Sightings 4/6/12

Stoke Park-Duchess Pond (Bristol):

4.6.12 Whitethroat © Richard Scantlebury
present here in biblical proportions apparently

Also nearby single Buzzard and Kestrel and 2 Reed Warbler.

Eastville Park (Bristol):

4.6.12 Banded Demoiselle Damselfly © Allan Chard

4.6.12 Beautiful  Demoiselle Damselfly © Allan Chard

Quiet for birds around the lake and park today.

Oldbury Power Station:
Some unexpected Hirundine movement early on, chiefly Swift:- 657 Swift to NE before 9am, also 1 Sand Martin, 30 Swallow and 25 House Martin.
1 Greenshank also at the shore (per opsbirding).

St George's Wharf:

4.6.12 Buzzard, 1 or 2 birds regular here

Also, the 2 Whimbrel and Wheatear still present at the mouth of the Avon late afternoon.

Portbury Wharf NR:

4.6.12 Barn Owl © Roger Hawley
out hunting 2pm

Barrow Tanks:

4.6.12 (Greenland) Wheatear © Sean Davies

A 1st summer Arctic Tern on No.3 tank this morning, departed 12.45pm. Yesterday's Wheatear also still present. (S Davies).

Banwell:

4.6.12 (garden) Fox © John Thorogood
........in exactly the same spot as yesterday's Roe Deer

Hunstrete:

A pair of Little Owl at Lord's Wood 5pm (C Jones).

Chew Valley Lake:

A Goldeneye seen with at least 1 chick today (S Davies). Bred at the lake in 2008 but still a very notable event for Avon.

Sightings 3/6/12

Severnside:
New Passage-Northwick: 1 Little Egret, 18 Oystercatcher, 10 Ringed Plover, 13 Dunlin, 5 BH Gull, 1 Kingfisher and 50 House Martin.

Severn Beach: 40 Ringed Plover, 16 Sanderling, 27 Dunlin and a Whimbrel (per severnsidebirds).

Portbury Wharf NR:

3.6.12 Little Owl, usual bird, usual place
not much on the pools this morning

Walton Common (Gordano valley):

3.6.12 Jay © Dave Horlick

3.6.12 Spotted Orchid © Dave Horlick

Also on the down today, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Nuthatch family and a Mistle Thrush.

Barrow Tanks:
A late Wheatear present at No.3 tank (S Davies).


Banwell:

3.6.12 Roe Deer © John Thorogood
in the garden this morning

Sightings 2/6/12

2.6.12 Ringed Plover pair - attempting to breed again

2.6.12 Ringed Plover chick from 1st brood (parents above)
3 chicks still growing, a few weeks away from flying stage

Kingswood (Bristol):
A female Peregrine seen circling overhead 2.30pm, then headed off towards Warmley (N Tippett).

Severnside:
New Passage-Northwick: single Gadwall, 14 Oystercatcher, 3 Ringed Plover, 2 Curlew, 1 BH Gull, 6 Reed Warbler, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 2 Reed Bunting.

Severn Beach: 30 Ringed Plover, 2 Knot, 50 Dunlin, 2 Turnstone and 7 BH Gull (per severnsidebirds).

Portbury Wharf NR:

2.6.12 Great Crested Grebe pair
still displaying

2.6.12 the Grey Partridges

Ian....the Partridges have moved next door into the adjacent horse-field where they are much more visible and closer for photos.

The Barn Owl out hunting first thing also.

Sand Bay:
25 Ringed Plover, 3 Sanderling, 25 Dunlin and 25 BH Gull (P Bowyer).

Weston STW:
The Great Reed Warbler still on site.

Steart Pt (Somerset):

A Spoonbill (feeding with 2 Little Egret on the wader scrape) and a Cuckoo calling early am (Rhodes family).

Curry Moor (Somerset):
3 (!) Black-winged Stilt here this afternoon. Details and directions HERE

Norfolk - May 2012

Some pics and video clips from our slum-dog week's birding along the north Norfolk coast at the end of May.

Avocets, Cley marshes, many chicks up and running
video clip HERE

Little Ringed Plover (left) & Ringed Plover, Cley marshes

Black-tailed Godwit, Salthouse marshes

Little Terns, Holme beach, at least 70 birds in the colony
video clip HERE

Red-backed Shrike, Holme Dunes NNR, a 1 day bird
video clip here HERE

Bearded Tit, RSPB Titchwell

Turtle Dove (left) & Woodpigeon, Holme Dunes NNR

Robin, RSPB Titchwell car-park

Sanderling, Holme beach, plenty still passing through

A few more video clips: Greylag Goose, Black-headed Gull, Wood Sandpiper.

We can recommend the Burleigh Hotel in Hunstanton as a very good place to stay for birding along the north Norfolk coast. Details here: The Burleigh.

Sightings 1/6/12

Birders will no doubt have heard of the recent and untimely death of John Tully who passed away earlier this week. John was a tireless worker over very many years for both the Avon Bird Report and the local BTO survey programmes. 
He was also a fanatical patch-worker at Blaise woods near his home and his most memorable day here was in the early 1990's when he found a Golden Oriole during one of his breeding birds surveys. 
John liked the small birds so we're dedicating this Sedge Warbler to him....click HERE


The funeral is 13 June 11.30am at Canford cemetery followed by a get-together at Blaise Castle house.

Around 50+ Red Kite reported through Avon during May, Somerset was also reporting stacks of birds.


Oldbury Power Station:
A late Wheatear (M Plenty).


St George's Wharf:

1.6.12 Bee-orchid © Chris Stone

1.6.12 Roe Deer foal © Chris Stone

2 Whimbrel, 11 Curlew and a late Wheatear at the mouth of the Avon this evening.

Portbury Wharf NR:

1.6.12 the Grey Partridges © Richard Bowerman

1.6.12 Fox © Richard Bowerman

Single Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker also seen.

Portishead:

1.6.12 Red Kite © Andrew Waygood
over Walton Down mid-morning

Let's hope it doesn't start another hot debate like the last one we posted.........

Sand Bay:
34 Ringed Plover, 9 Sanderling, a Curlew Sandpiper and 50 Dunlin (P Bowyer).

Weston STW:
The Great Reed Warbler still on site.

Blagdon Lake:
A Little Ringed Plover pair on the dam (M Pearce).

Barrow Tanks:
The Shelduck brood (11) has relocated from No.2 tank across the A38 to the settling tanks without mishap (CJ Stone).

Sightings 31/5/12

New Passage-Northwick Warth:
Highlights, 57 Shelduck, 2 Buzzard, 17 Ringed Plover, 4 Dunlin, 3 Chiffchaff and singles of Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler (A Rhodes).

Severn Beach:

31.5.12 Common Scoter © Paul Bowerman
a drake bird + 2 females

Sightings 30/5/12

5 Red Kite through Chew Valley Lake today.

Oldbury Power Station:
1 Little Grebe, a Cuckoo heard again, a Blackcap, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 recently fledged Whitethroat and a Spotted Flycatcher (per opsbirding).

New Passage-Northwick:
50 Shelduck, 8 Oystercatcher, 1 Lapwing and 4 Curlew (per severnsidebirds)


Portbury Wharf NR:

30.5.12 Grey Partridge
one of the regular birds

30.5.12 the resident Little Owl

30.5.12 Barn Owl

all photos © Richard Bowerman

Also a flyover Peregrine seen.

Chew Valley Lake:

At least 5 Red Kite through the lake today: 4 birds through 11am-1pm towards Dundry and then another bird over Burledge Hill 4pm.

Other stuff of note, a Garganey pair on Herriott's pool, a Hobby and a Common Tern.