Tuesday 16 November – Arlingham Leader: Alastair Fraser

Arlingham is an area of mixed farming adjacent to the tidal river, situated on a bend in the Severn just south of
Gloucester. Seventeen of us met on a dry day, overcast with some sunny spells, for a walk of just under four
miles. We had a variety of woodland birds including a Great Spotted Woodpecker as we began our walk beside a
drainage ditch at the edge of the village. There is a good population of House Sparrows here (and around one of
the cattle sheds) which, these days, is quite notable. Redwing and Fieldfare were seen along the lane leading to a
cattle shed, one Fieldfare posing beautifully in a nearby tree. A Great Spotted Woodpecker (the same one?) also
obliged with a clear view. A Blackcap briefly popped up on a Hawthorn. We went up on to the sea wall; the tide
was low exposing extensive sand banks. A white blob sitting on the sand turned out to be a Peregrine. There was
a large flock of gulls, Lesser Black-backed, Herring and Black-headed, with a couple of Curlews and Herons.
Further downstream we saw Little Egret, a Common Sandpiper and a large flock of Lapwings with seven Golden
Plovers in among them. A Cormorant tried, and failed to eat a fish bigger than itself. A hovering Kestrel plunged to
the ground emerging with a small mammal, and a mixed flock of Blackbird, Redwing, Fieldfare and finches was
flushed along the hedgerow. We walked back across fields and through the village to our starting point. 46
species. Thanks to Alan Daniells for keeping a tally (and to Alastair for leading.) Alastair Fraser