Tice's Meadow and Tongham GP, Surrey (1 Viewer)

RTHORTON · Dec 2, 2011

Daer all,
Just to keep you all up to date with todays meeting on site at Tices .
The area will become known as The Tices Meadow Nature Reserve .
Cattle will graze at certain times of the year so not to disturb nesting birds.
Hay making again in certain areas after meadow flowers have seeded. This may give an income .
There are now plans to dig a water course from the Black Water into the workings .Flood water of coarse but intresting . Then out lower down.
A path from kiln towards Pea Bridge allowing people to park at the kiln and walk from there .
There is a walk this month to show people what is happening and to encourage them .Let you know dates.
I really need your help and suport in all of this please.

JohnnyH · Dec 2, 2011

Hi Rich, Thanks for the update, it all sounds very positive. You can be sure that I will give whatever help & support I can now & in the future.

Cheers,

John.

RTHORTON · Dec 3, 2011

Thank you John i do know every one else is up for this but i dont want to make decisions that we dont all agee with so any points that are practical please let me know.But it is looking good . The Hansons team Steve Bailey of the Black Water and Simon Elson of SCC are striving to make Tices a show piece and WE have a say . cant be bad.

JohnnyH · Dec 5, 2011

Brief visit this afternoon produced - 82 Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, 6 Snipe, Kestrel, & 30 + Fieldfare. Gulls Present were predomenently Black Headed with a few each of Common & Herring.

John.

mattytheduke · Dec 10, 2011

A very quiet trip earlier (c.11:45-13:15) with little of note, other than c.92 Lapwing. A few gulls, mostly Black-headed with just a handful each of Common, Herring and LBB. Everything left the deck a couple of times while I was there, but I was unable to locate a single raptor. There were 2 Cormorants flying about overhead, and 2+ Mipits on the meadow. Only birds of note in the bushes were 14 Fieldfare, a handful of Siskin and Redwing and a calling Chiffchaff.

Matt.

JohnnyH · Dec 11, 2011

08:30-10:30 this morning - c100 Lapwing, 16 Snipe, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Teal, 15 Siskin, c30 Blackheaded Gull, 2 LBB Gull, 2w Herring Gull, 2 Meadow Pipit, & Kestrel.

John.

Dave Harris · Dec 12, 2011

Breeding BH Gulls

Dear all

I am currently writing the Gulls/Terns section for the 2007 Surrey Bird Report. This is the year in which BH Gulls nested at Tices. This is what I've written:

Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
Numerous winter visitor and passage migrant. Amber-listed species

The year was notable for the first successful breeding in the County at Tices Meadow. Two pairs bred on one of the gravel islands in the workings, with one pair fledging two young on Jul 1st (KD et al.). The only previous breeding attempt was in 1956 when a nest was found at Guiildford SF, although it was deserted.

Just wanted to make sure this is accurate as there are various entries of beween one & three pairs.

Thanks in advance
Dave

JohnnyH said:
08:30-10:30 this morning - c100 Lapwing, 16 Snipe, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Teal, 15 Siskin, c30 Blackheaded Gull, 2 LBB Gull, 2w Herring Gull, 2 Meadow Pipit, & Kestrel.

John.

RJSeargent · Dec 12, 2011

Dave Harris said:
Dear all

I am currently writing the Gulls/Terns section for the 2007 Surrey Bird Report. This is the year in which BH Gulls nested at Tices. This is what I've written:

Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
Numerous winter visitor and passage migrant. Amber-listed species

The year was notable for the first successful breeding in the County at Tices Meadow. Two pairs bred on one of the gravel islands in the workings, with one pair fledging two young on Jul 1st (KD et al.). The only previous breeding attempt was in 1956 when a nest was found at Guiildford SF, although it was deserted.

Just wanted to make sure this is accurate as there are various entries of beween one & three pairs.

Thanks in advance
Dave

Dave,

I beleive this to be correct although I was in Canada looking at Bonaparte's Gull at the time. It appears that this is a cracking occurance; I was unaware of the scarcity of breeding BH Gulls in the county.

Rich

bbsbirder · Dec 13, 2011

Dave Harris said:
Dear all

I am currently writing the Gulls/Terns section for the 2007 Surrey Bird Report. This is the year in which BH Gulls nested at Tices. This is what I've written:

Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
Numerous winter visitor and passage migrant. Amber-listed species

The year was notable for the first successful breeding in the County at Tices Meadow. Two pairs bred on one of the gravel islands in the workings, with one pair fledging two young on Jul 1st (KD et al.). The only previous breeding attempt was in 1956 when a nest was found at Guiildford SF, although it was deserted.

Just wanted to make sure this is accurate as there are various entries of beween one & three pairs.

Thanks in advance
Dave

Hi Dave,

2007 was the first time BHG's attempted and succeeded to breed at Tices Meadow. In fact 2007 was the first spring that the workings were flooded.

The notes I have are:-

29/05/2007 3 pairs building nests on the workings' islands.

02/06/2007 Only Pair No.1 sitting on a nest. Pair No2 & 3 have abandoned nests.

09/06/2007 Pair No.1 still sitting on a nest.

28/06/2007 Pair No.1 have hatched 1 or 2 chicks (seen for the first time and at least a few days old)

1/07/2007 Pair No.1 have definitely 2 chicks and Pair No.2 now sitting on a nest but this was later abandoned. (I think this was the day I managed to photograph the chicks, I sent you a copy which you put on the SBC website and was published in 'Birding Surrey'. After my computer dying I have lost the original so cannot check the date of the photograph..

08/07/20007 Pair No.1 with 2 growing chicks which are still downy but can now swim between islands.

They were both seen to grow feathers and fly. After this they could not be separated from dispersal of juveniles from other breeding colonies.

Kevin

RJSeargent · Dec 13, 2011

Gents,

please see below a copy of an email sent to me today from John Clark. Anyone interested in joining me between Christmas and the New Year (preferably 29th Dec)?

Rich

Hi Rich

I think I have mentioned the HSBBR Christmas Count to you before. Would you be willing to get the Tices Meadow group involved in the count this year? There is a co-ordinated waterfowl count on Thursday Dec 29th and it would be good if you could arrange coverage of Tices Meadow, Tongham Lake and maybe Aldershot Park as well on that date. Also counts are welcome from any other sites during the count period from 24th-31st December.

I have just finished the summary of last year's count (where I took the liberty of including some of your records - trust that's OK) and I can send this to you, along with instructions and recording form if you're interested. We also have a birders' dinner at an Indian restaurant in Fleet to which you are most welcome.

Best wishes

John

RJSeargent · Dec 13, 2011

bbsbirder said:
Hi Dave,

2007 was the first time BHG's attempted and succeeded to breed at Tices Meadow. In fact 2007 was the first spring that the workings were flooded.

The notes I have are:-

29/05/2007 3 pairs building nests on the workings' islands.

02/06/2007 Only Pair No.1 sitting on a nest. Pair No2 & 3 have abandoned nests.

09/06/2007 Pair No.1 still sitting on a nest.

28/06/2007 Pair No.1 have hatched 1 or 2 chicks (seen for the first time and at least a few days old)

1/07/2007 Pair No.1 have definitely 2 chicks and Pair No.2 now sitting on a nest but this was later abandoned. (I think this was the day I managed to photograph the chicks, I sent you a copy which you put on the SBC website and was published in 'Birding Surrey'. After my computer dying I have lost the original so cannot check the date of the photograph..

08/07/20007 Pair No.1 with 2 growing chicks which are still downy but can now swim between islands.

They were both seen to grow feathers and fly. After this they could not be separated from dispersal of juveniles from other breeding colonies.

Kevin

Kev,

I wondered why I had missed this then looked at the date and remembered I was on my first trip south of the Hindu Kush.

Roch

RTHORTON · Dec 13, 2011

Dave,
Kevin s account regarding B H Gull nesting tices tally with mine exactly.

Rich,
29 th for water fowl count is good for me may be Cutmill also.

The good news is water laying in meadow after last night s rain , up to 300 mm in places.18 Meadow pipit 12 snipe 180 canada goose in and around it 38 B H Gull in and around workings , 98 lapwing and 3 field fare.

mattytheduke · Dec 16, 2011

Would love to help on the 29th but unfortunately I have another commitment.

Matt.

Tri-Counties Birder · Dec 16, 2011

I might pop in on the 29th, probably in the afternoon.

RJSeargent · Dec 17, 2011

A quiet afternoon. Large Gull presence with two races of Lesser Black backed Gullgraelsii and intermedius along with Common, Black-headed and Herring. No Snipe today (9 yesterday) and waterfowl were represented by at least 150 Canada Geese and 2 female Shoveler. Cold, biting wind across the meadow.

JohnnyH · Dec 18, 2011

Good selection of birds this morning - best being the long awaited re-appearance of the regular wintering Water Rail in the stream. Had good but brief views of one bird with a poss second bird seen fleetingly before diving into cover. Along the river were Green Sandpiper & Little Egret, with 5 Siskin, & a single Lesser Redpoll in the Alders with the Goldfinch flock. Little on the workings, only the Lapwing flock numbering at least 100 before before flushed by gunfire in the distance. On the flooded meadow 5 Snipe were flushed, & 4 Meadow Pipit were feeding. On the walk back a Reed Bunting was heard & seen, & 2 Yellowhammer were seen briefly near the viewing mound. Don't think I will be able to join you on the 29th gents, er indoors has other plans!

John.

bbsbirder · Dec 18, 2011

It's the Water Rails third winter at least. Fairly consistant on arrival date. First seen in 2010 on December 12th.

As reported in the week 'water in the meadow' Is there any increase in the water level in the workings?

Kevin

RJSeargent · Dec 19, 2011

bbsbirder said:
It's the Water Rails third winter at least. Fairly consistant on arrival date. First seen in 2010 on December 12th.

As reported in the week 'water in the meadow' Is there any increase in the water level in the workings?

Kevin

Water levels in the workings are rising with two or three 'streams' flowing in from the north west and north east. It's a slow process but given today's precipitation I don't see it taking long.

Rich

RJSeargent · Dec 20, 2011

A mixed bag of birds this afternoon with 3 Siskins in amongst Goldfinches and a magnificent mixed flock of Redwings and Fieldfares along where the embankment once was. A good 100+ Lapwings were flushed by a female Sparrowhawk and I found only 1 Snipe on the meadow. No sign of the Water Rail although Rich H did see it yesterday.

Rich

RTHORTON · Dec 21, 2011

Water levels rising 150 mm this week meadow now running into workings.
38 snipe 150 lapwing green sandpiper still around.

Tice's Meadow and Tongham GP, Surrey (1 Viewer)

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