Saturday 12 August – Chew Valley Lake

About 25 members met at Herriotts Pool at 09.30hrs. After a brief look for the Garganey on the pool we hurried along to Chew Valley Ringing Station (CVRS), as early birds catch their worms. Mike Bailey organised us into two smaller groups to show us how the ringing system works, while a Sparrowhawk flew past the window. There were examples from Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow, Sedge and Reed Warbler. It is amazing how small and fragile birds look in the hand and how light they are; some members got to hold birds and see how they were aged. Puffing up the chest feathers you could see how much fat they had stored and how soon they would migrate. It was an inspiring revelation to many members. Our thanks to Bob Medland and their team for hosting us. Afterwards, we made a journey round many of the haunts of the lake, where we saw Barnacle Goose, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Water Rail, Lapwing, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Common and Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Kingfisher, Swift, Grey Wagtail and found the Garganey. (Many thanks to Robert for leading.) Robert Hargreaves