It was a glorious spring morning and 26 Tuesday walkers set off out of Bridgeyate towards Siston Common and Webbs Heath. Nine species of birds were recorded around the housing estate including Herring Gull, Collared Dove, Dunnock and Starling. As we walked along the Dramway path and down to the stream, a Bullfinch was calling … Read more
The planned walk was to watch winter thrushes and Blackcaps feasting on the masses of Sea Buckthorn berries in an area of the dunes at Berrow that gets very little attention from birdwatchers. Unfortunately, the snow fall early in the year heralded the arrival of thousands of birds, which subsequently devoured virtually every single berry. … Read more
On a chilly grey morning 22 birdwatchers met at The Perrings, Nailsea for a walk round Backwell Lake and the local countryside towards Chelvey Batch and Manor. Two Little Egrets were on the bank at the lake, one already with breeding plumes but the Goosander which are normally present during winter were absent. However, Tufted … Read more
A Wild Goose Chase and Much More A party of 17 departed Bristol in good order on the Friday morning, 13 in the minibus and four outriders travelling by car; destination – the comfortable Burleigh Hotel in Hunstanton. This was definitely a winter event with weather ranging from bracing to bleak – strong winds throughout … Read more
Elm Farm at Burnett, run by Philippa and John is under a stewardship scheme, so plenty of areas are left uncut and some areas are seeded for wildlife. With the rain after snow it was wet underfoot and the standing water in some fields developed quite well during our walk! Ten walkers were undeterred by … Read more
Thirty one people met at Portbury for one lap around the reserve on a bright and cold morning. As we started, a Grey Heron flew over and a Robin ticked from the bushes. At a bird feeder those rare birds House Sparrows shared the food with Blue and Great Tits. At the top of Wharf … Read more
Being retired and a Tuesday birder, it’s not often that I venture forth for a grown-up day at the weekend. As Nigel Milbourne, patch specialist, was leading I made a special effort to attend. I wasn’t disappointed and am sure the others in the group weren’t either. Nigel was confident we would see 50 species … Read more
28 people set off on a very calm day. It was a shame that it was a low tide with no hope of seeing the Purple Sandpipers, but at the start a Grey Wagtail was seen just over the sea wall, with Goldfinch in a nearby tree. Walking along the front to the lake we … Read more
At least 26 members appeared in the car park (several others arrived later!) After the horrid weather of previous days, it was a joy to arrive in bright sunshine. A perfect morning, added to which it was just after high tide, so the Dumbles and Tack Piece were full of birds, dominated by large flocks … Read more
Firstly, thank you to Wendy Dickson our leader and guide for showing us the beautiful countryside and bird watching sites of Northumberland. The weather was glorious which enabled our group of 13 to have non-stop bird watching for the whole week. On picking up the mini-bus at Newnham Hall, (expertly driven by Nick and Sue … Read more
