In, Around and Above the Stew Ponds.

It has been many months since I posted any information about the bird life on my local patch so here are some images of a few of the 50 or so species I have seen so far this year frequenting the Stew Pond and surrounding area.

 Grey Herons are daily visitors, patiently waiting for a tasty meal to swim within their reach.

Cormorants turn up fairly regularly to fish the Great Pond often spending a lot of time sitting around doing nothing!

I have recorded Tufted Ducks annually over the last ten years. Evidence of breeding over that period has been spasmodic and the youngsters rarely survive due to predation ... there are some extremely large fish in the pond!

Again the Mandarin Duck has been an annual breeding species with sighting from January through to August. Until two years ago it was not uncommon to record up to 15 males courting just one or two females through January into March but I believe increased  disturbance from dog walkers has affected this and other species greatly in the last two years. This year I only saw one male on 5 April.

Egyptian Goose is a very infrequent visitor but a pair turned up on the island on 5 April. Unfortunately the pond plays host to quite a few pairs of breeding Canada Geese who are extremely territorial so other geese species don't tend to hang around for long like pairs of Greylag Geese who dropped in briefly between the 8th and 15th May.

 Common Buzzard nests locally so it is not unusual to see at least one or two flying around.

A selection of migrant warblers can be found in the surrounding area including good numbers of Chiffchaff. Others include Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler and I have recorded Willow Warbler on the common for the last 6 years during April into early May but they don't seem to stay. Just one male seen and heard singing close to the Stew Pond on 1 May this year.

The Jay is not the most common corvid locally but certainly the most colourful. Typically very wary of humans this individual was very confiding ... for a few minutes.

Linking to:

Saturday's Critters

Patch Birds.

 

Visits to my local patch have been somewhat infrequent this year mainly due to the inclement weather. 

Earlier this week on a very blustery morning following severe overnight gales  initially there seemed to be very little avian activity apart from a single Black-headed Gull on sentry duty ...

 ... and a solitary Coot resting at the waters edge.

When I reached the Great Pond the effect of the recent high rainfall was clear to see with water stretching far beyond its normal boundaries. Again it appeared bird-less but as the sun peeked through several species emerged from the saturated wooded margins. I logged around 30 Mallard, a pair of Northern Shoveler, a single male Tufted Duck and a pair of Teal.

As I circled the pond I noticed the emergence of a very colourful species that regularly appears at this time of year ... Mandarin Ducks. Initially two pairs drifted into view and then a further six males joined the party.

After a short time at least four of the males departed. In previous years I have often seen ten or more males chasing after just one or two females before trying their luck elsewhere!

 It will be interesting to see whether any of the pairs hang around.  FAB.

Linking to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.

Goodbye 2015.

A final wander around my local patch for 2015. While trudging the very muddy paths after an overnight deluge I watched mixed parties of Long-tail, Great and Blue Tits busily foraging together with a couple of flighty Goldcrests; a Nuthatch tapped busily overhead; Wren, Blackbird and Robin made a brief appearance  and a group of Redwings flitted from tree to tree. Not much to see on the ponds apart from a single Coot and Moorhen plus 20 Mallard and a pair of Cormorants soaking up the winter sunshine.

Very few photo opportunities apart from a Grey Heron patiently watching alongside one of the ditches.

So as we say goodbye to 2015 and look forward to 2016 I leave you with a recent image of a young Fallow buck and wish everyone a HAPPY and wildlife rich NEW YEAR. FAB.

Barnacle Goose.

Earlier this month I posted about encountering a surprise visitor on my local patch pond so here are a few more images of the Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis).

Barnacle Geese breed in the Arctic from Greenland east to the Baltic and Novaya Zemlya and move south in the winter. Those coming to Britain are mostly found on the north and west coasts.
The earliest record in Surrey (UK) is an individual that was shot near Elstead, Surrey in 1849. There have been a handful of sightings in the county since 1900 that would appear to relate to migrant birds. [Birds of Surrey - J.J.Wheatley]

Several populations of feral birds, derived from escapees, now exist in southern England, so it is difficult to establish whether any sighting is a true migrant as they are often seen in the company of Canada or Greylag Geese. This individual was also seen in the company of a pair of Greylag Geese.

Whatever its origins it was a delight to see when it visited the Great Pond, Epsom Common on 12th March.  FAB.

Linking to  Wild Bird Wednesday.

Patch Surprise.

During my regular patch walks when I reach the bottom of these steps that lead up to the Great Pond I have no idea what I might find (unless the wildlife is talkative) so there is always an anticipation that something different might be on the water or lurking in the surrounding vegetation.

Yesterday morning the only sounds were those of Mallard talking and Coot scolding one another and on reaching the top of the embankment a quick scan only produced the aforementioned species plus Moorhen, two Canada Geese and a distant male Teal. My initial thoughts were that this visit would be a waste of time BUT a further scan of the waterside vegetation produced two unusual visitors including a first sighting for the patch.

A pair of Greylag Geese were accompanied by a single Barnacle Goose but they were obviously wary of any intruder and floated away to the far end of the pond. I then spent over an hour stalking quietly around the perimeter, peering through the branches and eventually managed a few frames to record this very unusual sighting. More images to follow in a future post. FAB.

Linking to Good Fences.

Recent Patch Birds.

Another damp and dreary week so very limited opportunities for photos during my local patch walks around Epsom Common Pond but here are a few of the recent visitors and residents.

A single Greylag Goose. A fairly infrequent visitor on the patch who decided to keep its distance.

I have counted up to six Northern Shoveler on the pond this last week. The males were in various plumage's but often hidden away while feeding in the waterside vegetation. Occasional forays across the water always seem to be a long way away from my viewing point hence this cropped record shot.  

One of the resident Mallard flying over in the hope of not missing out on a hand-out!

Kestrel taking a well earned rest from its hunting activities.

A 1st winter Mistle Thrush, perched in the open, showing off its distinctive rounded black breast spots and the paler outer coverts.

One of the many Ring-necked Parakeets inspecting a possible roosting hole. This is now a common resident breeding species but more often seen and heard when flying over the woodland.

Back at home there has been far more activity around the feeders including Blue Tit (above image shot through the window), Great Tits, Coal Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, House Sparrows, Starling, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird and Ring-necked Parakeets making sure I keep the larder well stocked.  FAB.

Linking to Saturday's Critters, Camera Critters and I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'.

Damp Patch Birding.

The current weather pattern, windy, damp and heavily overcast skies, has not been conducive for photography during my recent patch walks. Most of the small birds have stayed in hiding so just a few images of the larger species seen on or around the pond.

Coot still collecting material to build up or repair the nest.
 

A couple of Cormorants called in for a few days and one spent some time trying to capture some warmth from the limited sunshine.

 

Earlier this month a male Northern Shoveler turned up on the Great Pond but typically kept a long way away from the lens. I subsequently spotted him with his mate who spent most of her time in hiding.

Eventually managed to capture him out of the water.

Mute Swans don't turn up on the patch very often so it was nice to see a pair drop in if only very briefly.

A single Black-headed Gull takes a rest from its aerial circuits around the pond.

Moorhen .... and it's time to dig out the wet weather gear!  Linking to I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'.

Wishing everyone a wonderful wildlife watching weekend, wherever you are.  FAB.

Behind the Pond Fence.

Recent strolls around my patch at Epsom Common Great Pond haven't produced much in the way of bird sightings apart from the usual Grey Heron, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot, an increasing number of visiting Canada Geese, Black-headed Gull, one Swallow and the occasional soaring Common Buzzard so the lens has been focused on other wildlife.

A Ruddy Darter sunning itself on the top fence rail.

White Admiral nectaring on the other side of the fence.

A very fresh 2nd brooded Holly Blue.

Access to the far side of the pond via the main gate proved a little problematical!! The odds were definitely stacked against me as the cattle, brought in during late Spring to help manage the landscape, weren't going to give up their tiny spot of shade plus the underfoot conditions were very unsavory so I decided to seek out another way. 

The alternative route to access the rear of the reed bed hidden behind the Gorse also provided its own particular challenge! Fortunately I managed to overcome this obstacle without getting 'hot wired'.

 Common Blue Damselflies in mating wheel.

Keeled Skimmer.

Finally a reverse view across the pond from within the reed bed towards my usual viewing point.  FAB.

Linking to Good Fences hosted by TexWisGirl.

Blue Skies.

We have experienced blue skies and ramped up temperatures for a few days followed by the start of a series of electrical storms overnight with more on the way. I'm linking to Weekend Reflections and SkyWatch Friday with a sample of the views while I've been out in the sunshine recently.

Me scanning a heathland pond for the signs of any activity!

A view over Epsom Common Great Pond with a few residents drifting towards me.

And finally, just a hint of different speeds of travel.

Wishing everyone a glorious weekend wherever you are.  FAB.

For this months images of Birds, Butterflies and Odonata please check out my photo blog.