I met someone who doesn't think that there have been any Dartford Warblers there for some years. It is an easy bird to watch too as it usually sits up on top of a branch of gorse. It was incredible. Still, the reasonably short drive to Gatwick carrying three excited young ladies isn’t too bad when the roads are clear and the sky is blue. A common resident. Thursley is just off the A3 near Godalming. Fem Redstart Wells 9/10/20. The common is actually a vast area of heath and mixed woodland and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). 27th May 2018 Birding has been pretty dead for me this year with exceptions of the Greece trip and Duke of Edinburgh the weekend before. Thursley Common - 18 March 2017 Print Email The wind blew strongly so at first small birds were scarce and Dartford Warblers stayed hidden in gorse. I passed some pretty little villages and pubs making a mental not of their names but now as I write, I can’t remember any of them. I enjoyed Stonechat , Redstart , Woodlark , Wood Warbler , Hobby and Buzzard to name a few before finally arriving at the correct field to find the Cuckoo sitting perched up in front of the five photographers already enjoying it. And the first Stonechats were about finally, along with tons of Lizards basking. I had seen them on my three previous visits so I had my fingers crossed. There were a few about along with one or two reed buntings. If you have not heard of Colin the Cuckoo then you really need to take a long hard look at your use of social media. 5 Thursley NNR Education Pack butterflies could become food for their chicks. Just over a week ago, taking a well earned break from the decorating, I paid another early morning visit to Thursley Common to see what other Spring migrants might have turned up on this special lowland heath habitat with its acidic bog and woodland. 149. News of a fresh in Grasshopper Warbler just down the road from where I live last Sunday morning was a welcome treat, Chidders had heard then saw the bird and put news out (good find mate) , on arrival it didn't take long for the Grasshopper Warbler to start 'Reeling' and eventually it showed well in front of it's favoured bramble bush. We headed out from the Moat Car Park, towards the boardwalk. The Surrey Bird Club is a society of people interested in wild birds in the County of Surrey, England. If you want to contact me send your email to. Nearby Hankley, or Frensham commons, hold similar birds with the exception of the waders. Parts of the common are used by the military for sort of grown up paintball fighting. Thursley Common 12 May Having read great accounts by others, I decided it was time to seek Colin's acquaintance first hand. Bird sightings during my walk were not particularly numerous but included several Common Buzzard, including one perched on the remains of a Birch tree, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Woodlark, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, a couple of male Redstarts, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Crow, Jay, Grey Heron, Greylag Geese, Mallard, Tufted Duck and … Skylarks sang overhead. The oddity was two over Thursley Common on 10 May. Still, at 6.30am, it felt like just me and the birds. Thursley Common: female Marsh Harrier flew over Pudmore at 13:00 (S Craven). Members include professional ornithologists, amateur birdwatchers, people who love nature and those who care about the future of birdlife in the County. The very first 2 birds heard were Whitethroat and Woodlark - a good sign. The Dartford Warbler. The traffic, the early start and then throw in the weather, but there are times when you end up working close to a rare bird. These medium bunting have bright chestnut-brown upperparts that are streaked with black on back. All six of England’s native reptile species might be seen basking in the sun on bare ground and young heather; lizards and snakes are sure to Tice’s Meadow : Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail and 2 Common Sandpipers (K Britten/J Zadeh). Pretty common but always a good bird to see. Shrike Hill was a highlight for our 29-person group: Woodlarks sang beautifully and one perched close-by on a branch for good views and photographs. Destination Thursley Common, target bird Cuckoo. Thursley Common/NNR - Surrey birding at its best! Short Eared Owl Salthouse 9/10/20. Palace View, 4 Bridge Road, East Molesey GB-England (51.4030,-0.3439) 140. Black head has slight crest and thick white eyebrow. A fairly common resident. Thursley Common closed to all visitors Waverley Beat has posted the following on Facebook this morning: Due to the ongoing fire at THURSLEY COMMON, the common is … In the near distance I could hear gunfire punching the air and wondered what effect this might have on the nature that is so carefully managed and protected on the common. Rustic Bunting Recent sightings of Rustic Bunting. It includes areas of marsh, woodland and lowland heath. Also in the woods there appeared to be huge numbers of Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Kent Trip Day 5 - Colin, the Thursley Common Cuckoo So my last day on an extended weekend trip to Kent , East Sussex and south-west Surrey came to an end today with the highlight and main focus of the journey down south, apart from seeing my son in Chatham of course. I’d been there a couple of times and with my trusty SatNav I just tapped in Thursley and figured the reserve would be easy to find. 148. Why did I agree to this? "Greedy" birds with so many insects in their mouths. A bird that I really wanted to see was the Rustic Bunting that had taken up residence for the winter at Thursley Common in Surrey. The sun was already heating the place up and I was going to regret not wearing my natty shorts. A large-scale fire has consumed some 25% of Thursley Common over the weekend, posing a terrible threat to the many bog and heathland species found on the SSSI. Eventually after threatening my Blackberry and throttling my SatNav, I got there and I was alone or at least, I thought I was. 4-spotted chaser (1) Amwell NR (1) Art (1) ArtofBirds (1) Avocet (2) Beer (1) Bewick’s Swan (1) bird photography (1) Bird race (1) Bird ringing (1) Bird Trip (2) Bird trips (12) Bittern (9) Black Duck (1) Black redstart (2) Black-bellied Dipper (1) black-tails skimmer (1) Black-winged Stilt (1) Blackcap (1) Bonaparte’s Gull (1) Brambling (2) Brent Goose (1) British Bird Fair (1) Brown Argus (1) Brown rat (1) … The only solitary moment of birding joy was hearing a Sedge Warbler singing at my school on the 25th in … Thursley National Nature Reserve is one of the largest, (326 hectares), and most important areas of heath in Surrey. Common Crane; Common Crossbill; Common Gull; Common Nighthawk; Common rock Thrush; Common Rosefinch; Common Sandpiper; Common Scoter; Common Snipe; Common Swift; Common Tern; Coot; Cormorant; Corn Bunting; Corncrake; Crag Martin; Cretzschmar's Bunting; Cuckoo; Curlew; Curlew Sandpiper; Dalmatian Pelican; Desert Wheatear; Dipper; Dotterel; Dunlin; Dusky Thrush; … Thursley common 12/12/20 The tale of Thursley Common 12/12/20 I have been gripped by these buntings at Thursley common for a couple of weeks now, trying to … Most of my handful of records reflected this (i.e. It had been present since the end of November last year and I had checked the bird news almost daily to see if it was staying faithful to the site. This makes walking up hill in the midday sun feel like a scene out of Ice Cold in Alex. The common is a strange place. 23/02/2021 Wigan Flashes Local Nature Reserve, 19/02/2021 Alexandra Park, Greater Manchester, 18/02/2021 Lea Marston & Coton Lakes, Warwickshire, 09/02/2021 Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield. Once a reasonably common sight in the south, it’s habitat has shrunk and it’s status is serious. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) received a high volume of calls following residents spotting huge plumes of smoke rising from the common at around 4.30 pm on Saturday 30 May. I think there must have been at least 10-12 different birds. Now, I’m not one to miss a bird watching opportunity and one certainly presented it to me as I realised I would be within easy reach of Thursley Common and could be there for 6am. Thursley; Common Buzzard; Insects Play; That List; Grass Class; House Martins; Weekend Bits; Spencer Road Wetlands; May bugs and birds; Beddington Farmlands in the papers (again) Wildlife Gardening day; May days; Planes; Bug Life; Election results and Beddington Farmlands Future? I guess their little chicks are waiting to be fed at home! The morning was spent at Thursley, and based on our previous visit a couple of years ago, we did a circuit to include the heath running up to the south-eastern woodland and then came back via the boardwalk. A fairly common resident. Colin. Then, the area is also a dangerous bog with essential boardwalks that allow you access over some heavily flooded patches of the pathways. Prominent Species at Thursley Common Subscriber Content Bird News Pro and Bird News Ultimate subscribers get additional site details such as specialities and commonly seen species. Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) - Skirmett, Bucks. The trouble is, the car park is quite small and on a minor road – of which there are many –and with most of Surrey’s stockbrokers driving up my backside in their Porsches and Audis, it was hard to find. Adders and Common lizards are also here in good numbers but I didn’t see any even though it was perfect weather for basking on a rock. taking to the skies again. Other scarce heathland and wetland birds living at Thursley are stonechats, Dartford warblers, curlews, shrikes and lapwings. I arrived early but it took me about 90 minutes to find the field that the Cuckoo uses to feed despite following the calls of another bird for about a mile in the wrong direction. Their throat and belly are white, breast band is cinnamon-brown, and sides and flanks are streaked. At Frensham Little Pond I saw a number of Common Redstarts and at a breezy Thursley Common a pair of Hobby put on a spectacular display. For the next three hours nothing visited the field so I decided to jump back on the orbital and head home trying in vain to avoid the Friday rush. Redstart. Some Spring Migrants on Thursley Common. Ockley Common is part of the Thursley complex. This harsh winter will have done it no favours either. Went to Thursley Common last night in the vague hope of seeing a Dartford Warbler and some woodlarks, both of which I believe to be there this year, in spite of the devastating fire last year. The heathland also holds Dartford Warbler (although numbers were much reduced by the hard winters of 2009-2010), Tree Pipit and Woodlark, at night Nightjar can be heard chirring at surprisingly long distances. Generally speaking it is a dry place with heavy but fine sand underfoot. From spring to autumn, we saw animals on every visit, including animals such as dragonflies, lizards, caterpillars, birds, and spiders. RSPB's Marshside reserve gets new lease of life, Storks, Spoonbills, Orchids and Oversley Wood, Bass Creek – If a Trail could be an old Friend, Redbridge Birdwatching / London Birdwatching. I had really come to Thursley for one particular bird. Linnet. On one visit there were tiny toads hopping across the paths in every direction. This quartet included south-west Surrey’s three records, all of which were on remarkably similar dates to each other: Milford, 13-27 April 1991 (E Garcia); Frensham Little Pond, 14-17 April 1992 (S Peters); Thursley Common, 15 April 1995 (N Murphy). A bird that I really wanted to see was the Rustic Bunting that had taken up residence for the winter at Thursley Common in Surrey. My job takes me up and down the country, as an ecologist there are times when working long distances can be a pain. Thursley is of key regional importance in providing habitat for breeding populations of birds listed in Annex 1 of the European Habitats Directive. CANCELLED - THURSLEY COMMON NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE – Thursley Common is a special wet heathland habitat where Dartford Warbler, Hobby, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Woodlark along with many summer migrants, dragonflies and butterflies can be seen. two during a Thorncombe Street vis-mig on 22 September; two over Loxhill farmland on 21 February). Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more. Shenfield & Grays pick-ups as required The common … Blackbird. where I found the picture above! 150. The Thursley bit was easy enough. BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE! The Raft spider walks on water and with its thick legs, can be the size of an average man’s hand. These are woodlark Lullula arborea, nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus and Dartford warbler Sylvia undata. By 11am, after ambling along, the sun broke through and it became warmer. Colin the Cuckoo. !1 Back to the pub after an amazing day!! The only downside of shorts though is the midges can feast off your legs to their hearts content. Colin the Cuckoo . Bullfinch. It’s 4am and my daughter Tanya, bag packed (quite a small one for a change but that’s EasyJet for you) pushes me out the front door towards the car. Hoopoe Wighton 9/10/20. Back to Salthouse at dusk where we had amazing views of two Short Eared Owls hunting together over the fresh marsh! Thursley Common was teeming with nature and we almost always saw something wonderful. But in this case It was just me and two other birders, so plenty of distance to be had. From here we headed to Thursley Common. Greenfinch. All the wonderful birds and wildlife of Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales and further. It had been present since the end of November last year and I had checked the bird news almost daily to see if it was staying faithful to the site. Little bunting are widespread across northern Scandinavia and Siberia and overwinters mostly in southern Asia. A spot of Googling turned up firstly the name of the field he frequents and then a photo of it, with GPS coords attached. Gatwick Wildlife Day 2015; Windy; Bank Holiday; Full of Promise; Bangers and Beans; May days Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter. Date Species Site Count Observer; 29/12/20: RUSTIC BUNTING: Thursley Common: 1: D W Kelson The Lizards Thursley Common I really enjoyed birding here, we just don't have this type of habitat in Kent , Dartford Warblers were very vocal from the gorse bushes and even dared to show themselves on occasion.
