Early Winter Bird Survey - North West Zone 12/12/18

This morning was the start of a real cold snap here in Sussex, which always seems to tie in with our North West Zone bird survey transect. Tom F. and I set off along the northern side of the airfield fence a little after sunrise, giving the birds some time to get moving and active. Tom commented right away that this was a spookily quiet morning...

A group of Meadow Pipits are typically the first birds we come across, bouncing along the airfield fence. A Robin and several Dunnocks called sporadically, hidden away along the banks of the River Mole. Our first red-status species was a Song Thrush, giving it's subtle 'tseep' alarm call as it fled, nipping down into the river bank vegetation.

Song Thrush - RSPB

Down on the floodplain it truly felt bone-achingly cold. The reed beds seemed devoid of life, then a fiesty Wren struck up an alarm call as it faced us off from the top of a reed. Finally, a Reed Bunting called, although only faintly and with no replies forthcoming. It really felt like the birds hadn't got out of bed yet.

Further along the floodplain, we caught the distant calls of Water Rails. These secretive birds seem to be more vocal in winter, and their call is highly weird. If you happen to be standing right next to one when it sounds off, it's pretty alarming!

Water Rail - RSPB

Over to the scrub west of Brockley Wood, a few Blue Tits and Long-tailed Tits were foraging together on the woodland edge. A sole Green Woodpecker headed off calling and a group of Wood Pigeon broke from the trees. Over in woodlands, a distant Nuthatch called.

This sheltered patch of grassland is one of my favourite spots in summer, dense in long herbaceous vegetation and absolutely humming with invertebrates. In winter however this tends to be the favourite patch of another highly-secretive and red-status bird; the Woodcock. We flushed one from the low scrub; its low, whirring flight really does give the appearance of a giant bat. 

Woodcock - RSPB

Poking our heads into the north of Brockley Wood, we were hoping for some Redwing activity, however the flocks were conspicuously absent from the site this morning. The collective alarm calls of  Blackbird, Magpie and Wren indicated the presence of an avian predator, likely a perched-up Tawny Owl or Sparrowhawk. Whatever it was then moved off, as the alarm calls rapidly followed it through the wood.

Our final section of grassland along the River Mole turned up two Common Snipe, which had been well hidden in the rushes. One put on an amazing display, flying a wide loop over the environment bund and then skimming low past us at about waist-height. This whole transect was again peculiarly quite, and surprisingly one of the most numerous birds was Bullfinch; we counted a total of 6.

Bullfinch - RSPB

At the very end of the transect we had a buzz of excitement in the form of a perched Sparrowhawk, apparently causing upset with the resident Ring-necked Parakeets. It casually took off over the trees, leaving in its wake a string of songbird alarm calls.

Final species count = 34

Common name	Species
Blackbird	Turdus merula
Blue Tit	Cyanistes caeruleus
Bullfinch	Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Buzzard	Buteo buteo
Carrion Crow	Corvus corone
Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs
Coal Tit	Periparus ater
Dunnock	Prunella modularis
Goldcrest	Regulus regulus
Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis
Great Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos major
Great Tit	Parus major
Green Woodpecker	Picus viridis
Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea
Jackdaw	Corvus monedula
Jay	Garrulus glandarius
Long-tailed Tit	Aegithalos caudatus
Magpie	Pica pica
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
Meadow Pipit	Anthus pratensis
Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus
Nuthatch	Sitta europaea
Reed Bunting	Emberiza schoeniclus
Ring-necked Parakeet	Psittacula krameri
Robin	Erithacus rubecula
Siskin	Spinus spinus
Snipe	Gallinago gallinago
Song Thrush	Turdus philomelos
Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus
Treecreeper	Certhia familiaris
Water Rail	Rallus aquaticus
Woodcock	Scolopax rusticola
Woodpigeon	Columba palumbus
Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes

Early winter bird surveys - Dec 2017

A round up of our early winter bird surveys (and a photo series of Tom F looking very cold in different habitats at Gatwick).

North West Zone

Tuesday December 12th: 8am

We hopped out of the car to find the ground was pretty much frozen solid. At around -3.5 degrees, this was the coldest morning of the year so far.

All seemed very quiet, with our first record being Blue Tits feeding on seed heads along a tall herb stand. Down within the channel of the River Mole, a flurry of activity and some strange calls indicated that we had just spooked a Water Rail...

Taxiway Juliet, adjacent to the River Mole

Further along the river, we came to a wet field with stands of rushes. Along the hedge line, a group of three Roe Deer carefully squeezed their way through a broken fence. As we walked steadily through the field, we kept our eyes peeled in case we flushed some winter visiting waders. The lumbering ecologists enjoyed a partial success with one noisy Common Snipe...

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) RSPB

Further along the river, Dunnock, Wren and Reed Bunting called from the reed beds and a small group of Fieldfare shot over our heads, their colour catching brilliantly in the morning light. Several more Common Snipe nipped off as we headed further down into the floodplain and upon reaching the water's edge a small group of Teal took flight. This is the first time we've seen Teal here since our bird surveys began in 2012.

River Mole floodplain grassland

In the grassland and scrub adjacent to Brockley Wood, we flushed another winter visiting wader; a Woodcock looks rather similar to a Snipe, except that it is a much bulkier bird and they prefer to feed under the cover of scrub and woodland.

Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) RSPB

Winter sun, northern edge of Brockley Wood

Rounding the north of Brockley Wood, a pair of Ring-necked Parakeets were calling loudly and then making quieter sub-vocalisations. This non-native seems to be increasing its range along the transect, and so might soon become a new breeding species in Brockley Wood.

Ring-necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) RSPB

Fieldfare and Song Thrush put on a good show along the lines of scrub of the River Mole valley, with only a few Redwing apparent today. Mixed flocks of smaller birds such as Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests were also enjoying the dense scrub. A Great Spotted Woodpecker torpedoed past us while a pair of Goldfinches were feeding busily on the river bank teasels.

River Mole floodplain grassland

Toward the end of the transect, things seemed to go rather quiet again. Pushing through the woody vegetation on the riverbank, we caught a view of a group of small birds pursuing a Sparrowhawk above the treeline. The group about-turned and passed back over our heads, their calls identifying to us a victorious band of Goldfinches.

Final count: 36 species (just one off our winter bird survey record):

Blackbird

Blue Tit

Bullfinch

Carrion Crow

Chaffinch

Common Buzzard

Dunnock

Fieldfare

Goldcrest

Goldfinch

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Tit

Green Woodpecker

Jackdaw

Jay

Kestrel

Magpie

Mallard

Meadow Pipit

Moorhen

Nuthatch

Pheasant

Pied Wagtail

Redwing

Reed Bunting

Ring-necked Parakeet

Robin

Snipe (Common)

Song Thrush

Sparrow Hawk

Teal

Treecreeper

Water Rail

Wood Pigeon

Woodcock

Wren

Land East of the Railway Line

Thursday December 12th: 8am

Flood attenuation area, Gatwick Stream

A marginally warmer day, but with a stronger breeze meant the cold was still felt by this weather-hardened ornithological pair. 

Bring zipped right up to the top helps stop the teeth chattering

Being coffee-d up to the eyeballs certainly helps though, and it is always with a sense of excitement that we stomp our way through the relatively young grassland habitat here. Sadly, we didn't manage to flush any Snipe this morning, instead just a few Wood Pigeon and Carrion Crow were about as exciting as it got, and a flock of Goldfinches bouncing over our heads.

Flood attenuation area, Gatwick Stream

Things took a quick upward turn however, when I found us a new species to the airport! It was while standing next to a thick stand of Soft Rush that I saw something my brain refused to register... 

'Erm, Tom, is that a melanistic Long-tailed Tit, or a Dartford Warbler?!'

Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata) RSPB

This feisty little bird put on quite a show, so Tom clapped me on the back and I felt that warming smugness of being the first to spot a new species on a survey.

The dense stands of Soft Rush in the flood attenuation area

We left the low lying floodplain and trekked into the Upper Picketts Wood, the entrance of which was busy with ground-feeding Song Thrushes and Redwings. The center of the woodland was much quieter, and some sudden Blue Tit alarm calls caused us to look up high; a Red Kite was skimming low over the tree tops. This is another new species for the transect.

Red Kite (Milvus milvus) RSPB

A roving tit flock moving through the canopy included a noisy group of Lesser Redpolls, which are becoming a more frequent occurrence here in recent winters. A skirmish between three Nuthatches caught our eye, with undersides flashing orange in the sunlight, causing us to give a double take...

But this was not the orange-coloured bird that we were looking for.

Bee hotel and dead hedge in Goat Meadow

Pushing through Goat Meadow, we unfortunately didn't turn up our trusty Marsh Tits, despite hearing them here regularly. In a clearing next to Lower Picketts Wood, I was distracted by a loudly alarm-calling Fieldfare which I then followed, hoping to spot a bird of prey. While I was busy looking the other way, it was then that Tom F spotted something sitting up proudly on a massive old Hawthorn bush...

Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) RSPB

This was most definitely a new species to the airport! Hawfinches are incredibly elusive around these parts, with most being winter visitors and very few resident or breeding in the UK. They are rather shy and their calls are almost Robin-like, making this a tricky one to I.D. by sound. We knew there had been an unusually large influx of birds flying in from the continent this winter, with many sightings across Surrey and Sussex.

I have known Mr Forward a long time now, and he is a very honest chap, so let the record state that he recorded Gatwick's first Hawfinch (but I got the first Dartford Warbler).

Twisting Hornbeam, Lower Picketts Wood

Continuing through the woodland strip, we turn up our trusty Chaffinch calling from the same corner every year. The other finch species frequently present here is Bullfinch, and we glimpsed of a pair of white rumps disappearing away from us. At the end of the transect, by the railway line bordering the western edge of Horleyland Wood, we were treated to a mega-flock of Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Tree Creepers and Goldcrests.

So that makes 3 new species to the survey; Red Kite, Dartford Warber and Hawfinch, the latter 2 being new to the airport. These surveys never get dull, and I'm already excited about the next ones in February!

Final count = 36 species (again)

Blackbird

Black-headed Gull
Blue Tit
Bullfinch
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Coal Tit
Collared Dove
Common Buzzard
Dartford Warbler
Dunnock
Fieldfare
Goldcrest
Goldfinch
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Green Woodpecker
Grey Heron
Hawfinch
Jackdaw
Jay
Long-tailed Tit
Magpie
Meadow Pipit
Mistle Thrush
Nuthatch
Pied Wagtail
Red Kite
Redpoll (Common/Lesser)
Redwing
Robin
Song Thrush
Stonechat
Treecreeper
Wood Pigeon
Wren

November Thrushes survey: Weird and the weirder

North West Zone - View from the grassy slope

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Winter Thrushes survey is a nation-wide study monitoring winter visiting and resident birds and the habitats they occupy. So far, I have carried out two surveys in October and only recorded two Blackbirds. As Tom Forward (Gatwick Greenspace Partnership) has more recently been hearing plenty of Redwing around Tilgate Park, it was with higher hopes on Friday that we set out around the North West Zone.
 

Weird grass goo - at first glance it looks like wet soap powder

It was a cold and grim morning as we began our route at the water treatment pond, so it was quite a contrast to be greeted by a flock of 16 Ring-necked Parakeets flying overhead. These bright green exotics are part of a colony on Charlwood Road and whatever your view on their pest status, I quite like the sound of their uptight squawking. Looking back down to the ground, we noticed some strange and gooey deposits scattered through the rough grassland...

Slime Mould covered in dark spores

I think this is a species of Slime Mould (Mucilago crustacea), aka the Dog Sick Slime Mould; when it is freshly emerged it is bright yellow in colour! My apologies if you were eating your breakfast just now.

   We looped around the northside of Brockley Wood, entering the sheltered scrub and marsh area to the west. Here we paused as a large band of small birds passed close by us, moving through the scrub. In this single flock we counted around 20 Long-tailed Tits, 18 Blue Tits, 7 Great Tits and one Wren. You may notice my birding photos have not really improved with time.

Passing tit flock

Back-end of a Long-tailed Tit feeding in a Willow

Other birds we recorded here included Blackbird, Reed Bunting, Siskin, and a flock of Lesser Redpolls which were passing overhead. A Roe Deer suddenly hared down the track at light-speed, followed by the not-quite-fast-enough Border Control dogs which are regularly exercised by staff in this area. At the hedgerows to the south, we heard our first Song Thrush having a confusing sound-off with a nearby Dunnock, in turn seeming to do a great impression of a Blackbird.
  While ascending and descending the grassy slope, a group of 6 Skylarks wheeled overhead, calling excitedly before settling down in the distance.

Pushing on to the hedgerows south-east of Brockley Wood, the shrill 'sreee' of Redwings signalled our first winter thrush species. It seemed to be only a single pair in a flock also made up of Song Thrush, Blackbird, more roving tits, several Nuthatch and Treecreeper.

As this flock passed us by we had a quick scoot around in the Blackthorn to see if we could spot any eggs of the Brown Hairstreak Butterfly. Sadly no luck there, but I did make this gruesome yet arguably awesome discovery...

The Ex-snake

It was the remains of a Grass Snake dangling in the hedgerow, high enough off the ground that it must have been dropped there by a bird. Our guess is that one of the resident Common Buzzards snatched it, sat in the tree above the hedge and then accidentally dropped its lunch.

Skin 'n' bones

Ok, so maybe it is a bit hideous, but still an interesting find! The particularly gruesome part was that the body was wrapped tightly around a branch - a feat possibly achieved while trying to free itself or during its death throes. A pretty undignified end!
   The autumn has been fantastic for berries, so right now the birds are pretty spoiled for choice. However, this crop of food is going to be essential this winter if it turns out as cold as has been speculated.

Rambling rose suffused with rose hips

Sloe berries on the Blackthorn 

Approaching the end of the survey, we squelched through the waterlogged and boggy area by the Compost Field woodland fragment. Whilst distracted by stagnant freezing water suddenly over-topping my boots, we inadvertently flushed a Woodcock, giving a loud clatter of its wings as it shot off through the willow scrub. It took us by surprise despite this being the ideal feeding grounds for this bird! Also a new first for Gatwick since we began recording birds here... once again never a dull day with the indomitable Mr Forward!

Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) - RSPB Website

Our Winter Thrushes route, taking in as many of the different habitats as possible