29 May 2026: Canons Farm - Paul Goodman

 

Common Buzzard 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 4
Green Woodpecker 1
Skylark 10+
Chiffchaff 2
Blackcap 5
Whitethroat 5
Nuthatch 1
Song Thrush 1
Linnet 4
Yellowhammer 4
Painted Lady 2
Speckled Wood 2
Meadow Brown 2
Small Heath 3

 Cinnabar Moth                           1

27 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Paul Goodman

 

Green Woodpecker 1
Chiffchaff 8
Long-tailed Tit 1
Blackcap 18
Whitethroat 1
Nuthatch 2
Song Thrush 2
Dingy Skipper 1
Grizzled Skipper 2
Large Skipper 2 (earlier than normal this year)
Brimstone 3
Painted Lady 1
Red Admiral 1
Speckled Wood 2
Small Heath 2
Small Blue 1
Common Blue 5
Holly Blue 2
Small Copper 1
Bees: Early, red tailed, buff tailed, white tailed and common carder bumblebees

 

26 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Stock Dove 7 singing
Red Kite 1
Common Buzzard 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 3
Green Woodpecker 2
Coal Tit 2
Chiffchaff 10 singing
Long-tailed Tit 2
Blackcap 23 singing
Nuthatch 2
Treecreeper 1
Song Thrush 5 singing
Chaffinch 2 singing
Peacock 1
Speckled Wood 5
Holly Blue 3
Beautiful Demoiselle 1 m near post 2
Broad-bodied Chaser 1m in the woods

25 May 2026: Canons Farm - Ian Ward

 

Barn Owl

General comments Dusk visit; sunset 20:59
5 Bats
5 Roe Deer
1 Red Fox
Pheasant 2
Common Buzzard 1
Barn Owl 1 carrying prey over Horse Pasture 20:47
Little Owl 2 calling: 1,Infront George field East, 1 North Horse Pasture
Green Woodpecker 1
Rose-ringed Parakeet 1
Skylark 4 singing
Chiffchaff 1
Blackcap 1
Whitethroat 3 singing
Song Thrush 3 singing
House Sparrow 6
Chaffinch 1
Linnet 4
Yellowhammer 1 singing by Canons Farmhouse
Meadow Brown 1
Emperor 1 over Broadfield East

 

24 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Painted Lady - more numerous than usual this year

General comments 1 SilverY in Fames Rough and Early Bumblebees on Common Comfrey in Scouts Car Park
Red Kite 1 swooped down to attack  Crows
Great Spotted Woodpecker Juveniles heard in a dead tree south of Fames Rough
Jay 1 drinking in Piddly Pond
Coal Tit 1 bathing in Piddly Pond
Blue Tit several drinking in Piddly Pond
Great Tit 1 drinking in Piddly Pond
Whitethroat 6 singing
Blackbird 4 males all chasing a female over Piddly Pond
Bullfinch 2 ; 1 singing south of Fames Rough
Goldfinch 1
Dingy Skipper 3
Grizzled Skipper 1
Brimstone 7
Large White 1
Painted Lady 2 on Hither field
Speckled Wood 3
Meadow Brown possible 1
Small Heath c20+
Common Blue c20+
Holly Blue 3
Small Copper 2
Brown Argus 2 south Fames Rough
Green Hairstreak 2
Beautiful Demoiselle 1 flew over Hillwood field into Harholt Plantation
Azure Damselfly 2 by Piddly Pond
Large Red Damselfly 5 by Piddly Pond ( some mating)
Broad-bodied Chaser 1 fem Piddly Pond

 

23 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Adult Moorhen with chick

Small Blue

Broad bodied Chaser

Moorhen chicks

Moorhen 2 adults with 3 chicks ; Outwood Lane Lagoon
Long-tailed Tit Juveniles in Banstead Woods
Whitethroat now a ‘pair’ by the Lagoon
Small Blue 5 by the Lagoon
Azure Damselfly 3;lagoon
Large Red Damselfly 1; almost taken by a Moorhen
Broad-bodied Chaser 1 by the lagoon

 

20 May 2026: Canons Farm and Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Male Pheasant

Red Admiral

Pheasant 4 Green Belt field (3m 1 fem)
Swift 7
Moorhen 1
Herring Gull 3
Common Buzzard 2
Kestrel 1 over Holly Lane Meadows
Jackdaw 60+ roosting in Banstead Woods
House Martin 3 flew S
Blackcap still singing by Outwood Lane Lagoon
Whitethroat still singing by Outwood Lane Lagoon
Mistle Thrush 1 flew across Holly Lane Meadows
Chaffinch 1 singing by the Orchard
Brimstone 3
Green-veined White 1
Painted Lady 1
Red Admiral 1
Speckled Wood 3
Small Heath 2
Common Blue 10+

 

18 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Grey Heron 1 flew S over Park Downs/ Scouts Huts 17:22

14 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Swift 2 over Hillwood field
Red Kite 1
Common Buzzard 2
Green Woodpecker 2
Jay 5
Coal Tit 1 singing in the Scouts Car Park
Marsh Tit 1 calling near post 17 (back of Narnia wardrobe)
House Martin 1 flew w
Whitethroat 1 in north Hillwood field
Mistle Thrush 2 together on ground near post 17
Song Thrush 2 (1 singing in Harholt)

 

12 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Paul Goodman

 

Nuthatch feeding at Piddly Pond

Nuthatch feeding at Piddly Pond

Chiffchaff 6
Blackcap 7
Nuthatch 1 feeding at Piddly pond
Dingy Skipper 6
Brimstone 4
Small White 1
Comma 1
Speckled Wood 2
Small Heath 1
Common Blue 1
Holly Blue 2
Green Hairstreak 3

 

12 May 2026: Canons Farm - Paul Goodman

 

White Helleborine (orchid)

Malachite Beetle

Dark winged blood Bee

Red Kite 2
Common Buzzard 4
Little Owl 1 Near Perrots
Chiffchaff 4
Long-tailed Tit 2
Blackcap 6
Whitethroat 5
Yellowhammer 1
Small Heath 2

 White Helleborine                        4+ Holly Wood

11 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Red Kite at the Nuttery

Red Kite 1 landed in the Nuttery
Common Buzzard 1
Green Woodpecker 2
Chiffchaff 2
Long-tailed Tit 1
Blackcap 4
Whitethroat 2 singing in the Nuttery
Song Thrush 2 singing in the Nuttery

 

10 May 2026: Banstead Arts Festival walk - lead by Paul Goodman and Annie and Barry Griffin

 Today was the annual Banstead Arts Festival guided bird walk. It was cool and breezy so not ideal for birding. An obliging Little Own showed well and reasonable numbers of Swallows, Swifts and a few House Martins passed through.


Little Owl at Canons Farmhouse

Canons Farm 

Herring Gull            1

Little Owl                1

Swift                        12

House Martins        3

Swallows                14

Whitethroat            5

Blackcap                1

Kestrel                   1 - 2 Probably a male and a female hunting, one seen carrying food as it flew over

Red Kite                1

Buzzard                2

Linnet                    6

Skylark                10+

Yellowhammer    2 One carrying nest material

Goldfinch            5

Chaffinch            1

Greenfinch        1 Singing at Burgh Heath 

House Sparrow    4

Great Spotted Woodpecker  1

Song Thrush        1

Banstead Woods

Nuthatch            1

Skylark               1 Singing over Hither Field 

Chiffchaff           2

Blackcap            2

Green Woodpecker   

Song Thrush        

 Photographs below are by Barry Griffin

Roe Deer

Goldfinch

Female Yellowhammer collecting nest material

Goldfinches

Song Thrush at Canons Farm

Swallow

Little Owl

Male Kestrel

Skylark

House Sparrow

Song Thrush in Banstead Woods

8 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Mallard 1 flew SW over the woods 18:55
Swift 3 high over Chipstead Car Park 18:24
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 flew NE with an imm  Herring Gull 18:05
Painted Lady 2

 

6 May 2026: Banstead Woods Bird Count - Paul Goodman

 

Chiffchaff

General comments Bird survey
Pheasant 2
Stock Dove 11
Woodpigeon 7
Common Buzzard 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 8
Green Woodpecker 4
Rose-ringed Parakeet 2
Jay 4
Magpie 5
Jackdaw 23
Coal Tit 2
Blue Tit 11
Great Tit 8
Chiffchaff 23
Blackcap 31
Whitethroat 3
Goldcrest 1
Firecrest 1
Nuthatch 5
Wren 70
Song Thrush 4
Blackbird 46
Robin 64
Dunnock 3
Chaffinch 2
Brimstone 3
Small White 1
Speckled Wood 2
Small Heath 2 Perrots by Wood (Canons Farm)

 

4 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Oak Processionary moth caterpillars


Moorhen 1
Herring Gull 2
Red Kite 1
Common Buzzard 2
Kestrel 1
Blackcap 3
Whitethroat 2; both singing-1 by Outwood Lane Lagoon (new in), 1 in Stagbury
Song Thrush 2 singing in Stagbury
Goldfinch 1 singing by the Scouts Huts
Painted Lady 1
Rabbits 30 in Holly Lane Meadow

 

2 May 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Mallard 3 flew N high over the woods towards Woodmansterne 16:50
Swift 2 circled prior to the rain belt 16:56
Red Kite 1 flew SW 17:16

 

2 May 2026: Canons Farm - Paul Goodman

 



Female Yellowhammer

Wheatear in Broadfield

White Helleborine

 

Pheasant 3
Swift 4 Circling high at 8:30 am
Herring Gull 14 over
Common Buzzard 1
Skylark 14+
Chiffchaff 3
Blackcap 8
Whitethroat 10
Starling 20+ collecting food and which they take to nests in Burgh Heath and Banstead
Mistle Thrush 1 called briefly near L&G
Song Thrush 2
Wheatear 1 Broadfield
House Sparrow 20 Seem to be fewer than in previous years
Chaffinch 2
Yellowhammer 2 Pair.
White Helleborine (orchid) 3 flower spikes in Holly Wood. Different location to previous sighting a few years ago

 

30 April 2026: Banstead Woods - Ian Ward

 

Red Kite 1
Firecrest 1 singing in a new area
Small Copper 2 in Holly lane Meadows

29 April 2026: Canons Farm - Paul Goodman

 

General comments Very windy
Swallow 1
Chiffchaff 1
Blackcap 3
Whitethroat 6
Wheatear 1 Broadfield
Green-veined White 1
Holly Blue 2