Lesser Redpoll (Carduelis Cabaret) Remember the famous cinema quote from Tom Hanks, playing the Forrest Gump character in the film of the same name? ‘Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get’. I always recall those words when I hear or see an increasingly scarce ...
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The Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) With the snowdrops bursting through and the days noticeably longer I had been expecting the return of a powerful songster to announce Spring’s imminent arrival. And late last month he started up again, true to form. The Mistle Thrush. At this time of the year he reappears as ...
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Happy New Year! And may you enjoy seeing many more birds in, around, and over Cranleigh and its surrounding villages. So what can you expect? If you are an optimist, like me, almost anything! But here is a birding calendar, featuring some of the expected highlights, to indicate what you might like to watch out for. ...
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Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) I can’t be sure if it will be a white Christmas this year – but it will certainly be a black one. Each December, as the daylight fades ever earlier and people scurry ever faster to squeeze in the last of their shopping before the happy day, a spectacular display takes place in the skies ...
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Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) RED-listed What’s going up and down Thousands of us are in for another top firework display at the Cranleigh bonfire. It will be all eyes to the skies as Cranleigh Lions give us another spectacular show and the rockets rise and explode in a fabulous fiesta of light and colour. ...
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Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca) ‘Tut tut’ The voice came softly during one of those baking days of this endless summer. Then again: ‘Tut tut.’ Well, I’ve got used to being tutted at but this was a most welcome intrusion. The call sounded a bit like a ‘ticking’ Wren - but I had high hopes of something far more ...
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Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) Our long hot summer has born a butterfly bonanza all around the south of England, enabling many of us to enjoy some unusual garden visitors. I’ve counted 17 species in my small plot so far and two of those I’ve only seen a couple of times there before. First up was the ...
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Starling singing (Sturnus vulgaris) If they were rarities then birdwatchers would travel hundreds of miles to see them. Starlings! Surely most people can identify one. A little smaller than the Blackbird and the adults are blackish. Quite drab really. But perhaps we are too familiar with what is still a ...
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Wood Pigeons in flight © Andreas Trepte It’s the month when many bird species notably flock up after breeding. There are various reasons why they do this but taking advantage of safety in numbers is a key one. Getting together affords protection while feeding, hunting, nesting and roosting. For some, forming ...
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Falco peregrinus The Blue Tits’ alarm calls earlier this Spring signalled a likely raptor was approaching and as I looked up to see what it would be a magnificent Peregrine Falcon powered south east against the grey sky. It was a particularly memorable moment as this was the 100th species I have seen or heard ...
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