Tuesday 12th February 2025 - Radstock

 

Having not been out for two weeks due to illness it was decided not to go far from Bath so we drove over to Radstock as Dippers are a bird that is seen there and if we could find them would be a year tick. Driving to Radstock we sighted Rook and Jackdaw, we parked in the car park by the children’s play area and walked back to the centre of Radstock adding Robin and Nuthatch also a Woodpigeon to the days list. We stopped by the Miners Wheel and looked over Wellow Brook and immediately David spotted 2 Dippers feeding in the brook, so withing the 1st quarter of an hour we found our target species. 

Dipper - Radstock (Bath Birdwatcher)
We then walked to the disused railway that goes in the Frome direction,  which is now a cycle track, on the way adding a Grey Wagtail that was besides another part of Wellow Brook and a fly past Blackbird. Walking along the cycle track we soon added Great Tit a flyover Lesser Black Back Gull, Carrion Crow and Magpie. Walking on the found many Blue Tits a single Chaffinch and several Long-Tailed Tits. I could hear the call of a Raven coming from behind us and turning round we found 2 flying towards us. As we continued I could hear the call of a Bullfinch which I found silhouetted against the sky as we looked David found a second in the end we found 5 all males. 

Bullfinch - Radstock (Bath Birdwatcher)
Another bird I found by call was a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the bough of a distant tree, luckily in full view. A Pheasant was in a field on the opposite side of the valley. This was as far as we were going to walk, being my 1st time out my legs were feeling tired, so we stopped for coffee and a chocolate biscuit before tracing our steps back to the car. On the way back another bird was located by its call, another woodpecker this time a Green Woodpecker. Nothing new was found until we reached Radstock when I found a Red Kite circling the town. On the way back to Bath we spotted 2 Black Headed Gulls while driving on the Peasdown Bypass. Back at home the male Blackcap is still terrorising the House Sparrows but not the Dunnock that is often under the feeders waiting for whatever falls from above.

Dipper - Radstock (Bath Birdwatcher)


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