11th September '17 Monday - Seabirds

Very windy overnight, lasting into the morning. Strong batches of batches of showers all day.

2 Manx Shearwater at Chew Valley Lake - first for 22 years
Grey Phalarope, Leach's and Storm Petrels [Severn Beach and Weston-super-Mare]
Balearic Shearwater [Weston and Sand Point]
Supporting cast includes Manxies galore, Gannet, Fulmar, Arctic Skua, Arctic Tern

Honey Buzzard at Clevedon
+ Woodchat Shrike still at Chipping Sodbury Common
Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel at CVL

BRISTOL

Underfall Yard area:
0730 4-5 Phylloscs moving through + 1 Chiffchaff singing briefly, 2 Goldcrest moving down the cut

Keynsham:
Bristol Avon by old Frys factory: 2 Kingfisher, 2 Raven. One male Otter seen too.

Garden visitor: a male Sparrowhawk (Paul and Claire Woolams)

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

New Passage/Northwick Warth:

1 Pintail, 1 m Kestrel, 5 Moorhen, 26 Lapwing, 4 Knot, 1 Sanderling, 2 Ruff, 12 Dunlin, 85 Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Curlew, 100+ Redshank, 10 Meadow Pipit

Severn Beach:

Grey Phalarope at Severn Beach (Adam Rawson)

Leach's Petrel at Severn Beach (Adam Rawson)

A Peregrine clutching a Leach's Petrel at Severn Beach

An action-packed morning, with the incoming tide: c10 Manx Shearwater, 1 Storm Petrel, 2 Leach's Petrel (John Martin),2 Gannet, 1 Peregrine, 1 Grey Phalarope, 1 juv Arctic Tern, 1 Common Tern. One Leach's close in, especially for the lucky and tactically shrewd observers right up close to the Second Severn Crossing itself; it was harrassed by a Peregrine (see photo) but initially escaped and was flying over the grass with the falcon stooping down on it until both lost to view. The Grey Phalarope also settled briefly by the bridge before being lost to view inland over the houses,

Sparrowhawk on prey (Brian Lancastle)

Chipping Sodbury Common:
Woodchat Shrike still present today, along with Grey Heron, Buzzard, Kestrel, 7+ Whinchat, 1 Stonechat, 1 Wheatear, 20+ Yellow Wagtail, 2 Common Whitethroat, Skylark, Meadow Pipit.

NORTH SOMERSET:

Clevedon: 
1 Gannet downriver

H.E Rose reports:
I was "working" on the new Bird Report (no date yet...) in my office (at about 15.30) when I saw an unusual bird of prey some 100m away in Walton Bay. I was able to watch it for a while. It was a remarkably pale Honey Buzzard with a white rump! After a minute or so two Common Buzzards appeared to "investigate", then shadowed it until it left their area

Sand Point: 
Sand Point 7:50-9:15 1 Balearic Shearwater, 46 Manx Shearwater all heading down channel

Anchor Head, Weston-super-Mare:
6:30-12: 4 Fulmar, 132 Manx Shearwater,1 Balearic Shearwater,  1 Leach's Petrel, I petrel sp (prob Storm) 1 Grey Phalarope, 2 Arctic Skua, 1 Kittiwake . 

Everything except the skuas was moving down river, presumably having been blown up river overnight.

BELOW M4 & BANES

RESERVOIRS:

Barrow Tanks:
17 Tufted Duck, 14 Cormorant, 1Kestrel, 8 Great Crested Grèbe, 50 Sand/House Martin, 2 Chaffinch

Chew Valley Lake: 

A Chew Valley Mega: Manx Shearwater off Woodford Lodge (Robert Hargreaves)
One of two birds - first record for over 2 decades

Another Manx Shearwater shot (Ian Stapp)

2 Manx Shearwater Rupert Higgins (still present in evening), 4 Little Egret, 6 Great White Egret (around the lake from Woodford), 4 GBB Gull (Denny),  4 Black Tern, 1 Arctic Tern, 3 Swift, 400+ Martins (Most House Martin, some Sand Martin and Swallow)

Heron's Green:

14 Little Grebe,  4 Little Egret,  3 Great White Egret,  1 Water Rail 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 G BB Gull, 200+ Martins ( as above)
Evening: Whimbrel heard calling

Moreton:
2 Wigeon, 2 Little Egret, 70 Great Crested Grebe (fishing together),1 Buzzard, 1 Jay, 2 Swift 

Herriotts Bridge:
4 Little Grebe, 1 Water Rail, 2 Ringed Plover, 5 Lapwing, 24 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Ruff, 4 Dunlin, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 5 Green Sandpiper, 3 Snipe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 G BB Gull (pond), 1 Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtail

Reports: Phil Andrews, Rich Andrews, Paul Bowyer, Paul Bowerman, Chris Craig, William Earp, Tim Ford, Robert Hargreaves, Rupert Higgins,  Robert Kelsh, Rob Kinchin,  Brian Lancastle, John Martin,  Dave Nevitt, David Poulton, Adam Rawson, Harvey Rose, Ian Stapp, Brian Thompson, Paul and Claire Woolams, Bob Webber,  blagdonlakebirds, CVRS, opsbirding, severnsidebirds