Saturday 3 March 2018

03-03-18 Saturday - the thaw

Thawing and milder but many roads still barely passable.  No more snow.

There have been so many garden reports today, particularly of Fieldfare and Redwing, that we apologise for not being able to include them all.  All are recorded for BOC News and BRERC.

Long-tailed Duck
Great White Egrets
Ruff, Jack Snipe 
Woodcock - several sightings
Merlin


Fieldfare in Yate (Craig Lewis)
Mistle Thrush in Yate (Craig Lewis)



















BRISTOL

Eastville Park (mostly frozen):
2 Mute Swan, c.30 Mallard, c.110 BH Gull, 2 LBB Gull, 30 Fieldfare, 5 Redwing.
1 GS Woodpecker and 1 Nuthatch investigating potential nest sites.

R Frome at Snuff Mills:
1 Moorhen, 1 Dipper, 1 Grey Wagtail.

Stoke Bishop:
2 Blackcap.

Avon Gorge:
2 Oystercatcher, various Lapwing & Redshank, LBB & BH Gulls.  Pr Nuthatch in Leigh Woods.

Horfield Common:
3 Fieldfare, 2 Redwing.

Bishopston:
1 Redwing, 1 Fieldfare, 1 Greenfinch, Goldfinches, 3 LT Tit.

Bishop Rd to Horfield Common:
4 BH Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 2 LBB Gull, 23 Woodpigeon, 2 Collared Dove, 17 Magpie, 6 Carrion Crow, 1 Coal Tit, 4 Blue Tit, 32 Starling, 3 Blackbird, 25 Fieldfare, 1 Redwing, 5 Robin, 11 House Sparrow, 2 Dunnock, 3 Greenfinch, 9 Goldfinch.

High Kingsdown:
Meadow Pipit in garden - most unusual.

Common Gull at Duchess Pond (Patrick Hardyman Richards)
Stoke Park, Duchess Pond:
2 Canada Goose, 2m 1f Teal, Grey Heron, 11 Moorhen, 16 BH Gull, 1 Common Gull, 5 Woodpigeon, 1 Jay, 14 Magpie, 8 Jackdaw, 6 Carrion Crow, 1 Raven, 4 Blue Tit, 3 Great Tit, 4 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Wren, 3 Blackbird, 1 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Robin, m. Stonechat, 14 House Sparrow, 1 Dunnuck, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Meadow Pipit.

Cumberland Basin:
1 Lapwing - another bird in an unusual location.

Stockwood Open Space:
3 GS Woodpecker, 4 Dunnock, 7 Robin, 2 Song Thrush, 4 LT Tit, 6 Goldfinch.

Ashton:
20 Lapwing flying south east at 07:45.  8 Fieldfare (mostly flying over).

Treecreeper (Mike Prior)

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Oldbury:
Woodcock flushed from Lagoon 2.  1 Golden Plover.

Chipping Sodbury:
Red Kite over, mobbed by corvids.

Winterbourne:
1 Snipe on the meltwater on road outside Winterbourne Church.

Frampton Cotterell:
Fishing Little Egret and a Snipe on bank of R Frome.
Pair of Teal on the Bradley Brook at Monks Pool nature reserve.

Northwick Warth:
2 Little Grebe, 2 Gadwall, 350 Wigeon, 25 Lapwing, 4 Golden Plover, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit with the Dunlin, 3 Redshank, 2 Turnstone, Kestrel, 1 m. Merlin, 2 Peregrine, good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing, Yellowhammer.

New Passage:
5 Lapwings in garden.  Buzzard. Ringed Plover, m. Stonechat.


Great Spotted Woodpecker in typical winter pose (Allan Chard)
NORTH SOMERSET

Portishead:
1 Ruff on the ice at Ecology Park (next to Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve).
2 Blackcaps in my Redcliff Bay garden.

Backwell Lake:
Great White Egret in the roost.

Weston-super-Mare:
Hewish:
30+ Fieldfare, 2 Redwing, 2 Carrion Crow, 5 Robin, 4 Dunnock, 4 Jackdaw, 2 Magpie.
Numerous Starling, Blackbird, Great Tit, Blue Tit, LT Tit.

Bleadon:
Huge passage of Fieldfare moving North this morning - 50 in garden, lots more overflying.
3 Lapwing, 1 Kingfisher, 1 GS Woodpecker, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Blackcap, 20 Redwing,  2 Bullfinch.

Butcombe:
G S Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, 3 Fieldfare, 15 Blackbird, 3 Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, 4 Bullfinch.

BELOW M4 & BANES


An unusual visitor to the bird table - LBB Gull ('talkingtobears')
Keynsham:
BH Gull, LBB Gull, 2 Woodpigeon, 2 Collared Dove, 4 Jackdaw, 2 Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Blackcap, 6 Starling, 3 Blackbird, 2 Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, 3 Goldfinch.


R Chew south of Keynsham:
1 Dunlin in an unusual location (Alan and David Hewett,).

Bath:
R Avon in Bath:
1 Redshank in an unusual location.

American Museum, Claverton Down:
Woodcock.


Song Thrush (Rich Allsop)
Garden in Twerton:
2 Blackcap (1 m., 1 f.), 1 Fieldfare, 1 Redwing,  9 Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 2 Pied Wagtail, 20 House Sparrow, 2 Wren 3 Blue Tit, 1 Great Tit, 20 Starling.

Another garden in Twerton:
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 LT Tit, 1 m. Blackcap, 10 Fieldfare, 40 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush.  Numbers of Blue Tits, Blackbird, Chaffinch twice as high as usual.

Newton St Loe:
3 Buzzard, 20 Lapwing, 2 GBB Gull (first for the patch), 100+ Redwing, 30 Fieldfare, 1 Blackcap, 2 Treecreeper, 2 Greenfinch, 20 Siskin.

Chew Magna:
1 Great White Egret flew east over the Winford Brook mid morning.
2nd March: Hawfinch in St Andrew's churchyard.

Paulton:
1 Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Stock Dove, 60 Skylark, 4 Blackbird, 12 Fieldfare, 1 Song Thrush, 5 Chaffinch, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Yellowhammer.

Sandford:
Woodcock in the woods !! a first for the reportee.


A smart Grey Wagtail at Chew (Bob Brewer)
RESERVOIRS:

Barrow Gurney tanks:
The ad. m. Long-tailed Duck 
still on no. 1 tank, 3 Goldeneye, 8 Dunlin, 1 Jack Snipe, 2 Common Sandpiper.

Blagdon Lake:
4 Dunlin, 1 Woodcock.

Hitching a ride at Herriotts Bridge (Bob Brewer)
Chew Valley Lake

Herriotts Bridge:
Shelduck, Mallard, 235 Teal, 23 Pintail, Coot on the back of a swan (see photo), 1 Water Rail, 2 Dunlin, 1 Snipe, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail.


Reports: Rich Allsop, Rich Andrews, Jon Angell, Nick Beamson, Terri Borash, Bob Brewer, John Budd, Teresa Chard, Sean Davies, Andy Davis, Patrick Haigh, Patrick Hancock, Robert Hargreaves and Anne Crowe, Alan and David Hewett, Bill Hewitt, Dan Hill, Dave Horlick, Nigel Johnston, Brian Lancastle, Lisegirl, John Martin, Mike Meechem, Michael Moxon, Jean Oliver, Mike Prior, Patrick Hardyman Richards, Sova, 'talkingtobears', Gwen Thomas, Suk Trippier, Jean Tye, K Vickery, Bob Webber, Keith Williams,  blagdonlakebirdsCVRSnslbirdingopsbirdingsevernsidebirdsTBOSG