Another wader pays Holmethorpe SPs a brief visit ... 20th-22nd February 2011

The pair of SHELDUCK have remained at Spynes Mere throughout and on the 20^th Gordon Hay found a flock of 34 Lesser Redpolls at Mercers Country Park but no Mealies were amongst them.
Also on the 20^th, Ian Kehl found three Treecreepers, also at Mercers CP, which is a high count for the area. Redwings are still present in reasonable numbers with Gordon finding around 60 birds on the 20^th.


The pair of Shelduck remain faithful to Spynes Mere.

On the 21^st and 22^nd, the LITTLE EGRET was seen again at The Moors NR and, on the morning of the 21^st, ten Wigeon had appeared at Mercers West Pit, the count rising to 13 birds by the afternoon. Gordon added a Common Buzzard to the day’s tally and counted 25 Fieldfares, numbers of which have definitely started to drop in the area. On the same day, I had a good count of 162 Common Gulls on Spynes Mere in the morning.


Wigeon in the gloom.

The 22^nd proved to be another wader day with Gordon Hay finding a DUNLIN on the sandspit at Spynes Mere in the early afternoon, I managed to see it for a while up to 2.10 p.m. but by the time Neil Randon managed to get there just before 3 p.m., the bird had flown, presumably flushed by a fox that was wandering about on the sandspit.
During the morning, I had heard a Water Rail calling along the southern bank of Mercers Lake but it took about 15 minutes for it to briefly reveal itself. Only one drake Wigeon remained from yesterday's arrival. Gordon counted 131 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on Spynes Mere and 2 Green Sandpipers on Mercers West Pit.

Dunlin at Spynes Mere.

With a Grey Plover and a Ringed Plover being seen at Beddington SF, only ten miles or so to the north of Holmethorpe SPs, and a Curlew dropping into Canon’s Farm at Banstead, also only a few miles away, over the past few days, it is obvious that waders are on the move in the grey and gloomy conditions, so we await our next arrival.

Graham