Trip reports

The Traditional New Year's Day Bird Walk 2009 - by Dave Braddock

Thursday, 1 January 2009

New Year's Day saw seventeen brave souls meet at Papercourt for the traditional North-West Surrey bird walk on a grey, cold, frosty morning. The event seems to be more of a chin-wag than serious birding but it gets you into the mood for more group trips later on in the year and gets your year bird list off to a good start.

Following the usual route we had cracking views of Fieldfare and Redwings and over 200 Siskins in two flocks - the most we have seen here for a while. A pair of Egyptian Geese were perched in the top of an Oak Tree. These bizarre birds seem to be getting everywhere nowadays just like the dreaded Parakeets. A male Great-spotted woodpecker working it's way up an Oak trunk was optimistically tried, by some of the group to be turned into an overweight Lesser-spotted Woodpecker but the back markings, mannerism and size were not consistent with one. The stringers were out early this year!!

Due to a dry spell and the lifting of the Foot and Mouth restrictions we were able to follow our usual track over the wet meadows adding a couple of Snipe, Kestrel, Grey Wagtail and a pair of Stonechat to our list. At the lock house -the half way point we had a group total of about 28 species. Walking along the tow path a small black and white bird landed at the base of an oak about 10 feet from me and I was soon having stunning views of a male Lesser -spotted woodpecker - no mistaking it this time as it put all the ticks in the right boxes. I called the rest of the group over and we all had good views of the bird for a few minutes before it treated us to a fly-over. Long-tailed Tits and a solitary Nuthatch were found in the same area.

The quiet lanes back were pretty bird less and due to disturbance the sailing pits were on the most part empty or completely frozen over except for a close, confiding Goldcrest and a few common species. On arrival back at the car park with a group total of 50 species, a pleasant walk to blow away the Christmas cobwebs and a hot bowl of soup beckoning at home another successful outing was completed.

Dave Braddock.