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Towards the end of a blisteringly hot day, our small party first assembled at Cannop Ponds. The ducks were not looking at their best, many of them being in eclipse plumage, but we picked out Mallard, Tufted Duck and (best of all) eight Mandarin. There was a sizeable Grey Wagtail family flying about at the … Read more

Nineteen members met in the main car park at Chew Valley Lake on a very pleasant morning with a good temperature for walking. We started birding from the end of the car park, looking towards the dam wall. There was a large flock of Canada Geese in front of us and in the distance, towards … Read more

Ten of us left the Old Down cricket club with a brisk breeze blowing and under a rather lowering sky. Crossing the cricket pitch, our first Swallows were swooping, soon to be seen bravely mobbing a harassed Kestrel. Down the hill through a floriferous meadow, but the wind meant few butterflies. However, it didn’t deter … Read more

We met our two local guides at a new location for a club field trip, Haddon Hill, a mix of heathland and woodland edge. Redpoll and Siskin in the car park got us off to a good start. Generally, the birds were much harder to find than earlier in the season but walking along the … Read more

On my recce, I found that part of the advertised Clevedon/Walton walk was impassable with brambles, bracken and everything else – the path needed a working party before I could lead a group along it! – so I moved the walk to start at Moor Lane, Walton-in-Gordano, for the walk over to Walton Common.  Nine … Read more

Four of us met on a cold, damp morning at Thingwall allotments for a walk around Eastville Park and up to Duchess Pond led by the extremely capable Rich Scantlebury. Having run around this park dozens of times during the pandemic I was surprised to find this new entrance, and we were greeted by a … Read more

We set off promptly with a Buzzard circling overhead. Blackcaps were calling from the trees beyond the car park, and soon we had added Wren, Robin, and Chiffchaff to the list. On entering the woodland proper, we hadn’t gone far before spotting more Chiffchaff and then a Spotted Flycatcher, flitting to and fro, probably taking … Read more

A group of ten enjoyed a calm and sunny day of birding in the woods and surrounding countryside near Wickwar.  We started out in Lower Woods, which is a Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust nature reserve. Very quickly we began to see a good number of Common Spotted orchids and a wide variety of other wildflowers, and … Read more

All eleven people who signed up turned up – thanks, everyone.  It was a hot and sunny day with a light wind.  We started birding in the car park with a Reed Bunting and Whitethroats popping in and out of the bushes, then headed out along the main track.  An excellent find was a Hobby … Read more

Picnic walk in warm weather – what luxury! Seven, a good number to ensure we all saw/heard the birds on offer. Shelduck on the salt flats, Stonechat in the scrub – one of many we saw during the day, including juvenile Whitethroat singing, at the Point and all along our walk route. A concerted effort … Read more