27-01-26 Tuesday

Temp 02°C to 09°C -  Heavy rain and a fresh breeze early on. Improved to light rain showers and a moderate breeze by the afternoon. Winds were from the South.

Rich Mielcarek has published the 8th edition of his 'Birds in Avon'. This annotated checklist is an excellent source of info about the birds that have occured in Avon, and how their status has changed over time. Well worth a read. You can view it here.

The Avon Ornithological Group still have a number of notable records that are missing any sort of identification notes or photos. If you saw any of the following, can you please supply a description of what you saw to avonbirds@hotmail.co.uk . See list at the bottom of the post

Purple Sandpiper

Lapwing (flock of 1200)

BRISTOL

Eastville Park:

1 Dipper

Fishponds (Ridgway Road fields):

290 Black-headed Gull, 1 Common Gull, 5 Herring Gull

Withywood:

1 Grey Wagtail (garden visitor)

SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Littleton-on-Severn (BOC walk):

2 Shelduck, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, 10 Pheasant, Woodpigeon, 5 Collared Dove, 4 Moorhen, 90 Curlew, 30 Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Buzzard, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Green Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, 10 Blue Tit, 6 Great Tit, 12 Skylark, 2 Long-tailed Tit, Starling, Redwing, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Robin, 1 Stonechat, House Sparrow, 8 Dunnock, 1 Pied Wagtail, 8 Meadow Pipit, 6 Chaffinch, 1 Greenfinch, 22 Goldfinch

Aust Services & cliff:
c250 Common Gull, 2 Buzzard, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Raven, 50+ Redwing, c300 Linnet

New Passage/Pilning Wetland/Northwick:
c70 Greylag Goose, 1 Mute Swan, 540 Wigeon, 2 Pochard, 107 Oystercatcher, c100 Lapwing, c50 Curlew, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 160 Redshank, 65 Turnstone, 300 Dunlin, 1 Peregrine, 3 Raven, 20+ Meadow Pipit

Severn Beach:
1 Water Rail, c150 Redshank, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Stonechat, 2 Reed Bunting

Easter Compton:
2 Mallard, 130 Lapwing (settling in flooded field by path...), 35 Herring Gull, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, 55 Rook, 1 Goldcrest, 180 Starling

NORTH SOMERSET

Portishead:
5 Purple Sandpiper (Battery Point)

Redshank flock, Dowlais (Howard Taffs)

Clevedon - Yeo:
Strode Rd. bridge: 13 Goosander(7m)

Dowlais: 5 Shoveler, 20 Wigeon, 26 Teal, 3 Grey Plover, 8 Ringed Plover, 21 Curlew, 150 Redshank, 5 Turnstone, 300 Dunlin

Yatton:
44 Mute Swan, 1 Shelduck, 1 Snipe, 1 Kestrel, 20 Rook, 4 Skylark, 1 Stonechat, 1 Grey Wagtail

Weston-Super-Mare:
1200 Lapwing (single flock over North Worle)

Uphill:
6 Avocet (beach), 2 Ring-necked Parakeet (Bluebellwood)

BELOW M4 & BANES

Marshfield:
1 Red Kite (seen from M4 over Tormarton Rd)

Wick/Beach:
3 Skylark (in song flight)

Staple Hill:
1 Red Kite (flying east)

Bath:
3 Blackcap (1m+2f)

RESERVOIRS

Chew Valley Lake

Herons Green:
1 Greylag Goose, 1 possible Lesser Scaup (f)

Out of area:

Red-necked Grebe, Cheddar Reservoir (Bri Thompson)

Reported by: Derek Clarke, Jane Cummings, Alan Daniells, Matt Hull, Nigel Jones, Brian Martin, Chris Mott, Ross Nairn, Lee Patch, Lois Pryce, Trevor Riddle, Mark Savage, Andrew Stockhausen, Larry Sweetland, Howard Taffs, Bri Thompson, Gary Thorburn

blagdonlakebirds, CVRS, opsbirding, severnsidebirds

Species	Date	Site
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	01/02/2025	Manor Woods Valley LNR
Blue-headed Spanish Wagtail intergrade	10/04/2025	Pilning Wetlands
Pectoral Sandpiper	06/09/2025	Blagdon Lake
Glossy Ibis (15)	13/09/2025	BG
Razorbill	15/09/2025	Severn Beach
Shag	19/09/2025	River Avon in Bath
Glossy Ibis (3)	28/09/2025	Blaise Castle
Yellow-browed Warbler	28/09/2025	Sand Point - Middle Hope
Leach's Petrel	04/10/2025	CVL
Red-breasted Merganser	12/10/2025	Blind Yeo, Clevedon
Pale-bellied Brent Goose	31/10/2025	Oldbury Power Station
Glossy Ibis (9)	31/10/2025	CVL
Shag	04/11/2025	River Avon in Bath
Shag	05/11/2025	River Avon in Bath
Hoopoe	20/11/2025	Rockhampton
Whooper Swan	26/11/2025	Blagdon Lake