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BEDDINGTON BIRDING PLAN

By Peter Alfrey
Admittedly this plan is primarily focused on the birds that I need for my Beddington List.
However it should also be of use to any Beddington listers. The short list of target species
has been drawn up by referring to the Birds of London (Self 2014), species which there have
been three or more records in the LNHS recording area and I have yet to see at the
farmlands. There are additional notes in the target species for those species which are not
on the London list but Beddington is perhaps at an advantage of attracting (i.e. a vagrant
gull or corvid on the landfill site).
The plan is comprised of a target species/group and strategy section and also a Calendar
model which can be used to identify the birding season and particular week of the year one
is in and the particular target species and tactical birding strategies that can be used for that
particular week.

Target Species/Species Group

Strategy

T1. Vagrant large winter waterfowl


Whooper Swan, Bean Goose, Pink-footed
Goose

S1. Sky-watching in winter during hard weather


spells. Follow weather and local news on
movements during cold weather and focus effort in
response to alerts.
S2.Weekly telescope scanning of waterfowl
particularly through the winter period. Brush up on
identification of roosting waterfowl.
Follow news for regional movements and respond.
S3.Night sound recording.
Follow news for regional movements.
S4. Watch weather and news closely. Respond to
alerts.

T2.Vagrant Waterfowl
Blue-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Eider, Longtailed Duck, Velvet Scoter, Pied-billed Grebe
Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe
T3.Divers
Great Northern, Black-throated Diver
T4. Seabirds
Manx Shearwater, Storm Petrel
Leachs Petrel,
T5.Vagrant Herons
Little Bittern, Night Heron, Squacco Heron
Cattle Egret
T6. Storks
White Stork, Black Stork
T7. Vagrant Raptors
Hen Harrier, Montagus Harrier, Goshawk,
Rough-legged Buzzard,Red-footed Falcon
T8.Vagrant Crakes
Little Crake,Baillons Crake ,Corncrake
T9. Vagrant Waders
Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover, Dotterel,
White-rumped Sandpiper, Bairds Sandpiper,
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Great Snipe, Spotted
Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Lesser

S5. Walk through heavily wooded path of Southern


Lake regularly.
S6. Skywatching during spring and autumn- follow
weather and news.
S7.Increase skywatching activity during spring and
autumn. Follow weather and news.
S8. Scope scan edges.
Drive through long grass on mountain bike.
S9. Increase checking of wader habitat during spring
to autumn.
Support campaign for restoration of wet grassland
and preservation of habitats on 100 acre and SE

Yellowlegs, Marsh Sandpiper


Red-necked Phalarope
T10. Pomarine Skua
T11. Vagrant Gulls
Bonapartes Gull, Ring-billed Gull, (American
Herring Gull and vagrant large gulls- not on
London list)
T12. Vagrant Terns
Whiskered Tern, White-winged Black Tern,
Caspian Tern

T13. Auks
Razorbill, Little Auk, Puffin
T14. Nightjar
T15. Southern/Eastern Vagrant Nonpasserines
European Bee-eater, Roller, Hoopoe, Wryneck
Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat
Shrike, Rose-coloured Starling, Alpine Swift
T16. Great Grey Shrike

T17. Hooded Crow (Vagrant corvid?- not on


London List)
T18. Penduline Tit
T19. Vagrants Tits
Willow Tit, Marsh Tit
T20. Vagrant ground passerines
Short-toed Lark, Richards Pipit, Woodlark
Shorelark

T21. Vagrant Warblers and allies


Yellow-browed Warbler, Barred Warbler,
Savis Warbler, Melodious Warbler
Aquatic Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher
T22. Vagrant Finches
Serin, Twite,Common Redpoll,Arctic Redpoll
Common Rosefinch
T23. All of the above

corner.
S10. Follow weather and news. Maintain regular sky
watching regime.
S11. Regular routine checking of gulls particularly
through winter months

S12. Regular checking of lakes and beds during


spring and autumn. Follow weather and news and
respond to alerts.
Support campaign for restoration of wet grassland
habitat and preservation of 100 acre and south east
corner.
S13. Keep an eye on weather and regional news for
movements/wreck and flights.
S14. Hope for the best.
S15. Watch news for influxes. Keep searching in
mid-summer and also for early spring and late
autumn occurrences.

S16. Check bikers and horse field copse area.


(Expand search area to Mitcham Common where
most likely to occur)
S17.Keep an eye on the crows on the landfill.
S18. Keep an eye on storm tanks, revise call for
listening for in reed habitats across farmlands.
S19. Revise calls well and ride the edges on the
mountain bike- trawling sounds also possible.
S20. Revise calls and target during autumn sky
watching. Utilise the sound approach.
Also drive the mounds on mountain bike
attempting to flush birds from wider area than
usually walked.
S21. Revise calls and songs. Trawl along edges on
mountain bike, playing calls for Yellow Browed.
Intensive ringing effort.
S22. Scan finch flocks more thoroughly. Revise calls.
Utilise sound approach for fly overs during sky
watching.
S23. Expand group membership to increase the
number of observers on site and have good
dissemination of identification skills.

Target (T)
T1 T2 T3 T11 T16 T17
T19
T1 T2 T3 T11 T16 T17
T19

Strategy (S)
S1 S2 S3 S11 S16 S17
S19
S1 S2 S3 S11 S16 S17
S19

T1 T2 T3 T11 T16 T17


T19

S1 S2 S3 S11 S16 S17


S19

T1 T2 T3 T11 T16 T17


T19

S1 S2 S3 S11 S16 S17


S19

FEB 1

T1 T2 T3 T11 T16 T17


T19

S1 S2 S3 S11 S16 S17


S19

T1 T2 T3 T11 T16 T17


T19

S1 S2 S3 S11 S16 S17


S19

T1 T2 T3 T11 T16 T17


T19

S1 S2 S3 S11 S16 S17


S19

T1 T2 T3 T11 T16 T17


T19

S1 S2 S3 S11 S16 S17


S19

MAR 1

T1 T2 T3 T11 T17 T19

S1 S2 S3 S11 S17 S19

2
3
4
APR 1
2
3

T11 T15 T17 T19


T5 T6 T11 T15
T5 T6 T11 T15
T5 T6 T11 T15
T5 T6 T11 T15
T5 T6 T7 T9 T11 T12 T15

T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 T12
T15
T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 T12
T14 T15 T21
T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 T12
T14 T15 T21
T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T12 T14
T15 T21
T5 T6 T8 T9 T12 T15 T21

JUNE 1
2
3
4

T8 T9 T12 T15 T21


T8 T9 T12 T15 T21
T9 T12 T15
T15

S11 T15 S17 S19


S5 S6 S9 S11 S15
S5 S6 S9 S11 S15
S5 S6 S9 S11 S15
S5 S6 S9 S11 S15
S5 S6 S7 S9 S11 S12
S15
S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10
S12 S15
S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10
S12 S14 S15 S21
S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10
S12 T14 S15 S21
S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S12
T14 S15 S21
S5 S6 S8 S9 S12 S15
S21
S8 S9 S12 S15 S21
S8 S9 S12 S15 S21
S12 S15
S15

WEEK
JAN 1
2

MAY 1
2
3

JULY 1
2
3
4
AUGUST 1
2
3
4
SEPTEMBER 1
2
3
4
OCTOBER 1
2
3
4
NOVEMBER 1
2
3
4
DECEMBER 1
2
3
4

Colour Code
Winter
Early Spring
Spring
Summer
Early Autumn
Mid Autumn
Late Autumn
Winter Again

T8 T9
T8 T9
T8 T9
T7 T8 T9
T7 T8 T9 T21
T7 T8 T9 T10 T14 T20
T21
T7 T8 T9 T10 T14 T20
T21
T7 T8 T9 T10 T13 T14
T20 T21
T4 T7 T8 T9 T10 T13 T14
T20 T21
T4 T7 T8 T9 T10 T13 T18
T20 T22
T4 T7 T8 T9 T13 T18
T20
T4 T7 (Hen Harrier) T13
T19 T20 T22
T4 T7 (Hen Harrier) T13
T19 T22
T4 T7 (Hen Harrier) T11
T13 T16 T19 T20 T22
T4 T7 (Hen Harrier) T11
T13 T16 T19 T20 T22
T4 T7 (Hen Harrier) T11
T13 T16 T19 T22
T4 T7 (Hen Harrier) T11
T13 T16 T19 T22
T11 T13 T16 T17 T19
T11 T13 T16 T17 T19
T11 T13 T19
T11 T13 T19

S8 S9
S8 S9
S8 S9
S7 S8 S9 S14
S7 S8 S9 S14 S21
S7 S8 S9 S10 S14 S20
S21
S7 S8 S9 S10 S14 S20
S21
S7 S8 S9 S10 S13 S14
S20 S21
S4 S7 S8 S9 S10 S13
S14 S20 S21
S4 S7 S8 S9 S10 S13
S18 S20 S22
S4 S7 S8 S9 S13 S18
S20 S22
S4 S7 S13 S19 S20
S22
S4 S7 S11 S13 S19
S22
S4 S7 S11 S13 S16
S19 S22
S4 S7 S11 S13 S16
S19 S22
S4 S7 S11 S13 S16
S19 S22
S4 S11 S13 S16 S19
T22
S11 S13 S16 S17 S19
S11 S13 S16 S17 S19
S11 S13 S19
S11 S13 S19

Tactical Birding Method Glossary


Sky-watching/ Vis-migging:

Vantage point bird birding, counting migrating birds going overhead


and also looking for fly over vagrants

Sky-watching Sound Approach: Same as above but amplifying and recording bird sounds to identify
more species. Requires back ground listening and learning calls.
Night Sound Approach:

Same as above but doing it at night without seeing what youre


hearing.

Weather Watching:

Identifying weather patterns which are conducive to migration/


vagrancy and concentrating birding activity in the periods of
optimum weather

Regional News Watching:

Following the regional and local birds news to identify falls,


movements, wrecks, flights etc and to concentrate birding activity
to coincide what those alerts

Gulling:

Concentrating on the gulls flock to identify vagrant gulls. Involves


scanning through tens of thousands of birds and extensive
background reading.

Scanning and Scoping:

Focusing on areas of habitat (generally wetland edges) that cannot


be accessed closely by scanning with a scope. Standard old hat.

Mountain Bike sound trawling:

Cycling around woodland edges and paths, while simultaneously


playing target species calls and listen for a response

Mountain bike flushing:

Like traditional walking through long grass and areas of covers


where birds could be hiding but using a bike to cover more ground

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