Wednesday 22 November 2017

Beddington Farmlands, 22nd November 2017

This morning's walk around Beddington with Magnus A turned into a bit of an epic when we simultaneously clocked a colour-ringed Twite among a flock of 30 Linnets by the landfill site!!! The first Surrey record since 2004 and with the only previous Beddington record being in 1991, this is a local blocker and several of Beddington's finest were with us and connecting with the bird in no time! From the combination, Jamie Dunning was able to tell us that the bird was ringed as a juvenile in Derbyshire in 2016 and spent the following winter at the more typical location of Titchwell RSPB in Norfolk.

Other highlights over the morning included our old friend Caspian Gull X319, now in second-winter plumage, as well as a second-winter Yellow-legged Gull, Water Pipit, two Tree Sparrows, Water Rail, Chiffchaff, Little Egret, 40 Great Black-backed Gulls, five Reed Buntings, 29 Lapwings, 146 Teal, 30 Gadwall, 74 Shovelers, a handful of Snipe, three Skylarks, two redpolls, two Redwings and nine Meadow Pipits.

Surrey's first Twite since 2004
2nd-winter Caspian Gull
2nd-winter Yellow-legged Gull
Tree Sparrow by Mag