Tuesday 20 September 2016

Tuesday September 13th to Tuesday September 20th

2017 Calendar

Our 2017 calendar is available for pre-order now. See here for details.


Lost & Found

An Aukey lens case with lenses was found recently on site. If it's yours, please get in touch.


Tuesday September 13th

Andy Little reported a Green Sandpiper, 5 Whinchat and a Yellow Wagtail today.


Wednesday September 14th

No reports.


Thursday September 15th

Murray Nurse reported a Green Sandpiper, 3 Snipe, 2 Wigeon, 2 Sedge Warbler and 3 Whinchat this morning.

In addition, Mike Huddie reported a Common Sandpiper this afternoon.

In addition, Richard Horton reported a Kingfisher this afternoon.

In addittion, Kevin Duncan reported a Mediterranean Gull this afternoon.


Friday September 16th

John Hunt reported a Green Sandpiper, 11 Snipe, 2 Stonechat and 2 Whinchat this afternoon.

In addition, Carey Lodge reported a Dunlin and a Wheatear this afternoon.

In addition, Andy Little reported 3 Common Sandpiper and a Canada x Barnacle Goose hybrid today.


Saturday September 17th

Andy Little reported 5 Swallow, 8 House Martin and 5 Meadow Pipit today.


Sunday September 18th

Kevin Duncan reported a Canada x Barnacle Goose hybrid today.


Monday September 19th

John Hunt reported a Green Sandpiper, a Dunlin, 2 Whinchat, 20+ Meadow Pipit, a Red Kite, a Sparrowhawk and 6+ Buzzard this morning.

In addition, Richard Horton reported 13 Snipe, 10 Wigeon, 20 Linnet and 2 Kestrel today.

John also reported a few Clouded Yellow butterflies.


Tuesday September 20th

Murray Nurse reported 5 Snipe, "lots of" Lapwing, "good numbers" of Gadwall, Shoveler & Teal, "Wigeon numbers building" and a "small flock" of Meadow Pipits this morning.

Thursday 15 September 2016

2017 Calendar Pre-Orders

After last year's successful calendar, which sold out within a day, we are pleased to announce we will have a 2017 calendar for sale this year.

The calendar features some of the best photographs taken on site in 2016 and shows the dates of the 2017 work parties and our Spring BioBlitz.

It will make a great addition to your wall and is also an ideal Christmas present.

The calendars will be on sale for £8 each. We will only be making a small profit on each calendar sold. All profits will go to the Tice's Meadow Bird Group and will be spent on improvements to the nature reserve and activities on site.

The calendars will only be available to those who pre-order them by midday Friday November 25th.

If you would like to pre-order a calendar, please email us: ticesmeadow@hotmail.co.uk

Note: Calendar contents may change pending receipt of any more photos before publishing date. E.g. Should a flock of Bee-eaters turn up on site, they'll be on the front cover!















Monday 12 September 2016

Monday September 5th to Monday September 12th

Annual Report

Our 2015 Annual Report has now sold out. Thank you to everyone who bought a hardcopy. The funds raised through selling the report are all channelled back into the upkeep and activities on the nature reserve and your support is greatly appreciated.


Lost & Found

An Aukey lens case with lenses was found recently on site. If it's yours, please get in touch.


Late News

Sunday September 4th - Richard Horton reported 3 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, 5 Snipe and a Wheatear.


Monday September 5th

No reports.


Tuesday September 6th

No reports.


Wednesday September 7th

No reports.


Thursday September 8th

Kevin Duncan reported a Pectoral Sandpiper (juvenile) in the Workings this evening, 2 years to the day since the last recorded sighting on site!

Pectoral Sandpiper is the 142nd species recorded on site this year. This is only the 3rd recorded sighting of Pectoral Sandpiper on site. The first (on 26/09/10, staying for 1 day) was not accepted by the Surrey Bird Club Rarities Committee, despite being seen by a number of very experienced birders. The 2nd was found on 08/09/14 and stayed for 15 days.

In addition, Mark Elsoffer reported a Green Sandpiper, 8 Snipe, 28 Lapwing, 2 Common Tern, a Black-necked Grebe, 4 Shoveler, 7 Gadwall, 24 Swallow, a Hobby, 4 Buzzard, a Kestrel and a Red Kite today.

This is only the 16th recorded sighting of Black-necked Grebe on site.

In addition, Richard Horton reported 3 Common Sandpiper today.

Grim Styles harvested some of the bumper crop of hops today, a nice nod to the site's history as a hop farm.

(c) Grim Styles - Hop Harvesting
(c) Grim Styles - The Hop Harvest


Friday September 9th

Mark Elsoffer reported 2 Common Sandpiper, 15 Snipe, 22 Lapwing, 2 Common Tern, 3 Shoveler, 7 Gadwall, 2 Yellow Wagtail, a Sedge Warbler, 18 Swallow, a Peregrine, a Sparrowhawk and 2 Buzzard this morning.

There was no further sign of yesterday's Pectoral Sandpiper.


Saturday September 10th

A volunteer work party met on site this morning and worked hard on cutting and burning invasive willow in the Reedbeds. A big thank you to the 9 volunteers who gave up their time to do this important work. Thanks also to the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership for providing the tools and refreshments.

Andy Little reported 2 Swallow and 40 House Martin this morning.


Sunday September 11th

John Hunt reported 3 Common Sandpiper and a Kingfisher this morning.

In addition, Richard Horton reported 16 Snipe, a Black-necked Grebe and 4 Whinchat this afternoon.

In addition, Andy Little reported 2 Green Sandpiper, a Common Tern, 2 Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Sand Martin and 2 Buzzard today.


Monday September 12th

Richard Horton reported a Wigeon, a Black-necked Grebe and 2 Whinchat today.

This is the first sighting of a returning Wigeon this Autumn.




Monday 5 September 2016

Thursday August 25th to Sunday September 4th

Annual Report

Our 2015 Annual Report is now back from the printers. Please see the attached for how you can order a full colour, glossy, A4 hardcopy.




Lost & Found

An Aukey lens case with lenses was found recently on site. If it's yours, please get in touch.


Surrey Birders

The Surrey Birders website is now back online after a lengthy outage. We're very grateful of everyone who reports their sightings through this site as it allows us to produce the statistics for our annual report.


Late News

Tuesday August 23rd - the sightings reported by Richard Horton in the last blog update were in error and actually from Sunday August 21st.



Thursday August 25th

Matthew Sharp reported brief views of a Pied Flycatcher in the Woods by the Stumpery this afternoon.

In addition, Kevin Duncan reported a Yellow Wagtail today.

Pied Flycatcher is the 139th species recorded on site this year. This is only the 2nd recorded sighting of Pied Flycatcher on site.


Friday August 26th

Carey Lodge reported a Common Sandpiper today.

Carey also reported Brimstone, Speckled Wood and Common Blue butterflies, plus a young Toad.

(c) Carey Lodge - Brimstone
(c) Carey Lodge - Wasp Spider

Saturday August 27th


(c) Kev Campbell - Green Woodpecker
(c) Kev Campbell - Sparrowhawk
(c) Kev Campbell - Grey Heron
(c) Kev Campbell - Sparrowhawk
(c) Kev Campbell - Stock Dove


Sunday August 28th

Andy Little reported a Black-tailed Godwit this morning.

In addition, Bird Guides (news service) reported a Black Tern this morning.



Monday August 29th

Kev Campbell reported 3 Common Sandpiper, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Black Tern and a Wheatear this afternoon.

In addition, Allan Goddard reported a Snipe this afternoon, and seeing the Black Tern fly off at 14:20.



Tuesday August 30th

Richard Seargent reported 2 Green Sandpiper, a Turnstone, a Redshank and 2 Yellow Wagtail today.

Richard also reported c150 small waders flying into site and landing on the far side of the Workings in the dark at 21:35. These were assumed by all present to be Dunlin - a new site record count.

In addition, Richard Horton reported 6 Common Sandpiper, 8 Snipe, 27 Lapwing, 2 Shoveler, 19 Greylag Goose, a Raven, a Buzzard, 2 Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk today.

In addition, Dave Baker reported a Black Tern (juvenile) and a Honey Buzzard (dark morph).

In addition, Dave Baker and Richard Horton reported a Nightjar this evening.

Honey Buzzard is the 140th species recorded on site this year. This is only the 2nd recorded sighting of Honey Buzzard on site.

Nightjar is the 141st species recorded on site this year. This is the 1st recorded sighting of Nightjar on site - the 188th species recorded on site.

Roger Dickey (BTO Council Member, Army Ornithological Society Chairman and a valued friend of Tice's Meadow) lead a bird ringing session on site over Tuesday and Wednesday, assisted by Mark Cutts (Royal Navy Birdwatching Society),  Andrew Bray (Army Ornithological Society) and Laura Robertson. The ringing team camped overnight, joined by Richard Horton, Richard Seargent and Dave Baker.

Andrew Bray reported the following insects:
Butterflies: 2 Large White, 4 Meadow Brown, 1 Red Admiral and 2 Small White.
Bees: White-tailed Bumblebee.
Moths: 1 Small Square-spot (a new species for Tice's Meadow), 9 Square-spot Rustic, 4 Straw Dot, 4 Setaceous Hebrew Character and 1 Shaded Broad-bar.

(c) Richard Seargent - Willow Warbler & Chiffchaff


Wednesday August 31st

Richard Seargent reported 6 Common Sandpiper, 10 Snipe, a Black Tern (juv) and a Wheatear this morning.

Andrew Bray reported the following butterflies: 3 Speckled Wood and 1 Common Blue.

Gillian Stokes reported a Clouded Yellow butterfly.

The ringing team caught 60 birds of 13 species over the 2 days, with 3 retraps / recoveries.



Full grown Pulli Retraps / Recoveries Total
Wren 1 0 0 1
Robin 3 0 1 4
Blackbird 1 0 0 1
Sedge Warbler 3 0 0 3
Reed Warbler 9 0 0 9
Whitethroat 3 0 0 3
Blackcap 5 0 0 5
Chiffchaff 10 0 0 10
Willow Warbler 7 0 0 7
Long-tailed Tit 1 0 0 1
Blue Tit 6 0 2 8
Great Tit 7 0 0 7
House Sparrow 1 0 0 1
Total 57 0 3 60


(c) Gillian Stokes - Clouded Yellow
(c) Richard Seargent - Chiffchaff
(c) Richard Seargent - Chiffchaff
(c) Richard Seargent - Juvenile Reed Warbler
(c) Richard Seargent - Juvenile Reed Warbler
(c) Richard Seargent - Juvenile Reed Warbler
(c) Richard Seargent - Juvenile Reed Warbler
(c) Richard Seargent - Sedge Warbler
(c) Richard Seargent - The Ringers


Thursday September 1st

Dave Baker reported a Hobby flying off over the Kiln as he drove past this evening.


Friday September 2nd

Mark Elsoffer spent the day on site and reported a Common Sandpiper, 6 Snipe, 29 Lapwing, a Little Egret, 2 Shoveler, 6 Gadwall, a Yellow-legged Gull, a Black Tern (juv), a Yellow Wagtail, a Wheatear, a Kestrel, a Red Kite and a Buzzard.

The only butterfly seen was a Red Admiral.


Saturday September 3rd

Richard Seargent reported 3 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Little Egret and a Black Tern (juv) this morning.

In addition, Carey Lodge reported 6 Snipe and a Hobby this morning

Richard also reported a Clouded Yellow butterfly.


Sunday September 4th

Tony Cummins reported a Common Sandpiper, 2 Snipe and a Black Tern (juv) this morning.

Sean Foote lead a walk for 8 members of the Guildford & District RSPB Local Group on site this morning. They managed to connect with the Black Tern at the second attempt and also enjoyed good views of the Wasp Spiders.