Monday 5 April 2021

05-04-21 Easter Monday - White-tailed Eagle

Very different day from yesterday - wind and frequent cloud kept Bristol temperatures pegged back to a chilly 7-8°C 

Garganey, Scaup, Long-tailed Duck 
Slavonian Grebe
Cattle Egret 
White–tailed Eagle, Osprey, Red Kite
Marsh Tit
Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler
Ring Ouzel, Redwing, Redstart
Crossbill

05-04-21 Osprey, Herriotts Bridge, CVL (Mike Trew)
BRISTOL
Ashton Marsh:
3 Buzzard, 3 Snipe, 5 Willow Warbler/Chiffchaff ( all silent)

Clifton:
Percival Road - 2 Marsh Tit again on feeders

Eastville:
Garden - 2 Rook over (garden tick) 

Frome Valley Walkway:
Snuff Mills to Oldbury Court (22 species), of note -1 Black-headed Gull, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Blackcap, 3 Nuthatch, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Grey Wagtail

05-04-21 Green Woodpecker, Stoke Park (Patrick Hardyman Richards)
Stoke Park, Duchess Pond:
2 Canada Goose, 2 Mute Swan, 36 Mallard (8m 4f 24 duckling), 17 Feral Pigeon, 12 Woodpigeon, 8 Moorhen (5 adult 3 chicks), 8 Coot, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Grey heron, 2 Buzzard, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Green Woodpecker, 1 Jay, 11 Magpie, 36 Jackdaw, 8 Carrion Crow, 9 Swallow, 14 Blue Tit, 4 Great Tit, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 12 Chiffchaff, 3 Wren, 16 Starling, 1 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, 10 Song Thrush, 1 m Redstart2 Blackbird, 4 Robin, 12 House Sparrow, 2 Dunnock, 7 Greenfinch, 4 Goldfinch, 2Reed Bunting.
05-04-21 Chiffchaff, Stoke Park (Patrick Hardyman Richards)
SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Oldbury Power Station:
1 Sedge Warbler 

NORTH SOMERSET

Portbury Wharf:
4th -1 Common Sandpiper
05-04-21 Rock Pipit, Portishead (David Clarke)
Clevedon - Yeo:
Dowlais - 1 Greylag, 3 Shoveler (2m 1f), 12 Teal (5m 7f), 3 Oystercatcher, Curlew, 8 Redshank, Green Woodpecker, 2 Skylark, House Martin, 6 Swallow, 4 Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Cetti's Warbler,  Grey Wagtail, 4 Linnet

Nailsea Moor:
2 Redstart, 1 House Martin

Banwell:
1 Cattle Egret (flying over)
05-04-21 Ring Ouzel, Sand Point (John Hansford)
Sand Point/Bay:

Skylark, c 20 Swallow, 1 Ring Ouzel, 4 Crossbill

Weston-super-Mare:
2 Raven

Writhlington
1 Sparrowhawk - recovered after crashing into a window.

BELOW M4 & BANES

Burnett:
1 Red Kite,  1 Buzzard 

Marksbury:
2 Buzzard,  1 Kestrel
05-04-21, Dipper, Pensford (Ian Stapp)
Pensford:
6 Mallard, 22 Jackdaw, 2 House Martin,  2 Wren, 2 Dipper, 2 Blackbird, 2 Grey Wagtail 

Hallatrow:
1 Dipper

RESERVOIRS

Barrow Tanks:
47 species, inc surrounding area. Highlights -  Canada Goose, 1 pr Gadwall (Tank 1), 1 Teal, 34 Tufted Duck, 1 Long-tailed Duck9 Great Crested Grebe, 10 Coot, 7 Herring Gull, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 14 Cormorant, 3 Buzzard, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel,
2 Raven, 55 Sand Martin, 7 Swallow, 1 Willow Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 1 Goldcrest, 1  Nuthatch, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Song Thrush, 7 House Sparrow, 2 Grey  Wagtail,  3 Chaffinch, 3 Greenfinch, 11 Goldfinch 

Chew Valley Lake 
05-04-21 Chiffchaff, Bittern Trail, CVL (George Stacey)
Bittern Trail:
Several Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, Blackcap, 1 Treecreeper

Heron's Green:
6 Little Grebe, 2 Buzzard, 2 Raven, 4 Swallow, 12+ Sand Martin, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Sedge Warbler, 20+ Starling 

Moreton:
2 Stock Dove, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Jay, 5+ Chiffchaff,  2 Blackcap, 1 Nuthatch, 2 Reed Bunting

Stratford:
2 1st sum f Scaup, 1 Cattle Egret, 1 Little Egret , 1 imm White–tailed Eagle, [1.45 – 2.05 pm], 1 Osprey (same reported from Herriotts), 3 Red Kite, 1 Peregrine, 100+ Hirundine flock, (mainly Swallow + Sand Martin, 5 House Martin, 1 Willow Warbler 

Herriott's inc Pool:
16 Shelduck , 22 Shoveler, 2 Pintail, 24 Teal, 1 pr Garganey, lots of Goldeneye, 1 f  Scaup (presumed also seen from Stratford)2 Slavonian Grebe 2 Little Egret, 4 Grey Heron, at least Osprey* ( some reports mentioned possibility of 3 birds present), 4 Buzzard, 70+ Sand Martin, 10+ House Martin, c 20  Swallow, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff,  2 Reed Warbler 2 Song Thrush 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Reed Bunting
*The opinion of a group of observers today was that the direction of approach and variation in plumage meant that there were at least two birds present.

Protection of nesting birds

For the next few months we will not be reporting birds falling under Schedule 1 protection, including photographs. We will still report birds in transit through Avon

‘Schedule 1’ generally refers to birds and their young, for which it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb at, on or near an ‘active’ nest
The best way to understand disturbance, whether intentional or reckless (ie pursuing a course of action while consciously disregarding the fact that the action gives rise to a substantial and unjustifiable risk), is to think that it includes any action that causes a nesting Schedule 1 bird to behave differently to how it would behave if that individual wasn’t there.
This includes getting too close and flushing, alarming, or causing a nesting bird listed on Schedule 1 to stop what it was doing; and/or using a recording/tape lure that causes a nesting bird listed on Schedule 1 to react in any way at all – whether that behaviour is a ‘normal’ response to hearing the call or not.
It is not an excuse for a person to claim that they thought that no nesting activity was taking place

In basic terms if an individual does anything that intentionally or recklessly causes any of the birds listed below (whether a nesting adult or young in the nest) to change behaviour then that individual is breaking the law.

It is against the regulations to publish the whereabouts of nesting birds covered under Schedule 1. Please consider this when Tweeting your sightings and photos

For information on the law and photographing Schedule 1 birds please go here

Reports: Paul Brian Chapman, Chris Clarke, Ben Crabb, Andy Davis, David Esam, Paul Gregory, John Hansford, Peter Hazelwood, MJ, Andy Leggatt, John Lewis, Dave Nevitt, Patrick Hardyman Richards, RobThe Birder, George Stacey, Ian Stapp, Larry Sweetland, Mike Trew, Keith Vinicombe, Bob Webber