Sunday 19 January 2020

Wednesday January 1st to Sunday January 19th

Site Sale

Still no news on the site sale.

The Farnham Herald ran this story on January 9th and this story on January 17th.


2018 Annual Report

Our 2018 Annual Report is now on sale.

£15 for a full colour, glossy, 140 page A4 report. All profits will be spent on our work at Tice's Meadow Nature Reserve.

The report is much more than a list of the birds seen, it includes all of the site's wildlife, and is a record of all the work we did on site in 2018.

You can collect in person from Richard Horton, or we can post it to you (+ £2 p&p). Please DM or email us to place an order.

Once we've sold all 60 copies, we will release a free lower-res pdf for all to read.




Co-op Local Community Fund

We're delighted to be taking part in the Co-op Local Community Fund. If you're a Co-op member, please choose us as and 1% of your spending will be donated to us, no matter where you live. If you're not a Co-op member, please consider signing up.

https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/33287



Randon's Ramblings

We are honoured to have won "Patch of the Year" in the prestigious 2019 Randon's Ramblings Awards. We dedicate this award to all of our hard working volunteers.


Barn Owls

Remarkably, the first prey item to be brought back to the new Barn Owl box was a Redwing!

According to the The Barn Owl Trust:

The Barn Owl’s diet consists mainly of small mammals particularly:

  • Field Voles (45% of total British Barn Owl diet).
  • Common Shrews (20%).
  • Wood Mice (15%).
  • House Mice, Brown Rats, Bank Voles and Pygmy Shrews are also taken.

The Mammal Society's Barn Owl Pellet Survey has also shown that it is rare for Barn Owls (in the UK) to take amphibians, invertebrates, birds and bats, although occasional cases have been recorded.

Wednesday January 1st

Mark Elsoffer: Little Egret, 5 Little Grebe & Grey Wagtail.

Simon Monk: Goldcrest.


(c) Simon Monk - Goldcrest
(c) Dina Burford - Chaffinch
(c) Dina Burford - Pied Wagtail
(c) Anthony George - Long-tailed Tit
(c) Anthony George - Meadow Pipit
(c) Anthony George - Tufted Duck



Thursday January 2nd

John Hunt: Green Sandpiper.


Friday January 3rd



(c) Dina Burford - Sunset Over the Workings
(c) Colin Varndell - Collared Dove
(c) Colin Varndell - Goldfinch
(c) Colin Varndell - The Meadow & Kiln
(c) Anthony George - Bullfinch
(c) Anthony George - Coots
(c) Anthony George - Mallards
(c) Anthony George - Song Thrush


Saturday January 4th

Rustam Khan: Green Sandpiper, Goldcrest & Kestrel.

Jort Brough: 3 Little Egret.

Members of the Surrey Heath Walking for Health Group enjoyed a guided walk around site this morning.

Licensed bat surveyors checked out the Bat Cave this morning. One Brown Long-eared Bat and 18 hibernating Peacock butterflies were recorded.

(c) Colin Harvey - The Hide
(c) Colin Harvey - Silt Pond
(c) Simon Monk - Carrion Crow
(c) Simon Monk - Redwing
(c) Rustam Khan - Kestrel
(c) Rustam Khan - Little Egret
(c) Rustam Khan - Pied Wagtail
(c) Rustam Khan - Song Thrush
(c) Rustam Khan - Wren
(c) Steve Luckett - Walking for Health Group


Sunday January 5th

John Hunt: Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, 52 Gadwall, 60+ Wigeon, 19 Shoveler, 9 Pochard, 20+ Teal, 17 Egyptian Goose, 5 Little Grebe, Bullfinch & 14 Meadow Pipit.

(c) John Hunt - View from Horton's Mound

(c) Colin Varndell - Long-tailed Tits
(c) Colin Varndell - Little Egret
(c) Colin Varndell - Bullfinch


Monday January 6th

No reports.


Tuesday January 7th

Colin Varndell: Red Kite.

Peter Brown: 26 Egyptian Goose (new site record count) & Peregrine.



(c) Colin Varndell - Blackbird
(c) Colin Varndell - Blackbird



Wednesday January 8th

No reports.


Thursday January 9th



(c) Dina Burford - Great Spotted Woodpecker
(c) Dina Burford - Long-tailed Tit
(c) Colin Varndell - Red Kite


Friday January 10th

Mark Elsoffer: 5 Little Grebe, 30 Redwing, 50 Fieldfare & 2 Red Kite.

Rustam Khan: 3 Siskin.

(c) Colin Harvey - Cormorants
(c) Colin Harvey - Canada Geese
(c) Mike Young - Bullfinch
(c) Mike Young - Gadwall
(c) Mike Young - Pied Wagtail
(c) Mike Young - Shovelers
(c) Rustam Khan - Blue Tit
(c) Rustam Khan - Goldfinch
(c) Rustam Khan - Great Spotted Woodpecker
(c) Colin Varndell - Newly Flooded Silt Pond
(c) Colin Varndell - Newly Flooded Silt Pond
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Kestrel
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Red Kite
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Redwing
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Fieldfare







Saturday January 11th

Mark Elsoffer: Sparrowhawk.
 
23 volunteers gave up their morning to help at our work party this morning. This was a great turnout considering the wet weather, and included 4 young Duke of Edinburgh students - our ages ranged for 14 to 84! We burnt a number of the piles of cut willow left by Hanson's contractor, and cut down some more.

(c) Dina Burford - Feeder Full of Finches
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Volunteers at Work
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Volunteers at Work
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Pyro Jim


Sunday January 12th


(c) Josephine Snell - Bullfinch
(c) Dina Burford - The Meadow
(c) Dina Burford - Sunset



Monday January 13th

No reports.


Tuesday January 14th

No reports.


Wednesday January 15th


(c) Dina Burford - The Hide-by-the-sea
(c) Dina Burford - Sand Martin Bank
(c) Colin Varndell - Flooded Feeding Station
(c) Colin Varndell - Collared Dove
(c) Colin Varndell - Greenfinch
(c) Colin Varndell - Pied Wagtail
(c) Paul Mannering - Egyptian Geese
(c) Paul Mannering - Grey Wagtail



Thursday January 16th

Richard Horton: Merlin.

12th site record of Merlin, last recorded 05/02/19.

(c) Dina Burford - The Workings




Friday January 17th

No reports.


Saturday January 18th

Richard Horton: 5 Little Grebe, Water Rail & 2 Raven.

Jort Brough: 2 Little Egret.

Visiting Birder: Goldcrest.

(c) Colin Varndell - Sunrise
(c) Simon Monk - Blackbird
(c) Simon Monk - Egyptian Goose
(c) Simon Monk - Long-tailed Tit
(c) Colin Varndell - Greenfinch
(c) Colin Varndell - Mute Swan
(c) Colin Varndell - Robin
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Pochard
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Gadwall
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Reed Bunting


Sunday January 19th

Dave Baker: Siskin & Raven (displaying over meadow).

John Hunt: Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe & 2 Stonechat.

(c) John Hunt - Roe Deer
(c) John Hunt - Snipe
(c) John Hunt - Stonechat
(c) Simon Monk - Carrion Crow
(c) Simon Monk - Frosty Morning
(c) Steve Guthrie - Bullfinch
(c) Steve Guthrie - Pied Wagtail
(c) Steve Guthrie - Robin
(c) Dina Burford - Goldcrest
(c) Dina Burford - Meadow Pipit
(c) Dina Burford - Sand Martin Bank
(c) Colin Harvey - Goldfinches
(c) Colin Harvey - Meadow Pipit