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