Saturday 23 March 2019

23-03-19 Saturday - House Martin

Temp 9 to 13 ℃. Some Sunshine at first, clouded over a little later, cold wind

Garganey, Lesser Scaup
Great White Egret
Red Kite
Avocet, Little Ringed Plover
Little Gull, Yellow-legged Gull
Sandwich Tern
Swallow, House Martin
Willow Warbler
Firecrest
Wheatear
Brambling, Redpoll, Crossbill
Corn Bunting

23-3-19 Kestrel and Vole, Aust (Paul Milo)
BRISTOL

Filton:
1 Grey Heron flyover mobbed by Gulls

Hoar Gout:
2 Tufted Duck, 2 Peregrine, 2 Buzzard, 2 Coot, 1 Peregrine, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff

Sea Mills WeBS:
2 Shelduck, 18 Mallard, 1 Common Sandpiper, 80 Redshank, 130 BH Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Grey Wagtail

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Oldbury Power Station, vis mig to NE:
1 Buzzard, 14 Chiffchaff singing, 1 m Brambling, 1 Redpoll, 4 Crossbill, 2 Siskin

23-3-19 Willow Warbler, Littleton Brick Pits (Mark Dadds)
Littleton Brick Pits:
1 Willow Warbler, 1 Siskin
23-3-19 Wheatear, Aust (Peter Coslett)
Aust Wharf:
2 Kestrel, 1 f Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 Raven, 1 m Wheatear, lots Meadow Pipits north

NewPassage/Northwick Warth, 0555-0930:
1 Great White Egret, 49 BH Gull, 12 Common Gull, 24 LBB Gull, 1701 (spring record) Wood Pigeon, 18 Sand Martin, 49 Meadow Pipit, 4 Redpoll all N/NW. Also, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Golden Plover, 1 Ringed Plover, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 m Merlin, 1 Kestrel, 2 Peregrine

23-3-19 Linnet, Severn Beach (Rob Hargreaves)
Severn Beach:
9 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap, 1 Wheatear, 3 Linnet

Yate, Brinsham Park:
2 Chiffchaff, 1 Firecrest

NORTH SOMERSET

23-3-19 Little Gull, Portbury Wharf (Brian Thompson)
Portbury Wharf:
1 Little Gull, 1 Yellow-legged Gull, 30 Sand Martin, 8 House Martin, 10+ Chiffchaff

Clevedon, Wains Hill:
2 Greylag Geese, 25 Oystercatcher, 1 Yellow-legged Gull, 600 Woodpigeon, 11 Sand Martin, 1 Wheatear, 64 Meadow Pipit, 21 Chaffinch, 1 Greenfinch, 8 Linnet, 1 Redpoll, 29 Goldfinch, 1 Siskin

23-3-19 jet stream Sparrowhawk displaying, Sand Point (Brian Thompson)
Sand Point:
1 Little Egret, 2 Sparrowhawk, 35 Curlew, 6+ Chiffchaff, 1 Wheatear, 3 Rock Pipit

BELOW M4 & BANES

Warmley:
1 Red Kite a.m

Marshfield, Rushmead Lane;
2 Buzzard, 50 Linnet, 40 Corn Bunting, 10 Yellowhammer

Bath, Prior Park:
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Chiffchaff

Paulton:
1 Buzzard, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Skylark, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Song Thrush, 1 Yellowhammer

Bishop Sutton:
4 Collared Dove, 16 Jackdaw, 15 House Sparrow

RESERVOIRS

Barrow Tanks:
1 m Long-tailed Duck down to 15-20 yards range

Blagdon Lake:
2 Egyptian Geese, 3 2m Scaup, 1 Lesser Scaup, 6 Goldeneye, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Red Kite, 13 Snipe, 7+ Chiffchaff, 50+ Filedfare and Redwing

23-3-19 Great-white Egret displaying, Herriott's channel (Ian Stapp)
Chew Valley Lake:
48 Canada Goose, 42 Mute Swan, 5 Shelduck, 2 Garganey, 155 Shoveler (Herriott's pool), 12 Gadwall, 13 Pintail, 67 Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebe, 12 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Grey Heron, 1 Great White Egret (Herriott's pool), 3 Little Egret,  2 Buzzard, 1 white Coot, 1 Avocet, 1 Common Sandpiper (Dam), 9 GBB Gull, 1 Sandwich Tern, 3 Stock Dove, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Jay, 350 Sand Martin, 1 Swallow, 12 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Cetti's Warbler

23-3-19 Chiffchaff, Moreton (Ian Stapp)
8 Chiffchaff, 2 Chiffchaff ringed (CVRS), 4 Goldcrest, 3 Blackbird, 3 Pied Wagtail, 20+ Chaffinch, 1 Bullfinch, 4 Goldfinch, 3 Reed Bunting

23-3-19 Wren, Moreton (Ian Stapp)
The summer migrants table in the sidebar has been updated with today's House Martin
No obvious new migrant for the rest of this month

The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS)  commences in April


The BBS is the main scheme for monitoring the population changes of the UK’s common breeding birds, providing an important indicator of the health of the countryside.  BBS trends (measuring increases/decreases in populations) are produced each year for over one hundred species, and the results are widely used to set priorities and inform conservation action.  More details can be found at www.bto.org/bbs .

Volunteers are needed for the next breeding season for the following squares in the Avon BTO Region.  Please contact me (dave.stoddard@tiscali.co.uk  (tel 0117 9246968)) if you would like to take on one of these.  Squares marked with an asterisk have not been surveyed previously as part of BBS.  They will be allocated on a 'first come first served' basis.–

B&NES
ST5665 - S of Dundry
ST5958 - White Cross, S of Bishop Sutton
ST6159 -Farmland W of Clutton
ST6356 - Hallatrow
ST6954 - E Radstock *
ST7057- Peasedown St John*
ST7160 - Farmland N of Dunkerton *
ST7257 - Wellow Road, E of Peasedown St John
ST7264 - Twerton
ST7368 - Nr Lansdown
ST7559  - Twinhoe, NE of Wellow*
ST7669 - SE of Charmy Down

North Somerset
ST3962 - Rolstone, E of St George's *
ST4158 - N of Winscombe*
ST4257 - Sidcot *
ST4659 - Upper Langford*
ST4668 - Chelvey (S of Nailsea)*

South Glos
ST5485 - Severn Beach
ST5580 - Hallen*
ST6088 - Elberton
ST6389 - SW Thornbury
ST6873 - Bridgeyate

Somerset (but in Avon BTO Region)
ST3150 - N of Burnham-on-Sea*
ST3650 - Levels South of Rooksbridge
ST3754 - Levels S of Loxton*
ST3850 - Levels W of Chapel Allerton*
ST4456 -  S of Shipham *
ST4651 - Cheddar Moor Drove*
ST4953 - Cheddar Head*
ST5050 - Westbury Beacon, Mendip*
ST5153 - Yoxter Farm, Mendip
ST5256 - Green Plantation, S. of Ubley

ST5454 - Lamb Bottom
ST5650 - Tower Hill (E of Priddy (Mendip)) *
ST5851 - Mendip, W of GreenOre*
ST6050 - SW of Emborough (W of Old Down)*
ST6054 - Farmland E of Litton
ST6154 - NW of Ston Easton *
ST6250 - N of Gurney Slade
ST6251 - Old Down (Mendip)
ST6750 - N of Holcombe (E of Stratton on the Fosse)*
ST6850 - Lipyeate
ST7050 - Wincanton Racecourse *
ST7452 - Hardington & surrounding farmland 
ST7652 - E of Hardington
ST7853 - W of Woolverton (nr Rode but W of A36)*


The skills required to take part in the BBS are simply the ability to identify common birds by sight and sound.  A training morning (see below) is also available.  The time commitment is three mornings in the first year (one to assess the route/habitat) and then two in subsequent years.  Visits normally take between one and a half and two hours and are made early in the morning in the breeding season (April to about mid-June).  Returns can be made online and most people contributing to the survey find it a rewarding and worthwhile activity.

BBS Training Morning – Sunday 31 March 2019
We are holding a BBS training session on 31 March meeting outside Westbury-on-Trym Library (ST569773) at 7.30am.  Practical fieldwork will be followed by coffee and discussion.  We should be finished before 11am.  Please contact me if interested.  You are welcome to attend even if you have not yet decided to take on a square but simply want to know more about what is involved.

Local Breeding Bird Survey
We also use the basic BBS methodology to survey additional squares in the Avon BTO Region in order to get a more complete picture of our local bird populations.  Unlike the BTO’s National scheme you may choose any square of your choice though please check with me to avoid duplication.  You might like to consider doing the kilometre square around your home – additional urban/suburban squares would provide particularly valuable additional data.

If you are interested in taking on a square, wish to attend the training session or if you have any queries about any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Best wishes

Dave Stoddard
dave.stoddard@tiscali.co.uk  (tel 0117 9246968)
BBS Organiser for Avon

Reports: Blagdonlakebirds, BUPP, Karle Burford, Peter Coslett, Chris Craig, Adam Cross, Stephen Curtis, CVRS, Mark Dadds, Ian Dickie, Barry Dursley, Patrick Hancock, Robert Hargreaves, Peter Hazelwood, Julian Head, Matt Hobbs, Andrew Lipczynski, Glen Maddison, John Martin, Nigel Milbourne, Paul Milo, Mervyn Pearce, Lois Pryce, Carol Rushton, Sova, Tony Scott, Ian Stapp, Chris Stone, Howard Taffs, Gary Thorburn, Keith Vinicombe