Bath Birdwatcher

  The 3 Amigos back together this week and as always where shall we go, looking at the local birding sights nothing special had been reported so we decided on Chew Valley Lake as there is always a chance that something out of the ordinary can turn up. On the way to our 1 st stop at Herriotts we started our days list with Starling, Jackdaw, Pheasant and Carrion Crow. On arrival I noticed the large number of Mute Swans although I didn’t count them, there seemed to be many more than you would normally see. Also on the pool were Pintail, Teal, Gadwall, Cormorant and Mallard, and of note was the quantity of Great White and Little Egrets not only in the water but in surrounding trees. Grey Heron was also present.  Grey Heron - Moreton (Bath Birdwatcher) 5 species of gull were also seen with Black Headed, Herring, Great and Lesser Black Back plus many Common Gulls. A single Moorhen was in with the gull flock and a few Shovelers were also seen. Blackbird, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Gr...

  M4 Severn Bridge viewed from Severn Beach (Bath Birdwatcher) Today was the Bath RSPB,s monthly field trip, David was our leader on a visit to Severn Beach and Pilning Wetlands. 19 members met at Severn Beach where Starling, Jay, House Sparrow and Woodpigeon were seen before we strolled to look over the Severn Estuary where the tide was low but coming in. Here we added Mallard, Wigeon, Black Headed Gull, Grey Heron, Oystercatcher, Great Black Back Gull, Little Egret, Curlew and Redshank. On our way to the venue David was driving and we went via Pilning to checkout parking, and we decided that 5 cars could easily park. Back at Severn Beach it was time to move on and next stop was Pilning, so we all piled into 5 cars and made our way to Pilning. At the entrance to the wetlands a stream which takes the overflow from the wetlands into the sea was a good spot to observe all the birds on the riverbank with the tide still rising but lots of mud still exposed and here amongst the many Wig...

  ·       Another dilemma where shall we go this week, just Bryan and Tony as David is still on holiday, shall we go to the coast and try for one of the many Yellow Browed Warblers that have been seen BUT the weather could be a little iffy showers forecast for the morning and as you will now if you have read many of these, we do not go birding in the rain. Well in the end we decided on Chew Valley Lake because of the shelter the hides give us. Starting as usual at Herriotts we soon ticked off Mute Swan, Mallard, Great White Egret, Herring Gull and Black Headed Gull. A Grey Wagtail flew in and landed on the dam and a flock of Canada Geese also flew in landing on the pool. Telescopes set up we found Teal, Pintail, Common Gull, Lesser Black Back Gull and Moorhen, a Grey Heron was on one of the small islands and a Cormorant was sat on a post. A Shoveler was our next find and on the main lake very little was close enough to identify except Tufted Ducks. Next st...

  Just Bryan and Tony for our weekly birding trip and as I needed to be home for lunch it was a morning at Newton St Loe. Driving into the village we started the day with Magpie, Jackdaw and Woodpigeon. We parked by the church and walked through the church yard to the field beyond and here we saw a Blackbird but nothing more until we reached the bottom road and here lots of Goldfinches were in the treetops and on the wires, some visiting the feeders at the cottages. A Robin sang from a bush and then I spotted 3+ Redwings flying towards the village my 1 st for the autumn. Rooks were constantly flying too and from the fields and 2 Long Tailed Tits were spotted on the wires by Ripple Effect and as we moved closer we could see and hear that there were many more and with them I found a Chiffchaff along with several Blue Tits a Coal Tit and Great Tit, a real mixed flock. House Sparrows were in the bushes by the last cottage and in the fields beyond Ripple Effect were lots of Common Gull...

  Today was the last day of our break but not the end of the holiday as today we were going to visit Yvonne’s cousin Susie and Mike her husband at a little village called Harpford. At our cottage earlier in the week we found a bird feeder and the local store sold peanuts, so we filled up the feeder and during the week a few birds mainly Blue/Great Tits had visited also the local Squirrel, this morning Coal Tit was new for the week. At Susie’s we had coffee overlooking the River Otter and earlier in the day Mike had seen Dipper and Goosander but during our stay they did not reappear but on their feeders were Blue, Great and Coal Tits and Goldfinch while Chaffinch, Robin and Dunnock were under. Mike took us for a walk along the riverbank which all belonged to them, and we logged Magpie, Mallard, Great Spotted Woodpecker Jay and Blackbird. At the end of their property on the opposite side of the river was a stubble field and here we watcher many Skylarks flying too and fro before drop...

  mixed flock of birds (how many can you see) Bath Birdwatcher. One of the reasons for this short break was to visit a fairly new wetlands at the mouth of the river Otter at Budleigh Salterton. Parking in the Otter Nature Reserve car park we started walking down the western side of the reserve it was low tide so lots of exposed mud to search and a Little Egret was our 1 st sighting one of many we saw during the walk. Mute Swan, Mallard, Black Headed Gull and Moorhen were also noted. Fly over Woodpigeon and Magpie were seen but I was surprised by the lack of wading birds then Bryan spotted our 1 st of the day a Curlew followed shortly after by an Oystercatcher just one of each. As we continued Herring Gull and Wigeon were added also a fishing Cormorant in a channel close to where we were walking. As we neared the bottom of the estuary more water and wet mud was seen and here Redshank and Ringed Plover were feeding while Teal were also spotted with a Carrion Crow and a Great Black ...

  Sidmouth (Bath Birdwatcher) My brother Bryan and sister-in-law Yvonne gave Mary and myself a short break in East Devon and today is the 1 st of a 4-day break. The plan was to drive to Cartgate for coffee then on to Seaton for fish and chip lunch. After coffee we set off to Seaton seeing a Buzzard sat on the top of a lamppost, we stopped at Seaton Wetlands for an hour and here from the 1 st lookout point Lapwing, Kestrel, Herring Gull, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Starling, Moorhen, Black Headed Gull, Teal and House Sparrow were all seen. Walking to the island hide a Robin flew down on the ground and a Woodpigeon flew over, and a Great Tit was in a bush. The hide is like an island out on the lake with a footpath leading to it and looking through viewing slots in the fencing we found feeding Redshanks and Bryan spotted a Kingfisher which I was able to get on. In the hide we found Little Egret, Black Tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper, Grey Heron, Dunlin Shelduck, Gadwall and a single Cur...

  Another Tuesday and yet another wet day so no choice but to visit Chew Valley Lake as there we can use the hides to keep dry. This is the last time for a few weeks that the 3 Amigos will be getting together as David is off to foreign soils playing bowls. We arrived at Herriotts in the dry and spotted Mute Swan, Mallard, Lesser Black Back Gull, Black Headed Gull and Grey Wagtail. A Grey Wagtail flew past, with the telescope I was able to find Shoveler, Grey Heron, Great White Egret, Pintail, Canada Goose and Teal. Obviously, the larger birds were visible with binoculars, but I had forgotten mine, so it was telescope or naked eye for me. The rain started again so we headed for Stratford where in the lane a Blackbird flew in front of us. Once in the hide we found a line of Cormorants with one bird drying its wings.  Cormorant - Stratford (Bath Birdwatcher) Here we also saw two species of wading bird, Snipe and Lapwing along with Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Coot and our fi...

  The 3 Amigos this week were doing a recce as later this month David is leading an RSPB field trip to the Severn Estuary around Pilning Wetlands. As we set off it was raining although the forecast had promised a mainly dry day, but as we headed along the M4 we ran out of the rain and apart from a little drizzle it remained dry all day. When we arrived, we drove along Passage Road and noticed that it was high tide so decided to start the day at Pilning. Parking at the end of New Passage Road we walked to where the Chestile Pill runs into the Severn and here the tide was dropping leaving a muddy shoreline where many waders were feeding including Redshank, Dunlin. Black Tailed Godwit and Knot, also seen were Teal, Wigeon, Mute Swan and Black Headed Gull.   A Starling was on a TV ariel and on the land were Greylag and Canada Geese. Scoping upriver we spotted Curlew, Oystercatcher and Shelduck. Walking to the wetlands we added Jackdaw and Rook and in the Pill was a Little Egret, W...

  Last week was my birthday and Mary and myself Golden Wedding so to celebrate we booked a week in Marazion, Cornwall. As I don’t drive any distance we travelled by train to Penzance and taxi to Marazion. The accommodation was good with great views over Penzance Bay right across to Mousehole and St Michael’s Mount over adjoining rooftops. View across to Mousehole (Bath Birdwatcher) St Michael's Mount illuminated (Bath Birdwatcher) Sunday 20 th October from the window I recorded Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Starling, Collared Dove, Cormorant and Black Headed Gull. We had to go to the shops but 1 st we visited the local café for coffee and after waited for a bus which I had found on the bus app but it did not arrive and the next was another hour away, so we started walking for a few stops and eventually got to Morrisons. The return bus arrived on time, so we got back in time for lunch. After lunch we strolled to one on the local beaches just to the east of the town centre and here on...