylarks, three Fieldfares, a Mistle Thrush, 100 Linnets and two Yellowhammers were also logged.
Paul Goodman
Paul Goodman
1st November
The Banstead Woods sector had five Fieldfares, five Redwings, a Pheasant and a Bullfinch.
Duncan Jennings
Duncan Jennings
30th October
A male Stonechat and 22 Meadow Pipits were in Hither Field. Around 180 Redwings and a Pheasant were also seen in the Banstead Woods sector.
Duncan Jennings
Duncan Jennings