Tuesday 25th April 2022 - Chew Valley Lake/Blagdon

 

Again this week the 3 Amigos were down to two as Bryan is on holiday in Devon. Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon was the choice of venue. We decided to start the day at picnic area no2 as it would be quieter therefore we hoped more birds would be seen. Setting off via The Globe Rooks were in the rookery then as we drove through Corston we spotted 3 Skylarks. Our next sightings were Collared Dove and Woodpigeon, A Buzzard drifted across the road and a single Swallow was sat on the wires we spotted 2 more during the day both sat on wires. A Great Tit was the last bird we saw on the journey. Parking in the picnic area a Dunnock was in the reeds in front of us and a Great Black Back Gull flew over. As I have mentioned before Cetti’s Warbler seen to fly after they sing and this again proved true as we could hear one singing and while looking in the direction of the song it broke from cover and flew away to our right, but a few paces further on another was seen singing from an exposed branch. A Chiffchaff was our next sighting then 4 Jays flew over and a Reed Bunting sang from the reeds. Jackdaws flew over and Long Tailed Tits flew by. Looking over the lake we could see Mute Swans and Coots. A Wren was seen in the undergrowth and a Moorhen was in a small pool and a Robin was seen singing from a bush then a Song Thrush flew past. Walking back to the car we added Blue Tit, Blackcap and Chaffinch to our days total. Our next stop was Herriotts where we logged Mallard, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Shoveler and Shelduck. Looking through the gulls we found Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull and Lesser Black Back Gull. A single Bar Tailed Godwit was with the gulls and a Common Sandpiper was on the dam wall. Nothing else so we drove on to Stratford where a Blackbird was seen in the lane and as we drove into the car park a Pheasant was seen and an Orange Tip butterfly flew past. As we walked from the car a Green Woodpecker flew over the field. As we walked through the trees a Speckled Wood butterfly was seen. In the hide looking over the water hardly a bird could be seen a pair of Great Crested Grebe were close to the hide and a few Tufted Ducks were out to our right, 

Great Crested Grebe-Chew(Bath Birdwatcher)

As we scanned around 2 Ravens flew over. As we walked back to the car a Reed Warbler was found in the reeds just outside the hide and a  Mistle Thrush was in the field. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen as we searched for a singing Willow Warbler. We chatted to another birder who told us a Garden Warbler was singing on the path to Moreton so we thought it was worth a wander to see if we could find it which proved fruitless but we did come across a reeling Grasshopper Warbler singing from a thicket but it decided to stay in cover and as we only count seen birds we don’t count it on our day or year lists. Next top Herons Green where a Magpie and another butterfly a Peacock was seen. Talking to another birder we were told a Garganey had been seen a few minutes earlier but had disappeared into the reeds unfortunately never to return, but a Sedge Warbler was in the shrub to the left of the pond which we did find along with a pair of Little Grebe. We then had lunch and after drove over to Blagdon and as we got out of the car Davis spotted a Treecreeper, a Goldfinch was soon ticked off. As we walked down to the lake a Sparrowhawk and a Cormorant were seen flying over 2 more butterflies were seen Large White and Brimstone. We then spent a long time trying to find a singing Garden Warbler but again without luck. As we walked back to the car a Grey Heron was seen in flight. Our final new sighting of the day was a House Martin bringing our day total to 55 species 3 of which were year ticks.

Great Crested Grebe (Bath Birdwatcher)