Tuesday 17th July – Little Sodbury Leader: Nick Hawkridge

Nineteen started out under leaden sky and spitting rain that welcomed us and new members Sarah and Chris. A Buzzard and the first of the interminable Woodpigeon started our count, with a gap in the trees showing a vast host of Corvid on what looked like a newly harvested field. The lake had only a lone Grey Heron on the edge, and a singing Blackcap in the surrounding scrub. The upland, towards Horton, gave some Swallows, and the first of the tinkling Goldfinch we saw during the walk. The sun turned the day a deal warmer, although the bands of high cloud did keep us cool. We counted Swift, House Martin and House Sparrow as we negotiated the streets of Horton, with a Greenfinch on a suite of feeders and the school building sporting a couple of Pied Wagtails. The view from the coffee stop was magnificent, away across Bristol, over the Severn and on towards Wales. The raptor count was upped to two with the appearance of a Sparrowhawk and not much further along, a newly harvested field was being skimmed by 50 Swallows with juveniles on the wire waiting to be fed. One sharp pair of eyes discerned that actually one of the perched Swallows was a Yellowhammer and then the call and song of Goldcrest was heard which lead to a fruitful search for a sight of the gold crowned one. The path across the rape field was a convenient place for a couple of the party to return to their cars. We continued across the field, adding Skylark, and Linnet. On towards The Fort where we saw a big mixed flock of tits, with a couple of Chiffchaff amongst them, feeding in succession from scrubby bush to scrubby bush. After our lunch stop at Old Sodbury Church and the reduction in our numbers by those bent on a pub lunch, we found a Linnet singing from a power wire, a brilliantly coloured male with a vibrantly crimson chest. A flash of white and a harsh screech revealed a Jay and, as the path took us towards the cars, a Chaffinch made the total for the day – 36. (Thanks to Nick for leading – Ed).
Nick Hawkridge