Epsom and Ewell RSPB Local Group

Newsletter

Autumn and Winter 2013 Edition 26

INDOOR MEETINGS AT ALL SAINTS CHURCH HALL

Fulford Road, West Ewell. Doors open 7.30 p.m. for a 7.45 start, on the 2nd Friday of the month.

2013

Sep 13th David Hassell On the Texas Trail

Oct 11th A Visit from Wildlife Aid

Nov 8th Adrian Thomas An Update on Pagham and Medmery Medmery

Dec 13th Christmas Social

2014

Jan 10th Janet Gilbert Falkland Islands

Feb 14th David Darrell-Lambert The easy way to identify gulls identify gulls

Mar 14th Barry Kaufmann-Wright The Wildlife Man

Apr 11th TBA

Group Leaders Report

By Tim Tomkins

“The child is father of the man”. I’m sure every reader will be familiar with this saying. Many will know me already; for the pleasure and delectation of those who do not, let the above sentence be an introduction to me as I take over Group Leadership from Janet. Early influences on my life can be summarized in two words: music and the countryside. The countryside meant one thing – birds. I loved birds. One experience among many that I recall was to have a letter to the BBC actually read out on air by the great Peter Scott himself! It was something to do with swans. I got acquainted with the work of Charles Tunnicliffe who to this day remains, to my mind, the paragon of British wildlife artists. Thus inspired, I too tried my hand at art, and indeed succeeded in winning a competition. To this day I endeavour to seek the acquaintance of wildlife artists and look at their work. So art was an early inspiration. At the same time, I had a ‘scientific’ bent: in my teens I carefully compiled two volumes of bird books complete with their Latin names and these books are still in my possession. Since by that time I was earning reasonable money as a church organist, I saved up and invested in the Collins Peterson Birds Guide. This old friend has seen stalwart service ever since, though admittedly has had to be replaced more than once. There were always lots of birds. Not a particularly huge variety of species: just lots of them. I remember my old copy of I-Spy Birds beginning with the mind-boggling sentence “We share our country with 360 million birds”. Now, according to “The State of the Nation” (out this year) it’s down to 166 million. Yet there wasn’t anything like the enthusiasm there is now. We used to put out kitchen scraps: nobody else of our acquaintance did that. To belong to the RSPB was considered an oddity. Farmers took it all for granted: peewits dive-bombing you in fields; yellowhammers perched on roadside wires; the haunting cry of curlews. Field craft (we didn’t call it that) was taught me by hunters. Thus I learnt to avoid unnecessary talk and movement; simply letting birds come to you, not chasing them around the countryside. These are all vital skills if you want to make our hobby as worthwhile as possible. Nowadays it is rather frowned upon to go looking for nests. But I strongly recall the thrill of seeing the spotted flycatcher who sat tight on her nest wedged in the doorway to my grandparents’ yard and who succeeded in fledging three healthy young. And a robin who had her nest in an old kettle stuck up an apple tree. My recent

Hungarian adventures demonstrated how birds recognise no political boundaries; and having to learn new songs, spent many a happy hour being bitten to death as I crawled through bush and brake!

Treasurer’s Report

By Bill Vincent

Until almost the very end of our AGM I thought I had written my last report for the newsletter, but then Tim stepped forward and volunteered to take on the unenviable task of following Janet as group leader. I have enjoyed the job of treasurer and despite doing it for many years would have continued in the role had the RSPB not decided to change into a wildlife organisation rather than the body I joined. As I will be cancelling my RSPB membership I do not feel I can continue in my role as treasurer. I agreed to stay on the committee for this year to avoid the group having to find a replacement for me as well as the other posts that were vacant. However, I will be standing down at the next AGM and it is important that we have someone ready to take over at that time. The treasurer’s role involves handling money and the RSPB have to approve the candidate before they can take on the role. This is really a formality, but to enable the group to pay its way any delays need to be avoided. The job is very straight forward and involves at most a couple of hour’s work following indoor meetings, counting money and paying it into the Co-Operative Bank via the Post Office. The only other tasks involve preparing the balance sheets at the end of the financial year and completing an annual return to Sandy. I am very happy to provide more information to anyone considering volunteering for the job.

Bank balances:

Charity account £1,260.96

No, 2 account £2,154.70

Puffins Graham Cole

Membership Secretary’s Report

By Sarah Gingell

I would firstly like to thank my predecessor Clive for his hard work and commitment to the group and for handing over to me very organised spread sheets and paperwork. I hope all of you will be renewing your membership and if anyone has any ideas for attracting new members, please let me know. Steve has now taken over the bird seed sales from Jane. Thanks to her for doing a sterling job raising valuable funds over the last few years and for giving Steve some useful tips. She and Margaret will still be helping to sell the seed at meetings, please continue to support them.

Birds in Shakespeare

By Tim Tomkins

When reading Shakespeare, it is striking thing how many references there are to birds in his plays and sonnets. Quite apart from the language issue, this subject of birds and indeed animals is an example of how remote our era is from his. In Elizabethan England, people lived in close proximity to animals such that would undoubtedly send a Health and Safety inspector diving for his clipboard. References to birds are comparatively few in number which, to my mind, is indicative of the fact that Shakespeare’s audiences were so familiar with them that there was no need to mention them except for special effect. Birds were, in a word, ubiquitous. Elizabethan England was a time when households generally kept a cow and pig or two as well as chickens. Roads were not paved and with horse-dung there must have been much filth in the streets. Popular sports were bear-baiting and cock-fighting on which large sums were gambled. Wild birds were used in medicine and for the pot. Shakespeare would have been familiar with all of these. With carrion aplenty, the Red Kite, the merest glimpse of which will turn heads today, would have been seen by him regularly as he made his way to the Globe Theatre. Ravens, too, were highly valued at the time for their waste-disposal services. Let us consider a few more examples in Shakespeare of the way birds were taken for granted. At the conclusion of The Winter’s Tale, the character Paulina announces that: “I, an old turtle, will wing me to some wither’d bough, and there my mate that’s never to be found again, lament till I am lost”.

She refers not to the reptile (unfamiliar to Shakespeare’s audiences anyway), but to the turtle dove, renowned for its constancy. That birds were subject to widespread misunderstanding is exemplified by the cuckoo which was reputed to eat its host-species. Thus the Fool in King Lear (Act 1 scene 4) says: “For you know, nuncle, the hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long that it’s had it head (sic) bit off by its young”. Thirdly, the Woodcock became synonymous with stupidity, because of its dogged refusal to walk over fallen branches or other obstacles on the forest floor. Shakespeare uses the bird to invoke an image of amorous folly. Hence, in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Act 4 scene 3) a character (Berowne) discovers that he and three friends have all fallen in love despite their vows to the contrary; he calls them “four woodcocks in a dish”. Finally, in Sonnet 19, Shakespeare illustrates in quite a casual way his acquaintance with myth and legend. He writes (of Time): “…burn the long-lived Phoenix in her blood”. Familiar to us as a character in the Harry Potter stories, the phoenix is in reality a far more ancient creature, a denizen of fantasy and fable, one granted the gift of self-rejuvenation from its own ashes.

Woody Woodpecker?

By Tim Tomkins

“Zeus won’t in a hurry restore to the woodpecker tapping the oak. In times gone by, ‘tis easily proved, by evidence weighty and ample,That birds and not gods were the rulers of men, and the lords of the world.” Thus Aristophanes, writing in the 5th century BC, in his play “The Birds”. Whether or not they ever ruled the world, woodpeckers are certainly conspicuous birds and are well seen in Ewell. There are three kinds in Britain grouped into two genera: Picus (Green Woodpecker or Yaffle) and Dendrocopus (Great and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers). Perhaps the Green is well-known through advertisements for a brand of cider? Certainly there has long been an ecological relationship between the bird and old cider orchards. The blackbird-sized Great Spotted is the one that ‘drums’ and is our most numerous one at c28000 pairs. It is also regular at bird tables. The sparrow-sized Lesser Spotted is smallest and rarest. A walk across Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve or in Horton Country Park has, on occasion, presented me with all three and will undoubtedly reward you with the first two. At the entrance to the Horton CP car park is a wood-carving of a green

woodpecker, the park logo.

Few birds, not even owls, are more sedentary than woodpeckers. On leaving the nest, a young woodpecker will simply take up a territory close to its birthplace. For that reason, all our woodpeckers spread here relatively recently, when a land-bridge still existed to the Continent. Since the sea broke through, none of the other woodpeckers found there have ventured across the Channel. That is also the reason why none are found in Ireland. Unique among birds, woodpeckers’ feet are adapted to a specialised way of life: two toes pointing

forwards, two back. Likewise their tongues: a woodpecker’s tongue is far longer than that of any other bird. For instance, that of a Great Spotted Woodpecker is well adapted to reach inside crevices and extract insects therefrom. They have learnt to exploit bird-boxes and will drill all around the hole and haul out any nestlings within. A Green Woodpecker’s tongue is even longer and equipped with a flexible lip enabling it to explore inside an ant’s nest; the eggs or pupae simply adhere to the saliva and are pulled out and eaten. Equally at home on trees or on the ground, you can often see them foraging on roadside verges, oblivious to traffic. The loud drumming sound you hear coming from trees in spring is made by the Great Spotted Woodpecker. That is its way of proclaiming territory. It will choose a particularly resonant surface such as a dead branch or

Green Woodpecker Rob Carr

even a man-made metal object, and strike it fast and vigorously for perhaps one second with its powerful beak. The Green will peck at a branch but not ‘drum’. The Lesser Spotted does ‘drum’ and for longer, but its high-pitched voice is more far carrying.

Outings Reports

By Graham Cole

Farlington Marshes 17th February 2013 ( A good day for bitterns)

We gathered at the car park overlooking the vast expanse of mud as the tide was way out. A party of linnets were circling the bushes as we started to search the mud. A few brent geese were close to the path and there were lots of waders. We saw redshank, oystercatcher, curlew and grey plover to start. As we progressed further we picked up ringed plover, shelduck and teal. Looking hard into the distant channel there were little grebes fishing. We arrived at the first lagoon and much to everyone's surprise and delight Janet's scope landed on a bittern. It quickly went back into the reeds, but we could still make out where it was. It was well hidden and only showed its location if it raised its head upwards. On the lagoon itself there were black-headed and common gulls. A few herring gulls were also seen. In the fields beyond the reeds there were lots of wigeon, lapwing, a little egret and a few mallards. We carried on to the point finding some meadow pipits and skylarks along the way. Here we found a group of small waders; dunlin and turnstone. In the channel beyond there were four red-breasted mergansers and a cormorant. Returning back towards the north we found snipe and black-tailed godwits as we approached the second lagoon. Here we could see the wigeon better. We could also pick out shoveler and pintail. The only bird of prey of the day was a kestrel, which was hunting over the fields. There were more brent geese gathered on the fields near the visitors centre. There were also Canada geese. A fox was stalking them from the edge of the reeds. We returned to the car park for a quick lunch before driving in convoy to Southsea Castle. Here we found about a dozen purple sandpipers, quite oblivious to the crowds on the path above. A rock pipit and wren were also

seen. Out on the sea we picked up a guillemot and four mystery birds. Unfortunately we were unable to identify them.

Oare Marshes 7th April 2013

(Our first nearly warm day out of the year)

Our trip to Oare Marshes was the first of the year that was not in the full grip of winter and the bitter east wind. It was still worth keeping well wrapped up. Up on the sea wall we found a single bar-tailed godwit, single grey plover, dunlins and redshanks. A kingfisher flashed by, seen by some of us. As we made our way to the seawall hide we picked up shelduck, great crested grebe and oystercatcher. At the hide we stopped on the outside to scan the view over the sea. There were a number of seals with their heads out of the water, waiting for the tide to fall so they could haul out. One of the buoys far out had turnstones roosting on it. I picked up two interesting birds flying towards us and when they landed on the water I could identify them as red-breasted mergansers. I gave directions to the

Redshank Rob Carr

rest of the group, 'just to the right of the green buoy past the two gulls' Janet's sharp eyes clocked the gulls and immediately realised they were Mediterranean gulls. A passing birdwatcher had seen the water pipit by the New Acquisitions. We made the detour down to the pylons up the creek path, but without success. However we did see snipe, stock doves and lapwings near the cattle grazing there. Back on the flood there were noisy greylag geese. There were several more snipe and they appeared to be unsettled, often taking small flights. Perhaps they were on migration departure status. All the waders were there, Lapwings, redshanks, dunlin and oystercatchers. We also found a few more bar-tailed godwits and black-tailed godwits were also present. From the East flood hide we picked out a single ruff and quick sighting of a bearded reedling. Wigeon, pintail, mute swan, shoveler, mallard, tufted duck, teal and gadwall were out on the flood. On the west flood there were linnets and avocets. After lunch we made our way to Elmley. On the entry track we soon connected with the lapwings and redshanks. There was breeding in evidence and two redshanks were having a real set to fight. At the visitors centre there was a barn owl in the nest box. We set off down the track and kept going until we reached the hides. We saw kestrels, marsh harriers and buzzards on route. At the hide we added ringed plover to our

wader list and reed buntings were seen regularly. Elmley also gave us distant views of barnacle geese, lesser black-backed gulls and curlew. On the drive out there were red -legged partridges along side of the track.

Red-legged Partridge Graham Cole

Dungeness 21st April 2013

(Good numbers of summer visitors)

On arrival at Dungeness RSPB reserve it was a quick U turn back up the entrance track to head to the beach. Janet wanted to take advantage of the high tide. So we started the day by the fishing boats. An immature wheatear was on the roof of one of the small huts and a ringed plover was on the pebbles. Out at sea there were lots of gulls, mostly herring and various immatures. A number of great black-backed and lesser black-backed came in following a fishing boat. We were all staring at the mass of swirling birds over the boat attempting to pick out a kittiwake, but there was a fine juvenile just off the shore in front of us. Further out there were gannets and we had continuous sightings of harbour porpoises breaking the surface. A few common terns were seen and there was also a great crested grebe. Returning to the reserve one car stopped on the road by the far end of the ARC pit. There we found a stunning spotted redshank, changing from winter to summer plumage. On the entrance track there were no tree sparrows around, but at least the sedge warblers and common whitethroats were very

Sedge Warbler Rob Carr

vocal. We also picked up a stunning male marsh harrier. At the visitors centre there were yellow wagtails. The feeders were being used by great tits, blue tits and a few reed buntings. The water level in the main lake behind the visitors centre was quite high. There were cormorant nests, a couple of common gulls, tufted ducks, a few pochard and even a female goldeneye. We paused by the scrub near the Christmas Dell hide. Here we found a willow warbler, linnet as well as more whitethroats and sedge warblers. At Denge Marsh hide we had more great crested grebes. During the day we saw several pairs and we saw some signs of the courtship displays. From the watch point we added lapwing to our list and we were also treated to bearded reedlings moving around the reeds. By the time we reached the ARC side was very quiet, so we returned to the beach at the power station. Here there was both a male and female black redstart just inside the power station perimeter wall. We also had more linnets and pied wagtails. At sea there were a few guillemots heading east, more common terns and a sandwich tern.

Pulborough Brooks 26th April 2013

( Evening nightingale walk)

Our trip to Pulborough Brooks coincided with the reserve's nightingale festival. So the centre was open and there were lots of volunteers and visitors there. We arrived at intervals during the afternoon and the allotted meeting time. Those that extended the day by visiting in the afternoon were rewarded with whinchat, lesser whitethroat, sedge warbler and hobby. Over the standing water on the reserve there were lots of hirundines, mostly swallows, but there were also sand martins and house martins. In the reserve courtyard there were siskins using the feeders as the full party assembled. There were also coal tits, chaffinches, greenfinches, blue tits and great tits. We began to pick up warblers as soon as we reached the top of the zig zags. Here we could hear a nightingale and chiffchaff. We also saw a common whitethroat in the bushes. At the Frattengates we could hear a second nightingale, but it was reluctant to show. As we waited we encountered a willow warbler, whitethroat and a chiffchaff. A nuthatch was seen high in one of the trees. We moved on and elected to go clockwise. This was the correct decision as we soon encountered an obliging nightingale that was perched out of cover. Janet could even see its tonsils! A cuckoo could be heard off to the left and later to the right. Unfortunately we were so interested in the

nightingale we did not see it fly over our heads. Another bird watcher informed us of the near miss as he arrived. The fields inside the reserve gave us green woodpecker and linnets. As the light faded we scanned over the flood plain, looking for the good birds seen earlier. We did find a distant greenshank and a pale plumaged buzzard. There were also gadwall, lapwing, shoveler and shelduck out on the marshes. By now the light had nearly gone. There were reports of a barn owl that we missed and we returned to the visitors centre accompanied by the song of more nightingale. Everyone was very please with a great evening's bird watching.

Elmley 12th May 2013

( A fine day out)

When I first started bird watching Elmley was my favourite reserve and our visit this spring reminded me why. The long entrance track is always special, using the cars as a hide. This offers a nearly unique opportunity to see skylarks at close quarters. The redshank and lapwing are always here and this time we encountered young lapwing chicks freshly hatched. Two yellow wagtails were seen and a wheatear was on an area of freshly ploughed soil. It is a pity we did not get a better view of a raptor that flew over the track a fair distance ahead of

Sedge Warbler Rob Carr

Pied Wagtail Graham Cole

us. It may have been a hobby or sparrowhawk. We also saw our first swifts of the year. There were swallows at the farm with evidence of nesting in the toilet block. We lingered at the farm after we heard reports that a long-eared owl was seen in the orchard. But despite a patient and careful examination of the dense scrub it was not found, but a whitethroat kept us company. The long walk to the hides gave us plenty of reed and sedge warblers. At first the high wind was keeping the birds down, with only a reed bunting on show. Then three sedge warblers in full voice disputing the same patch of reed gave us excellent views. Eventually a reed warbler gave us a decent view as well. On the walk we also had a curlew, Mediterranean gull, little egret and a marsh harrier. When we passed over the old sea wall we could see a small area of estuary mud where there were dunlin and grey plovers in summer plumage. A turnstone was also seen turning over bladder wrack seaweed. In the first hide we were presented with an array of noisy avocets. We also had nesting black-headed gulls, a party of turnstones and a few redshank on the scrapes in front of the hide. A whimbrel was suddenly spotted preening on of the islands in long grass. Further back were common

terns, ringed plovers and oystercatchers. We also visited the two other hides. We picked out a number of ducks including pochard and a single wigeon. The more common species were tufted duck, shoveler and mallard. We also got good views of dunlin, black-tailed godwit and best of all a green sandpiper, which landed in

Green Sandpiper Rob Carr

front of the hide. It stayed for a while and then departed quickly. Later we found two little terns and there was a fleeting sighting of a common sandpiper.

Rye Harbour 19th May 2013

(Summer plumage sanderling and little gull)

I was not sure what to wear for our trip to Rye. The weather forecast had improved by Sunday morning and we were unlikely to get soaked. But as we set off from the car park I was in a rain coat and my winter hat. When we returned the sun was in full force and I was down to my shirt sleeves and the ice cream sellers were doing a roaring trade. The walk out to the first hide was quiet with just a couple of linnets and avocets. As we passed the warden's cottage we picked up a little egret and our first ringed plover of the day. The only wheatear of the day was on a fence post, picked out in a scope. In the hide we found grey plover, more ringed plovers and a group of four whimbrel. We moved on to the sea, stopping to look over the river outfall. There were noisy oystercatchers on the beach, but a nice surprise and an identification test were four sanderling in

Skylark Rob Carr

summer plumage. The walk along to the first hides gave us little tern and sandwich tern on the beach. Common terns were flying over. A skylark was perched on the fence outside the hide. A common tern flew in and landed in front of the hide, passing a fish to its mate. The problem was that the fish was slightly too big. It was also wriggling strongly. Eventually the bird got it down. At the back of the scrape we could see the whimbrel again with a number of dunlin and a couple of knot in summer plumage. The best bird of the day was a little gull, a juvenile that flew in. From the other hide we had close up views of Mediterranean gulls. A female marsh harrier was hunting over the back of the lakes. We continued along the sea path and tuned inland at the end of the reserve entering different habitats. On the fresh water pools we found Egyptian geese, kestrel, swallow, swift and house martin. We added whitethroats and reed buntings, before we had excellent views of two male cuckoos perched on the overhead cables.

Chobham Common 28th May 2013

(Less than ideal conditions!)

After a fine weekend, the weather took a turn for the worse and the day of our evening trip to Chobham Common started with heavy rain and cool

Common Whitethroat Graham Cole Rob Carr

temperatures. But by late afternoon the conditions had improved and 10 of us met at the start point. Just before we set off there was a Surrey Wildlife Ranger passing, who advised us to keep an eye open for woodlarks. He also felt that the cool and damp conditions would keep the nightjars down. There has been an amount of tree clearance close to where we parked, to expand the area of heathland. We soon found a stunning woodlark in this ideal territory. It was perched on the top of a single conifer singing quietly. We all got excellent views. There were also chiffchaffs and willow warblers singing alongside the path, but we were not able to get a sighting of them. But we did pick up jay, carrion crow and chaffinch. The circuit of the mound produced little bird activity so we soon arrived at our favoured watch point for the nightjars. Here we could hear distant calls from tawny owls and also cuckoos. We also had a fly past mallard and a distant view of a grey heron in flight. Our main objective for the evening were the nightjars but we were unable to see any. There were birds present, but all we heard was a very brief and quiet churring, just for a short while. As we may our way back to the cars we made a resolution to return on a warmer evening in the hope that the nightjars will be more active.

Stodmarsh 2nd June 2013

(Best ever turtle dove sightings)

At last, a trip out in the sunshine. It was factor 50 all round as we set off on the long walk around this impressive fresh water reserve. We had not left the car park when we were hearing a garden warbler singing away in the bushes, with a nightingale close by and a whitethroat coming into view as well. The reserve appeared to have good numbers of garden warblers singing. There were also lots of blackcaps in song which helped us all become more tuned in to the differences. Our first stop is the isolated hide overlooking the lagoon. Here there were great crested grebes, coots and mallards on the water. The close proximity to the reeds also gave us reed warblers popping into view periodically. Moving on we walked around the side of the lagoon where we treated to close up views of both blackcap and cetti's warbler. The cetti's were in a manic pursuit going around and around the bushes at the side of the path. Not their normal reclusive selves. Out on the main lagoon there were common tern, greylags and a few pochards. Hobbies were also swooping quite low and we were able to get some 'in flight' photos. We also had sightings of marsh harriers and a buzzard in

this area. We should also mention the swallows that were flying so low it felt like they wanted to join us. One of the target birds for our trip was the turtle dove. This year we had excellent views. There was a bird sat at the top of a tree

on the opposite bank of the river, were it stayed gently purring for us. The best views we have had for some time. As we continued to walk along the bank it was seen again this time in the scrub on the same side. There were also cuckoos around calling and we picked up great spotted woodpecker, grey heron, kingfisher and little egret by the river. After lunch the return trip was quite quiet. We added gadwall and mistle thrush to the list for the day, but we mostly saw the commoner species from the morning. All in all a lovely day out.

Lakenheath 16th June 2013

(A successful addition to the walks programme)

Lakenheath is another new addition to this year's itinerary. We hoped that the long journey would not put off everyone. In the end 6 people made the trip and were rewarded with some excellent birds. The car park area gave us a very confiding wren to start with and the path through the visitor centre into the

Turtle Dove Graham Cole

reserve was lined with whitethroat. At the reserve the feeders were being visited by blue and great tits, but a great spotted woodpecker also had a feed whilst we were there. There were both sedge and reed warblers in the damp pools beside the path and as we arrived at the first black popular plantation just as another bird watcher heard a call from a golden oriole. Unfortunately that was as good as it got for this elusive bird. The next high light was at the first lookout. Here we had a bittern , which flew over the open water in front of us. Also skulking in the reeds were a number of bearded reedlings and a kingfisher made a number of stops at the water's edge. A shout went up for a hobby and marsh harrier, but not all of us got a view. As we continued there were good views of a garden warbler and a great spotted woodpecker nest with young at the entrance calling the parents for food. Tim picked up a grasshopper warbler call, but it did not show. The second highlight was at the far watch point. Here we had better sightings of marsh harrier and at least three bitterns in flight. A pair of common cranes were picked up in the neighbouring field giving excellent views in the telescopes. A kingfisher appeared again whilst bearded reedlings, sedge warblers and reed warblers were all popping up. On the return path via the riverbank we added reed bunting, house martin, sand martin, gadwall and great crested grebe. We also had views of the cuckoo which had been calling all day. After a late lunch we

Mute Swan Graham Cole

moved to Wicken Heath. Here we hoped to see a stone curlew. There were 7 in total, two pairs and three young. We also had chiffchaff and two spotted flycatchers.

Northumberland Trip 25th June 2013

(Group holiday to the North East Coast)

This year the group arranged a summer trip to the delightful county of Northumberland. Friday was a day to travel with the group meeting at our hotel in Seahouses for dinner at 7:30. Some of the group broke their journey north by visiting reserves on route. Blacktoft Sands by one couple and 5 went to Fairburn Ings. Those at Fairburn were so entranced by the willow tits, tree sparrows and little ringed plovers that we only managed to get to Sea Houses at 7:29. At least we weren't late! The dining room had a stunning view over the harbour where there were eider ducks. An evening stroll on the beach gave us a crèche of nearly 20 ducklings on the sands. Saturday dawned with dry weather and we tried to book for the full day trip to the Farne islands. Unfortunately the tide and sea conditions were not ideal, so the boat company were not landing on Staple Island. As a result we decided to risk waiting until another day. We had an alternative itinerary in mind and we drove to Long Nanny. Here there is a tern

Arctic Tern Graham Cole

breeding colony in the dunes. On the walk through the dunes and down the beach we had linnets, meadow pipits and reed buntings. Overhead were swallow, swift and house martins. The girls in the party were suddenly very excited at four young men walking towards us on the beach. It was only Prince William and some of his handsome friends. He was attending the wedding of the Duke of Northumberland's youngest daughter later in the day. The arctic terns were breeding in the dunes at the point, spilling out onto the sands. We had close up views from the wardens hut. A close watch is kept to try to prevent disturbance and predation. A kestrel did fly through when we were there causing all the birds to take to the air. There were also a small number of little terns nesting. Their nests were at the edge of the colony and were hardly above the hide tide mark. As a result the wardens had moved the nests onto sand filled boxes, which gave the birds about six inches clearance, which will save them from a high tide. It is amazing that the birds don't seem to mind. Indeed here and on the Farnes the wardens are extremely dedicated to the care of the birds. On some occasions they have even collected in nestlings so they are warmed and dried with a hair dryer. They can then be safely returned without harm. On the way back we saw a ring plover nest. Out at sea there were gannets and guillemots. On the beach and rocks were a knot, oystercatchers and curlews. A common scoter gave excellent views. Also on the rocks were a mixture of shags and cormorants. After lunch we drove to Bamburgh Castle and walked along the coast further north. Here we spent some time sea watching. There were gannets, oystercatcher, eider, guillemots, razorbills, puffin and common scoter. A red breasted merganser was seen flying away. On the land were linnets, whitethroat, pied wagtails and rooks. There was a small pond by the road near Seahouses, which held mute swan, sand martin, tufted duck, shelduck, coot and moorhen. In the late afternoon we walked south from the harbour in Seahouses to a seabird colony. On the cliffs were kittiwakes and fulmars . We also had a rock pipit around the harbour. The weather forecast for the next day was awful with predictions of prolonged heavy showers for most of the day. But the boatmen were running a full day trip to both islands. So we set off towards the islands in the small open boats in the rain. A few lucky people were in the lee of the wheel house. We were taken on a tour of the island rocks and cliff faces. There was a considerable seal population and the views of the guillemots and razorbills were spectacular. There were also large rafts of puffins on the water. The landing at Staple Island was difficult. The boat was bobbing on the swell so

it was necessary to time your leap from the boat to the concrete landing steps. Our thanks go to the two boatmen and the warden that carefully guided and supported us safely ashore. Their warnings about the slippery conditions were soon proved to be true and the rain and guano made the steps and rocks just like a skating rink. Fortunately the rain had now eased off and we began to get a few rays from the sun. The birds were nesting right next to the path. There were shag nests at our feet and the rain drops were covering the birds feathers. Puffins were standing next to their burrows and there were large numbers of guillemots nesting on the rocks. By moving gently to the top of the island the full scale of the guillemot colony could be fully appreciated. There were birds covering all of the rocky outcrops. There were a few young birds peeking out from under their parent's wings. There were a few bridled birds, with the spectacle markings. Also present were razorbills, kittiwakes, and a few fulmars.

There were lesser black-backed gulls and black-headed gulls on the grassy area. They were chasing the puffins that were coming in with beaks full of sand eels. A few were caught and had to give up their food. We then re-boarded the boat and travelled to the Inner Farne island. Here we sailed close to the cliffs and witnessed the cliffs packed with more shags, guillemots and razorbills. The gulls were also savaging here, with a lesser black-back and two herring gulls all pulling

Shag Graham Cole

at a young chick that was not well protected. As we landed at a sheltered jetty we realised that the sun was still shining and there was no sign of the forecast rain. We did have a few clouds but that was all. We congregated on the key side as the wardens collected the landing fee. A large group of arctic terns with some sandwich terns were resting on the rocks at the far side of the small beach. There was also a single roseate tern present, it could be picked out with care, but the birds were not settled and it kept moving. Eventually we lost sight of it. The path away from the jetty was lined with arctic tern nests. They tend to favour the close proximity to the path as we do provide some protection from the gulls, but that did not stop them from shouting, pecking and generally aiming droppings over us. Some nests still had eggs and some had tiny young birds. We even had some birds land on people's heads! There were a few common terns in the middle of the island and there was also an eider nesting next to the path. By the lighthouse there was a good view over the cliffs. The shags were even nesting our side the fenced off area. The wardens had made a little fence that gave them some protection. We could see young kittiwake, razorbill and shag. The young shags are very ugly! The puffins on the island were either sat on the lighthouse walls or were attempting to reach their burrows with food. The gulls here were definitely making the puffin's lot as difficult as they could. Several were mugged before they could reach the safety of the burrow. As we waited to re-join the boat we were entertained by a ringed plover and the roseate tern gave a brief view again. The next day we decided to move inland for a change. We started at Rothbury where there were mallards by the riverbank car park waiting for crusts of bread. With them was a female goosander, which was a nice surprise. A dipper was also seen on the far bank

Goosander Graham Cole

feeding in the water around some tree roots. We walked along the river for a mile or so before returning. Along the way we had both chiffchaff and willow warbler, another dipper and a grey wagtail. Another target bird was the common sandpiper, which was seen on a muddy patch under the far river bank. We also had a grey heron. In the afternoon we climbed high into the moors to the Harthope Valley. One vehicle was lucky enough to see a quail run across the road in front of them on route. Here we had buzzard, kestrel and another dipper. The dipper here posed on a stone in the stream with a beak full of caddice fly larvae. We drove a little way and then stopped to explore before trying again further up stream. The river followed the road and we soon had a pair of common sandpipers. Their piping call is an easy giveaway. A male redstart was not so easy to see. It was feeding in some trees over the stream. In a more exposed area we had a family of whinchats both on the far river bank and on the shale of the steep valley side behind us. At the top of the valley we explored the trees where we had a spotted flycatcher. It entertained us for quite a while. An eagle eyed party member picked out three red grouse on the skyline at the top of the steep valley sides. As we drifted away there were red-legged partridges in the grass at the bottom of the valley. We had to pack our bags for the return journey back to Surrey on the next day. A few of us tried for black grouse, but failed. At least we had a grey partridge, snipe, curlew and breeding redshank on the moors.

Dipper Graham Cole

OUTINGS PROGRAMME

Meeting Places: WH Meadway, West Hill, Epsom. V Meet at venue. F Full Day. M Morning. E Evening.

We encourage members to car share on outings, as some venues have restricted parking spaces & it also helps to reduce the impact on the environment. However, if you are unwilling or unable to drive to a venue you should try and make prior arrangements for a lift, as it is not always possible to find enough seats on the day. If you do travel in another member's car it is customary to share the journey costs. If you intend to travel direct to a venue please notify Janet Gilbert or Bill Vincent. Directions list to all venues obtainable at indoor meetings.

2013 October

Sunday 13th Gillingham Country Park F 0800 WH

Sunday 27th Thorney Island F 0800 WH

November

Sunday 10th Dungeness RSPB F 0800 WH

Sunday 24th Shellness F 0800 WH

December

Sunday 8th Pulborough Brooks RSPB F 0900 WH

2014

January

Sunday 5th Bushy Park M 0930 V

Sunday 19th Wraysbury followed by Staines Reservoir F 0830 WH

February

Sunday 2nd Shellness F 0800 WH

Friday 7th London Wetland Centre F 1000 V

Sunday 16th Farlington Marshes F 0800 WH

March

Sunday 2nd Pagham Harbour F 0800 WH

Sunday 23rd Rainham Marshes F 0800 WH

April

Sunday 6th Oare Marshes F 0800 WH

Sunday 27th Dungeness RSPB F 0800 WH

May

Friday 2nd Pulborough Brooks RSPB E 1900 V

Sunday 11th Elmley F 0800 WH

Sunday 18th Rye Harbour F 0800 WH

Tuesday 27th Thursley Common E 1900 V

June

Sunday 1st Stodmarsh F 0800 WH

Thursday 5th Chobham Common E 1930 V

Friday 20th Group Weekend South Devon

Used stamps make money for the RSPB. Ron Powney collects them for our group and sends them on to Sandy, so please let Ron have all your used stamps.

As a reminder, cut or tear them from the envelope making sure that about ¼ to ½ inch of envelope paper is left round the stamp. Any with damaged perforations go straight in the bin!

More Stamps please.

Thanks Ron Powney

COMMITTEE

Group leader Tim Tomkins 07415282028 Secretary Judy Deacon 01372 728328

Treasurer Bill Vincent 020 8641 4644 Membership Sarah Gingell 020 8337 8369 Outings Graham Cole 01372 274040 (mobile) 07717 697859 Outings Bill Vincent 020 8641 4644 (mobile) 07876 478980 Publicity Sue Osborne 020 8397 0714 Sales Vacancy Newsletter Graham Cole 01372 274040 Web site Graham Cole 01372 274040 Support Rob Carr Our treasurer and publicity committee members will be standing down at the next AGM. Please let us know if you would like to stand.

Would readers consider writing something for the newsletter? Anything about birds or wildlife would be welcome. Contributions to Graham Cole by 8th September 2013. 60 Grosvenor Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 6JB. E-mail. gcole1@csc.com Web site www.rspb.org.uk/groups/epsom The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds

and wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all.

Common Sandpiper Graham Cole