Sunday 23 September 2018

23-09-18 Sunday - Hen Harrier, Bonxie

Much quieter today, though still some prolonged heavy showers

Great White Egret, Cattle Egret
Hen Harrier 
Spotted Redshank, Grey Phalarope
Yellow-legged Gull
Black Tern
Great Skua (inland, at CVL)
Whinchat


23-09-18 House Sparrow, Severn Beach (Rod Holbrook)
[Nice study of a species often taken for granted]
BRISTOL

Eastville Park:
1 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 1 Whitethroat,

City Centre:
Unwelcome news re Bristol Peregrines: a dead bird tangled in netting over vents/air con units  on the rooftop of The Brewhouse office building, as seen from a meeting in One Castlepark yesterday.
Are all the Bristol Peregrines accounted for at the moment?

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE


23-09-18 Wheatear, OPS (Matt Plenty)
Oldbury Power Station:
Whinchat, 4 Wheatear on jetty. A 3rd Whinchat on Lagoon 3.

Cromhall:
1 white/ leucistic(?) Common Buzzard (last seen  there a few months ago)

Pilning Wetland:
1 hybrid Goose (Barnacle x Whitefront), still 3 Grey Phalarope, (adult & 2 juvs)  early in the day but only 1 visible late on,  1 Common Sandpiper, 37 Dunlin, 16 Ringed Plover, 120 Knot, Swallows and House Martins moving through to NE, 1  Wheatear

23-09-18 Stonechat, Chipping Sodbury Common (Barry Dursley)

Chipping Sodbury Common:
2 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel,  3 Raven,   5 Whinchat, 4 Stonechat (2m,2f)  

NORTH SOMERSET

Portbury Wharf:
1 f Hen Harrier 

Clevedon-Yeo:
Channel View Bay - 1 Sanderling, 20 Dunlin, 20 Ringed Plover

Bristol International Airport:
10 Raven heading west

BELOW M4 & BANES

No reports

RESERVOIRS

Barrow Tanks:
3 Common Sandpiper, 1 juv Black Tern,  4 Wheatear on Tank No 2

Blagdon Lake:
7 Great White Egret, 1 Black Tern

Chew Valley Lake

Villice:
1 Spotted Redshank, 2  Green  Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 Yellow-legged Gull, ad Arctic Tern (on the lake)

Stratford:
9 Great White Egret, 8 Little Egret, 27 Cattle Egret (roosted on nunnery at about 19.00),  1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 juv Great Skua, 1 Barn Owl, 1 f Kestrel, 2 Hobby.

Common Gulls were very evident coming into the roost, so plenty of those around now

1 f Mallard with new brood of ducklings (only 3 though, but very small, so recently hatched)

23-09-18 juv Hobby, Herriott's Bridge, CVL (Tim Marks) 
Herriott's Bridge:
17 Cattle Egret, 10 Great White Egret, 1 Buzzard, 1 juv Hobby, 2 Kingfisher (no sign of Phalarope)

21 Cattle Egret in field along from Herriott's Bridge towards Bishop Sutton.
  
Out of Avon;
Cheddar Reservoir - 2 Grey Phalarope, juv Little Gull  Arctic Tern, Black Tern all still present
Parrett Estuary - 1 Grey Phalarope still
Slimbridge - family party of Spoonbill

BTO Owl Project
Tawny Owl Point Survey: We're now halfway through the survey period and I'd like to give a quick update on the Tawny Owl Point Survey at this stage. We have 68 tetrads allocated with 33 observers. Many thanks to all of you who have volunteered. We still have 4 'Priority' tetrads outstanding around W-s-M /Worle area , these are ST36H,ST36T, ST36M,ST36W. All look accessible by road so if anyone could help out in those areas that would be a great help
Tawny Owl Calling Survey: I'm also delighted to announce that registration for the second of our owl surveys, the Tawny Owl Calling Survey is now open! This simple 20 minute, one evening a week survey runs from the 30th of September 2018 to the 30th March 2019. It is very flexible and can be done by absolutely everyone from pretty much anywhere you chose with the more weeks completed the better. It is specifically designed to be carried out from gardens and other self- selected locations with no standard time/day required from week to week so check out the survey web pages to find out more and sign up, https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/project-owl/tawny-owl-point-survey
As with the Point Survey, zero records are just as important as recording owls, so even if you don't expect them where you are please do consider taking part. If you have any enquires about this survey please direct them to my colleagues in the BTO Garden Birdwatch team (gbw@bto.org).
Gordon Youdale [Regional Rep. for BTO Avon.]

Reports: Sean Davies, Barry Dursley, Peter Hazelwood, Rod Holbrook, Simon Isgar, Brian Lancastle, Lisegirl, Adrian Hockey, John Martin, Andy Mears, Matt Plenty, Jenny Toller, Larry Sweetland. Howard Taffs, Gordon Youdale, Birdguides, NSL-Birding