Monday 4 May 2020

04-05-20 Monday - Swifts on the move

Fine after rain, scattered high clouds and sunshine.  Mild.  Swifts and hirundines migrating into the light Easterly wind.

Red Kites, Hobby
Whimbrels
Spotted Flycatcher 
Yellow Wagtails
Corn Bunting (away from Marshfield)

Yellow Wagtail at Marshfield (Paul Dunham)
BRISTOL

Swifts arriving back in Bristol:
10 over two Bishopston gardens, 3 over St George / Crews Hole, 2 over St Andrews Park.

Eastville:
(from a rooftop)  2 Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Peregrine, 10+ Swift, 7 Sand Martin, 6 Swallow.

Eastville Park:
1 drake Mandarin.

Oldland Common:
2 Raven.

Shirehampton - Sea Mills - Blaise:
1 Stock Dove, 3 Chiffchaff, 8 singing Blackcap, 4 Common Whitethroat (3m. singing, 1f.), 5 Starling, 1 Song Thrush, 4 House Sparrow.

Whitethroat at Aust Warth (Rob Emery)
SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

At least ten Red Kite, a small movement of Hobby (6 at least), Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard.


Aust Warth:
3 Swift, 2 Sand Martin, 1 Swallow, 1 Common Whitethroat.

New Passage/Northwick:
40 Shelduck, Oystercatchers, Curlew, Greenshank. Kestrel. 2 Buzzard.
Baby Coots, nesting Canada Goose and Mute Swan. 
Grey Heron, pairs of Gadwall and Shoveler, Tufted Duck.
Cuckoo.
Movement of Swift (10), Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin.

Severn Beach:
f. Marsh Harrier, Cuckoo.

Hobby over Yate (Mark Coller)
Frampton Cotterell:
Red Kite.

Pucklechurch:
Lyde Green lake
Grey Heron, Kestrel, Reed Bunting.
Warbler fest - Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Blackcap, Reed Warbler, Garden Warbler, Whitethroat all singing.


NORTH SOMERSET

Siskin pair in Portishead (from the Wild Portishead website)
Portishead:
6 Swift belting over, following the Severn shore at noon (first for the year over my garden).
4:00-4:45 p.m.  12 Swift, 35 Swallow, 10 House Martin, 6 Sand Martin and 40+ unidentifiable hirundines NE over the Severn shore.

M5 near Clevedon:
2 Cuckoo.

Clevedon, a garden:
18.40 to 19.10 :  2 Swift, 5 House Martin, 2 Swallow, 1 Rook.

Clevedon-Yeo:
3 Teal,  5 Swift, 2 Oystercatcher, 6 Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe, 2 Cormorant, 1 Buzzard, 70+ Sand Martin, 40+ Swallow, 5 House Martin, 2-3 Sedge Warbler, 13 singing Reed Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Whitethroat, 3 Yellow Wagtail.


Kenn:
3 Stock Dove, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 7 Blackcap, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Treecreeper, 3 Song Thrush.
Possible Wood Warbler (heard only briefly).

Sand Point/Bay to Woodspring Priory:
3 Red-legged Partridge, 8 Swift, 5 Whimbrel, 42 Dunlin, 2 Little Egret, Kestrel, 10 Swallow, 4 House Martin, Willow Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Spotted Flycatcher (car park), Tree Pipit.  

Weston-Super-Mare:
Worlebury Golf Course:
7 Woodpigeon, 2 Collared Dove, 12 Herring Gull, 6 LBB Gull, 1 Buzzard, 1 Green Woodpecker, 11 Magpie, 16 Jackdaw, 1 Rook (rare here - only my second in about 70 visits), 8 Carrion Crow, 7 Blue Tit, 9 Great Tit, 2 Swallow, 11 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 2 Goldcrest, 7 Wren, 1 Starling, 7 Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 7 Robin, 6 House Sparrow (+nest), 3 Dunnock, 8 Chaffinch, 4 Greenfinch, 5 Goldfinch.

Worlebury (Weston) Woods:
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (at nest), 1 Jay, 9 Swallow, 2 Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcap, 1 Song Thrush.

Redhill:
1 Peregrine,
Redhill: 8 House Martin, Chiffchaff with aberrant song (ST498635 about 200m west of the A38 and 400m northeast of the village church).

Felton Common:
6 Willow Warbler; 2 Chiffchaff; 7 Whitethroat; 2 Blackcap; 1 m. Stonechat singing, 6+ Linnet, pr. Yellowhammer.

Churchill:
1 Buzzard, 3+ Chiffchaff, singing Greenfinch.

Chew Magna:
5 singing Whitethroat.

Grey Heron over Bath (David Hughes)
BELOW M4 & BANES

Webbs Heath, Siston:
2 Swift, Grey Heron, Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, 2 Raven, Swallow, 3+Chiffchaff, 4+Blackcap, 4+Whitethroat, Chaffinch, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Greenfinch, Goldfinch.

Marshfield:
4 Yellow Wagtail, 8 Corn Bunting, 10+ Yellowhammer.

Bath:
Lansdown:
3 Swift, 6 Buzzard. 3 Raven, 10+ Swallow, 12 House Martin, 1 Willow Warbler, 11 Chiffchaff, 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 10 Wheatear, 3 Meadow Pipit, Greenfinch, 3 Linnet, 1 Corn Bunting (most unusual at this site - singing on top of hedge near single barn almost opposite main drive to Bath race course)

Bathampton:
Red Kite.

Caledonian Road:
6 Swift, 12 Woodpigeon, 1 Buzzard, 2 Grey Heron, 6 Magpie, 4 Blackbird, 1 Robin, 1 Dunnock, 1 Goldfinch.

Centre and Beechen Cliff:
1 Sand Martin, Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap.

Newton St Loe:
2 Swift.






RESERVOIRS

CLOSED

Chew Valley Lake:
Hobby.
Grey Wagtail adult and juvenile at Wick (Nigel Jones)

Reports: Phil Barlow, Paul Bowerman, Ken Carruthers, Anthony Cook, Pete Coslett, Chris Craig, John Croxton, Anne Crowe, Jane Cumming, Stephen Curtis & Carol Rushton, Andy Davis, Paul Dunham, Rob Emery, Paul Francis, Paul Gregory, Pete Harrison, Julian Head, David Hughes, Glen Maddison, Val Mead, Michael Moxon, Jean Oliver, Lisa Presland, Phil Quinn, George Rabin, Dean Reeves, Trevor Riddle, Larry Sweetland. Howard Taffs, nslbirdingTBOSG  blagdonlakebirds