Tuesday 22nd October 2024 - Chew Valley Lake

 

·      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 stop Stratford adding Wood Pigeon and Jackdaw on the way. The car park was empty which was a surprise, and we did see Long Tailed Tits as we walked to the hide. Once in the hide I slightly opened one of the windows to see a Kingfisher sat on a branch.


Kingfisher - Stratford Hide (Bath Birdwatcher)

A  Large flock of Coots were mid water with a few Great Crested Grebe and a single floating Great Black Back Gull. As we scanned around the hide started to fill up with other birders, and as I scanned I found 2 Gadwall. Chatting to the new arrivals we were told a Tawny Owl was roosting in a tree by the boardwalk, so the 2 of us went to try and find it and wow it was so hard, it was in a tree just behind a V in the tree and all you could see was its head and tail it was obviously sleeping as its eyes were closed. While trying to find the Owl I spotted a Robin. Back in the hide on a dry piece of land were several Snipe. 

Snipe - Stratford Hide (Bath Birdwatcher)

A  A single Egyptian Goose flew down the lake and a Marsh Harrier flew across the lake. Time to move on and this time to Moreton here we added Pochard and Goldeneye. 

Pochard & Tufted Duck - Moreton
(Bath Birdwatcher)

A   And while looking at a moorhen in some long shrubby grass I spotted some movement in the reeds close to the edge of the lake and through the scope we were able to see a Water Rail bathing. Getting close to lunch time we decided to move to Herons Green as we could sit in the car eat lunch and bird spot at the same time, and here we spotted Buzzard, Magpie, and Wigeon. While eating I looked over the road to the fields beyond the pool, I found 5 or 6 Cattle Egrets in with the cows, one or another later flew and landed on the dam staying for just a few seconds before it flew off. Lunch finished we set up the telescopes and soon found Wigeon and Little Grebe plus the bonus of a male Scaup, 2 Common Sandpipers were on the dam no idea where they had come from as they were not there earlier. Nothing more showing so we drove to the Lodge to walk part of the path to the dam. A Blackbird was the 1st new sighting then a guy who we had seen earlier at Stratford came along and as we chatted, we found Goldcrest, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Chiffchaff. Continuing, we found a Wren and where we were told to look for Redwings 3 did the decent thing and fly up from the ground into a bush. Time to walk back to the car and on the way a female Pheasant was on the footpath. On the way home Rook and Carrion Crow were the last birds of the trip but not my last birds of the day as when I got home Collared Dove and Dunnock were in the garden. Oh, and by the way it did rain while we were in Stratford hide so we did make the right choice.

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