17-10-19 Thursday - Long-tailed Skua update

Another fine day with extended sunny intervals. Bristol temperatures 7 - 16 °C

Great White Egret
Marsh Harrier
Spotted Redshank
Fieldfare, Redwing 
Siskin

See bottom of page for request for details of any sightings of ringed Curlews

Update on yesterday's skua at Dowlais, Clevedon: 

The finder, Howard Taffs, says:

Having spent several hours with books and the internet I have now concluded that the Dowlais skua is a Long-tailed Skua. 

This is based on a suite of characters which outweighed the supposedly diagnostic white area around the bill which pointed me to Arctic initially.

16-10-19 Another photo of yesterday's Long-tailed Skua, Dowlais, Clevedon (Howard Taffs)
(Note also lack of white flashes in uppperwing and dark trailing edge)

There appear to have been fewer than 20 records of this species in the Avon recording area. The first was in 1891 ('shot at Clevedon in October following severe gales'), the most recent two birds at CVL on different dates in 2015. Source: Birds of Avon, An Annotated Checklist by Rich Mielcarek (see sidebar)

BRISTOL


Coombe Dingle:
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackcap (first of the winter)

Eastville:
morning vismig mostly to south - 12 Skylark, 116 Redwing, 8 Pied Wagtail, 25 Meadow Pipit, 12 Chaffinch, 10 Greenfinch, 1 Linnet

Eastville Park:
inc WeBS count - 3 Mute Swan, 58 Mallard, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Grey Heron, 5 Cormorant, 5 Moorhen, 1Tawny Owl, 1 Kingfisher, c30 Starlings, Grey Wagtail

[Observer's comment: 'This is the 3rd year when I’ve recorded Little Grebe on the lake and only the second time when there have been 2; previous 2 were in April 2006']

Stoke Park, Duchess Pond:
inc WeBS count - 18 Mallard, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Buzzard, 3 Coot, 2 Moorhen, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, c 150 Jackdaw (large flock over lake), 2 Raven, 6 Goldfinch, 3 Stonechat

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Aust:
1 Little Egret, 1 Curlew, 1 Kestrel, 12 LTTit, 1 Skylark, c.40 Starling, 4 Stonechat, 2 Meadow Pipit

NORTH SOMERSET

17-10-19 Buzzard, Newton St Loe ( NSL-Birding)

Portishead:
1 Raven chasing a Buzzard off over the Portishead dump

Clevedon:
Wains Hill -  154 Woodpigeon, 9 Skylark, 3 Swallow, 2 Redwing, 23 Meadow Pipit, 91 Chaffinch, 3 Siskin

Clevedon-Yeo:
30 Canada Goose, 12 Mute Swan, Shelduck, Mallard, 8 Grey Heron, 6 Little Egret, 50 Oystercatcher, 45 Lapwing, Grey Plover (heard only), 7 Ringed Plover, 220 Curlew, 60 Knot, 220 Dunlin, 4 Snipe, 320 Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank (heard), 300 Black-headed Gull, 60 Jackdaw, 150 Starling, 1 Wheatear

BELOW M4 & BANES

17-10-19 Long-tailed Tit (NSL-Birding)

Newton St Loe:
3 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 3 Jay,  2 Raven, 3 Coal Tit, 12 Skylark, 15 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Pied Wagtail, 5 Meadow Pipit, 15 Linnet, 1 Yellowhammer 

Marksbury:
15th: big flock (50+) Fieldfare

RESERVOIRS

Chew Valley Lake
at least 10 Little Egret, 1 juv Marsh Harrier, 1 Peregrine, 5 Skylark to SW, 5 Swallow to SW, 15 Redwing to SW

Heron's Green - inc Pool:
8 Great White Egret

Moreton:
Siskin (over Moreton Lane)

Ringed Curlews

WWT wants help to track 50 young Curlews released at Slimbridge in July. They are fitted with a yellow ring at the top of the right leg and a white numbered ring at the top of left leg. Please pass on full sightings info with a photo if possible to - curlew@wwt.org.uk.

When a sighting is submitted they will send out a summary of the bird's life-history that will show where and when the bird has been resighted since release.

The organiser says: 'We send these out as soon as we can; however in busy periods there may be a bit of a delay. We really appreciate any sightings we get so we do try to keep any delays to a minimum.'

17-10-19 Autumn colours at Newton St Loe (NSL-Birding)

Reports: Vera Carpenter, Jane Cumming, Andy Davis, Alastair Fraser, Lois Pryce, Harvey Rose, Richard Scantlebury, Marcus Smith, Larry Sweetland, Howard Taffs, Wayne Tucker, nslbirding