Tuesday 17 September – Badminton Leader: Graham Blacker

Twenty-four walkers gathered outside the village hall on a sunny day. Graham had kindly stepped in to lead at short notice and displayed excellent map reading skills. An early highlight was a group of over 500 Swallows on wires over the ploughed fields. The coffee break Buzzard was trumped by one of three Red Kites. The woodland was quiet but the list does include Jay, Nuthatch, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, and Goldfinch. Approaching the Badminton estate on our return there was a large corvid flock in tall trees, comprising over 200 Jackdaws and Rooks. The estate itself was short of birds, with a man and his dog at the lake. We had lovely close views of a Grey Wagtail on a roof in the village as we approached the hall. There were a total of 22 species seen or heard on this very pleasant walk. Many thanks to Graham for leading.  Gareth Roberts