Tuesday 21 October – Hengrove Mounds / Manor Woods

 On a fine but windy day the first part of the walk was around Hengrove Mounds, an old landfill site behind Cineworld. A group of 15 set off up a short wet slope and then followed the path along a belt of trees. Initial sightings were of Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon, and Herring Gull moving rapidly across the sky on the strong wind. A Wren was heard in the undergrowth and Long-tailed Tits flitted above. As we walked around the old tip Goldfinches were heard and seen in the hedgerow and overhead a Lesser Black-backed Gull was spotted along with Magpie and Robin. We arrived back at Cineworld car park having added Blue Tit to the list and had coffee before moving on to Manor Woods. This hidden green space with the river Malago flowing through it provided more interest with Black-headed Gulls overhead, a Jay in the treetops and a good view of a Goldcrest alongside the path. A Mallard was heard and on our return through the woodland by the Malago we had wonderful views of a male and female Grey Wagtail perched and catching insects, and on the stream four unexpected Teal. Overall, 22 species were seen. Thanks to Mike Landen and Roger Bingham who made sure we followed the correct route as Margaret Swatton was unable to lead due to unforeseen circumstances.Mark Watson