Tuesday 24th May 2022 - Newton St Loe

 

For the second week in a row the 3 Amigos were down to 2 David being away but we were joined by Kirsty a new member of the Bath branch of the RSPB and a very keen young birder. She joined us today as we were visiting Newton St Loe somewhere she had never been. I picked her up just before 9am then Bryan before we set off for NSL. We parked in the usual place outside the farm shop but today we decided to try and find Spotted Flycatchers which for the past 2 years had been in a place that we don’t usually visit on our normal walk. We were unsuccessful in finding Spot fly but as we walked to the spot where we had seen them before found Rook, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Swallow, Great Spotted Woodpecker, House Martin, Wood Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Robin, and Blackbird. In the wooded area where the Spot Fly had been Bryan noticed a bird fly onto a mature tree and start running up it, a Nuthatch soon followed by Great and Blue Tit. Walking back towards the farm shop Magpie and Mistle Thrush were spotted. All was quiet until we reached Send a Cow here Goldfinch were on the wires and 2 Dunnocks were seen chasing each other. A Lesser Black Back Gull flew over and as we walked down the footpath through the woodland Speckled Wood and Small White butterflies were seen. Nothing more to add until we reached the bottom lake here 6 Mallards were seen plus 5 large ducklings. These were the only birds we saw here but as we reached the top end of the lake a Green Woodpecker flew in front of us. Sitting on the bench at the end of the top lake a few Long Tailed Tits flew over, on the lake a Moorhen was by the far bank and a Coot swam out of the reeds by the dam. Later we saw 2. I could hear a Goldcrest in the Yew trees which we all were able to see and the pair of Mute Swans were on the lake with another 7 Mallards and 7 much smaller ducklings than the ones we saw on the bottom lake. Walking across the dam we spotted the 2 Canada Geese at the top end of the lake.


Mute Swan & Canada Goose-NSL(Bath Birdwatcher)


As we walked towards the temple Bryan spotted 2 Stock Doves by the boat house. The two Grey Herons nests were both occupied with a bird on each. Green Veined White and Red Admiral Butterflies were also seen. Time to turn back with nothing new seen until we reached the Send a Cow woodland where a Song Thrush flew over the path and shortly after another flew up from the stream which runs alongside the footpath. Back in the village a Buzzard was seen in the distance with another high in the sky and while looking at a Kestrel 2 Swifts were seen circling. These proved to be the last sightings so it was time to get home. We think Kirsty enjoyed the morning and I think she saw a few birds new to her and she learned bits and pieces from us.

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