Saturday 30 October – Blagdon Lake Leader: Nigel Milbourne

Eleven members met at the Blagdon Lake Fishing Lodge at 10:00, some having previously taken a look along the dam where some Grey Wagtails and Little Grebe were seen. Weather was 10-14C with a fairly stiff breeze making it feel quite cold. Despite heavy overnight rain, it was dry except for a short heavy shower during the return part of the walk. We started by the Lodge where new birders were introduced to duck and gulls including Shoveler, Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal, Pochard and Tufted Duck, along with three Egyptian Geese. There was a Great White Egret on the far side of the lake and one Cetti’s Warbler was heard calling nearby. We walked eastward along the lake edge stopping at various places along the way. There were hundreds of Coot and 100 plus Canada Geese, small rafts of Little Grebes, ten Pintails, also a good number of Cormorants and Great Crested Grebes too on the water. A few wader species were present, notably 90 Lapwings, 38 Black-tailed Godwits and a Green Sandpiper. We scanned the Tufted Ducks for Scaup but none were forthcoming. Several woodland species were present amongst the trees beside the lake, including twelve Siskins as well as Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Nuthatch and Treecreeper with Linnet and Meadow Pipit along the lake shore. We turned back around Bell’s Bush and finished around 14:00, taking some time to determine if a particular gull was a Yellow-legged, which it was. Many thanks to Nigel for leading. Alan Daniells