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.
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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

April Migrants up to the 19th

Winter migrants

• 1 green sandpiper- Chew Valley lake on the 6/4/13
• Redwings and fieldfare at Neigh Bridge Country Park on the 2/4/13
• 3 smews (2 drakes and 1 red head)
• 1 sisken at Chew valley lake on the 6/4/13
• Another green sandpiper at Berkeley by-past in the river on the 9/4/13
• 2 siskens in Berkeley on the 7/4/13
• Redwings at Oldbury Power station on the 7/4/13

Summer migrants

• 7 chiffchaffs at Neigh Bridge Country park (Cotswold water park) on the 2/4/13
• 10+ chiffchaffs at Chew Valley Lake on the 6/4/13
• 5 chiffchaffs at Oldbury power station on the 7/4/13
• 6 chiffchaffs on the 12/4/13 at SARA  Sharpness
• 4 chiffchaffs at Slimbridge WWT 13/4/13
• 8 chiffchaffs at SARA on the 15/4/13
• 7 sand martins at Chew Valley Lake on the 6/4/13
• 1 Garganey at Oldbury Power Station on the 7/4/13
• 1 sandwich tern at SARA on the 12/4/13
• 7 swallows at SARA on the 12/4/13
• 7 swallows at Dursley on the 12/4/13
• 2 swallows at Berkeley on the 12/4/13
• 6 swallows at Slimbridge WWT on the 13/4/13
• 20+ swallows at St Fagans on the 14/4/13
• 11+ swallows in Berkeley on the 15/4/13
• 2 swallows flew over on the 16/4/13
• 2 swallows at Tytherington on the 18/4/13
• 10+ swallows in Berkeley on the 19/4/13
• 3 swallows at Berkeley Heath on the 17/4/13
• 1 garden blackcap on the 13/4/13
• 1 singing blackcap at Slimbridge WWT on the 13/4/13
• 4 house martins at St Fagans on the 14/4/13
• 14 house martins in Berkeley on the 15/4/13
• 1 house martin at Tytherington on the 18/4/13
• 8 house martins in Berkeley on the 19/4/13
• 1 willow warbler in Berkeley on the 19/4/13
• 1 lesser whitethroat in Berkeley on he 19/4/13

Recent Garden Birds

A great change in weather from snow to sun

Flying over

• 1 raven 7/4/13
• 1 buzzard
• 5 redwings
• 1 JAY 1st of the year
• 1 mallard
• Wood pigeons

Garden birds

• 1 GOLD CREST 30/3/13 1st ever garden sighting
• 1 CHIFFCHAFF 29/3/13 1st ever garden sighting
• house sparrows
• Jackdaws
• Wood pigeons
• Wrens
• Blue tits
• Pied wagtail
• Collard dove
• Blackbirds
• Robins

Tree  Highlight sightings

• 1 magpie pair making a nest
• 5 gold finches

Recent garden sightings

Snow fell on the 23rd/3/13

Highlights flying over

• 2 mallards
• 2 canada geese
• 1 buzzard
• 1 perigrene
• 1 female sparrowhawk
• 5 redwing
• 1 little egret

Garden highlights

• House sparrows
• collard doves
• Wood pigeons
• Chaffinches
• wrens
• Starlings
• Jackdaws

Berkeley shore sightings on the 24/3/13

• 2 redshank
• 2 oystercatchers
• 10+ dunlin
• 2 canada geese
• 12 shelducks
• 2 curlews
• 2 mute swans
• 3 mallards
• No Whetear or swallow past through between the Power station and the farm (south) although 3 whetears at Oldbury Power station

Other highlights

• 2 short eared owls at Slimbridge WWT on the
• 1 imm male goshawk at Slimbridge WWT on the
• 1 chiffchaff at the Little river avon (Between Ham and Berkeley) on the
• 2 little egrets at Berkeley Castle entrance on the 23/3/13
• 4 grey herons at Berkeley Castle entrance on the 23/3/13
• 4 little ringed plovers at Slimbridge WWT on the 23/3/13 (1st ever sighting)

Other garden hopes

• 1st swallow of the year for me in 2012 was at Aust Warth from Moterway on the 1/4/12.
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Spring migrants already this year in the UK

Spring migrants

• Hoopoe- 1 overwintered in the UK in Dorset
• Common Rosefinch
• Sand martins
• Whetears- 1 sighted at Berkeley Shore (Berkeley) on the 23rd
• White wagtails
• Swallow
• Sandwich tern
• House martin
• Gargany- 1 drake at Slimbridge on the 23rd/24th and a pair at Cotswald water park on the 24th.
• Stone Curlew- 1 arrived on the 23/3/13 at Northwick Warth but wasn't sighted on the 24th
• Whimbreil
• Redstart- Arrived first on the 24/3/13in Scilly
• Artic tern
• Osprey- 2 sighted on the 24th at Blagdon lake
• Common tern
• Little ringed plover- 4 at Slimbridge WWT on the 23rd/24th (3 at Holden tower+ 1 on tack piece)
• Hobby
• Spoonbill- 1 at Slimbridge WWT 23rd/24th
• Ring ouzel- 5 at Middle hope NR (somerset)
• Turtle dove
• Pomaraine skua
• Great skua