Wes

Nice to get a bit of ringing in this afternoon 28 new birds including 4 Siskin single Redpoll Firecrest Redwing and best a Fieldfare as I was ending. #ukbirding

I have one lee find it very good both during day for picking up otherwise missed skulking birds and good at night for migrating wildfowl etc. Attached video Brent’s over my Surrey garden last March. Only slight negative is focus ring was quite tight initially.

Finally caught up with the lone Newdigate Cattle Egret this morning. Part of a group of 20-25 that were apparently there from early Oct till end of month before departing when the cattle were moved indoors. This one has hung on so far.#ukbirding

Leith Hill Tower this morning until 0900 best 7 Brent’s W at 0715. 14250 woodpigeon E.
14 Crossbill and 12 Brambling including 8W.
Bitterly cold in the Northerly wind.

Capel.

2 Hobby hunting over village.

#ukbirding

Leith Hill.

2 Green Sandpiper flew west.

9 Marsh Tit and 2 Spotted flycatcher.

#ukbirding

Pleased to ring one of the village swift nests including a parent.
The other nests are not accessible,this brood are in a modified internal box which stops them entering right into church and getting trapped.

#ukbirding

Decent couple of days locally. 2 Juv Hawfinch the highlight but also hunting Hobbies my first Ravens for a bit,3 tonight over the garden.
Influx of red Admirals and today 3 Painted lady and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Several broods of Nightingale off now.

#ukbirding

Osprey NE capel at 0630.
Also singing males - Nightingale 7 Whitethroat 11 Garden W 8.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Ringing at Capel today.
Three more Nightingale - 2 retraps and a new bird,one of the retraps has been breeding here since 2021.
A sedge was notable as was an early Reed W.

30 new birds of 11 species.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

First ringing session this morning with 36 new birds ringed while sorting out the net rides,highlights 8 Chiffchaff 4 Garden Warbler 4 Blackcap 3 Nightingale and a Whitethroat.
First Large Red Damselfly seen.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Capel.
A few more Whitethroat in this morning with 6 singing. 3 Garden W a Willow W and still at least 3 singing Nightingale.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Capel.
4 singing Nightingale plus a couple of females now.
4 Whitethroat 2 Garden W House Martin N little Egret S and 2 distant White wagtails feeding with Pierson fleshly spread slurry field - distant scope shots below.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Leith Hill.

Cuckoo and Tree pipit.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Capel.
Second Nightingale singing now single Reed warbler and House Martin.
At least 15 Blackcap and 18 Chiffchaff - should be Garden W in next couple of days.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

A more vocal Nightingale fresh in at capel this morning and my first 2 Whitethroat.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Nightingale capel.

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#surreybirding

Another 7 swallow and 4 Sand Martin this afternoon.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Capel.

Single swallow Green Sand and Redpoll over.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Capel yesterday.

First push of hirundines here - a house Martin closely followed by 2 swallow and a Sand Martin.

Nearby a Green Sandpiper was new in and at least 8 Blackcap and 22 chiffchaff.

As in recent days a trickle of LBB Gull NE.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Leith Hill Tower.

Quiet other than 2 Brambling and a flyover Crossbill.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Capel.

First chorus of the year from the local Marsh Frogs this morning.

Circuit with the dogs 22 chiffchaff and 1 Blackcap.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Crazy evening capel c.2230 birds in 3.5 hrs.

Calling Brent’s 85 and 11, 3 flocks of wigeon 2 of Teal 2 of Ringed plover and flock oystercatcher.
37 double figure flocks of very high wildfowl total 855 birds plus more single figure groups.
Lot of passerines.

E or N.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Capel Surrey 580 chaffinch and 4 Hawfinch E 11 meadow pipit 2 Grey wag and 27 LBBGull N/NW over garden upto 1030.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Capel.

4 hawfinch E.

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#surreybirding

Decent push of chaffinch over the garden since dawn upto 425 E/NE by 0730.

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#surreybirding

Capel.

Much quieter with the thermal last night only two flocks of wildfowl over upto 9pm. One silent looking like maybe 6 Brent’s and a vocal fairly distant flock of 20-25 Wigeon NE.
Only 2 other additional birds noted in that period.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Two more flocks of Brent’s picked up on calls before locating with thermal over capel Surrey tonight in quick succession.16 and c.33.

I tried sound on tonight but hopeless.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding

Amazing movement at Capel last night using thermal.
Between 1930-2130 very high flocks totalling over 400 wildfowl NE over the garden all silent apart from a single flock of c.57 Brent’s that gave themselves away as they passed lower calling.

#ukbirding
#surreybirding