Tuesday 7th May 2024 - Oldbury Power Station.

 

Severn Bridges from OPS - (Bath Birdwatcher)

This week’s birding trip took us to Oldbury Power Station on the banks of the river Severn but it was just Bryan and Tony as David is sunning himself or rather birding in Spain. As we arrived in the Power Station car park a Kestrel was hovering over the trees and in the car park was a large group of other birders that we later discovered were from the Bristol BOC two of which we know well being also Bath RSPB members. Well we decided which ever way they went we would do the opposite, a bit of a mistake as it was to turn out. They went south so we went north where Goldfinch, Great Tit and Chiffchaff were quickly seen as were flyover Woodpigeon and Magpie. Walking past a small area of open water a Wren was singing in the top of a bush and we could hear a Reed Warbler singing in a patch of reeds but prover difficult to see however Bryan did find it and managed to get me on it as well, year tick no1. While looking for the Reed Warbler we could hear a Whitethroat singing which we found again singing from the top of a bush, year tick no2. A Robin was our next day tick and as we approached the river 2 Linnet circled around before flying off. The tide was dropping on the river exposing lots of mud but very few birds were about however we did find several Shelduck and fly past Herring Gull’s, also on the mud was a single Grey Heron. While talking to a fellow birder a Great White Egret flew upstream and as we continued our walk we found a few Carrion Crow’s on the mud. Next was our first 2 Butterflies of the day Brimstone and Peacock, both we quite numerous especially the Brimstone’s which were everywhere. Our next 2 sightings were gulls with Lesser Black Back Gull on the mud and a small group  of Black Headed Gull flying upstream. A Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly was our next sighting as we walked along the river past the power station and again on the mud was 2 male Mallard followed by our first of many Orange Tip Butterflies looking stunning in the sunshine. At this point we bumped into the BOC group, chatting to the 2 members we knew and here we added an Oystercatcher before setting off back to the car for lunch and on the way I found a female Blackcap, we could hear many singing but this was the first that I got a sighting of, we also saw a Buzzard as we walked to the car. After lunch we did the south of the power station and walking towards another pond a Long Tailed Tit was in a hedge and a Blackbird flew past. On the pond were Canada Geese, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, and Little Grebe., we also found 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers on our way back to the river. Once there new sightings were few and far between with just Great Black Back Gull, Little Egret and another year 1^st a Whimbrel.

Whimbrel- OPS (Bath Birdwatcher)

Time was now against us so time to get back finding Dunnock and a Speckled Wood Butterfly on the way. Numbers were not as high as we expected but a few did get away Cuckoo, Green Woodpecker and Cetti’s Warbler just to name a few, all heard but not seen. Also the BOC group found Sedge Warbler and Bar Tailed Godwit.

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly - OPS (Bath Birdwatcher)