25/11/2021

Today I had the day off work, so was able to spend a lot of time at the park, and it did not disappoint! 

I've popped by a few times since my previous post, but only in quick visits in between other arrangements, and there wasn't a lot to report.

First off, the day was absolutely glorious, and it was slightly less busy from a people perspective and therefore a dog perspective, which made the conditions ideal.

I arrived and, to my delight, there were some gulls on ND1! I'd read about the gulls on deck from David's post, and I think he was just as elated as me when he had finally had some on the deck. Photos below (as proof!). I did have an interesting duck-type sound from ND1, which just confused me. I wasn't able to place it, probably because I'd never heard the sound at Nonsuch before. It wasn't a fly over, and there's no body of water from where the sound was coming from. I was too slow with my sound recorder. It's also possible it could have been a dog.

After a great start, I made my way over to P1 where there was very little activity, and it looks like there has been significant pruning/tree felling since my last visit. 

I then headed to TL4 as I'd recently had Redwing there. This was an incredibly productive spot today especially when the dog walkers had moved on. Lots of feeding was going on and I got many of my day ticks here. It was looking like a particularly good day for beating my day list. While looking at a Redwing which was deep in the bushes, I heard a bit of a commotion overhead but ignored it (happens plenty of times, and is usually just disturbance caused by humans and dogs). I just so happened to bring my binoculars down and saw a whopping great big, brown wingspan. It could only mean one thing - a Buzzard. At this point, I was really annoyed that I'd missed a Buzzard in flight possibly 2 metres in front of me. Makes you wonder what you miss while you're looking at everything else.

Of course, I followed this into the next field (Zone 4) and couldn't see it. After some scanning, I was able to locate a Common Buzzard perched in a tree, as close as you like. It then took off with lots of crows after it and flew into another part further away. Photo below.

After that excitement, I decided I'd try to make it to the other no dog zones to see if any more gulls were on deck. Unfortunately there weren't. I made my way back through the park, trying to get a few more ticks. On the way, I had a completely white bird fly over, which I assume must have been a Dove, as it wasn't an Egret species. I was back at TL4 again because there was just so much activity. I had a couple of Blackbirds with totally black beaks, and I also had a few passerines both overhead and flitting between the bushes that I just wasn't able to ID. I think one overhead may have been a Meadow Pipit, but I'm not familiar enough with their flight calls yet, so we'll save that for another day. Having now listened back to their call, I am convinced it was - but I'm not happy ticking it this way, just in case.

Other suspected ticks were Goldcrest and Long-Tailed Tit (which absolutely must have been on site), Mistle Thrush possibly heard, same with Green Woodpecker and Little Owl. I really wasn't able to tell because they just didn't call for long enough and I wasn't close enough to the source. I also had a wagtail species overhead, which, if Pied, would have been a patch tick.

I think with a few more birds of prey (which I am sure were on site), I would have comfortably improved my daily list, but I was very happy with today's haul.

Ending the day on 22 species, and my overall list for the park is now at 38 species.

The extremely rare, Unhappy Gull in the bottom left.

Buzzard chase

31/10/2021

After the worst of the stormy weather had passed earlier today, I went to Nonsuch to see if anything had weathered the storm, and who was playing out. I was pleased to get 15 species after ~24 hrs of gale-force winds and torrential rain.

Making my way around the Park following my usual route, I ended up at P1 (Round Pond), and heard the Little Owl calling. I was really excited about this, because I've only had it near there twice before. Annoyingly though, it was just teasing me, as I really wasn't able to locate it, and soon after it went quiet (so had possibly moved on).

Side note: if it weren't for dog activity, I am sure P1 would have regular Snipe numbers.

I had given up looking for the LO, and was disturbed by an eruption of Carrion Crows. I think I'd managed to pick out a Sparrowhawk in amongst them, but the trouble is that everything looks like a Bird of Prey in this weather.

Again there was a lot of gull movement, and, after some studious research this weekend, I was comfortable in ID-ing them as Herring Gulls (not sure what else I had expected them to be!)

I was also very pleased to see that the (usually) dried-up channel is in fact supposed to be a stream, and is now fully operational as a stream! Now the bridges make sense. You know the birdwatching is drying up when you get excited about a dried-up stream being...not dried-up.

I ended up in ND1 which is great for Corvidae. There was the usual Jackdaw and CC activity, of them flying into roost. I made it around 50 Jackdaw and at least 100 CC, and I also had at least 45 Parakeet.

Haven't had any Redwing yet, nor have I picked up any of the reported Siskins, and Teal from previous years on site. Hopefully I'll get a patch tick soon, otherwise there might be more dried-up content.

I had visited the Park on 27th because I had the afternoon off work. I was there for about 2 hours and the most interesting thing to report was a sighting of three Grey Heron all at once. I'd had the most exciting sighting on the way there (a Red Kite over Kingston Road). Entirely possible it had flown over Nonsuch, but I can't tick it unfortunately.

The patch watches might be even less regular now (if that's even possible) with losing the hour of light, but I'll see what I can do (and maybe even try a few early morning shifts 🤯 )

26/10/2021

Another brief visit before sundown.

The Green Woodpecker very vocal this evening and also seen quite a few times.

As I was leaving ND1 (just as I'd put everything away - typical), I heard the Little Owl. I've heard it there before, but haven't ever been able to pinpoint exactly where it is, but it must hold territory along some of the trees bordering ND1.

I was obviously seeing everything in 5s tonight - 5 Goldfinch, 5 Long-Tailed Tits, 5 Woodpigeons.

Lots and lots of gull movement - I counted over 50 and all were fly overs. A member of the public put something in the bin which attracted virtually all the crows in the area and two gulls. At one point I was certain they were going to land so I could finally get my first gull on the deck, get a picture, and hopefully ID it. It was about half a metre off the ground and then decided it would not bother.

There was also the usual late evening presence of thousands of Jackdaws returning to roost.

17/10/2021

Inspired by the local sighting of the Penduline Tit at Beddington SF, I decided to put a proper shift in today, in particular, I wanted to scan any tit flocks to see if they had brought any unusual visitors. 

It was generally a quiet day for bird activity, and a busy day at the park people wise, so I wasn't having much luck despite trying.

I noted all the usual visitors: Parakeets, Carrion Crows, Goldfinches, Magpies, although didn't note any Jackdaws today, which was slightly odd.

I had a Grey Heron fly over twice, and had the usual gulls passing through, but, while working my way back out of the Park, I had my first bit of hope.

I was working my way back slowly along Tree Line 3, keeping my eyes and ears out, and was able to hear the classic teetering/trill of the Long-Tailed Tit. I stopped to count how many - I made it 5 - and spotted something else. Flitting about in the spindly trees was my first Goldcrest for Nonsuch! It was just one on its own, and, admittedly, I'd tuned out of its sound because I haven't seen/heard one for a very long time (but it does also blend quite well with LTT). I was delighted with this patch tick, as I've wanted to get a Goldcrest for a long time and have been frustrated with not finding one. It quickly moved on, as did the LTTs, but it did a lovely Hummingbird impression/hover for about 3 seconds which was great to watch.

Final count for the day was 16 species, and my overall list for Nonsuch is now 35 species. 

07/10/2021

Early morning visit before I started work today. 

Not a huge amount to report - very quiet for birds, but lots of the usual suspects. Still quite a bit of human and dog activity in the park at this time, so some of the birds do get disturbed.

Highlights:

1 x GSW
2 x Gull sp.
1 x Green Woodpecker
3 x Blue Tit
1 x Great Tit
1 x Robin
1 x Sparrowhawk
2 x Parakeet
31 x Carrion Crow
8 x Magpie

 

01/10/2021

Finally managed to get to the Park this evening. A nice evening with a mega highlight as I was leaving. Lots of areas have been significantly cut back (noted on my visit last week), which was at first quite alarming, but it's encouraged some different bird activity/behaviour. In those areas, high numbers of corvidae and columbidae gather and feed from the ground, which makes them easier to count. 

Nothing further on the Hobby, so I think I can safely say that has now left. They're still being reported locally at other sites though. 

Highlights:

• 1 x GSW
• 1 x Green Woodpecker (seen only - and only just about!)
• 1 x Jay
• 2 x Robin
• 1 x Buzzard (see below)

The Buzzard was a real highlight tonight. As I was heading back, thinking to myself that it had been a very quiet night for birds of prey, I noticed a huge wingspan low to the ground about 7 metres in front of me. I followed it with my eyes to a branch where it perched. 

I watched it for about 10 minutes and then it flew off into an orange-y sunset. On its way, it had disturbed a group of mixed birds, which erupted out of the tree they were in. 

24/09/2021

First visit in a while this evening. The birds generally seemed a little agitated tonight but I couldn't identify a cause. There was quite a bit of gull movement overhead too.

A quiet evening for birds of prey, although I did (accidentally) disturb either a Sparrowhawk or a Kestrel on the way out. I wasn't able to ID which one it was because the light was fading and it went by quite quickly. No sign of the Hobby tonight.

Highlights:

1 x Greenfinch
5 x Goldfinch
1 x GSW
4 x Mistle Thrush
1 x Green Woodpecker

I did also run through the Park last Sunday (19th) and was able to spot 3(!) Grey Heron all together. One of them looked like it was a juvenile. I wasn't able to see much else because I leave my glasses at home when I run, but three herons are pretty unmistakable 😅. It's a patch record for me (and is quite notable when viewed against historic records).

18/09/2021

Another quick visit, but quite a productive one. I spent a little bit more time in the gardens, and was admittedly trying to find a Goldcrest. I was sure I could hear one, but couldn't see one, and with other background noise, didn't want to tick it. I was also definitely getting some weird looks for gazing up a tree 😂. There were 1-2 birds that got away in the gardens, as they were flushed back into undergrowth by passing members of the public.

I also managed to hit a new daily species record, finishing the day on 24.

Still very quiet from a bird of prey perspective, but that might be expected in the evening. I did hear the Hobby again which was reassuring. At first, it was so distant, I was doubting the ID against the symphony of Parakeets. A few minutes later, it was much closer and unmistakable. 

I also thought I heard a Little Owl on the border of ND1. I have heard it there before, but again I couldn't be 100% sure.

Highlights:

1 x GSW
1 x Green Woodpecker
1 x Moorhen
2 x Grey Heron
4 x Gull (fly-over, so unable to ID)
1 x Hobby
3 x Jay
46 x Carrion Crow (actually counted them)
1 x Chiffchaff
8 x LTT
10 x Mistle Thrush (went up in a flock with Starlings and Goldfinch, but also spotted in the gardens)
10 x Goldfinch
2 x Starling

Another good sunset over the Ewell area and Park.

Also spotted: a replica 2014 FIFA World Cup ball! (ND1 area if you are missing it):

17/09/2021

A brief visit tonight (late finishing work and the nights are drawing in quicker than I had realised). Notable observations were that the Green Woodpecker was very quiet again (heard only once), Mistle Thrush were back this evening, and there was no sign of any bird of prey, in particular, the Hobby (for the first time since I've been regularly watching the patch)

Plenty of Jackdaw on site - I estimate around 50 went over at one point.

Lots of vocal Robins on site tonight, and the Jays are continuing to increase in numbers too.

A very nice sunset again over the Ewell area too this evening.

16/09/2021

 Only time for a quick visit tonight. Some sure signs of the Autumn in the Park at the moment - long shadows, burnt-orange light, and falling conkers/leaves!

Interesting evening because the Green Woodpecker was unusually quiet tonight - only heard once just as I was leaving. I also had 3+ Dunnock near ND1, which was unusual. There was also a flock of around 40 Goldfinch in the top of the tree along the Avenue.

Other highlights:

1 x GSW
1 x Hobby
1 x Sparrowhawk (flying off into the distance)

The sunset was particularly nice this evening:

31/08/2021

Today was a pretty dull day in the Park, but was much quieter people wise. I was only able to go for a very quick bird watch (30 mins), but there were some nice highlights, and a firm reminder to always look upwards!

Highlights today include:

1 Hobby (heard faintly, then flew over me quietly as I left the Park via ND1)
7 Mistle Thrush (in Z1 near P1) - lovely to see, and I haven't seen them in a while as they are very easily disrupted from feeding on the ground
2 Moorhen (at P1 - heard a splash and assumed it was a dog, but was delighted to see two Moorhen there, as I rarely just see the one)
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (incredibly close and hanging on to a bunch of leaves in TL3)
1 Green Woodpecker (very visible today, flying and dropping down on the grass in front me)
Good numbers of Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits in TL3
1 Jay (to my surprise!)
1 Gull sp. flew overhead
Healthy numbers of the regular suspects (Magpie, Crow, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Parakeet)

Total species count for today: 16

30/08/2021 - Highlights

Today I was at the Park from around midday for a few hours.

Here are the highlights from today:

2 Grey Heron
1 Buzzard (mobbed by the Hobby)
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker (multiple heard on site, no more than 5)
Chiffchaff (multiple heard only)
Nuthatch (interestingly, heard only in Z2 and Z3 - usually only heard in TL1)
1 Hobby
7 gull sp. flying overhead
High numbers of Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Ring-necked Parakeet, Magpie, Carrion Crow

The Story So Far

So those of you who have keenly been following me up until now from the very start (only two posts - don't worry, plenty of time to catch up), will realise that I have been birding Nonsuch Park regularly since the end of July 2021. 

The blog started at the end of August 2021. So, in lieu of many daily posts, I have committed to set the record straight and let you have a rough breakdown of the magical sightings and events I have so far seen at Nonsuch Park.

Let's begin with a very special day - the first day. This was a typical July hot day at the park and it was late morning. Plenty of people around with dogs and children. Call it beginners luck, but I'd been in the park for around 2.5 minutes and I had my first species and a mega one at that. I'd heard it before I'd seen it, and it was unmistakeable - a Buzzard. Perched in Tree Line 1, immediately on my right as I had entered, was a Buzzard in full view. Totally unphased by everyone coming in and out of the park, and everyone totally unphased by it. Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I have the most basic of cameras. I wasn't going to get a great shot, but it would be possible to get a good shot with a basic camera because of how close it was. I had to take a photo and here it is:

After watching it some more, I decided I needed to move on. Nonsuch is so vast that the only proper way to get to know it is to keep walking. I continued along the concrete path (The Avenue) which goes more into woodland. I was already hearing the chuckling of a Green Woodpecker. Further along the path, I was aware of some activity that made me think bird of prey. I also heard a call that wasn't familiar to me, but again, felt raptor-y. I used BirdNET to help me identify that it was in fact the call of a Sparrowhawk. This is a bird that I (ridiculously) haven't seen or heard as much of as I would like, but I was treated to an absolutely outstanding viewing of two Sparrowhawks in this same spot days later.

I then made my way to P1, where I had the Grey Heron, a Moorhen, and a Grey Wagtail land for a few seconds. Then, out of nowhere, a Little Owl flew right past me and landed on a fence post half a metre away, before flying off again.

My first day really set the standard, and has been one of my highest scoring days for species, coming in at 21.

The days after this and throughout August brought even more delight. The Buzzard was a regular sight, on the same branch. The Green Woodpeckers were audible and visible at various areas on the site. One evening I also followed (with my eyes) a Kestrel back to a branch where it enjoyed its dinner (picture below).

The evenings in August were quite special to me also. The evenings brought a different kind of light to the park (see below), and were quieter from a human perspective. This meant that birds would often come out onto the ground in the Zones and I would watch them go between the trees and the ground. I had a lot of Mistle Thrushes one evening in Z7, which, believe it or not, and rather embarrassingly, was a lifer for me. 

One particular night, I was extremely lucky. Towards the end of August 2021 I was near P1 when I heard a sound that sounded a bit like a dog toy, and a kettle/pan that was at boiling point. I had heard this sound before faintly, and had written it off as a dog toy (there are lots of these types of sounds at Nonsuch). I followed it and used BirdNET to check what it was. It returned the result of a Hobby. I followed the sound some more to an utter commotion happening in TL4. All I remember was thinking 'why is there a giant Swift in the trees?', and then inspecting it some more and realising it had the classic red trousers. A Hobby isn't a lifer for me, but again, is a bird I've seen in a fleeting moment. On this night, I had the best views I've ever, ever had of a Hobby, and believe that they will be the best views I will ever have. There were three of them, and I had about an hour of them being perched, and doing acrobatics only a few metres in front of me and above me. Pictures below. When I made it home, I did some reading on my new friends, and had to laugh when I read that they are often described as 'giant Swifts'

(giant Swift, right?!)

If you have made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my Nonsuch journey up until the point of blogging.

Some additional pictures below of highlights:

(Sparrowhawk, Crow and Magpies)

Mapping the Territory

 

If there's one thing I've learnt about birding, it's that mapping the territory is important. I've taken a Shaun Ferguson approach here (thanks!) and taken a screenshot of the Park and highlighted key areas. This is to save crass descriptions like 'I saw it in the bit where there's lots of trees!'

First off, it's important for me to note that I enter the Park from the Ewell side (West side). I've already covered a mile once I arrive at the Park, so it's rare that I can survey all of the key areas on the Ewell side and make it across to the Cheam side (East side), and then back home again. This is why most of the map is West side heavy.

I've tried to keep some of the old key that David Campbell used in his blog, but have had to rename some areas. I appreciate there's quite a lot of segmentation in the map, but I've highlighted key areas in which I see species habitually, and are surveyed as one.

Warren Farm is highlighted, and I personally won't be counting it as part of the Nonsuch patch, however I am so close to it, that I will check in and report anything of interest. In my posts, I will do that very clearly, so that it's not confused with anything seen specifically in the Nonsuch boundary.

Summary:

Zones - (Zone 1, Z2 - Z8). These are vast areas of open land, usually broken up by a tree line that stops you seeing much beyond the Zone you are in. Zone 1 is the largest, and visitors will know why I have made this all one Zone, because this whole area has several vantage points where you can survey the full area (and sky) at once.

No Dog Areas - (ND1 - ND3). As you may have guessed, these are designated areas where dogs are not allowed. I mainly only get to ND1 (as that's where I enter). ND1 I believe is the biggest no dog area, and has quite a few Corvidae and Columbidae. These areas are nice and quiet, and I usually scan them before entering.

Ponds - (P1, P2). The ponds at Nonsuch took me a very long time to find. They're nestled away, and appear quite dried up in the summer (so have very few visitors). In my experience, access to both ponds is quite difficult - there is no true path to both, you have to sort of forage your way to them. P1 is fenced, with a gated access, and is pleasant. P2 is a little bit shady.

Tree Lines -  (TL1 - Tl4). I spent quite a bit of time wondering what to call these areas. They're borderline scrub, shrubbery and trees. However, I have had some excellent finds in them, and if nothing else, they have some classic passerine ticks that bump up the daily lists.

Mansion - An easy landmark, and an interesting area. There are some formal gardens near the Mansion and often quite a bit of activity (functions etc.). 

As ever, any additions, comments, or corrections are welcome, but this is what I will use to make reference to my sightings. 

Start here

Hi and welcome!

Hopefully you've found this blog to learn a little more about the wildlife (although mainly birds) that can be found at Nonsuch Park, nestled amongst Stoneleigh, North Cheam, Cheam, and Ewell, near Epsom.

I'm not originally from the area, and moved down for work. Admittedly, and regrettably, I had overlooked the park for birding. With the Covid-19 pandemic, I was working from home more often, and this meant that I had more time after work to explore places locally (which was actually the safest way to bird in that climate anyway).

I first went to birdwatch at Nonsuch Park at the end of July 2021. I was absolutely stunned by my first proper visit there, having had a close-up of a Buzzard, a Little Owl, Sparrowhawk, and a Grey Wagtail all within about an hour. I was hungry for more delights, and went home in awe. When I made it home, I was only able to find the Blogspot of David Campbell as the only solid record of birding at Nonsuch. This isn't to say that the area hasn't been thoroughly surveyed in the past, but that I wasn't able to find much about the birds that visit and live there. It was great to read about his observations on visitors throughout the year, and share his excitement for patch ticks. Being relatively close to me, I really wanted to make Nonsuch my local patch that I could check regularly, and observe differences in bird behaviour and species as the year went on. After an email exchange with David, I discovered that he is no longer in the area to regularly watch the patch, but I am sure I have his blessing to carry the baton! I am also certain and hopeful that, with enough surveying, Nonsuch should throw up a few interesting and unusual species at some point(!), and put it firmly on the map. I'm also hoping that this kind of logging will encourage others to get out and survey the patch, and therefore create some interesting historical records. 

I will also caveat the entire blog by saying that I am not the best birder! I am using this as a way to improve my birding skills and to learn more about bird behaviour. For example, I'm still unsure on how to count huge volumes of birds (e.g. Parakeets), so will likely remark on overall perceived numbers, rather than declare a number. I am always very open to learning more about my craft, so please do get in touch if you want to provide any further information to my sightings, comments, or even (dare I say it) corrections!

I generally use eBird to record my sightings and will try to find a widget to document my lists.

Anyone who has visited Nonsuch will know that it is a huge site, and so I will map out the territory in a later post.

Finally, I am not entirely sure how long I will be in this area for, but I will continue to visit and therefore post as often as I can to build up as much of a record as I can. It will be my first proper attempt at patch birding, and want to make the most of being nearby such a fantastic habitat. Other patches in the area are well watched by others, but it's worth me saying that I am a regular visitor at: Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve/Ewell Court, Priest Hill Nature Reserve, Beddington Farmlands, Horton Country Park. Depending on interest, it may be worth my while setting up a generic blog for my other birding ventures.

As another prompt, please do feel free to get in touch if you're reading this. I would love to share whatever information I can, and would also love to learn.