STAINES DELIVERS AGAIN

I made my now regular visit to Staines Reservoir this morning. Bob was there, as he often is, but all was relatively quiet - Common Terns aplenty and the Great Northern Diver was still on duty - until Bob mentioned a male Turnstone in summer plumage was feeding on the edge of the water on the South basin close by. A really good bird to see and number 129 for me in Surrey this year.



I stayed for a short while before heading off to Chobham Common in pursuit of Dartford Warbler. The winter of 2009 had been pretty devasting for this delicate little bird, but the most recent big freeze had just about run a road through its survival. Alarmingly, there have been only a few sightings this year.

My hopes were never realistic, just a pair of Stonechat dancing about the heather and a Buzzard circling overhead. I was also on the lookout for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - but again no joy. Not much of a surprise really, as they are small and like the tops of trees, and now with the leaves coming out they are even harder to spot.