Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex
We talk to Species Recovery Officer Matt Phelps about his new co-authored book, Where to Watch Birds in Surrey and Sussex
Tell us about your new book
Back in the autumn of 2021 I was contacted by Jim Martin from the natural history department of Bloomsbury Publishing, explaining that they were in the process of updating all the old versions of various titles in this series (Where to Watch Birds in Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, for example) and asking if I would be interested in writing an updated edition of the Surrey and Sussex book. The last edition was in 2009 and also included Kent, which the publisher decided not to included this time (it will likely be in a future ‘London and the South East’ edition). When I realised the scale of the task ahead I got in touch with my birding friend Ed [Stubbs] and asked if he’d like to co-write it with me. He said yes and the rest is history! The writing process basically took us about a year, including visiting as many of the sites featured in the book (over 100!). We also took great care to try and get as much of the copy as possible checked over by relevant local birders and land managers, who we knew would have more intimate knowledge of the sites.
Who is it aimed at?
Anyone with an interest in birds and finding out more about where to see birds in Surrey and Sussex. We have tried to pitch the tone of the book in such a way that it will be of interest both to experienced birders living in the region, birders visiting the area from elsewhere or people who have perhaps only recently developed an interest in birds and are keen to find out where they might want to visit in their local area.
Are there any surprises in it, would you say?
We have included a number of sites which have not been featured in previous editions, including Woods Mill, RSPB Medmerry, the Knepp Estate and Tice’s Meadow, all of which have really risen to prominence in terms of their nature value and popularity in the past decade or so. Perhaps the biggest headline that’s come out of the publication of the book though has been the fact that we have documented a few reliable sites in the region for two of our scarcest breeding bird of prey species: Goshawk and Honey Buzzard. This was a decision which was made very carefully in consultation with various people including Mark Mallalieu from the Sussex Ornithological Society Scientific Committee, and we have only revealed viewpoints for these species, not explicitly given locations of any nest sites. I have spent quite a bit of time in recent years monitoring these two amazing bird species in Sussex – Honey Buzzard in particular – and it’s really exciting for readers of this book to have the opportunity to discover where they might see them for themselves.
Are there many differences between Surrey and Sussex?
I guess the most obvious difference is that Surrey doesn’t have a coastline! In being a completely landlocked county neighbouring Greater London, the suite of birds on offer is naturally quite different and somewhat more limited in Surrey than in East and West Sussex. Nonetheless, it still has some amazing sites, many of which are far more accessible by public transport than a lot of sites in Sussex. One of the key things Ed and I tried to make of point of doing in this book was helping people who don’t have access to a car, or perhaps simply prefer not to drive, find their way to sites via bus and train which would offer them a great birding experience. We really wanted to make sure this book has something for everyone and we’re really proud of what we’ve produced.
You can buy the book for £25.99 here