Severn house farm- Berkeley Power station bird sightings

Today there was a 10m high tide which was very nice to go and see as there was some hope for a rarity as Slimbridge WWT had 1 BUFF BREASTED SANDPIPER juv yesterday and also today. The major problem with Slimbridge's high tide roost for waders is that it's situated too low down so when we had this high tide today the waders where sighted but then as the "shaft" which they go on, goes underwater the waders fly north. With a buff breasted sandpiper in the flock I thought they might go south to the saltmarsh at Berkeley power station as it doesn't get flooded as much as the dumbles (the name of land where the waders roost).
So as I walked from the farm there was much excitement and I saw:

• 30+ meadow pipits- a huge influx of birds as they may have been grounded overnight but feeding metres away from me before taking flight
• 2 grey herons
• 30+ black headed gulls
• 20+ common gulls
• 3 great black backed gulls
• 1 pied wagtail
• 1 goldfinch
• Corvids
• 3 curlew
• 5 oystercatchers
• 20+ mixed flock of small waders. Mostly ringed plover and dunlin but will confirm the other odd ones by tomorrow.
• 7 mallards  

20/9/13 garden sightings

Minimal birds today except for a few birds of prey.

Flying over

• 1 great black backed gull
•  A few common gulls
• 1 gold finch
• 5 swallows high flying south this morning
• 1 buzzard flew low over the house
• 1 PEREGRINE juv - two birds stooped down and one disappeared behind the houses but the peregrine flew on a little further and started circling on a thermal before flying back over the house scaring all the feral pigeons.
• A few corvids

Trees

• 1 house sparrow- possibly 1 but wasn't able to check.

Opposite houses

• 1 wood pigeon
• 2 collard doves
• 40+ feral pigeons

My earliest and latest winter migrant sightings (updated 19/9/13)

Migrants			Arrival	Departure
Fieldfare			?	?
Redwing			?	20/04/2013
Smew			No sighting	02/04/2013
Golden eye			No sighting	16/02/2013
Pintail			24/10/2012	23/03/2013
Pochard			28/10/2012	23/03/2013
Wigeon			27/10/2012	26/05/2013
Scaup			15/08/2012	No sighting
Knot			15/08/2012	08/09/2013
Bar tailed godwits			15/08/2012	22/04/2013
Grey plovers			15/08/2012	No sighting
Green sandpipers			23/06/2013	09/04/2013
Sanderling			No sighting	08/06/2012
Turnstone			13/08/2012	26/05/2013
Golden plovers			?	23/03/2013
Bewick swan			28/10/2012	23/03/2013
Whooper swan			31/10/2010	no sighting
White fronted geese			?	23/03/2013
Tundra bean geese			no sighting	26/01/2013
Brambling			?	19/01/2013
Glaucous gull			no sighting
Iceland gull			no sighting
Short eared owl			No sighting	09/03/2013
Great northern diver			No sighting	02/02/2013
Waxwing			09/12/2012	01/01/2013
Ruff			29/07/2013	26/05/2013

My earliest and late summer migrant sightings updated to the 19/9/13

Migrants (Summer)			Arrival	Departure
Lesser whitethroat			27/04/2013	08/09/2013
Whitethroat			20/04/2013	31/08/2013
Garden Warbler			26/04/2013	24/08/2013
Sedge warbler			26/04/2013	13/08/2013
Reed warbler			28/04/2013	02/09/2013
Chiffchaff			20/01/2013	16/12/2012
Blackcap			19/01/2013	16/12/2012
Willow Warbler			20/04/2012	02/09/2013
Wood warbler			?	?
Swift			21/04/2012	24/08/2013
Swallow			01/04/2012	24/10/2012
House martin			14/04/2012-13	19/09/2012
Grasshopper warbler			21/04/2013	13/08/2013
Sand martin			06/04/2013	14/09/2013
Spoonbill			09/06/2013	15/08/2012
Garganey			07/04/2013
Cuckoo			05/05/2013	05/06/2012
Artic tern			27/04/2013	08/06/2012
Common tern			29/06/2013	17/08/2014
Sandwich tern			12/04/2013	04/08/2013
Little tern			no sighting
Hobby			19/05/2012	14/09/2013
Wheatear			28/04/2012	22/09/2012
Yellow wagtail			10/08/2013	08/09/2013
Nightingale			05/05/2013	no sighting
Red necked phalarope			19/05/2013	30/05/2013
Whimbriel			22/04/2013	30/07/2013
Little ringed plover			23/03/2013	08/09/2013
Common Sandpiper			06/02/2013	08/09/2013
Wood sandpiper			29/07/2013	23/08/2012
Turtle dove			11/05/2013	no sighting
Spotted flycatcher			22/08/2013	25/08/2013
Osprey			no sighting	27/08/2013

Autumn is arriving early.

Autumn is arriving early and September is traditionally the month for real rare birds for Britain. Where I live, the Autumn migrants I was reporting have already started arriving. For example, a BRAMBLING has already been sighted in Northwick Warth (near Severnbeach  Glocestershire.) This is the old county of Avon's earliest ever record as these birds usually arrive in October. Also other signs of Autumn is of a JACK SNIPE sighted already for one evening at Coombe hill meadows Glos. These are great to see and I hope on Saturday there's something down at Berkeley Power Station where there's a 10m high tide which should push something exciting up the River Severn as a GREY PHALAROPE was sighted on the 18th at New Passage (Glos.) For more sightings there are some amazing sightings for the Old Avon area http://avonbirding.blogspot.co.uk/ and the Gloster birder website which keeps you up to date with the sightings in Gloucestershire http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ . Also an amazing website for bird sightings in the Severnside area is http://www.severnsidebirds.co.uk/.

In the area where I live the first COAL TIT of the year arrived on the 18/9/13  but sadly I didn't hear it on the 19/9/13 but amazingly on the 19/9/13 there has been 30+ common gulls with a smart Adult MEDITERRANEAN GULL but unfortunately I didn't have my camera to get a good shot.
 .

My recent sightings from the garden are

Flying over

• 10+ feral pigeons
• 2 lesser black backed gulls
• 10+ jackdaws

Trees

• 1 house sparrow
• 1 goldfinch 

Recent sightings Farm walk

This summer has been very good for butterflies and for birds as it's been very warm and even reaching 31'c.

There is a walk which I've  started recently doing and it has proven very good for birds. It's from Severn Farm view to Berkeley power station.

 Northern Whetear (juv)

Canada geese

 

 

The walk has a lot of clouded yellows at the moment with 8 being the highest of the week.

After a long time of not posting I'll start again today.

Weymouth sightings Friday 2nd - Sunday 4th (Photo's later)

Friday

Bowleaze cove

•  1 LONG TAILED SKUA adult
• 4 MEDITERRANIAN GULLS- 2 adults moulting and 2 juvs
• 40+ black headed gulls

Saturday

Lodmoor RSPB

• 1 common sandpiper
• 2 MEDITERRANIAN GULLS- 1 adult moulting and 1 juv
• 5 reed warblers
• 1 sedge warbler
• 2 grey herons
• 1 lapwing

Bowleaze cove

• 2 MEDITERRANIAN GULLS- 1adult moulting and 1 juv
• Lots of large gulls

Sunday

Brownsea Island

• 50+ common terns
• 100+ oystercatchers
• 30+ redshanks
• 30+ black tailed godwits
• 10 greenshanks
• 10 little egrets
• 30+ cormorants