Here you will find details of wildlife events in Elmbridge and any unusual sightings in Elmbridge or nearby. Please email one of the Editors if you think an unusual local sighting or details of a local natural history event warrant a mention here.
Please see the Links page for links to the FSC site.
Wildlife Diary
Surrey Bird News – Early Summer 2019 With the excitement of spring starting to fade, our birds have settled down to breed and my garden has become a crèche for young robins, blue tits, great tits, goldfinches and starlings. They are costing me a fortune in food for them. The local jackdaws probably also have young in the nest and when they arrive any accessible feeder rapidly empties - and don’t get me started on the squirrels!
In the wider countryside, the bird population is rapidly approaching its annual peak, so keep your eyes open for family parties when out bird-watching. If you haven’t seen a cuckoo this year, you had better be quick, as many of the adults will start their migration before the end of June, leaving their offspring in the tender care of unwilling foster parents. They will have to find their own way to their wintering grounds without any help from either their true or foster parents. By the end of June many birds will have stopped singing, with only those who have more than one brood still defending territory. Those that have finished breeding will be keeping a low profile while they moult, replacing their scruffy post-breeding plumage with fresh attire ready for migration or the rigours of winter.
Many bird-watchers turn to dragonflies or butterflies as an alternative to birds during the mid-summer months. Early butterflies have, of course, been on the wing since early April, but June, July and August are the peak months for many species. Most dragonflies and damselflies start flying rather later than the butterflies but they too reach a peak in the summer months. I had a good emergence of large red damselflies from my garden pond - I found twelve one morning freshly emerged, which was a good reward for extricating the larva from the blanket-weed when I reduced the pond weed density. A visit to suitable habitat will usually produce a good selection of dragons and damsels if conditions are warm enough – above 17C with sunshine and a light wind is ideal.
Our gardens are a sanctuary for insects from the, often hostile, agricultural landscape, so ensure that you have plenty of flowers, ideally singles rather than doubles, in your garden to keep them supplied with nectar right through until the first frosts.
