[Surreybirder]

Hi, Ruby.
Little egrets are not major rarities in Surrey but I've not seen one yet. The most recent Surrey Bird Report (2000) lists six sightings for the year. It is described as 'rare but increasing visitor'.
My guess is that they'll be common in a few years' time.
Ken

[Ruby]

Originally Posted by Surreybirder

Hi, Ruby.

My guess is that they'll be common in a few years' time.
Ken

Hi Ken,

Yep, reckon you're right, assuming that things carry on the way they have for these birds.....

I've never seen anything other than a Little Egret though - look forward to the day of seeing something else....

[Surreybirder]

Originally Posted by Ruby

I've never seen anything other than a Little Egret though - look forward to the day of seeing something else....

Ah, so you've seen little egret in Surrey? Can't say I have seen any other egrets either, in Surrey... but I've seen quite a few of the heron family on my travels. Once twitched a flock of cattle egrets in Herts but it all seems a bit pointless when they are so common in other countries.
There is, as you probably know, not only great white, cattle and snowy egret to eliminate when identifying little egret but a very outside chance of intermediate egret and white-phase reef heron. Then there's squacco heron, Indian pond heron and others to consider!
Ken

[Nina P]

Well Ken, I'm very pleased to hear you are also having trouble ID ing white heron types, I caught a glimpse of one solitary white water bird and was wondering what it could have been, unfortunately I was driving at the time so didn't get much of a look, I did wonder if it could have been a spoonbill but I never saw it face on, just taking off and going away, I will say it was larger than the little egret, but after that I wouldn't like to make a guess! Stork? Spoonbill? or any other heron type is the best I could make a remote guess at. I do feel that there are more of the exotic birds appearing in the southern half of this country, and all appearing within the last five years.
Good luck with the bird count, and I do hope you win!

[Surreybirder]

Originally Posted by Nina P

Good luck with the bird count, and I do hope you win!

Thanks, Nina, you're very kind. But I don't stand a chance! It's not just that some people are real experts, it's also that some live near reservoirs and sewage lagoons with far more ducks, waders etc than I will see. But I enjoy taking part!
Hope the computer course continues to go well!
Ken

[Surreybirder]

I'm having "nearly week". Having failed to clinch the identity of the (almost certain little) egret (which has now disappeared) on Thursday, I thought I'd try and find a snipe today. I checked out various flooded fields and eventually walked through one off Crowhurst Road at TQ 389452. I unintentionally flushed c25 snipes but when I got home and checked the OS map, I realised that I was about 200m outside my patch.
There was also a butterfly there... red admiral, I think, but I couldn't get a decent view.

[Surreybirder]

Am I the only birder who keeps seeing potentially interesting birds without being able to clinch the ID? Yesterday I saw a flock of woodpigeons take off in two subflocks and a few seconds later a large raptor flew through the gap. It was a robust falcon... almost certainly a peregrine, but it was in silhouette and I couldn't make out any plumage details at all.
Then today, I noticed a large raptor with a rather flappy flight going past our conservatory, only about 300 yards away. By the time I'd found my bins I could just see it disappearing into the distance. It was chunky and it was gliding with it's wings in a definite dihedral (is that how you spell it). Clearly a buzzard but impossible to rule out the incredibly unlikely rough-legged or the possibly more likely red-tailed hawk. (The latter has occurred in Surrey and I've seen Harris's hawk flying free.)
Ah well, that's birding for you (or at least for me)!

[Nina P]

Hi there Ken, Been reading your latest, I'm also missing out on ID's, the Diver on the marshes in Devon, might have been a little grebe or lesser scaup, but wouldn't know a lesser scaup if it bit me, as all the books of birds I have didn't have any pictures of them so ID was impossible. I had a strange meeting on Monday, My former GP is now with my friend who I said I could call on for botanical ID's I have found out that she got her Doctorate in Botany when visiting the DSS Dr's.
I have finished the maths coursework now and sit the english exam mid March, the Maths is likely to be in May, so here we go, just working my way through the CDs on PC skills.

[Surreybirder]

Good luck with the English, Nina.
I had a good garden 'tick' (well actually it was next door) on Monday. See attached (very poor) digiscoped photos.
Ken

[Nina P]

Georgeous bird, lucky devil! I have yet to really see one in the feather! in spite of having the cotoneaster berries for them too feed on! Beautiful bird, even if the picture is a bit fluffy, looks like you could do with a bit more optical Zoom there Ken! They would be really great if you could get a closer shot.

[Surreybirder]

Thanks, Nina.
The problem wasn't so much the zoom power as the fact that I was dashing out to work; and the light was directly behind the bird. If I'd had more time I could have gone down the garden and taken a shot from a better angle. Such is life!

[Ruby]

Very Good Ken - dearly like to see one of those guys....

[Nina P]

I'm still waiting but at least you have them nearby, I haven't heard of any hereabouts! try going closer to Kens, maybe you would be Lucky!

[Surreybirder]

There were three song thrushes in the geulder rose bush today, eating the berries that had attracted the waxwing.
It's quite amusing to watch them stretching to get at the berries on the very end of the twigs.
There was also a redwing in the bush/tree. Very poor image attached.

[Surreybirder]

I tried 'sugaring' (i.e. spreading some evil smelling sugary mix of treacle, ale and molasis on garden fence posts) for moths. And it worked. So far I've only identified the Satellite (below) but I may get more before the night is out.

[Nina P]

I'd never heard of that before but it certainly seems to be very effective, if that is the result of the first attempt. I must admit is looks like it is enjoying the nectar you have put out for it. Very interesting Ken, thank you for showing us.

[Surreybirder]

I visited Hedgecourt Lake at 5 pm and saw two little gulls in the strong wind (and dull light)--one was an adult in winter plumage and the other seemed to be a first winter.
Then, an hour later, I finally managed to catch up with my first little owl in my new patch! I was staring at a hole in a tree trying to convince myself that I could see an owl when I suddenly noticed one perching in full view on a branch!!
So my 'patch list' for the year is now up to 69.
Ken

[Nina P]

How great Ken, Well done and congratulations!

I did the English Exam today, and feel positive about it too! I did well in the practice test and got told that I would have got an "A" grade pass with the practise test, and I never felt as good about that one as I do about this one!

I have two thrushes lurking under the arch every day lately, and I spotted one duck under the covers of the garden table, and appear with a snail in it's beak! I did like that!

[Surreybirder]

Well, I seem to be having something of a good run. Following my last report there was a little gull (1st winter ---> 1st summer) last Friday. I got far closer views of this one. They are lovely birds with a small black wedge-shape on the tip of the tail and a well defined 'M' marking across the wings. This one had already got several black head feathers, too.
Then yesterday, 21st, I saw another unexpected gull--a kittiwake, standing on a newly sown field. It took me a while to figure out what it was as I've never seen one in Surrey before. At first glance it looked like a common gull but it had a 'gentle' expression with a beady black eye in a snow-white round head. The mantle was quite dark (appearing darker than common gull) and the pale green bill was more strongly down-curved than a c. gull's which to me always looks rather parallel sided. When it flew there was no white in the wing-tips and a suggestion of a pale area between the dark grey feathers and the black wing-tips.
So two new Surrey 'ticks' within about a week!
I also saw my first chiffchaff of the year.
So I'm up to 72 within my 'patch' for 2004. (The leader is a guy who seems to visit Beddington Sewage Farm virtually every day and is up to 101.)

Thanks for your comment, Nina. Hope your exam results are A**
Did you mean that you had a duck under your table ?

[Nina P]

LOL Ken,
Thrushes are getting bolder, under the plastic cover is my table and chairs but this rustled so badly I am truly stunned they even consider getting under the cover, but there are plenty of overwintering snails, so they go there and feed well! This week they are coming onto the patio even when there are people about nearby, but they are quite brave as they can see me just about three feet away but in the house, while they are outside. I think I have plenty of slug and snail activity close to the house and they have safe food as I refuse to put any form of slug and snail poison down. I have finally worked out they are Song Thrushes, and I have more than one pair around!
Love the thought of Kittiwakes in Surrey, well done there Ken, and as you don't stand much chance of winning without the sewerage farm to boost the birds, if you get a goodly number without it then you are deserving the main prize, in my books as anyone can get a life list at a sewerage works, the birds flock there to see what the others are making such a noise about!!

[pduxon]

Originally Posted by Nina P

Georgeous bird, lucky devil! I have yet to really see one in the feather! in spite of having the cotoneaster berries for them too feed on! Beautiful bird, even if the picture is a bit fluffy, looks like you could do with a bit more optical Zoom there Ken! They would be really great if you could get a closer shot.

10 of them sitting in a tree as I filled up with petrol on Saturday !!

[Nina P]

OK Pete, where was that then, still over the east of GB then? London area or even further away?

[pduxon]

Originally Posted by Nina P

OK Pete, where was that then, still over the east of GB then? London area or even further away?

They were sitting in a a tree by Tesco car park in Harlow. They were reported in the BF rare bird alert so as I needed petrol..........

Ooh my first "Twitch"

[Nina P]

Sorry I'm unable to "Twitch!" I can barely travel more than 1 hour any direction, so again too far awway!! Oh Bother! Tell me when they get within reach and I'll maybe get a look in! That is my biggest downside, less than an hour is my best chance of seeing them!
Tell you what, take a picture for me then! "Twitcher Pete!" LOL!

[Surreybirder]

It's funny how waxwings like Tesco's! The (in)famous golden-winged warbler twitch was at a Tesco and, according to a friend who twitched it, there were waxwings there, too. Obviously Tesco have a good planting policy!