Field trip reports

A windless and reasonably warm morning with a clear blue sky saw 21 birders assemble at the Swan Inn. After a slight delay, while lunch orders were taken, we set off with a spring in our steps and were soon walking dew-fresh paths to one of the many viewpoints in the area, noting Jackdaws, Crows, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Raven, Song Thrush and Pied Wagtail on the way. A refreshment stop in a churchyard was accompanied by the music of strimmers as a gardens team cut back the grass around the stones of my namesake. Later, on the Bristol – Bath cycle path and footway, we noted Green Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Jay, Grey Wagtail and three Goldfinches but the star birds were Kingfisher, Grey Heron and two Buzzards as we walked beside the River Avon on the way back to the pub, ably led by Duncan Gill. A total count of 25 species was recorded.

20 people set off, but before even leaving the car park we had already seen Pied Wagtail and a flock of Starlings, some flying through and others sitting on a telephone wire along with a Mistle Thrush enabling us to see the difference in size. As we walked up Hobbs Lane, we pushed a Kestrel from telephone post to post, and at the top of the lane we saw Blackbird, House Sparrow and Robin. We had a distant view of a Cormorant on a buoy on Barrow tank, and in fact we then found one sitting on each buoy! As we approached the tanks several Mallards, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Ducks, Coot, Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls were seen. Just as we were leaving the tanks a Grey Heron was spotted. Continuing on our way we added Goldfinch, Wren and Blue Tit to our list, with one lucky member seeing a Jay and a Buzzard. Goldcrest was heard, but proved too elusive to see. At the very end of the walk, we caught sight of a Sparrowhawk overhead. Altogether 28 species seen or heard.

 About a dozen members met at Ferrybridge on the causeway to Portland on a lovely, sunny day. The Fleet at Portland was a bit quiet but notable sightings were 15 Mediterranean Gulls, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Brent Geese with Wheatear, Kestrel and Swallow on the shingle bank. We then went to Wyke Regis where Jane had heard of some rarities and, with a bit of patience, we were lucky to see a Red-backed Shrike and a Red-breasted Flycatcher in the same patch of hedgerow and brambles. The Shrike was sitting up nicely on the hedge and the Flycatcher was flitting about in some ivy, both giving good views, albeit at a distance. These were lifetime firsts for most of us. Chiffchaff, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch and Pheasant were also in the area.Portland itself was a bit lacking in the migrants we hoped for and some of the scrub areas were exceptionally quiet. However, while we sat and ate our lunch, we were entertained by a Wheatear hunting ants very close to us. Walking down through the farmland we saw Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard. A dark-coloured mystery bird of prey sitting on a wall raised hopes of a Black Kite or some other exotic but the consensus was that it was another Buzzard. Whinchat, Stonechat, Linnet, Wheatear and Meadow Pipit were also seen. The final stop was the RSPB’s Lodmoor reserve in Weymouth. The brackish ponds had one Spoonbill, Wigeon, Little Egret, Lapwing and Dunlin, and Cetti’s Warbler could be heard in the bushes. A few of us walked a bit further round the path and were lucky enough to get a glimpse of a male Bearded Tit moments before we set off back to the cars. A Water Rail could be heard in the reeds. The Marsh Harriers did not make an appearance but we did see a Peregrine, mobbed at first by Rooks then soaring and stooping from a great height. Twenty or so other common species were also seen through the day.

Instead of one of those “misty, moisty” autumn mornings with shafts of sunlight catching the seasonal colours, 21 members turned out on a wall-to-wall grey morning. However, before we set out our leader told us “This is a lovely walk” – and it was, through a varied habitat of lanes, open hillsides, deep tracks with overhanging trees, which were surely very ancient ways, and typical Cotswold villages. Jackdaws were the first birds on our list and we saw and heard many more of them throughout the walk and also added other corvids – Crows, Raven and Rooks. Harking back to summer, several groups of House Martins were seen, a few Swallows, Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler. Everybody got a good view of a Mistle Thrush perched on a bare branch but there were no winter thrushes about. Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk were spotted and a Grey Wagtail from one of the several bridges we crossed. The beady-eyed picked out a Stock Dove and some Common Gulls feeding with others. Altogether 38 species were recorded and a couple of group photographs taken on a new “Monet” bridge which took the footpath past a former mill.

14 members met on a mild but foggy day for a walk circling Tickenham Moor and the Blind Yeo River, the fields and wooded slopes up to Tickenham Ridge, and prehistoric Cadbury Camp at the top. The moors showed Mute Swans, Mallards, Heron, and Buzzard; one member said there were moves to turn this area into a Lapwing reserve, which would be valuable. We found a good variety of common birds in the Ridge area, most strikingly a Nuthatch posing for great views on top of a tree. Plenty of late Swallows and House Martins chased the abundance of insect life, particularly crane flies, but by far the commonest sounds were the Robins who seemed to have marked out almost every meter of the terrain. Cadbury Camp is literally the high point of the walk and usually gives great views down the Bristol Channel, but today the fog blotted out everything. However the mist highlighted beautiful displays of autumn cobwebs and the group settled happily for coffee into the furthest perimeter ditch between two banks. There were many plants and fungi of interest, including species of the dainty, ephemeral, cowpat-loving Dung Fungi and brightly flowering Field Scabious, Red Bartsia and Common Gromwell; and some members even collected Field Mushrooms for their tea. By the end of our walk – with a Kestrel near the church – we had counted 30 bird species.

Thirteen members met at the Meare Heath car park on a pleasant early autumn morning. A number of passerines were noted in the car park including Dunnock, Robin, Chiffchaff and Blackbird. The willows and alders on the first part of the Meare Heath reserve track held Great, Blue, Coal and Long-tailed Tits. As soon as we had a view of the South Drain we heard a penetrating series of short high- pitched whistles and some saw the bright turquoise-blue flash of a Kingfisher speeding by. Good views were had of a male Marsh Harrier floating over the reeds and the flooded peat cuttings were occupied by Gadwall, Mallard and Teal. Natural England had recently drained down the Meare Heath lagoon to expose areas of mud. The first bird to be identified was a Glossy Ibis which had been in the area for a while. This was a “lifer” for some. As well as Ruff, Redshank and Snipe the lagoon also hosted a Spotted Redshank and the now resident breeder Great White Egret. It was good to compare its size with its smaller cousin Little Egret. We heard Bearded Tit, Water Rail and Cetti’s Warbler. We then walked through part of the Ham Wall Reserve where further sightings were had of Marsh Harrier and Great White Egret, and Wigeon was added to the wildfowl list. About 43 species were encountered during the morning.

Thirteen optimistic birders set out from Kendleshire Golf Club on a dry morning, heading towards the ponds. Lesser Black-backed gulls and Black-headed gulls were flying overhead. Moorhen were spotted on the first pond and Mute Swans on the second. Four Coots were swimming across the lake where there was a new bridge. As we continued we saw Chiffchaff in the trees and Wrens were hopping around the branches at the base of a fig tree. A Robin was perched on the top of a tall spruce and a little lower down two Goldfinches were chasing around. There was a lovely flock of Long-tailed Tits in a willow. The highlight of the walk has to be a large plump Mistle Thrush sitting at the top of a sweet chestnut tree – another flew off the tree lower down. We stopped for elevenses at the Ram Hill colliery and admired a huge boletus toadstool, which is associated with Birch trees. The rain looked as though it was coming in, as forecast, so we took a short cut back through the 13 lanes. By ‘Bleak House’ there was a lovely flock of House Martins flitting backwards and forwards around some conifers. Reaching the golf practice range, we saw many Pied Wagtails hopping amongst the golf balls. Thank you Duncan and Peter for leading this lovely walk and getting us back before the heavens really opened. 24 species were recorded but no Blackbirds.

It was a pity that only three of us turned up to join leader Andrew Slade from Burnham who was kind enough to lead this Club trip, but perhaps the rising south-westerly winds were discouraging. There were plenty of signs of migration that morning, if nothing particularly unexpected. Swallows, with a handful of martins, passed south constantly in small groups, well over 100 in total, and several species of warbler had joined the tit flocks in more sheltered areas. We started well with a Peregrine overflying the car park and we saw it again later, jousting with a couple of Ravens. With the tide low and turning, we counted 122 Shelducks on Weston beach, and Andy picked out a couple of Wigeon amongst several dozen Teal. He also found a lone Black-tailed Godwit with a handful of Curlews; that was it for the waders. The pickings were very sparse as we wandered down the sheltered side of the promontory, but towards the end we found some mixed flocks with several Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps and a couple of Willow Warblers. One group also seemed to include a young Spotted Flycatcher which was a pleasant surprise. In total we had around 30 species during an enjoyable walk, and the rain held off until we were back in the car park.

A warm, still, sunny morning saw 23 members turn out for a walk along to the lodge from the causeway where we notched up 23 species before returning to the far side of the lake for another 11. There were no surprises and all the expected birds were there. The main sources of interest were a Snipe on the very low level lake and a Heron which seemed to be lying down “having a nap” as one member put it. The sluice was completely devoid of water with only one Grey Wagtail where we usually see several. However, a cheerful walk with a good mixture of birds.

A happy bunch of 19 people left Winscombe village, walking towards Sandford Hill on a warm but misty morning. As we set off there was a variety of birds from Jackdaw and Herring Gull to Pied Wagtail and Collared Dove on the roofs. Across the fields we soon had Swallows overhead and reached a poplar tree filled with a large mixed flock of finches, along with Blue Tit, Goldcrest and a nearby Bullfinch. Over 20 Chaffinch rose from rape stubble and nearby we saw a Raven calling from a tree top and a Song Thrush. A Buzzard flew above as we walked up to the wood where we saw Jay and Chiffchaff before emerging onto the hilltop to enjoy our coffee stop. In the distance we caught sight of a Hobby heading south. The sun was quickly burning off the mist and in a grassy field was a Magpie with a juvenile Green Woodpecker bouncing alongside it. The remainder of the walk gave Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Nuthatch heard and lovely views of four Long-tailed Tits heading along the hedgerow and across a gap above a gate. Of course there were also a number of Pigeon, tuneful Robins, martins, Blackbirds etc. interspersed with numerous horses and quite a number of different butterflies, appreciating the sun and flowers. The less common, brightly-coloured Clouded Yellow caused some excitement as we headed towards Shipham and returned through Sidcot. 29 bird species seen. Thank you Sue and Mark Watson for leading.