No.112

Summer 2016

Photograph Gallery

Fig 1. Black-winged Stilts,Island Barn Res., 4 May 2016(Dave Harris)

Fig 3 Garganey, Island Barn Res., 21 Mar 2016 (Dave Harris)

Fig 2. Brambling, Pyrford,30 Mar 2016 (David Carlsson)

1No 112: Summer 2016

Birding SurreyThe Newsletter of the Surrey Bird Club

Birding Surrey is published by the Surrey Bird Club. Registered Charity No 248285

Opinions expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Club.The Club accepts no liability for the services provided by advertisers, and makes noendorsement of the services of any organisation providing donations to the Club.Copyright. Please note that submissions are accepted on the basis that the copyrightholder grants Surrey Bird Club an irrevocable, royalty free licence to publish andrepublish the copyright material in printed, digital or electronic form in perpetuity.

© Surrey Bird Club 2016

Front Cover: Black-winged Stilt, Dave Harris

ContentsFrom the Chairman..........................................................2Bird News-Winter 2015/16 - part 1: late 2015.................3Woking Peregrine Project................................................9News from Surrey's Heathlands.....................................14Tice's Meadow Spring BioBlitz.....................................16Patchwork and Detective Work .....................................19BTO Matters ..................................................................20From your Membership Secretary..................................22Notes..............................................................................22Notice of Annual General Meeting ...............................23Officers Reports for 2015/16.........................................24SBC Draft Accounts 2015/16.........................................27Woking Peregrines - Help still needed...........................30Future Field Meetings....................................................31President and General Committee..................................32

2 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

From the Chairman

Welcome to issue number 112 ofBirding Surrey.

Woking PeregrinesThere have frequently been Peregrinesin central Woking for a number ofyears but sporadic nesting attemptshave always failed. This has beenprimarily due to the lack of a suitablesafe nest site on the building used.However, in the last year a new groupof enthusiasts has come together and astate-of-the-art nestbox and webcamhave been installed. SBC memberJames Sellen, a regular photographiccontributor to Birding Surrey, is aleading member of the project and haswritten a detailed article on thisextremely exciting project that youwill find later in this edition. Hopefullymany of you have become familiarwith the project website athttp://www.wokingperegrines.com/where fascinating live footage can bewatched 24 hours a day, should youhave the time! After considerablediscussion the Club GeneralCommittee approved a donation of£1,700 to support the project to date,significantly the largest contribution tosuch a project the SBC has ever made.To the delight of everyone involved,four eggs were promptly laid and indue course three hatched. Althoughone chick failed to survive the rigoursof hatching, as I write the remainingtwo are thriving, receiving regularfeeds and growing very fast. Inrecognition of the SBC's support,members were invited to the recent

talk by leading expert Nick Dixon(who designed the Woking nest),hosted by the GuildfordEnvironmental Forum and it was goodto see several of you there. The Club isalso a manning a stand below the nestin Woking town centre severalSaturdays in May and June and you arevery welcome to come along and seethe birds in the flesh.

Annual General MeetingThe AGM in late June is rapidlyapproaching and we are delighted to bewelcoming the prominent naturalhistory author, radio presenter andtelevision producer Stephen Moss asthe guest speaker. Stephen spent manyof his formative birding years inSurrey, and those of you who attendthe Rutland Birdfair will probablyhave seen what an accomplished andentertaining speaker he has become.The meeting is also of course anopportunity to meet the Club'sCommittee in person and to socialisewith other members. If you have anyquestions or wish to raise any mattersthis may be done either formallyduring the AGM proceedings orinformally during the break for tea andbiscuits or at the end of the meeting.Last year's meeting was the bestattended I can remember and I do hopeto see even more of you there this time.

Recording Scarce Birds in SurreyThere are a number of species (listedin the Surrey Bird Report and on the

3No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Bird News-Winter 2015/16- part 1: late 2015 Shaun Peters

♦ Highlights of the quarter

These included a party of five Whooper Swans, two Scaup, a GreatNorthern Diver, two Iceland Gulls, a Lapland Bunting, as well as good

numbers of Short-eared Owls and Bearded Tits.

Whooper Swan A family group of apair and three juveniles were at theLondon Wetland Centre early on Nov22nd. They left NW at 0900hrs.

White-fronted Goose Nine flewsouth over Thorncombe Street on Dec4th.

Brent Goose A typical showing in thelate year with reports of small

numbers from six sites. Two flewsouth over Leith Hill on Oct 10th, fivewere at QE2 Res on Nov 4th, one wasat Barn Elms Playing Fields / LondonWetland Centre and the nearbyThames from Nov 5th-25th, two flewsouth over Puttenham on Nov 11th,one flew over Holmethorpe SP onNov 22nd, with another there on Dec26th-27th.

Club website and publishedperiodically here) for whichsupporting evidence is required for arecord to be accepted by the SurreyRecords Committee and thereforeincluded in the official record andpublications such as the Surrey BirdReport. These species are those whichare unusual in the county and forwhich certain identification andseparation from similar species is notstraightforward. There are anincreasing number of records forwhich no such supporting evidence isbeing presented and they are thereforesadly "lost", despite in the majority ofcases very probably being correctly

identified. With the recentproliferation of high quality digitalcameras a photo can be one way toprovide much of the required supportfor a record. A photo is not howevercompulsory and field notes andsketches are equally as useful,although they sadly seem to be rathera dying skill. Whatever your preferredmethod please do make an effort tosubmit something to support yourmost exciting Surrey birds so we canmake the recording of Surrey'sbirdlife as accurate as possible.

Steve Chastell

4 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Shelduck There were two at ThorpeWater Park on Nov 15th, one atBeddington SF on Nov 21st, with upto four there from Dec 20th-29th, oneat the London Wetland Centre fromDec 2nd-31st, two at Tice's Meadows(Badshot Lea) on Dec 15th, one atWalton Res on Dec 23rd and one atFrensham Great Pond on Dec 30th-31st.

Wigeon The largest reported numberswere 59 at Tongham GP on Oct 3rd,163 at Walton Res on Oct 7th, 115 atBoldermere on Oct 22nd, 84 atLongside Lake (Thorpe) on Nov 15th,85 at the London Wetland Centre onNov 28th and 107 at Frimley GP onDec 30th.

Gadwall The largest reportednumbers were 58 at Walton Res onOct 11th, 54 at Holmethorpe SP onOct 18th, 64 at Longside Lake(Thorpe) on Nov 15th, 65 atBeddington SF on Nov 15th, 115 atBattersea Park Lake on Nov 15th, 54at Thorpe Water Park on Dec 13th and55 at Frimley GP on Dec 13th.

Teal The largest reported numberswere 113 at Stoke Water Meadows onOct 18th, 325 at Beddington SF onNov 15th, 153 on the Thames fromPutney to Barnes on Dec 13th, 108 onthe Thames from Kew to Richmondon Dec 14th and 212 at the LondonWetland Centre on Dec 19th.

Pintail There were four juveniles atWalton Res on Nov 5th, one or two

males at Beddington SF from Dec7th-30th and a male on Pen Ponds onDec 26th. The feral flock at theLondon Wetland Centre numberedfour from late November to the end ofthe year.

Shoveler The largest reportednumbers were 130 at the LondonWetland Centre on Oct 15th, 70 atBeddington SF on Oct 18th, 37 atWalton Res on Oct 28th and 35 atGatton Park on Nov 15th.

Red-crested Pochard A pair wereon Pen Ponds on Dec 18th-19th.

Pochard No three-figure flocks werereported and at only three sites didnumbers reach 40. There were peaksof 82 at Walton Res on Oct 1st, 59 atThorpe Water Park on Nov 15th and46 at Frensham Ponds on Dec 5th.

Tufted Duck The largest reportednumbers were 105 at Longside Lake(Thorpe) on Oct 18th, 180 atHolmethorpe SP on Oct 28th, 97 atIsland Barn Res on Nov 5th, 459 atThorpe Water Park on Nov 15th, 166at Walton Res on Nov 16th and 151 atFrimley GP on Dec 30th.

Scaup A male was at the LondonWetland Centre on Nov 8th. A femalewas at Newdigate Brickworks SWTfrom Dec 7th-11th, then moving toEarlswood Lakes on Dec 13th, beforereturning to Newdigate on Dec 15th.

5No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Goldeneye The first was at WaltonRes on Oct 21st. At nowhere didnumbers reach double-figures, thelargest count being a mere four atThorpe Water Park on Dec 20th. Birdswere also reported from BerrylandsSWks, Frensham Ponds, the LondonWetland Centre, QE2 Res and Tice'sMeadows (Badshot Lea).

Goosander The first were at Tice'sMeadows (Badshot Lea) andFrensham Great Pond on Oct 21st.The largest reported numbers were tenat Cutt Mill on Dec 11th and 18th, and19 at Walton Res on Dec 30th.

Great Northern Diver One was atIsland Barn Res from Nov 17th-20th.

Slavonian Grebe One was atFrensham Great Pond on Dec 29th.

Black-necked Grebe There werefour at Island Barn Res on Dec 25th.

Bittern Reflecting the mild weather,just three were seen. Single birds wereat the London Wetland Centre fromSep 29th-Dec 30th, Frensham GreatPond on Oct 18th and Nov 28th andFrensham Little Pond on Oct 31st andDec 19th.

Little Egret Around 40 werereported from a total of 29 sites. Allthe reports involved one to three birdsexcept for four at Unstead SF on Dec26th and 27th.

Marsh Harrier A male was atBeddington SF on Dec 29th.

Hen Harrier Ringtails were atThorncombe Street and WinterfoldHeath on Oct 17th, Thursley Commonon Nov 22nd and Beddington SF onDec 28th.

Merlin Single birds were seen atThursley Common on Oct 17th andNov 13th and a male was atWoldingham on Nov 16th.

Water Rail Birds were reportedfrom Beddington SF (up to 7), EghamHythe Lake (1), Frensham Great Pond(up to 4), Frensham Little Pond (up to5), Frimley GP (1), Holmethorpe SP(1), River Mole at Leatherhead (1),the London Wetland Centre (up to 4),Pen Ponds (2), South Norwood CP(up to 6), Stoke Water Meadows (upto 4) and Winkworth Arboretum (1).

Moorhen There were 150 at theLondon Wetland Centre on Dec 13thand 141 along the River Wandle fromCarshalton to Wandsworth on Dec28th.

Coot The largest reported numberswere 307 at Beddington SF on Oct7th, 291 at Walton Res on Oct 18th,194 at Tongham GP on Nov 14th, 266at Longside Lake (Thorpe) on Nov15th, 409 at Holmethorpe SP on Nov15th, 269 at Frimley GP on Dec 13thand 395 at Thorpe Water Park on Dec13th.

6 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Dunlin There were two at the LondonWetland Centre on Dec 14th.

Jack Snipe The first was at WaltonRes on Oct 12th, with one presentthere to Nov 22nd. Elsewhere, up totwo were at Beddington SF from Oct17th onwards, up to four were at theLondon Wetland Centre from Oct18th onwards, six were atHolmethorpe SP on Nov 6th and onewas at South Norwood CP on Nov24th.

Curlew Single birds were at Tice'sMeadows (Badshot Lea) on Nov 12thand Dec 14th, and Island Barn Res onNov 22nd and Dec 14th.

Green Sandpiper Birds werereported from Beddington SF (up to6), Holmethorpe SP (2), Island BarnRes (up to 3) and Tice's Meadows,Badshot Lea (up to 8).

Common Sandpiper One was atTice's Meadows (Badshot Lea) fromNov 26th-Dec 31st (a rare instance ofover-wintering in outer Surrey) andone was at Beddington SF on Dec13th,

Mediterranean Gull Another ratherpoor early winter with perhaps as fewas five birds involved in the followingreports. Single adults were atBeddington SF on Nov 9th and Dec29th, Tice's Meadows (Badshot Lea)on Dec 1st, Thames at Truss's Islandon Dec 6th, Pen Ponds on Dec 18th,Island Barn Res on Dec 18th and 27th,

and Walton Res on Dec 28th.

Little Gull A first-winter was atBeddington SF on Dec 1st.

Iceland Gull There were two first-winters at Beddington SF on Nov27th, with one present the next day. Afirst-winter was also present from Dec29th-31st.

Stock Dove There were 170 atHolmethorpe SP on Nov 10th and 100at Woldingham on Nov 20th.

Short-eared Owl Another excellentlate year with perhaps as many as 40seen, with a distinct late October peakof passage birds. Two were seen atRichmond Park on Oct 23rd,Wimbledon Common on Oct 23rd,Beddington SF on Oct 25th and theLondon Wetland Centre on Nov 3rd.Single birds were at Beddington SFon Sep 6th, Oct 16th-21st, Oct 24thand Oct 31st, Stoke Water Meadowsarea from Sep 22nd-26th, PapercourtWater Meadows on Oct 7th-8th, theLondon Wetland Centre on Oct 14thand Nov 12th, Dungeon Hill(Woodmansterne) on Oct 15th, BarnElms Playing Fields on Oct 16th, Oct21st and Oct 23rd, Tice's Meadows(Badshot Lea) on Oct 16th and 25th,Richmond Park on Oct 20th, 22nd and25th, Nov 28th and Dec 12th, SelsdonWood on Oct 22nd, QE2 Res on Oct23rd, Lonsdale Road Res on Nov 1st,South Norwood CP on Nov 1st , 11thand 12th, Thursley Common on Nov4th and 11th, Walton Res on Nov 8th,

7No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Woldingham on Nov 16th, SouthNorwood on Nov 20th, KingstonBridge on Nov 28th and HolmethorpeSP on Nov 29th.

Skylark There were flocks of 50 atWoldingham on Nov 20th and 85 atHolmethorpe SP on Nov 23rd.

Water Pipit The first were atBeddington SF on Oct 24th, with upto three present there to the end of theyear. The only other record was of oneat the London Wetland Centre on Dec16th.

Black Redstart Single birds were atLeith Hill on Nov 11th and Tice'sMeadows (Badshot Lea) on Nov 14th.

Fieldfare The first was at RichmondPark on Oct 1st, followed by others atLeith Hill and Thursley Common onOct 9th.

Redwing The first were at SouthNorwood Lake on Sep 7th, followedby others at Leith Hill on Sep 11th andSep 28th, Frensham Little Pond andRichmond Park on Sep 29th, andWinkworth Arboretum on Sep 30th.

Cetti's Warbler Up to three were atBeddington SF from Sep 26th-Dec31st, two were at Walton Res fromOct 3rd-Dec 31st, one was atTongham GP on Oct 19th, one was atHolmethorpe SP from Oct 31st-Dec6th and one was at South Norwood CPfrom Dec 20th-31st.

Dartford Warbler Single birdswere at Beddington SF from Oct23rd-Nov 29th, Richmond Park fromNov 2nd-Dec 31st, with two there onDec 21st, and Shalford WaterMeadows on Dec 10th.

Chiff-chaff One showing thecharacteristics of the race tristis was atThorpe Water Park on Nov 30th andDec 31st.

Firecrest Single birds were atBusbridge on Nov 3rd, BansteadDowns on Nov 4th, WinkworthArboretum from Nov 4th-Dec 2nd,Beddington SF on Nov 7th and Dec24th, south Croydon and ThorncombeStreet on Nov 9th, LittleworthCommon (Esher) on Nov 12th,Thorpe Water Park on Nov 15th and30th, Redhill Common on Nov 28th,Stoughton (Guildford) on Dec 6th and13th, Littleton Manor Farm (Reigate)on Dec 13th, Bookham Common onDec 18th and Godalming on Dec 21st.There were two at Frensham GreatPond from Nov 11th-Dec 16th, theLondon Wetland Centre on Nov 11thand along the North Downs Way atFarnham on Dec 5th.

Bearded Tit There were seven atSouth Norwood CP on Oct 3rd, withtwo remaining to Nov 12th and one tothe end of the year. Up to four were atTice's Meadows (Badshot Lea) fromOct 10th-20th, one was at BeddingtonSF on Oct 17th and one or two were atthe British Wildlife Centre (Lingfield)from Dec 7th-28th.

8 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Great Grey Shrike A good late yearwith at least seven birds recorded. Thefirst was at Thursley Common on Oct18th. One remained here to the end ofthe year, with a second bird seen onOct 22nd-26th and Nov 14th. Otherbirds were at Frensham Commonfrom Oct 28th-Dec 28th, Leith Hill onNov 1st, Pewley Down on Nov 5th,Witley Common on Nov 21st,Hankley Common on Dec 28th,Chobham Common on Dec 29th andAsh Ranges on Dec 31st.

Brambling The first was at Duke'sWarren on Sep 25th, followed by fivethere on Oct 10th, three on Oct 12thand 16 west on Oct 18th. The firstreported away from there were atRichmond Park on Oct 19th andWinkworth Arboretum the next day.Birds were reported from 16 sites,although most sites saw only ones ortwos. The largest numbers reportedwere ten at Headley Heath on Nov11th and 18 at Winkworth Arboretumon Dec 2nd.

Goldfinch There were 100 atHolmethorpe SP on Nov 15th, 124 atBeddington SF on Nov 28th and 97 atPortsmouth Road Filter Beds(Surbiton) on Dec 2nd.

Siskin Siskins were even scarcer inthe County this winter than last. Birdswere reported from 11 sites with nothree-figure flocks seen. The largestwere 60 at Winkworth Arboretum onNov 23rd, 50 at the London WetlandCentre on Dec 2nd and 50 at

Frensham Great Pond on Dec 29th.

Lesser Redpoll Birds were reportedfrom seven sites in November/December with the largest flocks 15 atBeddington SF on Nov 8th and 26 atTice's Meadows (Badshot Lea) onNov 26th.

Crossbill It is evident that most of thebirds seen in the autumn were justpassing through. Reports inNovember totalled 40 birds from ninesites with the largest numbers ten overRichmond Park on Nov 3rd and sevenover Rowledge on Nov 15th. Therewas just one report in Decemberwhich was of ten over Haslemere onthe 11th.

Lapland Bunting One was atBeddington SF on Nov 29th.

Yellowhammer There were 100 intwo flocks at Holmethorpe SP on Dec15th.

Some records are subject to finalcheck by the county or nationalrecords committees.

9No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Barn Elms Bird Group/WWT,Beddington Farm BirdGroup,Doug Boyd,Croydonbirders website,Jeremy Gates,Dave Harris,

Holmethorpe website,David Knight,Londonbirders website,Brian Milton,North-west Surrey RSPBGroup,Surrey Birders,Surbiton & District Bird

Watching Society,Tice's Meadow BirdGroup,Unstead Bird & WildlifeGroup, andPenny Williams.

♦ Contributors

Note: January to March 2016 news to Shaun Peters ASAP pleaseat: ‘Glendeven’, School Rd, Rowledge, Farnham, GU10 4EJ.

Tel. 01252 793887 Email: recbirds@yahoo.co.uk

Woking Peregrine Project

I first started seeing peregrines inWoking when WWF-UK moved

offices from Panda House, CatteshallLane in Godalming to The LivingPlanet Centre, Brewery Road inOctober 2013. I knew peregrines hadbeen seen in the town but it wasn'tuntil February 2014 that I had my first'fix'. I had occasional sightings duringthe following months but it was inFebruary 2015 I gave them moreattention. On the 18th I saw threebirds on Export House (formerlyknown as the B.A.T. Building); a pairand a lone individual with morenoticeable brown plumage. One of thepair kept diving at the intruder but itstood its ground. During the followingweeks I saw a tiercel and whatappeared to be a young falcon. Couldthe youngster have been the thirdbird? During March 2015 I witnessedboth peregrines performing stunningaerobatics near Export House and on

numerous occasions the pair could beseen on Export House's north weststairwell ledge that over looks theentrance to Sainsbury's in WolseyPlace. It could have been wish fullthinking but I suspected possiblebreeding behaviour. I needed moreexpert help so I mentioned this toSteve Chastell who referred me toRichard Denyer. I had a veryinteresting meeting with Richard andlearnt that he'd spent much time in the

Peregrines on Export House, Woking,15 Aug 2015 (James Sellen)

10 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

past trying to get a peregrine nest boxinstalled on Export House.Unfortunately, the owners of the thenB.A.T. building refused permission.Richard has many detailedobservations of the Wokingperegrines (different individuals havebeen present for at least the last 10years) and the two previous breedingattempts on the north west stairwellledge. His study of their prey remainsis amazing which included nightjarand golden plover. By chance, I thenmet Martin Pooley (Head ofOperations Woking Shopping Ltd)one lunch time when I was watchingone of the peregrines from theentrance to Lloyds Bank. Martin wasaware that peregrines roosted onExport House and was keen to knowmore about them. Fortunately, hegave me his business card.

In 2014, I had the good fortune tobe introduced to John Bannister by acolleague at WWF. John is an officerfor the Guildford EnvironmentalForum who promotes communityprojects (http://www.gefweb.org.uk/conta.html ) and he shares a passionfor peregrines. He monitors localbirds and had a peregrine nest boxinstalled on Guildford cathedral.Apparently, peregrines stash foodthere but have not used it as abreeding site. I kept John updated onthe Woking peregrines and in June2015 he suggested we contact theowners of Export House to see if theywould consider the installation of aperegrine nest box. Remembering Ihad Martin's business card, I passedhis contact details to John. In July, we

had our first meeting with Martin andwe were very impressed with hisenthusiasm for the project. We wereallowed onto the roof of ExportHouse to look for any suitable nestsites. The views from the roof areamazing but you need a still day anda head for heights! You can see whyperegrines have chosen this building -with their incredible eye sight they areable to spot prey at a considerabledistance. Following this meeting, wedecided that expert advice wasneeded. John had the good idea ofcontacting Nick Dixon who's anurban peregrine falcon researchspecialist(http://www.urbanperegrines.co.uk/)In September and October 2015, Nickjoined us for two further meetingswith Martin and he produced a verydetailed report giving the reasons whyExport House could be suitable andthe location of three possible nestsites. Through out this process Martinwas extremely helpful and gained thesupport of Woking Borough Counciland the building's tenants. John alsogained consent for the project fromEnglish Nature following concernswe had about a new buildingdevelopment near Export House.

The preferred nest box locationwas in the lockable north westventilation room which is close to thenorth west stairwell ledge. This wassupported by Richard's previousobservations and additionalinformation given by Denis Corley, alocal peregrine enthusiast who hasstudied this species in the UK andabroad for many years. Further

Birding Surrey

11No 112: Summer 2016

evidence in and around the ventilationroom showed peregrines use the nearby external ledge to stash and feed onprey. Within the room there's a largefilter that covers the air intake vent.The filter has been replaced regularlybecause it gets covered in featherswhich are sucked through thesurrounding grill. If you're good atfeather I.D. , it's a great way to seewhat the peregrines are feeding on.

Following Nick Dixon'srecommendation, John contactedJason Fathers who runs WildlifeWindows (http://www.wildlifewindows.co.uk/) - a company that's aleading designer of innovativewildlife camera systems. Nick hasworked with Jason on previousprojects and advised him of thespecific design details for theconstruction and installation of theperegrine nest box. Jason was thenable to recommend a suitable CCTVsystem which could be installed at thesame time. Arrangements were thenmade with Martin Pooley so theinstallation work could start at the end

of January 2016 - in time for thisyear's peregrine breeding season.Jason built the nest box in hisworkshop in Cowgrove / Wimborneso it could be easily assembled on site.

Martin Pooley, Jason Fathers & JohnBannister in ventilation room ofExport House (James Sellen)

Nick Dixon, John Bannister &Richard Denyer on roof of ExportHouse (James Sellen)

Jason Fathers & Alan Craneinstalling nestbox. (James Sellen)

Birding Surrey

12 No 112: Summer 2016

On the 29th January the work wascomplete and ready for the localWoking peregrines.

There seemed to be a long waitbefore the resident pair were noticedtaking an interest in their new home.Both birds would perch and feedwithin feet of the nest box entrancebut made no attempt to explorewithin. Jason and Nick decided anincentive might do the trick. On the19th February (following eveningobservations by myself and John toensure the peregrines weren't roostingin the nest box) Jason made anothervisit to Export House. He put a deadquail in the box and a dead pigeon justoutside the entrance. This was doneafter dark with the hope that eitherperegrine might think its mate had leftthe prey. Again, both peregrinesseemed to ignore their free snack -growing frustration was mountingwithin the Peregrine Project group!On the 29th February I noticed one ofthe peregrines perched directly abovethe nest box at 09.00 and 17.00. Onthe 1st March I saw the pair spendingmost of the morning on the north weststairwell ledge and at 16.00 John

witnessed two copulations whilstwatching from the Peacock's car park.At 17.10, I joined John on the car parkto see the falcon feedingapproximately 10 feet to the right ofthe nest box entrance. She then flewand landed in the nest box entranceafter which she spent 5 minuteslooking in - game on! Anothercopulation was seen shortlyafterwards. Copulation was seenagain by John on the 2nd March andMartin Pooley obtained video footageof the falcon feeding on the quailinside the nest box. At this point, realtime images from the CCTV couldonly be obtained by connecting atablet or laptop to an Ethernet portoutside of the ventilation room. On afew occasions, Martin and a colleaguemanaged to get good behaviouralfootage following sightings John hadfrom the Peacock's car park. Quite anachievement if you see the stairs anddistance to the entrance to theventilation room that need to becovered at short notice! Whilst takingphotos of the nest site from thePeacock's car park on 6th March, Isaw and photographed the pairentering the box on two occasions andwitnessed a food pass. The followingweek I saw both peregrines takingmore of an obvious interest in theirnew home; perching in the entrance,making slow fly passes in front of thebox and going into the box for longerperiods. On March 13th, I decidedanother photo session was necessaryand was very fortunate to be able torecord another copulation - within feetof the nest box. Finally, CCTV

Exterior view of nestbox (James Sellen)

13No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

images obtained by Martin showedthe first egg was laid on or around the22nd of March and three additionaleggs were laid in approximate 2 dayintervals. The last egg we believe waslaid on Bank Holiday Monday, March28th.

Additional help was given by twoExport House tenants; Arcom for thework necessary for the transmissionof the live CCTV images and CraigDenford / Akiko Design who has donea superb job with the current WokingPeregrine Project website(http://www.wokingperegrines.com/)which went live on the internet on14th April. Craig advised the websitehad approximately 2,500 hits per dayleading up to the first hatching. OnMay 1st, the number of hits was over5,000. The first hatching (1st May2016) was noticed by Nick Dixon at05.20. That's dedication ......

We are very grateful for SurreyBird Club's financial support with thisproject and the Club will beundertaking public engagementactivities with Woking's visitors toencourage the public's interest in these

peregrines and ultimately birds ingeneral. This will take place onSaturdays starting on 7th May to June11th.

James Sellen

Peregrines, Export House, 13 Mar 2016(James Sellen) Webcam: 4 eggs, 17 Apr 2016

Webcam: Feeding time, 30 May 2016

SBC stand, Jubilee Square, Woking(Rich Mooney)

14 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Penny Williams suggested that youmight like to hear about the

project I'm involved with, the ThamesBasin Heaths Partnership Project. I'mone of sixteen wardens, you may haveseen us out and about in our claretuniforms? We're labelled up as SPAWardens, but we haven't escapedfrom a health spa, we're wardening8,200 hectares of Special ProtectionArea! So I'm lucky enough to be paidto walk around heathlands, such asChobham, Horsell and WhitmoorCommons, engaging with visitors!

Walking around nature reservesand talking to people are two of myfavourite pastimes! But I'm not justenjoying myself, there's a purpose.

The Thames Basin Heaths SpecialProtection Area is home to some ofthe UK's rarest breeding birds, thenightjar, woodlark and Dartfordwarbler, all of which nest on or nearthe ground, making them vulnerableto disturbance.

Like many places, the SPA's underpressure from increasing visitornumbers. And with thousands of newhomes built or planned within 5km ofits boundary, a strategy was needed.And that's where the Thames BasinHeaths Partnership Project comes in.Hosted by Natural England, workingin close partnership with land ownersand managers, and funded bycontributions from new housing

News from Surrey's Heathlands

Nightjar, Chobham Common NNR (Rob Solomon)

15No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

developments, the project monitorsvisitor trends and providescoordinated visitor engagement.

I joined the wardening team in July2015. Armed with informativeleaflets, friendly advice and free poobags, we're engaging with visitorsacross the SPA, spreading the wordabout these special places andencouraging responsible behaviour,particularly by dog walkers. Stayingon paths, keeping dogs close,throwing sticks down the path ratherthan into the heather, can all make ahuge difference and help our birdshave a successful season!

Luckily it's a win-win situation,keeping dogs out of the heather alsohelps avoid adder bites and ticks! It'sa win-win in other ways too, lookingafter the heathland habitat protects itfor the benefit of other species, andfrom threats such as urban expansion.Because they're protected by law, ifwe look after the birds, their presencewill help protect our special wildplaces!

We also promote SuitableAlternative Natural Greenspaces

(SANGs), a catchy title forgreenspaces designed to mop-up therecreational pressure generated by allthose new houses! Some are newspaces open to the public for the firsttime, others have been enhanced tocope with more visitors. Either way,the idea is that they're convenient,provide free parking, poo bins and apleasant natural environment for astroll with the dog. So if you follow uson Facebook or Twitter, you'll see thatwe're plugging these too.

I count myself very lucky to spendtime in such interesting and beautifulplaces, getting to know the haunts ofthe ground-nesting birds. I'm gettingto know some of the people who walkhere too and it's a joy to find thatmany care about our heathlands.There are those who don't of course,but, hey, that's why I'm here, to spreadthe word about this amazing habitatand try to change people's behaviourfor the better.

Sarah Bunce(sarah.bunce@naturalengland.org.uk)

Find us on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thamesbasinheathspartnership

Follow us on Twitter:https://twitter.com/TBHPartnership

Chobham Common (Sarah Bunce)

16 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Tice's Meadow Spring BioBlitz

Over the weekend of April 29th toMay 1st, the Tice's Meadow Bird

Group held their second 48 hourBioBlitz. Building on last yearssuccessful event, this year we decidedto go bigger and better and involve asmany members of the public and localconservation organisations aspossible.

Over the course of the weekendaround 90 members of the publicvisited the site, took part in theactivities and enjoyed the wildlifepresent. As well as seasoned birders,naturalists and 7 members of theArmy Ornithological Society, localresidents and families with youngchildren were well represented.

Eleven hardy souls braved thefreezing cold weather and camped onsite for the full 48 hours, joined byfour more campers on the Saturdaynight. Catering for the campers waskindly provided by Dave Baker.

86 species of bird were recordedon site over the weekend, quite animpressive total considering the cold,clear conditions and northerly winds.Highlights of the weekend included:● Little Ringed Plover - up to 5 were

present all weekend.● Dunlin - 2 were present in the

Workings Friday.● Wheatear - 3 were seen in the

Meadow Friday, with 1 presentSaturday.

● Yellow Wagtail - a steady trickleof overflying birds were heard allweekend, and 3 were seen in the

Meadow Saturday.● Yellow-legged Gull - a 3cy

individual was spotted in theWorkings on Friday.

● Hobby - 3 seen flying over the site,with 2 together Sunday afternoona late highlight.

Some less scarce birds, but siterarities, were also recorded includingthe first Rook of the year, the firstTawny Owl of the year, a Red-leggedPartridge and a late Siskin and LesserRedpoll.

Saturday morning saw a noticeablefall of warblers on site, with theWoods alive with the songs ofBlackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats,Willow Warblers and GardenWarblers, and the Reedbedsresonating to the sounds of Reed andSedge Warblers.

Roger Dickey, chairman of theArmy Ornithological Society and aBTO licensed ringer, once againconducted bird ringing on site

Yellow Wagtail (©Andy Little)

17No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

throughout the weekend. This yearRoger was ably assisted by MarkCutts (Royal Naval Bird WatchingSociety) and Laura Robertson. 79birds were caught and rung (10 werere-traps), consisting of 17 species,including Garden Warbler, ReedWarbler and record numbers of SedgeWarbler. Watching the ringersskilfully handle the birds and explainthe intricacies of ageing and sexingthem was a highlight of the weekendfor many of the visitors, especially theyoung children and those new tobirding.

A new addition this year was alarge marquee which, when not beingused to shelter from hailstorms,housed exhibits by the Tice's MeadowBird Group, Surrey Bird Club, BritishTrust for Ornithology, BlackwaterValley Community Partnership andBlackwater Valley Countryside Trust.

Another new addition, and muchwelcomed, was a Portaloo kindlysponsored by the Surrey Bird Club.

Saturday morning saw a very wellattended guided walk of the site, leadby Richard Seargent. The walk waswell received and the pre-arrangedPeregrine fly-past a highlight.

Saturday night saw a guided batwalk lead by Steve Bailey of theBlackwater Valley CountrysidePartnership, using bat detectors he'dkindly provided. Three species of batwere recorded: Pipistrelle, SopranoPipistrelle & Noctule.

Bernard Baverstock of the SurreyMammal Group set-up small mammaltraps on the Friday, and lead a group

of interested visitors on a walkSunday morning to examine thecontents. Five Wood Mice weretrapped and recorded.

Steve Minhinnick and LynneMillard set-up trail cameras in theReedbed in order to capture anynocturnal activities.

Other wildlife recorded on siteover the weekend included:● Nine species of butterfly -

Brimstone, Orangetip, Peacock,Small Tortoiseshell, Green VeinedWhite, Small White, Large White,Holly Blue & Speckled Wood.

● Nine species of mammal - Fox,Grey Squirrel, Roe Deer, BankVole, Wood Mouse, Brown Rat,Pipistrelle, Soprano Pipistrelle &Noctule.

● Five species of reptile/amphibian -Common Lizard, Grass Snake,Smooth Newt, Toad & SlowWorm.Nine new species of insect were

identified over the weekend andadded to the site's Pan Species List,taking the total to 995 speciesrecorded on site.

Guided Walk (© Mark Elsoffer)

18 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

All present considered theweekend a roaring success, with manyof the first time visitors indicating thatthey would return, and some puttingtheir name down for the programmeof regular volunteer tasks conductedon site by the Tice's Meadow BirdGroup.

Approximately £130 was raised bythe Tice's Meadow Bird Group duringthe event through generous donationsand sales of our 2015 Annual Report(there are still a few copies availableat £14 each, please contact us ifinterested in buying one). Allproceeds will go towards projects onthe nature reserve.

Please keep your eyes peeled forannouncements of future events, workparties and guided walks. We hope tosee you at Tice's Meadow again soon.

How to Visit UsTice's Meadow is a newly

developed nature reserve and Site ofNature Conservation Interest,covering approximately 150 acres, onthe site of the former FarnhamQuarry. The habitats on site consist ofa mosaic of open water, gravel islandsand scrapes, reedbeds, scrub,woodland, ephemeral ponds and wetand dry grassland.

The site is located betweenBadshot Lea and Tongham, on thesouthern outskirts of Aldershot, at thesouthern end of the BlackwaterValley, on the boundary betweenSurrey & Hampshire.

The best place to park is on theLower Farnham Road (B3208) near

the Pea Bridge (at SU 86759 49018).The nearest railway station isAldershot. Stagecoach Bus runregular services from Aldershot,Guildford and Farnham with stopsnear the site (routes 15 & 46).

There is free open access to the sitewith permissive footpaths runningacross the northern perimeter. Publicaccess to the Meadow, Workings andWorks is strictly prohibited on health& safety and wildlife protectiongrounds. The Meadow and theWorkings are best viewed fromHorton's Mound.

The unimproved nature of the sitemeans that it is currently not suitablefor wheelchair users. However, a gatewith a "RADAR" lock has beeninstalled on Badshot Lea Road (at SU86712 48939) to enable easier accessby disabled visitors.

Further InformationPlease follow us on Twitter:

@TicesMeadowTo contact us via email:

ticesmeadow@hotmail.co.ukPlease visit our website:

www.ticesmeadow.orgPlease visit our Flickr Group:

www.flickr.com/groups/ticesBird Forum thread:

www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=194943

Mark Elsoffer - Tice's Meadow BirdGroup

19No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Bookham Common in earlyFebruary - a flock of eight Grey

Herons flying in a flock calling toeach other around the usual site of theheronry. The following day eighteendo the same. Unusual as they do notfly around in flocks, and no mentionof this even in the small print in BWP.Must be the males returning to theheronry - were they males as eighteennests this year? Note to BB sometime?

On 7 April Dorking RSPB Springnewsletter arrives. Charlotte andRustom Daruwalla have their patch inthe Mole Valley. She mentions agroup of herons flying around, and upto twelve Little Egrets around. Butherons don't fly in groupsexcept………… and with LittleEgrets? Curiouser and curiouser saysAlice. Could two and two make five?Will Charlotte please contact me?Meanwhile check that Little Egrets donot nest in Surrey, and no heronrywhere Charlotte and Rustom havetheir patch. Penny as BTO rep and

Eric as Surrey recorder very helpfuland enthusiastic - no heronry knownthere and Little Egrets not recordednesting in Surrey.

Charlotte tells me of seeing LittleEgrets in trees and flapping theirwings, gives me a map reference,though she and Rustom have notvisited it. I recce the general area 17April and see two Little Egrets in thefields. Rather wild and wary ofapproach but stalked and they are inbreeding plumage apart from bluelores - but I know from personalexperience the courtship colour oflores in Cattle Egrets disappears byegg laying time. Same for LittleEgret? BWP says yes.

Another visit 20 April. Three smallwhite dots visible from other side ofthe valley at the map reference site.Walk there very quietly, to aconvenient bridle track. A softunfamiliar vibrating "caw" tells mewhere they are, in dense almostimpenetrable woodland. Through

Patchwork and Detective Work

Litle Egret, Mole Valley, 20 Apr 2016 (Alan Prowse)

20 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

By the time you receive thisnewsletter the 2016 BTO House

Martin survey will have started.Before typing this article I looked onthe BTO website and, to date, only 3sites have registered for Surrey. Iknow House Martin numbers havedone down considerably but I am surethere are more sites than this in thecounty. If you know of any nest sitethat you can view please do getinvolved.

If you are aware of nest sites whichyou cannot view, why not drop a BTOleaflet through the door so that theoccupant can become involved in thesurvey. I am quite happy to send outmore leaflets if needed. Remember I

did put one in the envelope addressedto you which sent out the springnewsletter (if you get the paperversion).

BBS Practice CourseI ran this course in March again.Some 9 people came along (2cancelled last minute) and I gotanother 4 BBS squares covered as aresult of it. One person had alreadytaken on a square but had come alongto get some tips. It was a grey, quitechilly morning but, fortunately, dry.As has happened most of other timesI have been out this spring, the birdswere not singing too much but I gotvery positive feedback from everyone

BTO Matters

foliage I can see three Little Egrets ina group of yews 50 metres away.Restless, so I stay very still. Onewatches me with a Gannet stylebinocular stare. The three become sixover about twenty minutes, on nests!!And one has yellow lores!! An adultcomes in and a greeting ceremony. Atleast three herons' nests withincubating birds, but the egrets willhave only just begun laying (andincubate from first egg). Withdrawquietly and will not revisit till young.

So unknown heronry, firstbreeding record of Little Egrets inSurrey, and a lovely record forCharlotte and Rustom. Charlotte'smap reference accurate to 50 metres -I would not have found it otherwise.

When Little Egrets first bred inthis country at Brownsea Island in1996 and 1997 the dates of hatchingand fledging were deliberatelysuppressed. Why? I only have figuresfor France from BWP. Secrecy is onething but let it be sensible. I want toknow what they are in UK to knowwhen it is safe to follow up. Mark atthe Rare Birds Breeding Panel givesme the UK figures. Incubation is earlyin Mole Valley. Hatching perhapsstarts about 11 May, so no visitsadvisable till about 21 May. Thespecies is protected by Schedule 1only on the Isle of Man, and they don'toccur there - it's a mad, mad world.

Alan Prowse

21No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

after the course was run. Someparticipants came along to the pubafterwards for a nice meal and a shortlesson about BBS online as the pubhas wi-fi so I was able to login anddemonstrate how to enter data online.I am proposing to run the course againnext year. I am happy to run it eitherfurther west or further east in thecounty (or both) if anyone wants tosuggest a site. It would be nice tohave a site which has a reasonableamount of parking plus a pub nearbywhich has wi-fi.

Tice’s Meadow BioblitzThis event was organised by the TicesMeadow group and they put on a greatshow. A small marquee was providedand the club sponsored the portabletoilet (much appreciated). RogerDickey (on the Council of the BTOhad come along in order to carry outringing and there was a bird walk onthe Saturday morning. Sundaymorning was due to be the results ofthe moth trapping but, unfortunately,it was just too cold for it. However, inthe sunshine, there were a fewbutterflies flying around plus an earlyRed Damselfly.

Unfortunately the Whimbrel andNightingale which had been thereearlier in the week had moved on somy year list did not go up on theSaturday. However Sunday morningthere were loads of Swifts flying overplus a lone Wheatear so my list wentup by 2!

Charlotte Gray and I manned thejoint SBC and BTO stand that we put

up. The marquee was large enoughthat we could have a table withreports, newsletters and BTO leafletson it plus some abandoned nests.Alongside it we were able to put upthe display panels with lots of lovelyphotos on them including some recentones showing the status of theWoking Peregrine Project. We kepttelling everyone who came to thestand about the Project. In fact,although Charlotte kept checking herphone, no sign of any young on theSaturday and, although Tim Chinnchecked his phone on the Sunday, wesaw no sign of young although itappeared two had just hatched out bythen.

It was well worth having a standthere as new members were recruitedand quite a few people took BTOleaflets too so great publicity for bothorganisations.

SWT BioblitzThere will be a stand at the SurreyWildlife Trust Bioblitz which istaking place at Burpham Park Farmover the weekend of Saturday 25thJune (moth trapping and bats) andthen Sunday 26th June (bird,butterflies, plants etc.). Again it willbe a joint stand for both the club andBTO. If you come along to the eventdo come along and say hello. It wouldalso be nice to have a few helpers so,if you fancy a couple of hours on thestand trying to recruit new membersand answering questions about birds,please do let me know.

Penny Williams

22 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

From your Membership Secretary

We have had renewal time againand, if you have not paid your

subscription yet, enclosed with thisnewsletter is a renewal notice.

I know a number of people useinternet banking now and so, again, Iam more than happy if you decide tomake your payment directly in to theclub's bank account. However, if youdo pay your renewal subscription byinternet banking please make sure thatyou quote your membership number(shown on the renewal notice) as thereference.

Do I have your up to date e-mailaddress? If you received 3 e-mailsaround the early May bank holiday

weekend telling you about:i) the nesting Woking peregrinesii) about the Bioblitz at Tices

Meadowiii) about the talk on Urban

Peregrines being given in Guildfordon 4th May,then I have your current e-mailaddress. If you did not hear about thetalk then I do not have your currente-mail address in the Surrey Bird Clubdatabase so please e-mail me with it.

Remember I have to keep entirelyseparate the Surrey Bird club databaseand the information I get in with myBTO hat on. Penny Williams

❖ Welcome to new members:Peter & Julie Rozanski, Ashford,Alan Castree, Leatherhead,Simon Stacey,Walton-on-Thames,David Skeels, Croydon,Kevin Gowers, Sanderstead,Brian and Debbie Chubb,Weybridge,James Hampton, Ash Vale,Micky Roberts, Tongham,Mike Higton, Chobham,Philip Jones, Guildford,Shalini Andrews, Woking,Carolyn Prior, Woking,Donald Munro, Woking,Stephen Willson ,Woking,Andy Smith, Woking,Matt Sparkes, Dorking,

Lewis Morton, Woking,Richard Mooney, Woking,Ava Wooller, Woking, andChris Taylor & Helen Cammark,Woking.

❖ Birds of Surrey - Our countyavifauna. Available from PennyWilliams. Great value at £25.

❖ Notes, Sketches, Articles,Photographs - Anything that youthink may be of interest to themembers of the Club would begratefully received for publication inBirding Surrey, the Surrey Bird Reportor on our website.

Notes

23No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Surrey Bird Club presents a talk:

Preceded by the2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

onFriday 24th June 2016

7.45pm for 8.00pm startAt the Main Hall, East Horsley Village Hall,

Kingston Avenue, East Horsley, Surrey, KT24 6QT

Notice of Annual General Meeting

AGENDA1. Apologies2. Minutes of 2015 AGM3. Matters Arising4. Officer’s Reports for the Club’s year to 31st March 20165. Treasurer’s Report and Statement of Accounts for the Club’s

year to 31st March 2016 & ratification of subscription rates6. Election of Officers and members of the General Committee7. Ratification of the composition of the Records Committee8. Any Other Business

“Tweet of The Day, with a Twist ofSurrey"

by

Stephen Moss

AGM Notes:1. The minutes of the 2015 AGM were published in Birding Surrey No 109 and

consequently they will be taken as read. Should you require a copy of the minutesplease contact the General Secretary.

2. Nominations for election to the General Committee will be accepted at themeeting but preferably should be sent to the General Secretary before the meeting.

Light refreshments will be served between the meeting and the talk.

24 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Officers Reports for 2015/16Membership Secretary

We are very gradually increasing theclub's membership with 35 newmemberships in 2015/16 and only 30memberships coming to an end. Of those4 had moved out of the area, and afurther four died. Some leaving said theyhad become too frail or could not affordthe subscription and some did not say (Ido always ask). 11 just did not renew bythe cut off date of 30th September. Iasked last year for members' views onwhether we should allow such a longperiod for renewal. Two newsletters aresent out between 1st April and 30thSeptember and my personal opinion isthat, if someone has not renewed within,say, three months, then theirmembership should lapse automatically.It is not only the cost of postage and thenewsletter but time spent issuing renewalnotices. I did not get any views when Iasked in last year's membership reportbut, if anyone agrees with me, I wouldsuggest we put the leeway period downto a maximum of 3 months.

As before the majority of newmembers who contacted me by e-mailhad heard of the club through the Twitteraccount or through the internet.However we recruited a few newmembers at the AGM (where we werereally pleased with the numbers comingalong - social media really does help).Also a couple of people put on the joiningform where it asks "how did you hearabout the club" Penny" which pleased megreatly.

I have also noticed that the age of themembership does seem to be comingdown a bit. Quite a few new membersare younger than me now but perhaps

that is just because I am getting older! Istill do not have the dates of birth of allmembers (in fact I only have dates ofbirth for 80 members) but we do haveone member who will be 100 in 2018.

The number of members paying bystanding order only increased marginally.More members are making paymentsdirectly into the bank account, which iscertainly easier for me than receivingpayments by cheque. It is still the casethat around one-quarter of themembership do not pay by standing orderwhich means I have to produce around100 renewal notices to send out with anewsletter.

In my report last year I talked aboutreceiving income from standing orderswhere the payee is no longer a memberThere are still two payments one of £5.00and one of £2.00 from people who wereobviously members a long time ago. In2015/16 these payments totalled £157which compared to the previous year of£139 is a bit higher. It is an additionalincome for the club but still a nuisancewhen trying to reconcile payments tomembers' names as the name is not onthat list!

Penny Williams

County RecorderThis has been a steady rather than

eventful year, but one development thatmight be mentioned is the preparation ofa Surrey list, which is referred to in thenotice of the AGM and accessiblethrough the Club website News Page.The availability of a county list brings usinto line with many other counties. Thelist is in three parts, the main list; speciesnot recorded in Surrey since before

25No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

1900; and species recorded only inSpelthorne (part of modern Surrey butoutside the recording area). For therarest species, the number of records andthe date of the last record are included.

The aim is to update the list whendecisions by the County RecordsCommittee are published in Clubnewsletters and when decisions by theBritish Birds Rarity Committee arepublished in British Birds.

However, please note that the listcurrently accessible via the notice of theAGM and the website needs to beupdated to reflect the recent changes tospecies in the red and amber lists set outin the recently published Birds ofConservation Concern 4. The work hasalready been done and the updatedSurrey list should be available on thewebsite shortly.

This report provides anotheropportunity for the Club to thank thoselocal societies and organisations thatcontinue to submit their records as wellas the individuals who do so. Thanks aredue also to websites like Surrey Birdersfor making their records available to theClub. We very much hope that they willall continue to support us in this way.

As I mentioned last year, one of ourmain sources of data is the British Trustfor Ornithology. We download theSurrey records from Birdtrack, theWetland Bird Survey and the HeronrySurvey. Last year I noted that thenumber of Surrey records put intoBirdtrack had recently increased to about10k per month and wondered whetherthat increase would be maintained - byand large it has been. However, a highproportion of records still merely recordpresence rather than numbers. Please tryto give an estimate of numbers whereverpossible, particularly for red and amber

listed species and for species which are oflocal conservation concern - Woodlark isa prime example. While no longer amberlisted, it is a localised species and onewhich should continue to be monitored.

We are now extending our use ofBTO records by including the results ofthe annual Breeding Bird Survey, startingwith the 2014 records, although we maygo further back in time as the opportunityarises.

Finally, could I repeat the plea I madelast year? With so many sources of datathe risk of duplication of records is high.Some duplicate records are easy toidentify, but others are less so and arehard to weed out, particularly where, onthe face of it, they seem to be differentrecords. That complicates thepreparation of reports and extracts, andcan introduce error. So where you inputthe same record to different recordingsystems, please try to make themconsistent by using the same site name, ifneeds be by adding a name in thecomments column, and if possibleprovide a four or six figure mapreference. Thanks.

Eric Soden

Records Database ManagerDuring the last year both the master

database and the County Recorder'scopy have been upgraded to the latestversion of Recorder 6. Back-up copies ofthe database files are now stored in aDropbox folder to which the CountyRecorder has full access to update hiscopy whenever required.

2012 records were supplied to theSurrey Bird Report Editor and 2013records have been completed and justawait the outcomes from an upcomingRecords Committee Meeting. Full listings

26 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

of 2013 and 2014 Records Committeebirds have been produced for thatmeeting.

A total of 136,712 records have beenadded to the database during the year,increasing the total by 40%. This reflectsthe hard work by the County Recorderin bringing current records up to date,whilst the load into the database of allhistoric records for 2006 has beencompleted and good progress made on2005.

Current Database (comparativefigures from 2015 AGM Report):

2016 6,563 (0)2015 48,230 (77)2014 55,943 (33,858)2013 44,368 (35,596)2012 44,591 (43,263)2011 48,867 (48,614)2010 37,114 (37,038)2009 39,562 (39,563)2008 49,410 (49,423)2007 32,074 (32,071)2006 58,370 (19,864)2005 11,138 (151)2004 1 (1)2003 123 (123)Total 476,354 (339,642)

Steve Chastell

Field Meetings OfficerI took over organising the field trips

from Kevin last June, even though hecontinued to lead the ones he hadorganised through til September. We hada couple of 'old favourites' in the winter,with Papercourt and Staines Reservoir,followed by a break from tradition with avisit to Farlington Marshes in Februaryand then Holmethorpe sandpits led byGordon Hay and Ian Kehl. This markedthe start of my plan to get our membersto show to their local patches and

introduce us to the birds there, thereasoning being that they will know thearea really well and will know where tofind which birds, and so far is being wellreceived by members. So if you have apatch you want to share with us, pleaseget in touch with me.

Charlotte Gray

Publicity and Social Media OfficerA good year for Social Media with

both the Bird Club Twitter and Facebookpages continuing to grow in popularity -the followers of each standing, at the timeof writing, at 1,356 and 223 respectively.The numbers of followers on Facebookrepresents an exact doubling of thenumber from May 2015. The Facebookfollower number is substantially lower asthe people on Facebook tend to belocalised and interested more specificallyin the Club whereas on Twitter peoplewill follow large numbers of bird newstype accounts to maximise the amount ofbird news in their feeds. The aimtherefore is to get as many of the Twitterfollowers to join the Club as possible!

To this end we have been postingregular membership reminders -especially relating to the Birds of Surreyoffer where new members can receive afree copy of this book if they join bystanding order - as well as reminders ofwalks and events such as Nick Dixon'sPeregrine talk in Guildford recently. It hasbeen encouraging to hear from Pennythat at least a handful of recent newmembers have said that they've beenmade aware of the Club through Twitter.

We now regularly have Surreybirders sharing photos and sightings fromaround the county, either direct to ourFacebook page or by tagging in the@SurreyBirdNews Twitter handle. Useof the hashtags (searchable links that can

27No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Please find below the draft Statementof Accounts for 2015/16 which will bepresented to the AGM for formalapproval.

The year ended with expenditureexceeding income by £4,756 due toincreased costs for the production of theBird Reports, a Donation and generalcost increases.

Income increased by 5% (£356) overthe previous year after adjusting for theLegacy received in 2014/15. Expenditurefrom the General Fund increased by 14%(£1,109), principally due to the increased

cost of producing the Bird Reports andfrom the Designated Fund by £1,750 dueto the Donation made to the WokingPeregrine Project.

Cash Balances have decreased overthe year by £1,730 and the Trustees alsoinvested £20,000 cash in a SkiptonBuilding Society Two Year Fixed Bond tomaximise the interest potential andsecurity of the cash funds. Gift Aid duefrom HMRC is claimed after the end ofthe Financial Year and we are awaitingreceipt of the 2014/15 amount as theAccounts are produced.

SBC Draft Accounts 2015/16

be added to tweets to catalogue themwith others of a similar theme) #rbnSRY,#rbnLND and #londonbirds have alsoensured our tweets are seen by a wideraudience than just our immediatefollowers. The latter two relate tosightings that are both within the SurreyVC and London recording areas whichhas meant some useful co-operation withthe London Bird Club Twitter page, againincreasing the potential awareness for theSurrey Bird Club and the work that wedo.

Particularly popular recently havebeen the posts relating to the WokingPeregrine Project which has receivedmuch interest and hopefully helped drivetraffic to the live nestcam on the website.This was proven by the amount of peoplewho visited the Bird Club stand inWoking in May and told us they werealready aware of the project.

Offline publicity has been slow and Ihave struggled to get local magazines andradio interested in the Club and its

events. With this in mind, I think it best ifI concentrate my efforts on the onlineside of things for the next twelve monthsand let someone else have a go at thePublicity Officer role!

Matt Phelps

Ringing in Surrey 2015In 2015 20,451 birds of 97 species

ringed, made up of 18,521 full grownbirds and 1930 nestlings.

A Shoveller was a new species addedto the ringing list this year

Notable recoveries included a LesserWhitethroat ringed at Queen MaryReservoir and re-caught by anotherringer in Israel!

The top three species ringed were,Blue Tit 2842, Blackcap 1842 & Chiffchaff1829.

A new longevity record was set forGoldfinch 7yr 10 mth. 23 days

Richard Denyer

28 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Surrey Bird ClubRegistered charity no. 248285

Balance sheet at 31 March 20162016 2016 2015 2015

£ £ £ £Fixed assetsInvestments 102 102

102 102Current assetsCash at bank:

Skipton Building Society - 2 year Fixed Bond 20,000Skipton Building Society 10,107 20,076Nat West 1,668 13,429

HMRC:Tax on interest income 512 504Deeds of Covenant/Gift Aid declarations 1,704 858

33,991 34,867Current liabilities2014 Bird Report 3,160 2,4502013 Bird Report 3,000 2,4502012 Bird Report 3,000 2,450Sundry Creditors & Accruals 2,330 548

Subscriptions for 2016/17 rec’d in advance 470 182

11,960 8,080

Net assets 22,133 26,889

Surrey Bird Club funds:General Fund 18,197 20,921Designated Fund: Enthusing Young People 3,936 5,968

22,133 26,889

Current Liabilities have increased dueto an increase in the accrual for the costsfor the production of the Bird Reportsagainst what was provided in the prioryear and the Sundry Creditors itemincludes the provision for the payment ofthe Donation to the Woking PeregrineFund. The decision by the ExecutiveCommittee to make this payment wasapproved before the end of the end of

the Financial Year so it is correctlyrecorded but payment was not madeuntil the first week of April.

The Club's Reserves as at the end ofthe 2015/16 Financial Year total £22,133comprising of General Fund £18,197 andDesignated Fund: Enthusing YoungPeople £3,936.

S.R. Cupit, Treasurer

29No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Surrey Bird ClubRegistered charity no. 248285

Statement of Financial Activities for the Yearended 31 March 2016

GeneralFund

DesignatedFund

Total Total

Income and expenditure 2016 2016 2016 2015Income: £ £ £ £Membership subscriptions 4,575 4,575 4,563Income tax on subscriptions:

Provisional Gift Aid declarations re 2014/15 — 858Provisional Gift Aid declarations re 2015/16 846 846

Adjustment to prior year refunds to be claimed 0 0 -626Sales of Bird Reports 100 100 72Donations 459 459 43Legacies — — 9,589Survey fees — — 175Net income from sales of books & artwork 338 338 888Interest receivable 38 38 27Total income 6,356 — 6,356 15,589

Expenditure:2014 Bird Report production costs 3,160 3,160 2,450Adjustments re costs of previous years BirdReports

1,657 1,657 1,241

Donation re Woking Peregrine Project 1,750 1,750 —Newsletters 2,210 2,210 2,130Postage & stationery 1,522 1,522 1,317Insurance 113 113 113Meetings 304 304 50Subscriptions 54 54 54Information Commission 35 35 35

Conservation and Research Projects — 282 282 396Marketing, Gifts and Donations 25 25 467Total Expenditure 9,080 2032 11,112 8,253

Net surplus of income for the year -2,724 -2,032 -4,756 7,336

Fund balances brought forward 20,921 5,968 26,889 19,553

Fund balances carried forward 18,197 3,936 22,133 26,889

30 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

Those of you for whom I have ane-mail address will already havereceived (via e-mail) an appeal forhelpers with this Project.

For those of you not on e-mail,what the e-mail was saying was that,as supporters of the project, we werekeen to have a presence in Wokingevery Saturday from 7th May throughto 11th June in order to engage thepublic's interest in these peregrinesand ultimately birds in general.

In order to do this, we have beencalling on our members to help manthe stand from 10am to 4pm eachSaturday, divided into two shifts of10am to 1pm and 1pm to 4pm.

At the time of writing this articlethe two surviving chicks are just overa week old having hatched on Sunday1st May. As the young are supposedto fledge after 42 days this means thatwe expect them to fledge on Sunday12th June. We have already had onestand in Jubilee Square (on Saturday7th May) and it was very successful.We engaged with well over 60members of the public including quitea lot of children and managed torecruit a few new members too. Itwas extremely enjoyable but we doneed more help. On the morning of7th May when I was covering thestand with Rich Mooney (whose inputwas fantastic) and it was a strugglewith just the two of us speaking toeveryone and showing them what washappening so, if we can get more thantwo people on each shift, it would be

wonderful. All you need to bringalong is your binoculars (and a scopeif you have one). Barlow Robbins(Solicitors in Woking) have kindlyprovided us with parking within astone's throw of where we put thestand.

The stand consists of a table whichhas a laptop/tablet with live picturesof the nest, telescopes, a display ofrecent newsletters and bird reportsplus the membership offers we arerunning. We have also printed offflyers for the club which have apicture of one of the Wokingperegrines on it.

So far as the shifts are concerned,one member of the afternoon shift willneed to return the stand to my house(only a couple of miles away inChobham) so that I have everythingready to take to set up the followingSaturday. Some technical savvy willbe necessary from one member ofeach shift to keep hooked up to thewebcam so that the chicks can beshown to the public. This is becauseevery now and then the link seems tobe lost but it just takes a couple ofseconds to get hooked back on.

Charlotte Gray is organising therota of helpers so, if you would like tovolunteer for this, for any Saturday upto 11th June, please contact her on07971 000568 or 01483 890380 orplease e-mail her atcharlotte.gray88@gmail.com.

Penny Williams

Woking Peregrines - Help still needed

31No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

The Surrey Bird Club hereby gives notice that all arrangements made by the Club for any persontaking part in any meeting, visit or other activity are made by the Club as agents for that personand that consequently the Club accepts no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconveniencearising from his or her participation in Club activities.

The copy date for the next issue of Birding Surrey is 31 July 2016

Future Field MeetingsIf you have a local patch you know well and would like to lead a field trip toshow others what is there please contact Charlotte Gray atcharlotte.gray88@gmail.com

Saturday 18th June , Crooksbury Common for Nightjars. Meet at 8pm.Situated just north-west of Elstead. Go north along the Seale Road from theB3001 Farnham Road. Along the Seale Road take the track on the left justbefore the horse paddock at SU895452. Leader Richard Horton(07930 929496)

Saturday 13th August , Ringing demonstration at Queen Mary Reservoirby the Hersham Ringing Group. Meet at 9am at Ashford Road (B377) gate,Laleham (TQ055695). Morning only. Leader: Steve Chastell

Sunday 25th September, Holmethorpe SandpitsMeet at 9am at the Aquasports shop/cafe, Mercers Country Park, Merstham,Redhill, RH1 4EU. Leaders Ian Kehl and Gordon Hay. The cafe is a couple ofminutes walk beyond the first car park.

Saturday 22nd October, Leith Hill Migration WatchMeet at 6.30am at Starveall Corner carpark, Abinger Road (RH5 6LU) for the20 minute walk up to the tower. There is limited space up on the tower so notelescopes please. Refreshments available at the tower from 10am. Leader MattPhelps (07809 870034)

All the walks are FREE (except for travel costs, car park or entrance fees).Everybody is welcome, from beginners to experts. Field trip details can befound on the Surrey Bird Club website www.surreybirdclub.org or in the'Birding Surrey' quarterly magazine.

Beddington Field Trip. We are able to arrange access to this site for a field tripin September or October. Are there any members out there who know the sitewell and would be willing to lead such a trip ? If so please contact Charlotte.

32 No 112: Summer 2016

Birding Surrey

President: Hugh Evans31, Crescent Road, Shepperton, TW17 8BL.Tel: 01932 227781Email: hugh.evans31@tiscali.co.uk

Chairman / Records Database Manager:Steve Chastell, 8, Burnet Avenue, Guildford,GU1 1YD Tel: 01483 560122Email: steve.chastell@btopenworld.com

General Secretary: VacantCorrespondence to the Chairman please.

Membership Secretary & BTO RegionalRep: Penny WilliamsBournbrook House, Sandpit Hall Road,Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8HA.Tel: 01276 857736Email for membership:sbc@waxwing.plus.comEmail for BTO queries:bto@waxwing.plus.com

County Recorder: Eric SodenCeres, Moushill Lane, Milford, GU8 5BQ.Tel: 01483 429799.E-mail: ericsoden@aol.co.uk

Treasurer: Steve Cupit144 Lambeth Road, London, SE1 7DFTel: 07876 146313E-mail: srcupit125@gmail.com

Bird Report Editor: Stella Bignold38, Chaffers Mead, Ashtead, KT21 1NGTel: 01372 272933Email: stella.bignold@gmail.com

Newsletter Editor: Tim Chinn11, Bishop Sumner Drive, Farnham, Surrey,GU9 0HQ. Email: tim.chinn@ntlworld.com

Chairman of Records Committee /Webmaster: Dave Harris84, Dudley Road, Walton-on-Thames,KT12 2JX. Tel: 01932 700018Email: dave.harris23@ntlworld.com

Publicity / Social Media: Matthew Phelps1, Orchard Cottages, Sample Oak Lane,Chilworth, Guildford, GU4 8QWEmail:mattytheduke@yahoo.co.ukTel: 07809 870034

Ringing Secretary: Richard Denyer20, Crofton Close, Ottershaw, Chertsey,KT16 0LR Tel: 01932 872787

Conservation: Ken Ankorn49, Alpha Road, Chobham, GU24 8NETel: 01276 855205Email: anckornks@btinternet.com

Field Meetings: Charlotte Gray24 Nursery Hill, Shamley Green, Guildford,GU5 0UN. Tel: 01483 890380Email: charlotte.gray88@gmail.com

Other members:David Griffin51a, Palace Road, East Molesey, KT8 9DN.Tel. 0208 979 0748

Hugh Evans31, Crescent Road, Shepperton, TW17 8BL.Tel: 01932 227781Email: hugh.evans31@tiscali.co.uk

President and General Committee

www.facebook.com/surreybirdclub

@surreybirdnews www.surreybirdclub.org.uk

Fig 4. Little Owl, Cobham, 30 Mar 2016 (David Carlsson)

Fig 5. Black-tailed Godwit, Lambeth Res., 24 Apr 2016 (Dave Harris)

Printed by BurleighPortishead www.burleighportishead.co.uk

Fig 7. Redstart, Thursley Common, 11 Apr 2016 (David Carlsson)

Fig 6. Ring Ouzel, WWT Barnes (David Carlsson)