An imprssive 36 species of birds today- 5/10/13 garden sightings including REDWING.

A very productive day for birds with an amazing 36 species sighted. Best time was in the morning but then in the afternoon a few more species were sighted.


Opposite house

• Feral pigeons
• Corvids
• Starlings
• Wood pigeons
• Collard doves

Trees

• Blue tit
• 2 robins
• 10+ house sparrows
• 10+ rooks
• 10+ jackdaws
• Carrion crow
• 11 gold finches
• 2 male chaffinches
• Male and female blackbird

Flying over

• 7 gold finches
• 30+ common gulls
• 30+ black headed gulls
• 5+ lesser black backed gulls
• 10+ herring gulls
• 20+ starlings
• 1 great spotted woodpecker
• 1 grey heron
• 1 raven
• 1 buzzard
• 1 sparrowhawk
• 10+ wood pigeons
• 8 pied wagtails (2,4,1,1)
• 1 cormorant
• 1 mistle thrush
• 13+ grey wagtail (2,1,10+) Unusually high amounts of grey wagtails all flying over and calling together.
• 2 skylarks- flew in together but 1 was getting frantically mobbed by a pied wagtail before flying north.
• 17+ meadow pipits flying over in twos but so many and at a range of heights.
• 20+ swallows- Flew very quickly over in the afternoon with the house martins.
• 10+ house martins- Flew very quickly over with the swallows but strange as they all came over in about two minutes and were only sighted in the afternoon and none in the morning.
• 2 linnets- (1,1)
• 1 REDWING- 1st of Autumn flew very quickly North East

Unidentified birds

• 1 small thrush species either a REDWING or SONG THRUSH. Most likely redwing which is very good.
• 2 birds flying like great spotted woodpeckers but looked liked mistle thrushes.
• An unidentified pipit or lark. Looked a lot like a TREE PIPIT but not sure as it didn't call.

CROSSBILLS AND "SMALL FINCHES"+ 3/10/13 garden sightings

Pretty good for Berkeley but absolutely awful for the area which I check. Redwing have been sighted along the river at Oldbury Power Station and Sharpness but none for us yet. Last years 1st of the Autumn sighting was on the 8/10/12 but hopefully I will see at least one before this date.

Garden sightings

Opposite houses

• The Lesser black backed gull in winter plumage on the same house as yesterday and whenever he flew off he was back on the same house in the same spot.
• Feral pigeons
• Collard doves
• Wood Pigeons
• Corvids
• Starlings
• 2 magpies

Trees

• 1 blue tit
• 3 magpies
• Corvids
• Collard doves
• Wood pigeons
• 11 gold finches
• House sparrows

Flying over

• 4 swallows
• 2 meadow pipits
• 100+ gulls of at least 5 species- herring, common, black headed, lesser and greater black backed gulls.
• 2 pied wagtails
• 1 buzzard
• Corvids

Berkeley interesting sightings

• A "small finch" flock of about 10 flew around and landed in some trees by the local school. They were small and stayed at the top of the trees before flying off. Didn't see any markings on the wings due to it being quite dark in the morning- probably SISKENS with LESSER REDPOLL
• 1 Meadow pipit
• 2 COMMON CROSSBILLS- juvs flew south over the Marina's (pub) together. Was bigger than a goldfinch which flew over just after and looked a little bigger than a green finch but wasn't obviously green and wasn't calling. 1st sightings in Berkeley for me.
• No sign of Ring necked parakeet although no further looks for the bird.

Other interesting birds

• 8 white fronted geese at Slimbridge WWT
• Bewick swans should reach Slimbridge WWT by the 20th and are, at the moment, in Holland  due to the Easternly  winds we had.

SPARROWHAWKS AND RING NECKED PARAKEET- 2/10/13 garden sightings

A reasonably good day although being cloudy and with a heavy rain shower. Sightings, as usual on a week day, any time after 15:40.

Trees

• 1 blue tit
• 11 gold finches
• 1 wood pigeon
• 2 collard doves
• Corvids

Flying over

• 50+ common gulls (morning) with a few more in the afternoon
• Black headed gulls
• Lesser black backed gulls
• 1 buzzard
• Corvids
• 2 female sparrowhawks
• 2 swallows
• Starlings
• 10+ wood pigeons
• 1 pied wagtail
• 1 grey wagtail- Flew over calling

Opposite house

• 1 lesser black backed gull in winter plumage
• Starlings
• Feral pigeons

Garden

• 1 SPARROWHAWK female- 1st for garden and landed on the fence. Two flew in very fast and one landed on our fence while another female landed on next doors trampoline. 
  
   Next doors female which was on their trampoline net
  
  
  
  

Our female/juv bird

Other news

• 1 RING NECKED PARAKEET- 1st I've ever seen in Berkeley but flew from, I think, a bush and flew very fast past the hall and over a charity shop before disappearing. I didn't further look for the bird but hope it'll make an appearance around our garden.

1/10/13 sightings from garden

Garden sightings

• 3 swallows (2,1)
• 1 fly over female sparrowhawk
• 1 Mistle thrush flew over- 1st of autumn
• Usual gulls flying over
• Usual birds in general

Other interesting sightings

• Yellow browed warbler at Chipping Sodbury
• Now 7 White fronted geese at Slimbridge WWT- Numbers reach 100+ in winter and so far there was 2 for about a week but on the 1/10/13 build up to 5 and then 7.
• 1 Mistle thrush- Berkeley

Swallows- Where are they coming from? 30/9/13

Over the past few weeks migration for swallows has been extremely good with 510 being our peak on Saturday 28th. Just down the road from Berkeley is Sharpness and over the same period of time they have recorded no fewer than 1000+ per day with some being lower compared to a few which have been higher. I think they are migrating over from Wales and because Sharpness docks is on our closest points where the River Severn's at it's most tightest I think they're flying over at this point. The reason I believe this is that when they come over there was a North Easterly wind .This would be pushing all the swallows more South towards Berkeley and this is why I believe we've had such high numbers of migrating swallows because the wind has pushed them a across the Severn and down a little to Berkeley where I'm seeing them. Berkeley has a by- pass for cars travelling from the docks and past Berkeley and this road is being used as a guide for most swallows as in the mornings I've seen at least 25 in about 2 minutes there where I think they're coming across and heading in a straightish line along the by- pass. Due to the wind they would be pushed closer to Berkeley and this backs up my point that the reason I've seen so many swallows is because they're being blown across the land from Sharpness to Berkeley and right over my house.

Garden sightings

• 5+ house martins feeding briefly before flying East

Other interesting sightings in the area 

• Yellow browed warbler at Chipping Sodbury in the middle of Quarry Lane in trees by the bridge.

29/9/13 Garden sightings

Much quieter than the 28th with minimal birds seen.

Opposite houses

• Normal feral pigeons
• Corvids
• Starlings
• 10+ wood pigeons
• Collard Doves

Trees

• Starling flock
• Corvids
• House sparrows
• 1 Chiffchaff- Yet again in song but only sighted in the morning and as it came out nice in the afternoon it probably continued on it's migration South.

Flying over

• Gulls
• 2 buzzards
• 1 female sparrowhawk
• 2 linnets- females

Other sightings

• 4 redwing- 1st of the year in Gloucestershire sighted at Sharpness  so hopefully they will be seen soon in a week flying over in the day and the night as they, as with many other migrants, are nocturnal migrants.
• 8 Redwing- Painswick beacon
• 1 COMMON CRANE- Unringed wild individual which has been around for a week or two now
• 1 RICHARD'S PIPIT- Lydney 1st in Gloucestershire since probably 2004 and an amazing find although frustratingly just over the river.

28/9/13 New passage- Pilning Wetlands (glos) afternoon sightings

New passage

• 30+ dunlin
• 100+ wigeon
• 50+ teal
• 5+ shovelers
• 100+ black headed gulls
• A few curlew
• 1+ CURLEW SANDPIPER- juv, 9-12 being sighted down there around the 28th.
• 1 LITTLE STINT- possible feeding alone but could be the one which was on the wetlands

Pilning Wetlands

• 11 lapwing
• 10+ ringed plover
• Little grebes
• 4 mute swans
• 20+ teal
• 10+ pintail
• 1 buzzard
• 7 magpies
• 1 raven
• 1 ruff- possible in flock of lapwings which got scared by the buzzard
• 1 LITTLE STINT- juv possibly in the lapwing flock which got scared and flew high East.
• 1 GARGANEY- juv feeding on the pool by the first box on Northwick Warth if headed from New Passage along sea wall to Aust Warth.
  
   Wigeon in multiple plumages (New Passage)
  

GARGANEY juv

Not seen exciting individuals

• 1 GREAT WHITE EGRET- 1st patch tick-  Surprisingly 1st ever for the Severnside area seen flying over Northwick Warth.Gloucestershire has had at least 20 and the Avon Area which are right next to Severnside has had about 7 Severnside should have got a great white egret years ago.Also the two breeding pairs in 2012 and again in 2013 in Somerset maybe one of the reasons why on has visited.
• 1 JACK SNIPE- 1st of year on Northwick Warth. Didn't see on visit due to the secretive habits of these birds.
• 1 LAPLAND BUNTING- 1st of the year and didn't see it as it was sighted in the morning and flew off before I got there.