Firecrest 29/12/14

Coming up to the end of the year now. We have recently experienced some winter weather and it has produced a lot of birds to the garden.

Firecrest

A German blackcap male was very nice to see but the second garden record of firecrest was even better. Only being seen briefly, like the individual in 2012, it was still nice to see on a cold, frosty morning.

Recent sightings

Frampton-On-Severn Little gull highlight 7/4/14

Frampton-On-Severn bird sightings

1. 1 grey heron
2. 2 oystercatchers
3. 7+ chiffchaffs calling
4. 2 male blackcaps singing
5. 1 linnet
6. 10+ black headed gulls
7. 3+ herring gulls
8. 2 mute swans
9. 6 greylag geese
10. Mallards
11. 15+ tufted ducks
12. 15+ sand martins
13. 5+ swallows
14. 1 common tern- First of the year
15. 1 LITTLE GULL adult- First ever sighting for me and In summer plumage.
    
    
    
    

Little gull adult 

Amazing 5/4/14-6/4/14 birdwatching weekend

Highlights

Slimbridge WWT (Glos)

Hooded crow

• A HOODED CROW- My 1st ever and first in Glos since 1991
• 2 TAIGA BEAN GEESE- My 1st ever and 20 years since the last Glos record.

Langland bay

• A rock pipit- 1st of year
• A FULMAR- 1st of the year and my first for 4 years
• 2 shags- 1st of the year

Stackpole Quay and Lily ponds (Pembrokeshire)

Fulmars

• Blackcap male singing- Migrants
• 7+ chiffchaffs singing- Migrants
• 15+ sand martins- Migrants
• 25+ FULMARS- Included a pair at a nest
• 6 GANNETS- Flew by
• 1 GUILLEMOT- Adult in summer plumage
• 2 peregrines
• 3 Choughs- 1st of the year

The Summer migrants are coming back EARLY!!!

Summer migrants I've seen

Firstly a SPOONBILL at Slimbridge WWT on the 8/3/14 was a nice early bird. A visit to Chew Valley Lake on the 16/3/14 saw not only 3 Chiffchaffs but also a SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF which had been around the Bernard King hide in the days before. A "new" singing Chiffchaff was heard in a woodland on the Berkeley Park-Scott Law path on the 16/3/14 as well. Gloucestershire's 3rd SWALLOW of the year flew low south over the house In the rain on the 20/3/14 which is 11 days earlier than my original "Earliest Record". A walk up Cam Peak in Cam (Glos) on the 22/3/14 had 5 Chiffchaffs singing in the trees. Then on the same day a visit to Frampton-On-Severn also had a Chiffchaff but also my first 40-60+ SAND MARTINS of the year all feeding and then moving south from the pools. On the  23/3/14 a look for migrant wheatears at Clapton (Severn House Farm) near the Power Station was excellent with 1 WHEATEAR feeding on the mud as well as the sea wall. A "new" Blackcap male was heard singing in the trees on the 24/3/14. A blackcap male was seen in next doors garden on the 25/3/13 which is quite a coincidence.

When will the first house martin be sighted in Glos? 4 were in Somerset on the 19/3/14 and 5 were at New Passage on the 20/3/14 so this could mean we might get a few early records.

Newport Wetlands 9/3/14 sightings

Very sunny and HOT!!!
RSPB

• linnet
• Meadow pipit
• 5+ cetti's warblers
• 10+ coots
• 5+ tufted ducks
• 5+ pochards
• 2 mute swans
• 2 little grebes
• 1 little egret
• Curlew heard
• Wigeon
• Shelducks
• 30+ reed buntings inc 2 sighted being ringed
• 10+ green finches inc 3 sighted being ringed
• 1 great spotted woodpecker being ringed
• Blue tits
• Kestrel
• 1 siskin
• 1 Water rail calling

Goldcliff area

• 2 grrenshanks
• 30+ redshanks
• 10+ lapwing
• 1 black tailed godwit
• 10+ redwing/fieldfare
• 10+ shelducks
• 20+ shovelers
• Teal
• Little egret
• 2 grey herons
• 22 avocets

 Great spotted woodpecker being rung

2 different male reed buntings

Summer migrants Already!!!

There have already been a few early returning summer migrants in Britain over the past week.

• 2 garganeys- Bucks on the 21/2/14
• 3 Sand martins- Southern Ireland on the 22/2/14
• 1 swallow- Somerset on the 23/2/14
• 3 sand martins- Dorset on the 25/2/14
• 1 Osprey- Probable individual over Northumbaland on the 25/2/14
• 1 sand martin in Devon on the 28/2/14

Overwintering birds or other recent birds

• A hoopoe has been sighted for a week in Ireland
• A whitethroat in Cambridgeshire sighted on the 28/2/14 and the past few days
• Siberian lesser whitethroat overwintered in Tynemouth (proved by DNA)
• Other unknown species of lesser whitethroats overwintering
• An overwintering swallow has been in the E sussex area for most of the winter
• A willow warbler was also in East Sussex sighted occasionally.

The BIG question is, When will we get our first Wheatear?
They usually, along with sand martins, arrive in the first few weeks of March so it shouldn't be too long before they arrive.

Recent garden sightings 22/2/14- 28/2/14

Not that many birds being sighted but a lot of migration happening all around us and spring coming ever closer as the mornings are lighter and song birds are in full song

• 1 Shelduck flew over- 22th
• Robin, wren and blackbird all singing on the 25th at 6:35
• Blackbird singing at 6:15 on the 26th
• AURORA (Northern lights) sighted from my bedroom window on the 27th. Very rare for them to be seen this far south but my first ever sighting.
• 1 green finch flew over calling on the 27th (First confirmed Feb sighting)
• Blackbird singing at 6:15 on the 27th.

Some of my sightings in the area

• Raven being mobbed by Carrion crows at Newtown (Sharpness) on the 27th
• 5 redwing sighted near Bushy Grove on the 27th
• Shelduck in Castle field on the 27th
• 2 grey herons in a flooded field on the 27th
• 2 shelducks sighted in the castle field on the 28th

CWP- Cotswold Water Park (Glos) 22/2/14 sightings

Knowing that I needed to go to the Water Park for some new species on my lists it was very productive as I got my first 5 SMEWS (3m+2f) on my year and county list. My first 2 Red crested pochards on my lists as well as 4 goldeneye and 4 goosanders on my County list. Surprisingly I heard my first green woodpecker of the year which was good for my lists. 2 ravens, a very close glodcrest and lots of tufted ducks were nice to see as well.

Slimbridge WWT 19/2/14 sightings

Holden Tower

• 200+ white fronted geese
• 50+ banacle geese
• 50+ wigeon
• 300+ lapwing
• 150+ golden plover
• 50+ dunlin
• 1 skylark singing
• 1 cetti's warbler singing
• 2 ruff
• 2 LITTLE STINTS

Tack piece

• The golden plover and lapwing
• 30+ greylag geese
• 40+ bewick swans
• 1 grey heron
• 40+ pintail
• 40+ pochard
• Redshank
• Black tailed godwits
• Shelducks
• Shovelers
• The European white fronted geese

Willow hide

• Normal garden birds
• 1 great spotted woodpecker
• 2 reed buntings males
• 4 LESSER REDPOLLS
  
   Lesser redpolls
  
   Reed bunting male
  
• Lesser redpoll

Rushy

• 2 oystercatchers
• The bewicks
• Pochards
• Pintails
  

Pintail

Forest of Dean weekend 15th/16th

Saturday

• 4+ mandarins- Cannop  Ponds
• 1 nuthatch- Mallard's Pike
• 1+ siskin heard- Mallard's Pike
• 1 coal tit- Parkend
• 4+ mistle thrushes- Parkend
• 1 buzzard- Parkend
• 10+ greylag geese- Parkend

Sunday

• 3 GOSHAWKS- New Fancy View
• 1 GOSHAWK- Parkend church
• 30+ siskins- Crabtree Hill
• 2 nuthatches- Crabtree Hill car park
• 1 coal tit singing- Crabtree Hill car park
• 1 buzzard- Parkend
• 1 siskin- Wenchford
• 2 nuthatches- Wenchford

Recent garden sightings

Not a lot of birds being sighted from the garden recently but some nice birds have been a flock of 17 fieldfare fly over on the 17th and a raven over on the 15th.

Seabird Paradise all along the Severn 9/2/14

After nights of wind and rain the seabirds came up the funnel shaped River Severn.

SevernBeach

• 1 Puffin- 6th record for Severnside area
• 7 guillemots- with puffin
• 1 fulmar taken ill and 1 yesterday
• 100+ kittiwakes both today and yesterday
• Purple sandpiper both days
• 1 little gull
• 1 razorbill yesterday

SARA

• 1 great skua
• 1 little gull
• 1 gannet
• 300+ kittiwakes- 2nd highest Glos record
• 8 guillemots- very high count and all alive
• 4 GUILLEMOTs- Saw them at SARA. A record flock of 3 flew through and another one from Slimbridge WWT was extremely close to the wall where we were standing above.
• 1+ KITTIWAKE- my 1st of the year flew through
• 30+ cormorants

Slimbridge WWT

• 3-4 guillemots
• 2 little gulls- 1st winter and adult
• 1 gannet- SARA bird
• 1 Glaucous gull on both days
• 1 brent goose still
• Kittiwakes

My SARA Guillemot photos

RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL at Marshfield S.Glos

Amazingly since Monday a 1st winter male RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL from Siberia has been sighted in Marshfield and has been showing well. This is a very nice sighting and first ever February sighting for Britain. So I decided to go and have a look and my results were very amazing. 

Dursley 7/2/14 sightings

Dursley (Ferney)

• 1 chaffinch singing
• flock of long tailed tits
• Coal tit- singing
• 1 FIRECREST- singing
• Blackbird
• Black headed and common gulls.

2/2/14 Garden sigtings- A few good birds

Very mild winter
Very mild so all the birds are singing earlier and a robin and blackbird pair has been found breeding already!

Flying over

• Jackdaws
• Crows
• Herring gulls
• Common gulls
• Black headed gulls
• Wood pigeons
• 2 shelducks

Trees

• 6 blackbirds- 2 males and 4 females (one female "Whitey" which was sighted last winter.
• Wood pigeon
• 1 magpie
• House sparrows
• 2 great tits
• 2 blue tits
• Starlings
• Collard dove
• 1 robin- singing
• 1 song thrush - second day now and singing so a breeding possibility.
• 1 BLACKCAP- male in the tree briefly and photographed but only showed for about a minute before disappearing. This could be an over wintering bird so further sightings may come.

Garden

• Robin
• 4 blackbirds- 3females ("Whitey" from last year and the others may be returning females+ a male.
• Several house sparrows

January results

January Results

I had 69 species at the end of January in Gloucestershire out of a 200 which I would like to get at the end of the year. There were three new birds for me and a possible fourth. Not too good for the garden as mostly rain or wind with early, dark mornings it's hard to  spot that many interesting bird species. Also, overall I had 75/76 birds for my year list which impressively is about half of my overall list last year.

Hopefully I will see some nice birds in Gloucestershire with a hen harrier and two great grey shrikes already here. Also, Cotswold water parks in Glos is doing good with goosander, red crested pochard, Siberian chiffchaff as well as a pair of ruddy shelducks. The Forest of Dean has a few hawfinches, the two barred crossbills, crossbills, lesser redpoll, sisken as well as dipper, coal tit and a few others like goshawk which are needed for my Glos List. 

Slimbridge WWT 1/2/14 sightings- Festival of Birds with GREAT birdwatching

Festival of Birds was today and tomorrow so went to see what was happening. Also, I went primarily for the birds as there were a few surprises which have been here for some time but always secretive.

Holden Tower- The birdwatchers "must go" hide

 Little stint

Greenland white fronted goose (Darker individual with orange beak)

• Thousands of lapwing
• Thousands of golden plover
• Lots of dunlin
• 12 Shelducks
• Greylag geese
• 200+ European white fronted geese
• Meadow pipit
• 1 GREENLAND WHITE FRONTED GOOSE- Feeding and showing well with the European ones. Rare in Gloucestershire although Slimbridge WWT always gets a rare goose or two literally every winter. This  year a Brent and the Greenland whitefront, last year the three Tundra bean geese. They sometimes get Pink footed geese. They've also had a Black Brant and  Red breasted geese. I remember them having seven Snow geese of unknown origin and used to have annual Lesser white-fronted geese but none after 2002.
• 1 BRENT GOOSE- the injured adult which has been around since last July/August but I've not seen him before.
• 1 LITTLE STINT- Slimbridge WWT is one of the only places a small flock of little stints winter in Britain and in 2008 a Temminck's stint was seen with them too.

South Lake

Lesser black backed x Herring gull hybrid (Dark individual on land)

• 2 oystercatchers- first of the year
• 1 lesser black backed x herring gull hybrid
• A few lapwing
• 15 cormorants
• Lots of "heavy billed" gulls- herring gulls mostly
• Common and black headed en masse.

Rushy

Pintail pair

• 2 Bewick swans
• 1 cormorant
• 20+ pochard
• 30+ pintail
• 30+ tufted ducks
• Mute swans

Tack Piece

• 2 GCP Common cranes prforming their courtship
• Greylag geese
• 40+ bewicks
• Pintail
• Pochard
• Tufted ducks
• 30+ black tailed godwits
• The lapwing
• The golden plover
• Several redshank
• The European white fronted geese.

Car park

• 50+ lapwing flew over
• Peregrine over
• 2 wader sp which looked like Snipe
• A small flock of unidentified finches

Recent sightings

Berkeley park- Scott law 19/1/14

• 25+ MAGPIES- very big flock calling and congregating in just one tree
• Chaffinches
• 2 grey wagtails
• 1 reed bunting male
• 2 herring gulls
• 7 meadow pipits
• 30+ redwing
• Adult male blackbird
• Wren
  
• 21/25 magpies

Sharpness docks

 

 

• 1 cormorant
• 2 mute swans
• 1 BLACK REDSTART- my first ever and it's a female which has been around for about a week.

  
• Black redstart female

Flooded fields

 

6 grey herons

 

 

Recent pic from Slimbridge WWT on the 11/1/14

 

Bewick swans



Slimbridge WWT 2/1/14 sightings

Awful weather on the 1st so my year list was only about 10!

I went to Slimbridge and was very pleased to have seen a few Rarities.

Rushy

• Pintail
• Black headed gulls
• 4 AVOCETS- only arrived this morning and after being found once from the Zeiss, then disappearing it was great to see them together on the Rushy.

Tack Piece

• 1000+ lapwing
• 1000+ golden plover
• 1000+ dunlin
• 100+ Canada geese
• 100+ feral banacle geese
• Lots of teal
• Lots of wigeon
• Shovelers
• Greylag geese
• Pintail
• 50+ Bewick swans
• 1 GREEN WINGED TEAL- Adult male. I first sighted this bird, with other birdwatchers, at Newpassage down in South Gloucestershire and it was very distant. That was my first ever sighting. Now a few days ago the bird had gone from New Passage and had arrived at Slimbridge WWT and was still pretty distant with the other ducks.
• 40+ white fronted geese
• 20+ curlew
• 1 ruff reported but didn't see it.

Willow hide

• Normal "Garden" birds like great tit, blue tit, chaffinch, dunnock, wren and Moorhens.

Duck Decoy area

• My earliest ever CHIFFCHAFF

December Sightings

Happy New Year to everyone

December was quite a good month for birds from the garden, although the weather was sometimes horrible, we had a total of 27 species.

1. Collard dove
2. Wood pigeon
3. Feral pigeon
4. House sparrow
5. Dunnock
6. Blue tit
7. Great tit
8. Blackbird
9. Fieldfare
10. Redwing
11. Robin
12. Goldfinch
13. Chaffinch
14. Jackdaw
15. Carrion crow
16. Magpie
17. Cormorant- Had 10 fly over together on the 24th which is a new record
18. Lesser black backed gull
19. Herring gull
20. Black headed gull
21. Common gull
22. Mallard ducks
23. Great spotted woodpecker
24. Peregrine- female either chased another peregrine or some prey on the 21st
25. Buzzard
26. Sparrowhawk
27. GOLDEN PLOVER- 3 flew north together on the 28th.