6 APRIL 2026 - THORLEY QUARRY and SOUTHERN COUNTRY PARK

I’d recently received information that a trio of Little Ringed Plovers (LRP’s) had been seen at Thorley Quarry. So, I thought I should at least try and see them.

I set out at 8.50 a.m. in bright sunshine, but it was deceptively nippy - although I knew the forecast was for a much warmer day than of late, so I was sure to discard the fleece at some stage in the morning. Passing through Thorley Wedge - where I failed to see a singing male Blackcap - I made my way directly to St. James’s Church and headed straight for Thorley Quarry (which was where gravel and sand had been extracted commercially in recent years and where a small colony of Sand Martins had occurred there in the past three years - although the works had in fact ceased early in 2025, with a devasting affect on the colony which is no longer there).

Although work at the quarry has ceased, it is now completely ‘open’ with a medium sized lake (possibly one hundred metres across) and drainage systems having been installed which suggests that the area may well be a public facility in future.

The area was quite rugged, with dried-out mud tracks made by the excavating machinery making progress a tad difficult with my Nordic pole, but I found myself at the waters edge eventually, and gave an initial scan with the binoculars, though all I could see were a few distant gulls and a couple of mallards at first. But then a familiar piping call echoed over the lake as a Green Sandpiper took to flight only to land again the stony fringe of the lake, some fifty metres or so away. It was a bird I hadn’t expected to see and was my first local one since 2017. It was a good start.

I hadn’t really wanted to walk the entire circumference of the lake, given the steep, stony banks, but because I hadn’t seen any Little Ringed Plovers (though of course, they might not even be here), I was compelled to do so, and it wasn’t until I reached the furthest bank, when one flew out from a small gully at the edge. Brilliant; my first local LRP for fourteen years!!

I didn’t see where it landed (if indeed it had, since I hadn’t had sufficient time to train my binoculars on the bird), so I continued along the top of the bank, and sure enough I soon relocated the bird, and as I approached a little closer (with camera poised for action) two LRP’s flew out, landing on the opposite side of the lake. I couldn’t get a photo, but I had reasonable binocular views, so I was content enough. I followed the bank around without seeing them or the Green Sandpiper again, then left the site, on the grounds that I didn’t want to disturb the birds unduly. But as I began to climb the bank, I found a singleton LRP on the open track out, which since it was alone, I assumed was very probably the third bird reported. On the way out, I saw a couple of Eurasian Skylarks, which were new to me for the year. Other birds seen included six Canada Geese; Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls; several Magpies; Eurasian Buzzard; a very distant Red Kite; several Woodpigeons; a Stock Dove, taking a drink in a puddle; some Goldfinches; a single Pied Wagtail, a Jackdaw; two Carrion Crows, and a single Great Cormorant.

When I reached the open track near St. James’s Church, a female Kestrel flew over and landed on a nearby cell tower (or mast) allowing me to take a photo or two before taking to the air once more.

Instead of making my way to Southern Country Park via the church, I took the track downhill in the direction of Mole Hill Farm, then took a side track towards the park to check on the Long-tailed Tits nest I’d found recently - which was intact, but the tits were not seen - before taking an uphill track to a bridge over the main highway and into the park itself, making my way round to the lake. I was impressed with the large areas of Cowslips that were beginning to flower in the flower meadow - more than I remember seeing previously - and here I also saw several more Jackdaws and a couple of Rooks, which hitherto had been absent from the park. I made my way to the lake where I saw a lovely male Reed Bunting (my first for the year) and which I managed to photograph. I also saw quite a few male Brimstones; a couple of Peacocks; two Small Whites and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies (the latter two being my first for the year).

I made my way back from there, via Thorley Wedge - before arriving home just before 13.10 p.m. I’d been out just shy of four and a half hours, and my right hip was complaining. But I was very content with my morning’s efforts.