Field trip reports

With storm Barney predicted to drown us or blow us off a cliff, I rather hoped that no-one would turn up. In the event four mad people were waiting at my parking place – and six more at the official meeting place which I’d failed to notice in Club News! They were right to give it a go; apart from a couple of sharp showers, the worst weather came through only after lunch. It was mild and overcast, but mainly dry, as we walked past the cliff by the sailing club (noting two Dabchicks on the lake) and slowly on through a line of bushes heaving with thrushes and finches. The numbers flitting about and feeding on the blackberries suggested that many of them could be recent winter visitors from the continent, perhaps travelling ahead of the threatening storm. A flock of 250 Woodpigeons were also likely to be visitors passing through. From the hillside overlooking the salt marshes we counted a flock of 100 plus Lapwings and were delighted to see a late (or wintering) Common Sandpiper flitting down the pill and landing on a mud bank to provide a better view. Mute Swans and a few Redshanks moved about as the tide rose but astonishingly we failed to find a single Little Egret all morning! 15Teal sat quietly along the pill with a few Mallard. Black-headed Gull numbers were pushing a hundred but we saw only a handful of Herring and Lesser Blacked-backed Gulls. Passerines included Fieldfares and Redwings, Stonechats, at least ten Skylarks, a large flock of Linnets and some Reed Buntings. A Cetti’s Warbler sang explosively and so close to us that it made me jump. We watched a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk and some noticed a Buzzard being harassed by a Raven. Back at our starting point, we walked down to the main beach to add to our list Grey Heron, the expected Shelducks, and waders including Oystercatchers, Curlews, Dunlins and Ringed Plovers. In total, eleven walkers saw 49 species and had a better morning than we expected. (Jane, thanks for leading) Jane Cumming  

This was a circular walk of about four miles, for which seven hardy souls made an appearance, even though rain was forecast for all day; in fact we had no rain whatsoever! At the start a Buzzard was heard mewing and we had good sightings of Coal Tit, Goldcrest, Blue Tit, and Wren, with three or four calling Nuthatches. Further on at the entrance to a field, a flock of at least 30 Chaffinches were spread across in front of us, along with Goldfinch feeding off the thistles, and a good sprinkling of Blackbirds – all male. During the walk three or four flocks of 15-20 Redwings were seen and at our coffee stop a small group of Long-tailed Tits flitted by; we also saw a Kestrel and some Starlings. To our surprise we saw both a Red Admiral and a Gatekeeper butterfly. Towards the end of the walk a Buzzard put in an appearance and a Raven was heard calling, and right at the end we were treated to a Treecreeper. Other species seen included Dunnock, House Sparrow, Herring and Lesser Black-blacked Gulls. A total of 25 species were seen or heard. (Thanks go to Geoff for leading). Geoff Harris

I had a fun visit with eleven BOC members, during which we saw some nice birds with a total of over 50 species. Sheila Ablitt spotted an adult drake Red-crested Pochard close to the boat quay by the Lodge, and we saw the adult female, found the day before, off the east end of Green Lawn as well. As we headed along the south side of the lake we spotted a Black-necked Grebe off Rugmoor Point, a group of Common Goldeneye between Rainbow and Rugmoor Points and a juvenile Greater Scaup in Wood Bay, where there was also an adult drake Ferruginous x Common Pochard hybrid. At Top End we found two Dunlin, four plus Little Egrets, two Great White Egrets and ten Bewick’s Swans. I noted that one of the adults had a darvic ring ‘white BCL’, and looking through my database, found out it was a cob named ‘Winkey’. He has been coming to the lake since 2003, first with partner ‘Tinkie’ and latterly with new mate ‘Winker’. Those were the highlights, but there were something like 5000 water birds on the lake which made for a great day’s birding. During the walk we spotted a late Migrant Hawker still on the wing; my latest record at the lake in the past is 12 November 2011. (Many thanks for leading, Nigel.) Nigel Milbourne  

A very dull day greeted the 21 participants for the annual hike around Portbury reserve. The future of the reserve was in people’s minds as it ceases to be managed by AWT and passes to North Somerset council. However, back to the birds. Sadly, the Little Owls are no longer in the ruined barn at the top of Wharf Lane. From the track that leads to the first hide a fox was sighted and from the hide Gadwall and Coot were on the scrapes. The second hide always provides the best viewing. Wigeon were plentiful along with Teal, Little Grebe and Shoveler, and on the island Lapwing, Cormorant and a lone Snipe (very hard to see as it was having a nap, head under its wing). In the track side bushes were flocks of Long-tailed Tits, Redwing and Goldfinch and from the Tower hide Dunlin, Redshank and Curlew were along the shore line. It was from the Tower hide that one of our keen eyed observers got a brief glimpse of a Yellow-browed Warbler. Definitely the star tick of the day. Skylark were seen from the sea bank and a Treecreeper in some willow trees, and in the field hedgerows Bullfinch and Goldcrest brought a good morning’s birding to an end with an excellent total of 50 species. (Thanks for leading, Roger.)  Roger Hawley

About 25 members gathered at the car park. After early mist it became a beautiful autumn day with scenery to match, the colours of autumn giving a backdrop to our circuit of the grounds. We saw just over 50 different species during the four hours. Some of the highlights among the trees and hedgerows were Bullfinches (seven in total with one flight of four) and good views of a Green Woodpecker. Redwings and Fieldfares flew over and Skylarks were seen over the dried up lagoon (two of them were having a quarrel and gave us a good display). There were also Stonechats. In the surrounding fields were a number of Carrion Crows and Ravens were seen and heard. Although the tide was high and there was not much mud bank showing, we saw a number of waders at a distance. These included flocks of Dunlin, Curlew and Redshank giving us displays with the two Severn bridges as a back ground along with a large flock of Lapwing. On the river there were also Teal, Wigeon and Mallard and on a distant buoy a party of Turnstones were waiting for the tide to recede. As we walked through the woods, we had a close up of a soaring Buzzard over the tree tops. Other birds of prey were a Peregrine and a juvenile Kestrel. Towards the end of the walk we added Little Egret, Little Grebe, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Coot and Moorhen at the open pond. Just beyond we finally caught up with a Reed Bunting. It was good to visit a place with such a variety of habitat – and therefore a variety of species. Thank you, Andy Middleton, for leading the group and everyone for joining in bird spotting and identification. The visit was much appreciated. Philippa Boyland

Fourteen members set off from Churchill with a wary eye on the overcast weather for a walk around Dolebury Warren. As we walked up the lane and down through a wood to cross the A38 we saw and heard House Sparrow, Wood Pigeon and Great Tit. On the way uphill to Dolebury Warren there were more tits including Blue Tit and Long-tailed Tit along with Chaffinch on feeders and flitting in the woodland. Several Wrens were also heard and numerous Robin singing loudly. Towards the end of the woodland two Jay were seen and heard and a Treecreeper was on the Ash trees. Out on the Iron Age hill fort Carrion Crow and Magpies flew by and as we climbed towards the highest part of the fort two Raven appeared. Goldfinch was in the trees and scrub and numerous Jackdaw were on the Limestone grassland. As we turned to return to Churchill a flock of Meadow Pipit flew nearby and shortly after Redwing and Fieldfare were seen. A Kestrel briefly passed by and a lone Stonechat was spotted on a Blackthorn bush. A few Herring Gull flew overhead just before we walked downhill back to the A38. The rain largely held off bar a couple of showers and a total of 24 species were seen. Mark Watson

An impressive 33 walkers turned up at the Salthouse Inn to start our walk over Wains Hill, down the coast, around the golf course past Dowlais Farm, and back along the Pill. We began by admiring the historic look-out point half way up the hill, then checked a sheltered copse beside the church, one of the better areas for passerine migrants – no luck. On to the beach to count four Ringed Plovers, 14 Oystercatchers and 17 Curlews, along with Shelducks, Mallard and a single Redshank. Some very distant ducks on the sea were probably just Wigeon after all! But the most impressive find was a Common Seal, by no means so common in the estuary. Strolling on, we watched a Stonechat, a Grey Heron and a couple of Little Egrets. The single Wheatear on the sea wall was a very tardy migrant. On the inland leg, a Kingfisher was seen by the fastest walkers, a Buzzard and a Peregrine by the slowest, lagging some 15 minutes behind them. But we all made it back eventually with a total of 46 species on this fine sunny morning. (Thanks to Jane for leading.) Jane Cumming

There were good conditions for the migration watch as it was overcast but dry with light winds. The chart and descriptions below show the impressive numbers and variety of birds recorded this year. The chart is interesting in that it shows the typical distribution of birds through the morning, quickly rising to a peak before falling away between 10 – 11am. Many thanks to all the leaders and members who supported the watches. Severn Bridge service station – 07.30 to 09.00 The conditions were cool, with a light NE breeze, and low cloud. The Baltic area was already cold, but the viewing conditions meant that the small groups appeared out of the murk briefly when almost above us, and vanished almost as fast. Identification was largely based on shape and size, as very few identifiable flight calls were heard, though this in part was influenced by the age of the leader. Between 7.45 and 9.00 we observed 47 parties with an average of 12 birds, of which almost all were finches, almost certainly Chaffinches, and almost all were flying north into the wind. The overall rate was 450/hour, with a maximum of 744/hr between 8.30 and 9.00. This is much the largest passage that we have observed in the last five years. The only other birds observed were a small group of Starlings and another that were thought to be Redwings. There were also two Peregrines on the bridge buttress- one of which brought in and ate a kill. Richard Bland  

Eleven club members met at Ferrybridge in a cool breeze to study the birds on the end of The Fleet. The highlights for me were the 25 Mediterranean Gulls having only seen them in ones and twos before. Also in attendance were 500 Black-bellied Brent Geese, four Red-breasted Merganser (the first report of the autumn on this site) and some waders – Sanderling, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Turnstone and Ringed Plover. There followed a drive to the Lighthouse on Portland for a sea watch (quiet – just Gannet, Shag and Rock Pipit) before a walk round to the Bird Observatory via the quarry. Two Wheatears were seen near the chalets and one lucky member had a good view of the resident Little Owl which unfortunately popped back between the stones before the rest of the group arrived. The Observatory gardens provided Stonechat, Goldcrest and other common warblers before we went to the usual lunch spot at the Southwell Industrial Estate. Here the same (not so) lucky member managed to lock the car keys in the boot so had to wait for the AA while the rest of the party went to search a bush for a Yellow-browed Warbler with limited success. A further two sites were visited with failed searches for Wryneck and Ring Ouzel before the day ended with two juvenile Swallows. Overall 41 species were seen. Thanks to Jane for leading. Keith Williams

A group of 13 ‘hardy souls’ set out from Upton Cheyney in pouring rain. It did not look very promising for birding but we soon got our morning’s list started with Blue and Great Tits on a garden feeder and a Starling and Chaffinches were seen in the same area. A Thrush was seen flying and quickly identified as a Redwing which was the first of this autumn for the Tuesday walk. By this time the weather was improving and we soon had a nice rainbow to lift our spirits and, apart from a few very light showers, the rest of the morning was very pleasant and decidedly warm in the October sunshine. We soon added Long-tailed Tit (approximately 25 were seen during the walk), Wood Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Robin and Buzzard with a large number of Jackdaws seen over and around the church tower. We saw Collared Dove and Blackbird and some had a good view of the first of three or four Jays with one having an acorn in its bill. A small flock of about 40 Black-headed Gulls flew over and two Goldcrests were heard and then seen. After walking along the Bristol to Bath cycle path we took a footpath along the River Avon. Two or three of our group were fortunate to see a Kingfisher and we also added Kestrel, Yellowhammer and Skylark. A Green Woodpecker was heard and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen briefly. Towards the end of the walk a Chiffchaff was heard and Thrushes were spotted in a dead tree; three were identified as Mistle Thrush and one as a Song Thrush. There were also two Greenfinches in the same tree. It was a much more enjoyable morning’s walk then we envisaged when we set off and we managed a total of 28 species. Thanks to Nick Hawkridge for keeping a record of species seen and to David Body for leading. Mike Landen