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.
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Wildlife Diary
Surrey Bird News – Early Spring 2019 A very mild February was followed by a slightly colder March but it appears that we have escaped any serious snow here in the south east. With the longer days and relatively mild weather spring is well advanced as I write this in early April. Some unwise hirundines have already arrived in good numbers, so we can only hope that they do not attempt to move too far north yet. Other arrivals reported have been the usual early migrants such as chiffchaffs, blackcaps, wheatears, garganeys and ring ouzels, while a pied flycatcher was pushing its luck in London.
By this stage in the year most of our winter visitors have already headed north but jack snipe, bramblings, fieldfares and water pipits are still around in small numbers.
From mid-month we can expect the flood gates to open with hirundines increasing in numbers, nightingales, whitethroats, willow warblers and the like setting up territories and many of our resident birds pairing up ready for the breeding season. Some early breeders such as grey herons and crossbills will already have well developed young in the nest. Isn’t it great to hear bird-song again after the grey days of winter?
One feature of our warming climate is the arrival of new species, and we now cannot dismiss that white ‘heron’ as just another little egret. Great (white) egrets have been in our area for some years and now the cattle egret invasion seems to be taking off too, with flocks of over a hundred reported in Somerset where they first bred ten years ago. Keep your eyes peeled!
Some butterfly species have always flown on warm days, even in mid-winter, but should now be about in ever-increasing numbers. Expect to see brimstones, peacocks, small tortoiseshells, commas and even the occasional red admiral. These all over-winter as adults and will be on the air on warm sunny days.
