25-03-19 Monday - Whitethroat

Temp 7 to 14 ℃. Sunshine wall to wall today, strong cold breeze melting into Buzzers and heat

25-3-19 Buzzers by the billion at CVL (Ian Stapp)

Garganey, Lesser Scaup
Red Kite
Ruff
Willow Warbler, Whitethroat
Brambling, Redpoll

BRISTOL

1 Willow Warbler in garden with 3 Chiffchaff

25-3-19 Peregrine over Avon Gorge (Ian Loats)

Avon Gorge:
1 Sparrowhawk, 8 Buzzard, 5 Peregrine

Henbury:
1 Chiffchaff, 1 Nuthatch

Stockwood Open Space:
2 Coal Tit, 10 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 1 Whitethroat (previous earliest 2/4/12), 2 Song Thrush, 8 House Sparrow, 6 Goldfinch

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Oldbury Power Station:
5 Sand Martin

25-3-19 Coal Tit on Cadbury Hill (Mark Savage)

Milbury Heath:
1 Red Kite, Buzzards, 1 Peregrine

NewPassage/Northwick Warth, 0555-0930:
110 Shelduck, 8 Shoveler, 15 Gadwall, 7 Wigeon, 70 Teal, 7 Little Egret, 1 Buzzard, 1 Water Rail, 105 Turnstone, 1 Raven, 2 Sand Martin, 8 Siskin

Yate, Kingsgate Park:
1 Willow Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap

NORTH SOMERSET

25-3-19 Snipe at Portbury Wharf (Howard Taffs)

Portbury Wharf:
1 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Snipe

Clevedon, Wains Hill:
36 Meadow Pipit, 2 Chaffinch, 5 Linnet. 1 Redpoll, 3 Siskin

25-3-19 Garganey, Blind Yeo (Howard Taffs)

Clevedon, Blind Yeo at Kenn Pier Bridge:
1 m Garganey (PC)

Clevedon, Dowlais:
38 Shelduck, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Buzzard, 11 Lapwing, 1 Ruff, 115 Redshank

Clevedon-Yeo, CVF to Blake's Pools:
250 Shelduck, 6 Wigeon, 40 Teal, 2 Tufted Duck, 3 Grey Heron, 6 Little Egret, 6 Oystercatcher, 90 Curlew, 2 Snipe, 1 Kestrel, 1 Peregrine, 30 Skylark, 8 Sand Martin, 3 Chiffchaff, 20 Meadow Pipit.

Sand Point:
lots singing Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap

25-3-19 Coal Tit on Cadbury Hill (Mark Savage)

Yatton, Cadbury Hill:
5 Buzzard, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Raven, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Marsh Tit, 3 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 1 Treecreeper

BELOW M4 & BANES

Keynsham Manor Park:
2 Raven displaying

25-3-19 Brambling at Claverton Down (David Hughes)

Bath, Claverton Road:

1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Chiffchaff, 3 Nuthatch, 1 Brambling

Bishop Sutton:
4 Collared Dove, 15 Jackdaw, 20 House Sparrow

RESERVOIRS

Blagdon Lake, WeBS:

31 Canada Geese, 24 Mute Swan, 2 Egyptian Geese, 5 Shoveler, 8 Gadwall, 48 Mallard, 2 Teal, 1 Pochard, 266 Tufted Duck, 1f Scaup, 1 Lesser Scaup, 16 Goldeneye, 3 Little Grebe, 17 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Grey Heron, 1 Great White Egret, 8 Cormorant, 5 Buzzard, 10 Moorhen, 274 Coot, 1 Snipe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 15 Bh Gull, 3 GBB Gull, 28 Herring Gull, 222 LBB Gull

25-3-19 Mute Swans, Herriotts pool (Ian Stapp)

Chew Valley Lake:
38 Canada Goose, 44 Mute Swan, 11 Shelduck, 32 Shoveler (Herriott's pool), 4 Gadwall, 10 Pintail, 20 Goldeneye, 4 Little Grebe, 8 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Grey Heron, 3 Little Egret,  1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Buzzard, 1 Common Sandpiper (Dam), 1 Redshank, 6 GBB Gull, 2 Stock Dove, 4 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Jay, 2 Raven, 4 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Cetti's Warbler, 10+ Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Treecreeper, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Grey Wagtail, 6 Pied Wagtail, 20+ Chaffinch, 2 Goldfinch, 3 Reed Bunting

25-3-19 Treecreeper, Moreton (Ian Stapp)

Out of Avon
White Stork and Garganey at Slimbridge and Splatt

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, Paul Chapman, Mark Coller, Anne Crowe, Stephen Curtis, Paul Francis, Robert Hargreaves, Peter Hazelwood, Adrian Hockey, David Hughes,, Ian Loats, Paul Marshall, John Martin, Nigel Milbourne, Aravind Ramesh, Adam Rawson, Trevor Riddle, Carole Rushton, Mark Savage, Ian Stapp, Chris Stone, Howard Taffs, Paul Williams