Field trip reports

Twenty or so people walked up over Wains Hill and along Poets’ Walk, stopping to examine the historic “Sugar lookout” and admire the bird’s-eye views south along the Clevedon coast. We noted a selection of standard woodland species, singing and displaying Whitethroats where the terrain opened out to grassland and scrub, and hirundines passing NE along the cliffs. The sluice produced Moorhens, a singing Cetti’s Warbler and good views of a Grey Wagtail. Walking on through the golf course to Dowlais pool we added two Canada Geese, two Mute Swans and a lingering Black-headed Gull. The shoreline held Shelducks, Oystercatchers, a Whimbrel and plenty of the larger gulls. Two more Whimbrels flew low along the coast, and later two Curlews – larger with longer bills, flying higher though rather distant. At the turnaround point there were at least five Swifts feeding over the Dowlais meadows. Also reported: Cormorant, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, both woodpeckers, singing Skylarks, Reed Warblers, Blackcaps, Rock Pipits and Reed Buntings. The morning’s total was 51 species. (Thanks to Jane for leading) Jane Cumming

This visit to Portland was designed to coincide with peak Skua passage, but on a fine sunny day the only evidence of migration off the Bill was two Sandwich Terns flying east a long way out and a trickle of Swallows coming in off the sea. However, the more local seabirds put on a fine show with Gannets, Fulmars and Shags passing to-and-fro, Guillemots and Razorbills that could easily be separated by their colour in the bright sunshine, and a few Kittiwakes. The Observatory Quarry held the hoped-for Little Owl, Whitethroats were in good voice, and a couple of members who wandered further up to Culverwell found one of the singing Cirl Buntings that have recently been gracing Portland with their presence. The top fields at Southwell are useless these days, with extensive stables and a big camp site taking over the area where we used to find migrants moving up from the Bill. At Ferrybridge we found three Dunlins with a dozen Ringed Plovers, and at least 40 Little Terns resting on mud banks, a good indicator that the nesting colony on the beach must be doing well. Lodmoor produced a fine haul of new species for the day, including Reed Warbler, Cetti’s, Chiffchaffs and Lesser Whitethroats in song. Three Godwits were expected to be Black-tails at this freshwater site but after a bit of puzzling they proved to be Bar-tails, and another migrant was a Grey Plover in prime summer plumage. At least 15 Common Terns seemed to be struggling to find nesting room amongst the numerous and noisy Black-headed Gulls. We added Grey Heron, Little Egret and various waterbirds to our lists, and a search through the loafing gulls produced first-summer Mediterranean and Common Gulls. Five observers had an enjoyable day at the seaside and a total of 69 species. (Thanks to Jane for leading) Jane Cumming

On a dry and mild morning 25 members gathered in the car park where one early arrival had spotted a Grey Partridge. We set off through the meadow, to the first lake. There we stopped to watch the Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks and a Little Grebe. A great splashing in the shallow water was later confirmed as a large pike! A male Bullfinch watched from a high tree, Grey Herons flew over, Chiffchaffs called from the bushes and Linnets were spotted on the far bank. Moving on, we walked to the reed beds where Reed Warblers were vocal, Linnets, Whitethroats and Blackcaps were also heard. Skylarks and Lesser Whitethroats were heard calling further along and a Garden Warbler, which was very exciting. At this point many of the group then stopped, determined to pinpoint the Garden Warbler, and a few managed to spot it though a Chiffchaff was trying to be heard louder. Walking on along the coastal path we went by the Power Station and turned inland passing more reed beds and scrub. Cetti’s Warblers were heard, with more Whitethroats, Goldfinches and Willow Warblers. Two Swallows flew over. We ended the walk at the orchard, where the feeders didn’t seem to have any takers this time. The many bird boxes in the orchard were commented on and hopefully some will be used this year. 50 species were recorded. (Thanks to Di for leading) Di Bunniss

This short walk became longer than planned when we found the road closed by BT at the railway bridge. Some people drove the long way round to access the entrance to Weston STW but most parked on the closed road and hiked through, adding a couple of kilometres to the walk. All 31 of us met up near the car park to compare notes so far. The advance party heard a Cuckoo but only six laggards reached the top of the dyke at the right moment to see two Redshanks and a Short-eared Owl. Bird song filled the air with Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Cetti’s Warblers, thrushes and finches competing to make the most noise, but the star was a Sedge Warbler which eventually gave great views as it sang from reeds and bushes; we heard Reed Warbler and Whitethroat as well. Long-tailed Tits and a pair of Bullfinches showed in the hedgerow, Reed Bunting around the marsh and Skylarks overhead. At the river we logged Mute Swan, Mallard, Moorhen, Little Grebes, a lone Lesser Blacked-Back Gull and two Grey Wagtails. On the return journey we watched Swallows drifting northwards, together with a House and three Sand Martins. The official total on this lovely spring morning was 44 species. (Thanks to Jane for leading)

Six members gathered at the entrance to Ashley Walk in the New Forest for this all day walk on a somewhat cloudy morning. A distant cuckoo set us off to a good start while others subsequently notified us of their presence by ‘cuckooing’ and occasionally showing well. Linnets, Goldfinch and several Blackcaps treated us to song while further down the valley Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers competed. A couple of Green Woodpeckers gave off powerful yaffles while towards the end a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew across our path. Redstarts betrayed occasional presence with song and fleeting glimpses. Other songsters included Wren and Song Thrush, the latter sometimes sounding Nuthatch-like. Lunchtime was probably our peak moment. Sitting on a ridge overlooking extensive gorse bushes, we hoped to see one of our key species – Dartford Warbler. Sure enough one suddenly popped up giving us a brief display, unfortunately missed by one member. But alas, our other key species, Woodlark, failed to show any sign of its presence despite thoroughly searching the forest lawns. We walked along mostly gravel tracks, steep in places, down to the valley bottom where a quick splash saw us across the small burn, amidst greening trees. Ponies were all around but gave us no trouble. Alas, no adders on show today but a spectacular Brimstone butterfly did a fly past across a sunny glade. Then, just as we reached our cars, the first raindrops fell – we were very lucky for this lovely walk, sadly not enjoyed by more members. 37 species in total. (thanks to Jane for leading). Wendy Dickson

Lots of heavy showers and strong winds had been forecast to begin at various times from eleven o’clock onwards on this bright spring morning, but, undaunted, 25 members turned up. And the reward was lots of spring sunshine, many flowers in bloom including bluebells, plenty of birdsong and a total of 31 species seen, though not all by the whole group. This was a walk of mixed habitats – grassy areas, woods, streams, some quiet roads and bridges to lean over, even a motorway bridge! Chiffchaffs seemed to be everywhere, both seen and heard but only one Willow Warbler was recorded. Four Great Spotted Woodpecker and three Green Woodpecker were seen or heard, as well as plenty of Goldfinch and Coal, Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits. The crow family was well represented with Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw and Carrion Crow. Three Sparrowhawks and three Buzzards were also noted on parts of the walk where we were out of the woods. Much peering over a bridge failed to come up with a Kingfisher but a Grey Wagtail and five Mallards were spotted. The group who were last to return to the cars also saw a Grey Heron and two Swallows. Many thanks to our leaders – for leading and making some adjustments to avoid the worst of the mud! Nancy Barrett

In glorious sunshine, two Roe Deer were spotted from the carpark before 29 of us set off through Bickley Wood with its fabulous display of Wood Anemones, Lesser Celandine and the first Bluebells. We soon had good sightings of Blackcap, Nuthatch, Treecreepers and Goldcrest. The trees, still in bud, allowed further good views of Coal Tits, Great Spotted Woodpeckers and on emerging from the woods, Bullfinch. On the further bank of the River Avon, the heronry displayed at least 24 Herons with ten active nests, some containing chicks. Thirty-six bird species were seen in total, as well as five species of butterfly brought out by the warm sunshine. Thanks to Luke for the delicious flapjacks. (Thanks also to Karen, Jean and Jenny for leading) Karen Birmingham

This new walk around Inglestone Common yielded 37 species which given the subdued weather and in-between season, was a fair count. 13 of us set off from Lower Woods car park to make our way to the Common amid the continuous song of endless Chiffchaff. In the woodland Pied Wagtail, Nuthatch, Song Thrush and Treecreeper all made their presence known. The wooded edge of the common produced Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch and a singing Blackcap. A Buzzard soared, five Skylarks interacted together, and a loose group of Greenfinches were either singing or feeding in the scrub. 21 Starlings were very active at the cottage gardens where House Sparrows were also noted. The original Buzzard, noted to have missing wing and tail feathers, joined three others to soar over Lance Coppice before one of them proceeded to display, climbing high before stooping, only to repeat this roller-coaster ride several times over – perhaps a young male demonstrating his intent for next Spring? At the cottage bird feeder two Coal Tits showed well before a Marsh Tit was betrayed by its call at the edge of Lower Woods. Walking back to the cars one of our group caught a brief sight of two Siskins moving through the tree tops. Thanks to Alan for keeping the species list, to all for being such good company, and to Mike for leading. Mike Jackson

In gale force winds nine sturdy members met at the Brean cafe. Before setting off up the steep steps we managed to pick out a couple of gull species along with a noisy Cetti’s Warbler then, making our way along the road past the bird gardens ignoring their exotic calls, we stopped frequently to identify various birds calling from the brambles. We eventually made it to the top, where we noted Mallard, plus c.50 Meadow Pipits along with a couple of Stonechat. We were told Chough had been seen the previous week but we were unable to locate any. As the wind picked up even more we headed on up the steep slope. Once atop the Down a few more Meadow Pipit flew past. We admired the 360 degree view in what visibility we had, picking out Weston-super-Mare, Uphill, Cardiff, Hinckley Point and the Quantocks, and of course Steepholm and Flatholm. We soon reached the end of the Down where the fort was built in the 1870s to protect the area from a perceived attack from the French Navy. We sat for our elevenses and soaked up the lovely view of the sea still seeing plenty of birds fly past. A quick look around the fort was undertaken before heading back along the north path and back down the old military road spotting Wheatear (our first this year) Raven, Chaffinch, Kestrel, Shelduck and a Little Egret. Back at the cars we agreed what a lovely day we’d had despite the weather, with good company and good scenery, and a total of 26 species seen. (Thanks to Graham for leading) Graham Blacker

22 members set off along a footpath past the allotments to enter a wide field. On the distant church spire was a Peregrine Falcon, difficult to pick out with binoculars but clearly seen through Alan’s scope. A Green Woodpecker called and Dunnock, Wren, Goldfinch and Jay were heard or seen. The path led through woodland where Nuthatch and Coal Tit were added to the list. In the next field were Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Long-tailed Tits, and Jay with Chiffchaff singing loudly. At the lake area were Cormorants perched high in the trees above, and on the lake were Mallards, Canada Geese, Coot, Moorhen and Mute Swans which were nesting on the island. A Redwing was seen among the ivy on a tree, feasting on the berries. Our coffee break at this point was interrupted by a sudden and heavy downpour, so the few with full waterproofs had made the right choice! Once the downpour had ceased we walked along the main path hoping to see the Dipper without any luck, though Grey Wagtails were seen. At Stoke Park were more Chiffchaff and a Little Grebe was heard calling. From the trees came the wheezing call of Greenfinch and the more melodious sound of the Song Thrush. A Buzzard soared overhead. 39 species were counted. Thanks to Alan for keeping the bird list and Richard Scantlebury for leading us. Di Bunnis