By Nigel Scott
I noted your comment about Sea Eagles over Shepperton in the January edition. The Sea Eagles released by the Roy Dennis Founda-tion in the Isle of Wight ranged far and wide over the UK this summer, one even flew back to Scotland where it had been born!
Birdwatch magazine last year reported that one had been tracked (they all have satellite transmitters) over Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex and a verified report from Worcester Park in late April is an accepted record. I was in my lockdown garden in Thames Ditton on a Sunday in late April (sadly without binocu-lars) and we saw a very large bird which we thought was just a big buzzard to the south of us towards Worcester Park. Having read the report I am pretty confident that I did see a white-tailed sea eagle overhead on that Sun-day in late April so the rumours are correct, we may see them again this coming summer!
Red Kites have been seen more and more frequently in this area but we seem to have lost our population of winter thrushes (redwings and fieldfares) which liked the trees near Manor Park and also the Shepper-ton Old Allotments. In the case of the latter they have stopped coming since buildings were allowed to be erected on the allotments. My bird list for the Allotments also includes Brambling, a Chaffinch-like rarity more nor-mally seen in rural areas.
I have also watched a male Sparrowhawk kill and eat a wood pigeon in my small garden, it must have ben very hungry to take on a bird so large!
Birdwatching is alive and kicking in Spelthorne.
Finally, a note from the editor. A lady was spotted watching some birds on the fields at Home Farm on the Shepperton Road. When asked, she said she was watching Tundra Bean Geese, although this is being challenged by specialists who suggest it is a Taiga Bean Goose. As the bird breeds in northern Siberia and winters in Asia, what is it doing in Shepperton? It is clearly not a regular to Spelthorne…Not yet anyway.