A trip up on to the "Avalon Marshes" this afternoon and I after parking at the Ashcott Corner car park I started off by walking out towards Meare Heath as far as Noah's Lake. Despite the sun it was pretty windy so I didn't hold out much hope of seeing much. A couple of Bitterns were heard booming from deep in the reeds and a female Marsh Harrier was seen hunting, and that was pretty much it other than a few duck!
Back to the car park and out on to Ham Wall. I only went as far as the first viewing platform and then out to look at the new hide. There seemed to be even less on this side, but a couple of drake Garganey did liven up the afternoon, even if they did spend most of the time with their butts in the air as the fed.
And that was the end to another trip out and another weekend over!
A lovely Spring morning but a visit to Sutton Bingham produced very little in the way of birds. The clear blue skies did bring out good numbers of Buzzards, with at least a dozen seen soaring over the reservoir, I was hoping that something else may join them, but a Sparrowhawk was not quite what I was after!
I did get one new bird for the year list, a single Sand Martin flew through heading north. This is probably the earliest Sand Martin I've had at the reservoir, with birds usually being recorded in the last week of March.
A walk from the car park as far as the southern causeway and then back again failed to produce much more than a couple of singing Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests, and a calling Bullfinch. Though a male Reed Bunting did put in an appearance and two Snipe were flushed form the water's edge.
But Spring seems to be well and truly on it's way (famous last words!), so hopefully a few more migrants will start passing through soon.
This afternoon I decided against travelling too far and spent a couple of hours at Sutton Bingham instead, this was my first chance to visit the patch this month, and it turned out to be a pretty good visit.
From the northern causeway a pair of Tufted Duck were on West Pool and a Green Woodpecker could be heard "yaffling" from the trees near the railway line (though didn't actually show itself!). There was not much else on the reservoir so I headed down to the site where the hide was located and walked along the water's edge as far as the Canoe Club and then back again. A total of ten Snipe were flushed from the vegetation (though only five were seen together so there is a possibility that I flushed the same birds twice).
Scanning the fields on the opposite side of the reservoir I had a massive surprise when I located a Red-legged Partridge! I have this species on my patch life list but had only ever heard one bird, and that was years ago, so to actually see one was as good as a patch tick really. I even managed to get this hi-res image of it:
Popping back to the car I then carried on and took a walk around the southern end of the reservoir. There were still a few Teal around, with twenty-four birds being counted. A pair of Mandarin Ducks flew in from the south and appeared to land somewhere. It was reassuring to hear and then see a Marsh Tit, this species seems to just about be hanging on at Sutton Bingham. There followed another surprise as I spotted a Mink, a first for me here and not a welcome one!
Returning to the car three Great Spotted Woodpeckers were making heck of a din as they chased each other through the trees and a Raven passed overhead. Other new patch ticks for the year came in the form of a male Kestrel flying south and at least two Jays screaming at each other from the trees opposite "the hide".
So all in all a pretty good time at Sutton Bingham this afternoon, just waiting for the Spring migrants to start passing through now!
Sutton Bingham year list for 2014 now at 70 species.
A couple of hours up on the Somerset Levels after breakfast in lovely sunshine was most enjoyable today. Despite not being able to locate a Firecrest that had been present for nearly a week I still had a rewarding visit, with the highlight being a small group of about four Bearded Tits, of which at least one male and a female showed really well. The usual duck species were still present out on the water and Spring felt as if it was well and truly in the air with at least four Chiffchaff singing. As I returned to the car a Bittern was booming away and rounded off a fairly short but pleasant trip out.
Year list for 2014 now at 141 species.
Heading down the M4 from our morning over the River Severn we made for a small valley just to the north of the village of Marshfield in South Gloucestershire. A brisk walk along the stream and within twenty minutes of parking the car we were watching the long-staying Red-flanked Bluetail, and what a bird. Only my second ever and much more obliging than the previous one I'd seen.
We probably spent at least quarter of an hour admiring this little gem what a great bird. A Grey Wagtail was also seen as it flitted around the stream.
Back to the car and a five minute drive down the road before pulling over to scan the countryside. Before long we found what we were looking for, a flock of at least fifty Corn Buntings as well as ten plus Yellowhammers and about twenty Linnet. And that rounded off an absolutely excellent day's birding as we jumped back in the car and drove home.
A trip up to Gloucestershire today and a long-overdue visit to the Forest of Dean (I'd not ventured this way for several years). Arriving at the church at Parkhead at around 8.30am after leaving home just before 7.00am (picking up a couple of mates in Yeovil en route) we were out of the car for less than five minutes as a Hawfinch flew in to the trees in the graveyard before being spooked by a few Goldfinches, target bird number one safely in the bag it was on to Brierley arriving at about 9.00am.
Parking up the track opposite the Total garage we took a walk up to Serridge Ridge and after much searching and a fortunate encounter with a chap who recognised the call we eventually connected with a small flock of at least five Two-barred Crossbills (4+ males and 1+ female)! We had brilliant views of the birds as they fed in the larches above us and a wonderful comparison as a male Common Crossbill popped in to join the flock and had a face off with a male Two-barred Crossbill. We also saw a few Siskin and lots of Coal Tits whilst in the woods.
Back at the car and after a bit of info from the same birder who helped us find the Two-barred Crossbills we were parked near Speech House and walking out towards Crabtree Hill where before too long I located the wintering Great Grey Shrike. Some cracking views of this bird too as it hunted bumble bees and perched in a small silver birch.
Another quick drive and we were at New Fancy and the raptor viewpoint. It was now midday and the weather was wonderful, as a result it was perhaps not that surprising that over the next thirty minutes we saw at least six Goshawks, as well as several Buzzards and three or so Raven. The walk back to the car provided an Adder soaking up the sun's heat and a Red Admiral on the wing for a little non-bird interest.
Off again and another quick stop at Parkend produced nothing so we left the Forest of Dean after a brilliant morning's birding.
It was third time lucky today as I stopped off at Sopley and finally managed to connect with the drake Green-winged Teal. I parked at the crematorium and with nowhere near the number of birds on the water as had been present earlier in the week I walked down the road about a hundred metres and 'scoped the floods, and struck lucky pretty much straightaway as the Green-winged Teal swam along in the company of a few Eurasian Teal.
There were far fewer Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwing present today, but still lots of wildfowl including the pair of Goosander amongst loads of Wigeon, Shoveler and Pintail. I also added another year tick with a couple of Greylag Geese present on a distant bank, and then it was back in the car and off home after a good few days in south-east Dorset.
Year list for 2014 now at 134 species.
