Trip reports

Papercourt - by Neil Bew

Sunday, 1 January 2012

Around a dozen members turned up for the annual North West Surrey new years day kick off at Papercourt. The car park was disappointingly free of lesser spotted woodpeckers (a previously regular new years site for an increasingly difficult bird to find) but we strolled gently up the road to slightly birdless effect. A little grebe was found on the river and the ruined priory held a few crows and woodpigeon.
Turning along the river towards Papercourt Lock, Angela picked found the days best bird in the shape of a slightly nervous looking little owl. We all obtained good views but the bird was somewhat agitated and we moved on. Some time was spent just past the lock keepers cottage looking out over Papercourt Meadows (which has hosted short eared and barn owl but later in the day indeed towards evening if you wanted those) enjoying two females kestrels and a pair of stonechat. We also spent a little time watching Ron retrieve his cap from the river and an important cap it is too having been purchased from the hard pressed Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds some years ago (I still proudly possess the two BSPB tee shirts bought at the same time).
The strip of woodland that edges the Wey Navigation here turned up a good sized siskin flock together with long tailed tits, the day's first redwing and the two 'other' woodpecker species, green and great spotted. Our only wader of the day, lapwing, was also in this same general area with a good sized flock in the air.
Moving round the back roads and checking the fields as we went produced nice numbers of fieldfare, redwing and starlings with both mistle and song thrush seen during the morning. A brief look from the road into the Surrey Wildlife Trust reserve yielded a small number of teal and that wildfowl theme continued once we reached the Sailing Club pits. The smaller pit, a nicely sheltered and favourite spot of mine, contained shoveler, gadwall and tufted duck. The larger pit was in full use by the sailing club and the birds, mute swan, great crested grebe and a single pochard, were pressed into the eastern end of the pit.
A gentle morning had produced around 45 species and all in all, a pleasant way to start the year.

Neil Bew