The Beddington Farmlands Bird Group (BFBG) has recorded the birds and other wildlife that has been observed at Beddington Farmlands since it was first formed in 1992. However, historical bird records go back over a century. The site is currently on 262 bird species and a list of these species can be seen on the systematic list.
Advancing urbanisation and rapid industrialisation, along with large land-use changes has caused many changes in the species recorded regularly at Beddington Farmlands over the years.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the site was a patchwork of ploughed and marshy fields, which saw large numbers of Common Snipe overwinter and breeding species included Corncrake, Corn Bunting, Redshank and Yellow Wagtail. Red-backed Shrike were common in the area and were also presumed to have bred on the site. Increased ornithological records in the 1930s included regular counts of Grey Partridge and small numbers of breeding Turtle Dove. Yellowhammer bred in 1936 and 1937, and the first regular counts of breeding Lapwings, Redshank and Tree Sparrow began. An impressive overwintering flock of Lapwing in 1932 amounted to 1,215 birds.
By the mid-20th century, Beddington Farmlands comprised a mixture of ploughed fields, hedges, rows of elms, dykes, lagoons, cattle grazing and crops. Increasing demands for land for the treatment of sewage effluent led to a shift in land use from agriculture to open field sewage treatment. 5,000 Common Snipe overwintered in 1962, and in 1955 the overwintering Jack Snipe count was 64! Small numbers of Short Eared Owls wintered most years. Skylark flocks reached several thousand and the first wintering Corn Bunting was recorded in 1962, which for a while was a regular feature of Beddington Farmlands in winter. In the mid 1950s, the Beddington Ringing Station was founded, developing a pioneering method for trapping swifts, called flicking. Rarities from the 1950s and 1960s include 3 Little Bittern (including a suspected breeding pair), Black-winged Stilt, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Bee Eater. Whooper Swan, Bean, Pink-footed and Barnacle Geese, Goshawk, Stone Curlew, Purple Sandpiper and Ortolan Bunting were also recorded.
The opening of a sewage treatment works on part of the site in 1969 and the removal of cattle caused the meadows to dry out and undesirable vegetation took over. Numbers of wintering Common Snipe and Jack Snipe plummeted and breeding pairs of Yellow Wagtail dropped in four years from 20 pairs to just 4 remaining in 1974. Dutch Elm Disease killed off all the mature elms and this deprived Barn Owl and Tree Sparrow from nesting sites.
By the late 1970s the wet meadows were gone and replaced by 130 sludge beds that covered about half of the site. Approximately 100 of these beds were flooded and formed new wetland habitat. Accompanied by three large enclosed sludge beds built in 1978, these beds became a vital habitat for migrant waders. Ruff, Dunlin, Little Stint, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Common Sandpiper were regularly recorded. Large numbers of Green Sandpipers could also be observed. After a gap of 11 years Redshank also returned as a breeding species. In 1984 Beddington Farmlands recorded London and Surrey’s first Killdeer- one of the Farmland’s best historic vagrants. In the same year a Lesser Yellowlegs was also found. Beddington Farmlands became known as one of London’s top birding sites for passage waders.
The construction of the North Lake in 1990, which was the first large area of permanent freshwater at Beddington Farmlands, brought an influx of wintering wildfowl. Red-necked and Black-necked Grebe, Velvet Scoter, Osprey, Great Skua and Little Tern were recorded for the first time. Species that became more regular included Scaup, Goldeneye, Smew, Marsh Harrier, Red-breasted Merganser, Arctic and Black Tern, Little Gull and Kittiwake. Around this time several singing Grasshopper Warblers were recorded and in 1995 Marsh Warbler bred. Rarities included Ferruginous Duck, Citrine Wagtail, 2 Tawny Pipits together, 3 Red-throated Pipits, Bluethroat, and the famous Rustic and Little Bunting duo of 1993.
The start of gravel extraction and landfill operations changed the landscape of Beddington Farmlands beyond recognition. Hundred Acre and the South East Corner were protected by a planning condition, but most of the sludge beds were lost and Mile Road disappeared under the landfill cells. As mitigation for the loss of wetland habitat, a scrape and new lake were created in 2001. These changes caused an enormous drop in the numbers of migrant waders such as Ruff, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank. Yellow Wagtail was lost as a breeding species in 1998. Wintering numbers of Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler also decreased. A 344 hole Sand Martin bank was constructed in 2003 and the first birds nested in 2008.
With the landfill in operation, the number or gulls using the site exploded. With an estimated 20,000 gulls on any given day during the winter. Caspian, Mediterranean, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls all became regular. In 2007 Britain’s first Glaucous-winged Gull was relocated on the tip. Since landfill operations ceased around 2019 with a move to incineration, there has been a significant drop in the number of gulls using the site each year but a few scarcities such as Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls can still be found.
The provision of nest boxes (since 1992) and supplementary feeding allowed the Tree Sparrow population to increase to historical all-time high levels, with 262 boxes used in 2006 producing 959 chicks. Around 1,000 birds were present in 2007. The Tree Sparrows were emblematic of Beddington Farmlands and featured in the BFBG logo but sadly the Tree Sparrow colony has since suffered a catastrophic crash in numbers. Permission for the incinerator was granted in 2013 and that same year the population fell from 117 broods to only 9. The population declined further and in 2018 there was only 2 remaining pairs. 2020 was the first year that there were no breeding Tree Sparrows present in over a century.
Despite the loss of so much wetland habitat and many species, Purple Heron, Pacific Golden Plover, 2 Red-rumped Swallow, Great White Egret, Spoonbill, Long-tailed Skua, Wryneck and Ortolan Bunting were amongst the rarities recorded during this period.
The resurrection of the BFBG has already proved positive for the Beddington Farmlands Nature Reserve. In 2020 the first Arctic Skua since 2002 was recorded, along with the sites 2nd records of Cattle Egret (6 birds) and Yellow-browed Warbler, a wintering pair of Twites, a pair of Black-necked Grebe, Goshawk and the second best year ever for Crossbill records (4 records). Buzzards bred for the first time and other good breeding records included Pochard. The Knepp White Stork ‘GB35’ overwintered into spring 2021 and became a popular local celebrity. In 2021 the highlights included Red-legged Partridge, an Isle of Wight White-tailed Eagle, more White Storks, 2 Arctic Skuas together, a couple of Grey Plover records, the 12th ever Temminck’s Stint, Spotted Crake, Snow Bunting and the first site record of Penduline Tit. The first half of 2022 has started strong now that full access for the bird group has been reinstated. 7 Caspian Gulls on one day in January was one of the sites highest ever day counts of the species. 142 Common Snipe, 11 Jack Snipe and 6 Water Pipit overwintered. Other highlights have included Black Redstart, Spoonbill, Ravens, Grasshopper Warbler, 3 Garganey together, the first record of Pied Flycatcher since 2003, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits on the deck, Marsh Harrier, Ring Ouzel, Avocet, Great White Egret, 2 Ospreys, Cuckoo, Arctic Terns, Wood Sandpiper, Yellow-legged Gulls, the 2nd site record of Black-winged Stilt, the 3rd Glossy Ibis and the site’s 5th Purple Heron. Little Ringed Plovers successfully bred for the first time since 2005 and the small but resilient breeding population of Lapwing is clinging on.
We now plan to once again increase ornithological recording on the site and monitor other wildlife too, whilst also promoting the site to the local community and visitors from further afield. Our sightings can now be followed on our blog page.
Beddington Farmlands Nature Reserve 