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Hants, Berks and Surrey Borders (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter colonelboris
- Start date
RJSeargent
Birding at the taxpayer's expense. Head down, bin
2 Green Sands again today at Tice's along with 1 Golden Plover and at least 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls. 2 Greylags over Tongham GP where there is a good number of wildfowl which include Wigeon, Pochard, Gadwall and Tufted Ducks. 3 Shoveler were on the workings. 51 species at Tice's and Tongham and a good start to the new year.
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RJSeargent
Birding at the taxpayer's expense. Head down, bin
Scratch that, it's over 100
Bugger! Well done Matt.
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mattytheduke
Well-known member
I posted it up then and there on the off chance some of you may have been around to see them! They all flew off around 3.15pm, heading NW over the school, back towards Aldershot town centre. Amazing to see different reactions from passers-by ranging from genuine interest, and enquiring what they were, to a family who told their children "it's just birds", then went over to feed the ducks!
Incidentally, is that area with the big lake(s) considered part of Tice's, or is it Tongham GP? I'm never sure... And I of course meant Connaught School.
Impressive tally though, Rich. With the distraction of the Waxwings I only managed something around the 26 mark I think.
JohnnyH
Aldershot till I die!
Hi Matt,
The Lake is Tongham GP. You were standing at the northern end of the Lake.
Tices Meadow starts just pass the southern end of the lake, after a narrow wood. The start of Tices is the rough ground which is now mostly covered in Willow saplings. This area was once designated to be a petrol service station but nothing more has happened over the past 5 years.
Kevin
RJSeargent
Birding at the taxpayer's expense. Head down, bin
Matt,
It is considered a separate site although is part of my new patch 'Runfold Farm Moor' for the patchlist challenge on Surrey Birders.
I was sat at home at the time prior to going to Crooksbury for Brambling (Rich Horton also had Great-grey Shrike there) otherwise would have shot over if I had known.
Hope to bump into you sometime at Tice's
Rich
Hi Matt,
It may be better to submit it on Surrey Birders www.birders-online.co.uk I often look on Surrey Birders when in the field and would forward the info on. Usually I only look at Birdforum when at home in the evenings.
Kevin
mattytheduke
Well-known member
Thanks everyone for your help! I do already record on Surrey Birders, Kevin, so I'll make sure to post stuff up on there in future :t:
Matt.
Matt.
JohnnyH
Aldershot till I die!
First visit to Tices this year this afternoon produced some good birds. The 2 Green Sandpipers which flew in onto the silt pond, also in excess of 100 Lapwing, & at least 29 Snipe. However most interesting was a large adult gull on the workings which displayed some features of Caspian Gull. I alerted Rich Horton & Kev Duncan but by the time they arrived a new, unknown birder had put all the gulls up by approaching via the meadow. Well worth keeping a eye on the gulls at Tices though as this could be the same bird seen by Dave Smith recently at Tongham.
John.
John.
RJSeargent
Birding at the taxpayer's expense. Head down, bin
John,
agreed and it's about time we found a Caspian there. There have been a number of interesting Gulls recently ( 1 poss 2 Yellow-legs yesterday) and I would say that we are seeing a number of 3rd winter and adult winter graellsi Lesser Black-backs at the moment. Some yesterday certainly fitted the bill (excuse the pun).
Rich
mattytheduke
Well-known member
I didn't make it to Tice's today, but did notice a large gull over Tongham GP late yesterday that was a puzzle to ID. Roughly Herring Gull size but with a strange call. Presumably one of the Yellow-leggeds, but did cross my mind about the Caspian too
Tri-Counties Birder
AKA The Portland Naturalist
Matt,
Both Yellow-leg and Caspian calls are virtually indestinct from Herring calls. I would suggest it was either just one of the many Herring vocalisations that you were unfamiliar with, or maybe a Common or Lesser/Great Black-backed (the former a 'mewing', the latter a gruff low-pitched call).
Sean
mattytheduke
Well-known member
Cheers, Sean. Gulls are still rather a grey area for me I'm afraid!
JohnnyH
Aldershot till I die!
Managed a walk to Tongham GP between the showers this afternoon which produced a flock of c40 Siskin in Alders along the river, 31 Gadwall, 17 Wigeon, 18 Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard, Little Grebe, & a minimum of 80 Coot. Also had a Sparrowhawk shoot through heading towards the park. Checked the flooded area for Jack Snipe without success.
John.
John.
JohnnyH
Aldershot till I die!
Great start to an early session at a bright crisp Tices in the form of 12 Waxwings which flew over N then landed briefly in a birch nr the main road. They then flew off towards the Pond, also found 8 Golden Plover with the Lapwing on the workings. Lots of gulls present, c20 Lesser Redpoll, still plenty of Thrushes, & finished with a fine Male Bullfinch.
John.
John.
RJSeargent
Birding at the taxpayer's expense. Head down, bin
Build up of waterfowl at Tice's today. Number pretty similar with 15 Tufted Duck, 14 Gadwall, 13 Teal and 2 Shoveler. 2 Skylark present on the meadow but little else passerine wise.
Two birders present in addition to me, one who'd seen a Red Kite over the meadow on 30 Dec 10. Dipped on Waxwing again at Tice's and some even nearer to me at North Camp Station, well done John and Matt!
Two birders present in addition to me, one who'd seen a Red Kite over the meadow on 30 Dec 10. Dipped on Waxwing again at Tice's and some even nearer to me at North Camp Station, well done John and Matt!
RJSeargent
Birding at the taxpayer's expense. Head down, bin
RJSeargent
Birding at the taxpayer's expense. Head down, bin
150+ Waxwings at North Camp Station this morning. Disappointed to see photographers attempting to get too close to the bushes and thus scaring the birds away. I always thought the welfare of the birds was paramount but obviously not in some cases.
Rich
Rich
