17th March

Weather: N f2-3, sunny and dry, a little milder, 8-9°C

The finch flock, although smaller in number, is still a spectacle, and can be found in the Quail Field/ Heathside Filed area.

Canons Farm: 1 GREY HERON (NW at 08.22hrs), 6 COMMON BUZZARD, 2 RED KITE (together at 13.20hrs, one left north, the other south), 2 SPARROWHAWK, 2 KESTREL, 60 HERRING GULL, 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL, 10 COMMON GULL, 12 BLACK-HEADED GULL, 1 LITTLE OWL (East side of Horse Pasture), 30 STOCK DOVE, 5 ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET, 2 GREEN WOODPECKER, 8 SKYLARK (various fields), 1 MEADOW PIPIT (Horse Pasture), 2 MISTLE THRUSH, 55+ REDWING (Death Pit area), 15+ FIELDFARE, SONG THRUSH, 2 LONG-TAILED TIT, 2 NUTHATCH, 1 PIED WAGTAIL, 675 CHAFFINCH, 20+ LINNET, 2 BULLFINCH (Tawny Wood), 6 YELLOWHAMMER.

Banstead Woods: 4 COMMON BUZZARD, 3 SPARROWHAWK, 1 KESTREL (Hither Field), GREEN WOODPECKER, 1 SKYLARK (Hither Field), 2 LONG-TAILED TIT, 3 GOLDCREST, 1 SISKIN, 2 BULLFINCH

Other wildlife: Butterflies: 6+ Brimstone, 2 Small Tortoiseshell. At Fame's Rough at least 4 Fly Orchid rosettes, plenty of Wood Spurge starting to show and a fair amount of Hairy Violet in flower.

Fly Orchid rosette, Fame's Rough, 17/03/16 (Steve Gale)
Observers: Geoff Barter, Steve Gale, Duncan Jennings