Urban Birder The
David Lindo visits a town trying to change its image. Birds like Collared Pratincole should help...
C
omedian Sacha Baron Cohen has a lot to answer for. As Borat he famously offended the Kazakhstan Government to the highest degree, but less well known internationally is the angst being felt by all of ‘da Staines Massive’. In an attempt to repair the perceived damaged reputation the town has suffered at the hand of Ali G officials are even considering renaming it Staines-upon-Thames. Will the proud people of Staines ever recover from this embarrassing episode? When I returned to the Staines area on a freezing overcast December day last year, memories began to flood back. Memories of being an 18 year old in Wembley excitedly calling for my mate Alan who lived around the corner and driving to visit Staines Reservoir in his new old banger. We saw some great birds as a result of well-timed visits including our first flocks of spring Black Terns, an eclipse Garganey and a first winter Glaucous Gull. That was over 20 years ago, so my visit escorted by veteran Colne Valley birder, Pete Naylor, was long overdue. In truth, I had been to the reservoir in spring 2009 to twitch a gorgeous adult Whitewinged Black Tern, but that visit didn’t really count because I only stood on the extreme western end of the causeway for a mere 30 minutes before having to rush back into London for a meeting. Staines Reservoir is perhaps the most famous birding spot in the district with a bird list longer than most people’s arms. Built in 1901 it is the oldest reservoir in the region and over the ages has been the birding stomping ground for many of the good and the great in the London birding scene. It is in fact two reservoirs (north and south basins) that lie southwest of Heathrow Airport and are usually under the shadow of a noisily landing Jumbo. A central causeway that has general public access separates the water bodies and the site is a SSSI due to the important numbers of wintering diving ducks. In the days before bird information services and when the grapevine was king, the causeway was a great place to meet up with fellow
Staines Factfile City species list: c270 Best site: Staines Moor Websites: www.spelthorne.gov.uk/index.htm Thames Water: www.thameswater.co.uk ■ Many thanks to Pete Naylor. Additonal information from Cynthia Bendickson, Spelthorne Borough Council
birders to chew the fat and find out what rarities were around. In the winter you were exposed to Arctic winds with no cover and in summer your own personal cloud of midges would envelop you. I used to wish that I had an attendant gang of Spotted Flycatchers to take care of the pesky flies. Regardless, a remarkable array of rarities has occurred here including a host of waders attracted in when one of the basins is drained for maintenance. Beauties such as Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Collared Pratincole and Wilson’s Phalarope have all turned up, whilst interesting terns and gulls are regular. It can quite an exciting place to be on the right day as you can often see migration in action watching waders sweeping in. The Staines area falls within the jurisdiction of Spelthorne Borough Council and if you were to take an aerial view of the parish you would see a patchwork of reservoirs, flooded fields and other riparian habitats including the River Thames. Not all the areas are accessible to birders due to the close proximity to Heathrow Airport. As you can imagine, security is extremely tight in places post 9/11 with many of the locations that I used to sneak into, such as King George VI Reservoir adjacent to Staines Reservoir, strictly out of bounds to the casual birder. A special permit has to be obtained from Thames Water. My guide Pete had a permit so we took a quick stroll up to the bank for a sneak preview and we were treated to parties of waterfowl that included Tufted Duck, Goldeneye and a solitary female Velvet Scoter. It was the first time I had seen this normally maritime duck in London. Next door, to the west, bordered by the busy M25 and split by the River Colne, lies SSSI designated Staines Moor, recently made famous as the temporary home of a much admired wayward Brown Shrike. At 516 hectares, it is one of England’s largest areas of neutral grassland, furthermore it contains the oldest known anthills of the Yellow Meadow Ant in Britain. The terrain is littered with these strange structures, some of which are over 200 years old. Pete informed me that the usual warblers breed here, whilst in winter the area and the adjoining Stanwell Moor attracts winter thrushes, Snipe, Jack Snipe and the occasional Barn Owl. There are a host of other nearby sites that are far less frequently birded than the sites that I have already mentioned. The majority are gravel pits including Hithermoor Lake in the northeast corner of Stanwell Moor that is apparently fairly good for wintering duck and Water Rail. Just outside the borough on the western side of the M25 is Wraysbury Gravel Pits. In my day, it was a great winter spot for finding Smew. Pete confirmed that this was still the case although the classic numbers reported over 20 years ago are sadly a thing of the past. Have I convinced you that Staines is a top birding spot yet? My message to the people of Staines is that there is no need to change the town’s name. Staines’ ornithological legacy is legendary and that will never be tainted. www.birdwatching.co.uk 49