Field trip reports

Gareth is a volunteer warden at Puxton Moor Nature Reserve, a 180 acre area of pasture land networked with SSSI species-rich rhynes, near the small and quite remote village of Puxton in the North Somerset levels east of Weston-super-Mare. He led five of us through the village and churchyard seeing or hearing Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch and Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, and along hedgerow-ed lanes, open meadows and moors and along reeded rhynes and the Oldbridge River. Trees and bushes were full of Chiffchaffs (total 18), Blackcaps and Linnets, and rhynes with glimpsed Reed Warblers (total 16) and Reed Buntings, Whitethroat, Stonechat and Skylark. We could just make out a Raven’s nest in the top of a pylon with the bird sitting and flying, and Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard hunting. We put up a Snipe and heard a Moorhen, and Mallards and Canada Goose flew over. A few Swallows hawked over the meadows or looked ready to nest in barns. Rhynes and river are odonata-rich and we looked for the earliest dragonfly, the Hairy Dragonfly, though without success! This was a lovely walk enriched by Gareth’s knowledge. Total 38 species. Lois Pryce

A Covid-compliant group of six met at the Ashley Walk car park for a six hour walk in uninterrupted sunshine. The terrain was a pleasing mixture of lowland heath, scrub and woodland and everywhere was dry underfoot after a month with little rain. A stiff breeze inhibited the showing of birds and butterflies. Among our multiple sightings were Common Redstarts, Stonechats, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Mistle Thrushes, Greenfinches and Buzzards. There were good single sightings of Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Tree Creeper, Nuthatch and Raven. With several species – Siskin, Bullfinch, Goldcrest, Marsh Tit and Stock Dove – we had to content ourselves with audio-only identification, courtesy of the sharper ears among us. Mid-morning brought the joy of a Cuckoo calling, the first of the year for all of us. We would hear it again throughout the day, with two birds calling from opposite directions at one point. One of our target species, the Dartford Warbler, proved very obliging on three separate occasions despite no effort at all on our part. One male even kindly demonstrated his song flight. Despite being a UK resident, Dartfords are still only one tenth as common in summer (1,700 breeding pairs, RSPB) as the migrant Cuckoo, even though the latter has greatly declined in numbers. Another target, the Wood Lark, was not in evidence. In scanning for ground movement on forest lawns, wind-blown dead leaves were a distraction. One brief glimmer of hope turned out to be three ground-feeding female Chaffinches. Humble LBJs can play tricks when you have hopes and expectations of something more exotic! The youngest member of our group initiated a game of Spot the Song Thrush, which was well hidden in a holly tree right in front of us. It was fully eight minutes later by the time the bird was finally seen by all, to a cheer of “Hallelujah!” Friendly banter and the sharing of hard-won knowledge is all part of a good birding trip. Thanks to Jane for leading and for being an inspiration. Our final species count was a modest 34 birds, plus Roe Deer, Common Lizard and lots of wild ponies! Trevor Hill

Bright blue sky, warm sunshine and the singing of Skylarks greeted us as we met at Ashton Court car park. A short walk over to Leigh Woods, where we were surrounded by birdsong, including an abundance of Nuthatch, Blackbirds, Blackcaps, Goldfinches, together with Wren, Robin, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Stock Dove. And Wood Pigeon. Out into the open, on our way to Abbots Leigh, a Kestrel and two Buzzards put in appearances. At the Abbot’s Pool there were Chiffchaff, Moorhen and Mallard with their tiny fluffy ducklings. The return to Ashton Court gave us the highlight of the morning – a Wheatear. So back to the car park skirting round the area now partially roped off to protect nesting Skylarks. Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Jays, Magpie, Rooks, Jackdaws, Long-tailed Tit and Pied Wagtail added to a total of 32 species for the morning. (Thanks to Brenda for leading, Ed). Brenda Page

An hour before high tide we set out from the allotments to walk around the harbour, check the Blind Yeo for freshwater birds, then wander on across the golf course and down the edge of the saltmarsh to the gate that overlooks the mouth of the River Kenn. Unfortunately, on a dry and sunny Saturday like this one, such a popular route can get rather overcrowded and groups of people standing around on the rocks by Wains Hill meant no pipits on the foreshore. The Blind Yeo yielded a few Moorhens and Grey Wagtails and a singing Cetti’s Warbler. A handful of Swallows and a Sand Martin passed up the coast around us as we walked on. The pool at Dowlais entertained us for a while as we searched it for ducks and waders, picking out twelve Teal and a few Lapwings and Snipe. At the southernmost point of the walk we were dismayed to see a fisherman on the private land beyond, therefore nothing at all roosting around the river mouth. However, the near shore did hold four displaced Whimbrel, some Redshank and a few Mallard. A probable Whinchat half-lost in the heat haze might have been the morning’s best bird were it not too far away for positive identification. Back at Dowlais we re-checked the pools and then followed the path down to the road, along to the Strode Road bridge and back down the banks of the Blind Yeo. Chiffchaff was the only warbler, but the walk produced the expected corvids, sparrows and garden species. The other potential highlight was a harrier passing over so high that it was barely visible, but sadly that too eluded certain identification. It was a pleasant walk with 33 species positively identified as well as two that got away. (Thanks to Jane for leading, Ed). Jane Cumming

On a mild calm morning, we set off from the Conham Valley Nature Reserve car park into the broad-leafed woodland which has now replaced the highly industrialised landscape of a previous era. We spotted eight Mallard ducklings and two Treecreepers and then both saw and heard Blackcaps before ascending the 98 steps to the Panoramic Walk where we stopped for coffee with splendid views of the river in both directions. Jays were abundant (17) as were the Herons when we reached the heronry; there were at least 14 nests, probably more, some with well-grown young. A Stock Dove was heard as we returned by the river culminating with two Grey Wagtails which brought the total species to 30. (Thanks to Karen and Jean for leading, Ed). Karen Birmingham and Jean Oliver

The six of us assembled at the car park on a bright sunny morning which had a chill edge to a brisk northerly wind. Dunnock, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Greenfinch were singing and we checked out the hillside bushes spotting the Blackcap and Chiffchaffs before moving on up the path through the woodland and onto the high ground. Out on the top, there was a brief appearance of a Tree Pipit perched on some scrub and Goldfinches chattering as they flew past. Due to the wind, it was fairly quiet walking out to the point though Paul did hear some Siskins flying overhead and we spotted seven Swallows winging their way northwards. Out on the flats of Sand Bay were seven Shelduck feeding and a Curlew was heard calling. As we approached the point, four Oystercatchers flew past in a perfect Red Arrows diamond formation! Coming back on the sheltered south side of the ridge, we found one of our target birds, a beautiful male Redstart. There were also more Chiffchaffs and a few Willow Warblers in amongst the bushes. Moving on, we passed a place where a Ring Ouzel had been reliably spotted for the previous three or four days but our luck was out today. Another male Redstart flying along a hedge line and posing every now and then made up for our disappointment. The orchard by Woodspring Priory held another Willow Warbler. There were a good number of Redshanks along the Banwell River mudbanks. Past the MOD enclosure we came across a flock of Linnets and a solitary Stonechat. Heading back over the downland, we were searching for a Wheatear but again no luck, perhaps the cold wind was to blame. Still, it was a great morning’s walk with some nice birds. Back at the car park, Richard’s technology told us that we had walked five miles and expended 500 calories so that was worthwhile too! Thanks to Paul for leading. Alan Craddock

The regulation six met near Newton St Loe’s historic church on a chilly but fair weather morning for our second meeting since slight “lockdown” easing. It was good to welcome Janet and Rosemary to their first Tuesday walk. Starting off to the sound of Greenfinch wheezing our route took us through the churchyard, down the grassy slope to the ‘Send-a-Cow’ charity buildings and the houses where bird feeders gave us Goldfinch, Tits and a gang of House Sparrows. On through the woodland we could hear Nuthatch, Chiffchaff and Blackcap (and managed to see some of them, too), then to the noisy waterfall and the Fishermen’s Lake where often Grey Wagtails and a Kingfisher can be seen – but sadly not today! Top Lake had a pair of Tufted Ducks, which is quite unusual. Coffee was taken next to the weir from where one of our members was excited to find a Grey Heron nest for herself! Retracing our steps and walking through the University round the back of the lake, our leader pointed out the second nest. We saw four Grey Herons altogether including the two on nests. The walk took us across fields to woodland where Spotted Flycatchers bred last summer. Just as we thought it was nearly over we heard a Green Woodpecker, loud and clear. In the woods Jean Oliver showed us the fascinating “Town hall clock” flower, a new one to most of us. Everyone wanted to make the slight detour to see where the Barn Owl nests in an old tree, then back into the village. We had been introduced to a very pleasant walk, one worth repeating at a different time of year and had 39 species altogether. Thanks to Robert for leading. Anne Crowe

The statutory six members met up on Sheepway for this walk around the Portbury reserve which had been rescheduled from March. I was concerned that we might now be too late for any of the winter wildfowl and a bit early for many incoming migrants. Having sorted the mix of singing species around the Sheepway gardens, we set off down towards the sewage works. Sheepway Lane was relatively quiet, but we heard Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Song Thrush and Greenfinch as well as Long-tailed Tit. Reaching the wetter areas near the seawall we heard our first outburst from a Cetti’s Warbler and picked out Teal and Curlew on the saltmarsh. The shelter of the Tower hide was very welcome and a scan of the North Pool quickly revealed an unexpected male Marsh Harrier, which gave us good views before dropping into the reeds. Closer inspection of the island turned up a lone Common Sandpiper and the tell-tale pink legs of a Great Black-backed Gull amongst the many Lessers. The Wigeon had indeed all left for the north, but there were Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Little Grebe and Shelduck on the pools. On the walk back up Wharf Lane a passing Swallow reminded us that spring was creeping in, despite the cold. 41 species in all and an enjoyable morning in pleasant company. (Thanks to Giles for leading, Ed). Giles Morris

First, the sun shone, second, it was the first Tuesday field meeting following nearly three months of lockdown. It just had to be a good day – we were not disappointed! We walked through Stoke Park where we were welcomed by a cacophony of birdsong – Blackcap, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch and Great Tit. On Duchess Pond was a Mallard with 15 ducklings whilst in the background Coots were displaying – a beautiful symbol of spring. Overhead, three Buzzards and a Kestrel flying on the thermals. Following a brisk walk to Holy Trinity Church at Stapleton we saw the resident Peregrine Falcon, plus two Sparrowhawk “gliding” on the thermals above. Then to Eastville Park where we heard Dunnock, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay and Nuthatch. Two Willow Warblers and a Chiffchaff were seen and heard enjoying the spring air. For lepidopterists there were Brimstone, Peacock, Orange Tip and Comma butterflies seen whilst walking along the Frome Valley Walkway plus more Chiffchaffs and a Nuthatch. At least 26 bird species ended up on our list but Goldcrest, Dipper and Kingfisher eluded us. It was a good morning and an excellent end to lockdown. Thanks to Rich for leading. Trudy and Len Sheen

A ‘refreshing’ breeze kept us moving! The water level in the River Frome was high, with the usual Moorhen and Mallard hidden. The trees on the south side of the river had roosting Woodpigeons with a nice flock of Long-tailed Tits tat were bustling along beside us and a couple of Goldcrests; ignoring us even when they got quite close. Robins singing everywhere. The first of our two Great Spotted Woodpeckers went bounding away as we climbed the slope towards the grass field and so out of the woods. Jay and Jackdaws were noted just before the top and a Song Thrush was foraging in the long grass when we got there. The feeders hanging in the houses by the allotments increased our count of Blue & Great Tits. Blackbirds were noted in hot pursuit, one male after another. Heading towards the play area in Vassall’s Park movement was seen in a brightly berried Holly tree; Redwing. Sneaking out from the interior to snaffle a few red delights and then retreating back to the depths. Coffee round ‘our’ normal tree; laden with fast thawing ice in the, by now, hot sunshine but alas, the Green Woodpecker stayed out of sight. The walk down to the Frenchay Bridge through the trees showed many more Jackdaws again all in pairs. Blue Tits were plunging hither and yon in endless games of chase and a calling Nuthatch. The walk back along the river revealed a single Moorhen foraging on the bank and prized above all, a Kingfisher catching a fish as we watched; she was keeping tight in to the bank where any sensible tiddlers would be sheltering from the torrent. Thanks to the photographer who spotted her. Our only other species were Sparrowhawk; one dozing in the tree tops and Mallards; coming from the shelter of the island to be rewarded with bread. Alas the rain had started and the car park was as full as a breakers yard, but a good morning total of 28 species (Thanks to Nick for leading). Nick Hawkridge