Field trip reports

 We were lucky to enjoy a fine bright morning for our walk from Heron’s Green at CVL over Breach Hill past Ubley Hatchery and back along the lanes to CVL, a total distance of nearly five miles. The views over Blagdon Lake were lovely and the mixed habitats of water, fields and woods made for a good range of birds. All the usual ducks, swans, Coots, herons and Little Egrets were at Heron’s Green. As we climbed the hills the hedges and fields held Woodpigeons, Crows, Blue Tits, Chaffinches, Robins and, at the farms, Pied Wagtails and Sparrows. We saw one Sparrow taking a long piece of grass into a hole in the wall – a bit early for nesting? We heard a Raven croaking and saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker fly to a tree. There were a few Redwings and Fieldfares about and at one wooded stop we had Treecreeper and two Goldcrests along with Long-tailed Tits. At Ubley Hatchery there was another Treecreeper and a Coal Tit with good views of two more Goldcrests. Along the stream we noted Goldfinch, Siskin and a Grey wagtail. On the return route we saw another Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Common Buzzard and a field of Common Gulls. Back at CVL there were two female Goosanders. The walk produced a total of 43 species seen by 28 walkers. It was an excellent morning with good conditions underfoot and the country lanes were quiet.

 35 members set off on a grey but very mild morning from the car park of the Fleur de Lys in Pucklechurch, soon to be joined by a 36th member, who had cycled from the centre of Bristol. This is always a slightly shorter walk than our usual Tuesday ones so we can be back at the pub in good time for our annual Christmas lunch. While still walking through the village, already on the list were Starling, House Sparrows, Jackdaws, Woodpigeon and Collared Dove, plus a Pied Wagtail. We soon saw Redwings and Fieldfares in abundance and then a group of Meadow Pipits was spotted by our chairman, Ed Drewitt, who was invited to come more often to Tuesday walks! Four Bullfinches on the ridge of a barn roof were quite a find and most people saw at least one. A couple of Goldcrests were heard and, for those of us who can no longer hear them, one obligingly flew over us. A Song Thrush was also heard as we stopped for coffee. It was such a still morning that even as we approached the part of the route that takes us near the M4, there was little motorway noise until we were quite close to it. Very good views of Dunnock and Wren were had in nearby hedgerows and crossing the fruit farm yet more winter thrushes were seen. Altogether 28 species were listed. Thanks to Duncan Gill for leading and Pat for bringing up the rear of such a large group. We were back at the pub as midday was striking and a good meal was had by all, joined by quite a few members who hadn’t taken the pre-meal exercise. After the meal, which had been arranged by Peter Holbrook once again, Ed Drewitt thanked Hazel Wilmott for organising the Tuesday walks and Mark Watson was warmly welcomed as our next organiser, as Hazel is moving away from the area next year.

 Twelve members met at the Newbridge Sluice north of the village of North Curry. This was a new location for a Club field meeting on a different part of the Somerset Levels than normally visited. We commenced the walk along the southern bank of the River Tone giving extensive views of the surrounding area. Mixed flocks of Fieldfares, Redwings and Starlings were feeding in the adjacent fields. The willows and hedges contained Reed Bunting, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Linnet. The river contained surprisingly few birds although small numbers of Mallards,Teal and Moorhens were seen together with a Little Grebe. We diverted off the bank for a while and stopped at a Wetlands and Willow interpretation Centre which contained a number of interesting information displays about the area, its wildlife and river control measures. We walked round a small adjoining copse and added a few common woodland species. On the return walk we heard a Raven “cronking” as it flew over and a number of Skylarks were seen. The Moor is susceptible to flooding in winter and is known to attract substantial numbers of wildfowl and waders. It would be well worth a visit after prolonged rainfall. Forty-one species were encountered during the morning.

 What has not been said about this national resource?! We 22 set out – not for us the duck or goose preservation ponds – but into raw boned and wild, windy bird hides. We had to break ourselves in slowly – the luxury and heating of the Peng observatory was just the job. From behind clear glass we were afforded close views of Bewick Swan, the youths in a pleasing grey plumage with the magnificent adults in almost ‘brilliant white’. The Tufted Duck and Pochard were ducking beneath the surface creating a mad flurry by frantic paddling of webbed feet in their haste to hoover up the last of that morning’s feed. From just outside the window slots of the Rushy hides there were many male and female Pintail. At the back of the ponds a small troop of Teal crept from rush bed to rush bed, so noticeably smaller in comparison to the many Shelduck, and the rotund “lump” of a single, very brown hybrid Ruddy – Cape Shelduck. Moving along to the Martin Smith hide one sharp-eyed watcher spied a Snipe in the grass and on the banks a Black-tailed Godwit feeding to the depth of that strikingly long bill. Along at the Robert Garnett hide we found half a dozen Curlews and the fields full of Greylag Geese, Lapwings, and hiding away at the back by the pollarded willows, a small group of White-fronted geese. At the Holden Tower we saw an aerial swirl of several hundred Golden Plovers, three stately Common Cranes feeding and three Great-Black-backed Gulls asleep on the mud. When everything suddenly got up we knew a raptor would be somewhere and, sure enough, a Peregrine swished past. Along to the Zeiss hide for, we hoped, a Bittern but, alas, none on show. However, our reward was a sharp red billed Water Rail, a ball of feathers that resolved into a Buzzard and away among the Wigeon and Lapwing some Dunlin foraging in the grass. At our penultimate stop – the Kingfisher hide – provided not only the eponymous bird but a Little Grebe and Greenfinch. After a tortuous slog to the South Lake hide only Grey Heron, Cormorant, and Great Crested Grebe could be added to our list. However, with a total of 62 species, not a bad days birding. Thanks to Gordon Youdale for escorting us most of the way, smoothing our entry, and making the morning most rewarding by pointing out some unseen treasures.

Eight BOC members were joined by a couple of local birders to explore the Torbay area and surroundings. Having met on the front at Paignton, we made straight for the Clennon Valley (an inland park area with woodland and ponds) to find a Yellow-browed Warbler that had been in this sheltered valley for a couple of weeks. After some persistence most of the group managed brief glimpses. A walk around the pond area then gave views of more common woodland birds, four duck species, Grey Heron, gulls, Mute Swan, Snipe and Little Grebe. Lunch was consumed whilst sea-watching at Goodrington Sands where we added Gannet, Common Scoter, Oystercatcher, Cormorant, Great-crested Grebe, Shag, Kittiwake and an Auk species to the list. We then moved further south to Broad Sands to catch Cirl Bunting which didn’t disappoint, with excellent views of the brightly coloured males and a few females feeding on the ground. A Great Northern Diver was another highlight here (on the sea). Our final destination was Brixham breakwater where Turnstone and [frame src=”http://bristolornithologicalclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PurpleSandpiper13.11.11Portisheadsh.jpg” width=”200″ height=”200″ align=”left” linkstyle=”normal” title=”Purple Sandpiper”] Purple Sandpiper finished the day off nicely.

 A cold, dry morning saw 30 members gather at the Salthouse car park. A Jay was flitting around the play area with two Pied Wagtails and, from the vantage points on Poet’s Walk, Oystercatchers and Redshanks were quickly picked out. Teal, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Shelduck and beautifully camouflaged Turnstones put in an appearance on the mud and rocks. Two Little Egrets graced the inlet at the end of Poet’s Walk with Wigeon and Curlew plentiful. A Kingfisher was seen by some lucky members and a possible Redwing turned out to be a Mistle Thrush. We saw no Redwings and only a couple of Fieldfares. Goldcrests were heard in profusion at one point and to our delight one appeared in the shrub by the side of us, giving good views to newer members. Lapwings were abundant in the field at the far end of the walk and only then did we spot a lone Grey Heron and a Sparrowhawk.

 After a cold and misty start, 17 birdwatchers met for what turned out to be a very enjoyable morning in brilliant sunshine. Although good numbers of estuary birds, such as Teal, Wigeon and Dunlin were seen, most interest was generated by the variety and number of passerines around the site. These included two Stonechats, a late Chiffchaff and singles of Siskin and Redpoll. A large mixed finch flock on Lagoon 3 held our interest for quite a while, including around 150 Chaffinches, Linnets, Goldfinches, Reed Buntings and at least one Brambling. Other birds of note included Peregrine, Raven, Mistle Thrush and Treecreeper. Highlight of the morning for me though was the Grey Seal which we watched diving close to the shore to the north of the power station.

 It was a brilliantly sunny morning and there was still a lot of very colourful leaves on some trees, but the blustery northwest wind made the 18 members glad they had (mostly!) come clad in cold weather gear. The decision to make this a “reservoir only” walk was surely the right one – standing water and mud could be clearly seen on the moors. The usual crowd of Coots were in place, Cormorants were posing on the buoys and a raft of Pochard was looking particularly good in the sunlight. Crows, Jackdaws, Rooks, Magpies, Mallards and Tufted Ducks were soon added to the list, as were Starlings in nearby fields. After a bit of concentrated looking, a few Redwings and a possible Fieldfare were also spotted, plus a Buzzard perched on a post and some Long-tailed Tits in the hedgerow. Very good close views were had of a Long-tailed Duck and a Great-crested Grebe that might just have been something else was examined. A lone Redshank was mooching about at the water’s edge and a Green Woodpecker spent some time in a field below us. During the latter part of the walk we saw a pair of Teal, a Grey Wagtail, two Little Grebes and a Sparrowhawk and Carrion Crow tussling above us, and not forgetting a calling Dunnock. Altogether 31 species were seen and one heard.

 It was a lovely sunny November day when 13 of us met at the somewhat unlikely venue of the Cineworld car park at Hengrove! The more cynical of us were soon amazed as Margaret led us behind the cinema into the fascinating oasis of the Mounds. This is a former landfill site which has been transformed into a wonderful wild area of nature hidden from all the surrounding main roads. We saw a number of the usual hedgerow and field birds including Redwing, Goldfinch and a mystery bird which was difficult to place, probably a pipit. There were a pair of “flyover” Ravens and numerous gulls. As we headed back to the car park a Green Woodpecker was seen on the roof of the cinema! As our walk here was almost ending, our “mystery” bird popped up again. Further investigation on our return home, sparked by a member who was convinced it was a Water Pipit and a consultation with Ed Drewitt who knows the Mounds, suggested strongly that it was indeed a Water Pipit – the time of year, habitat and a detailed description added to the cause. Has anyone else seen this bird in the vicinity? We then drove to the entrance of Manor Woods Reserve. This was another “hidden gem”, with parkland, woods, meadow and a stream. A Grey Wagtail was quickly spotted, as were various other woodland birds, including Song Thrush and Long-tailed Tits. A pair of Moorhens scuttled into the reeds on the riverbank. On our way back, a pair of Buzzards was seen high over Bishopsworth. A total of 25 species was seen over the two sites.

 After some recent foul weather, the morning gave way to clear skies and warm sunshine. Seven members met with Mike Smart, local birder and bird surveyor for this part of Gloucestershire. Mike introduced us to the reserve and its past life as a working canal in the late 1800s, delivering coal to Cheltenham. Here at Coombe Hill Meadows the coal was offloaded and taken by horse and cart into the town. Recent rains had flooded the meadows, something that happens three or four times a year. As we walked along the hedgerows of the canal the berry bushes were alive with winter thrushes. Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, and a few Yellowhammers flew overhead. The flooded fields were full of over 2500 Wigeon, 500 Canada Geese, 100 Greylag Geese, 24 Mute Swans, and smaller numbers of Teal and Lapwings. Scanning through them we also spotted a few Shoveler and Pintail. As we walked back a Water Rail squealed from a concealed ditch. The Wigeon became nervous and at one point the whole flock were in the sky, wheeling around, some getting quite high. Along with common field edge birds such as Robin, Wren and Blackbirds, we counted over 30 species in total, and headed back to Bristol in glorious sunshine.