Wednesday 28 February 2018

28-02-18 - continuing bitterly cold

Mostly bright sunshine; snow flurries; very cold. But we have got off lightly compared to other parts of the country.

Only the hardiest observers out; several sightings of birds in unusual places. Almost as many photos as reports today....

Long-tailed Duck
Great White Egret
Ruff
Mediterranean Gull
Short-eared Owl
Firecrest
Stonechat (27th)

28-2-18 Mallards, Herriotts Pool, CVL (Bob Brewer)
BRISTOL

Montpelier Station:
Male Blackcap and 1/2 doz Chaffinch the best this morning

Coombe Dingle:
Garden visitors today - 4 Blue Tit, 1 Blackcap, 4 Blackbird, 1 Fieldfare (first for 2 years), 1 Robin, 4 Chaffinch, 3 Bullfinch, 2 Greenfinch, 4 Goldfinch

Badock's Wood:
1 Firecrest

Eastville Park:

2 Redwing, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush (Colston Field)

St Werburgh's:
27th: 1 f/juv Stonechat at allotments, near the city farm, on top of Buddleia bush by side of footpath (First time observer has seen one there)

Stockwood Open Space:
2 drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, 20+ Redwing, 1 Song Thrush, 4 Bullfinch, 4 Goldfinch plus
usual tits, Blackbirds etc


SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Avening Green - Little River Avon:
2 Mandarin Duck (♀ + ♂), Kingfisher, Goldcrest, mixed flock of 'hundreds' of Fieldfare and Redwing and a calling Dipper.

Oldbury Power Station:
1 adult-winter Mediterranean Gull in the roost with c1000 Common Gull

Aust Warth:
28 - 2 - 18 Short-eared Owl (Malcolm Black)
1 Short-eared Owl (first report for several days)

28-2-18 Blackcap, Severn Beach (Rod Holbrook)
Almondsbury:
Golden Plover flock over motorway junction (not normally seen here)

Willsbridge:
Cold weather Chaffinch in the garden.


NORTH SOMERSET

Bristol Airport:
100+ Lapwing heading SSW plus 40 at Hewish

Backwell Lake:
Going to roost (watch kept up to to 18.05): 1 Great White Egret  at 17.05; 2 Little Egrets at 17. 43 and 2  more before watch ended (more likely to have have come in later ).


28-2-18 Ruff in ploughed field, Winford (Melanie Patch)
Photo taken through tractor window!
Could it be the bird seen in flight over CVL on 24th Feb?
Winford:
200 Lapwing, 1 Ruff, 300 mixed gull flock, 10 Redwing, 80 + Pied Wagtail, 2 Meadow Pipit 


28-2-18 Greenfinch, Yatton (Higgy)


28-2-18 Song Thrush, Yatton (Higgy)
28-2-18 Green Woodpecker, Yatton (Higgy)


Yatton: 
Stowey Road garden: 2 Buzzard (flyover), 1 Green Woodpecker, 7 Blackbird (6 m), 2 Song Thrush (rare here), 8 Greenfinch, 9 Goldfinch (feeding on Teasel seed-heads), 7 Reed Bunting


28-2-18 Ringed Plover, Uphill (Simon Williams)

28-2-18 Dunlin, Uphill (Simon Williams)
Uphill (and STW) :
1 Peregrine, 35 Lapwing over, Green Woodpecker, 2 Kestrel, 4 Reed Bunting


BELOW M4 & BANES

Bath:Walcot Gate Garden: 7 Redwing (observer has only ever had fly-overs before)

Wellow:
4 Buzzard, 20+ Lapwing, 15+ Fieldfare

Midford:
250+ mixed gull species


RESERVOIRS:

Barrow Gurney tanks:
The drake adult Long-tailed Duck  still present today (per Birdguides)

Chew Valley Lake

Herriotts:
Shelduck, Kestrel
28-2-18 Shelduck on ice, Herriotts Pool, CVL (Bob Brewer)

Reports: Birdguides, Malcolm Black, Des Bowring, Bob Brewer,  Teresa Chard, Ed Drewitt, Alastair Fraser, Peter Hazelwood, Higgy, Rod Holbrook, Adrian Hockey, Glen Maddison, Melanie Patch, Adam Rawson, John Rossetti, Kevin Smith, Larry Sweetland, Mike Thomas, Verity White, blagdonlakebirdsCVRS,   nslbirdingopsbirdingsevernsidebirdsTBOSG