Sightings 5/4/11

BRISTOL:
Henbury: 2 Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler this morning (E Drewitt).

Clifton: a male Redstart at the Royal Fort Gardens 2.30pm, 2 Willow Warblers also (E Drewitt).

PORTBURY WHARF:

5.4.11 Yellow Wagtail
(Prints available from the Sightings Page team office if anyone wants one)

5.4.11 Mistle Thrush

New birds today: a Whimbrel, 2 Wheatear (fields 1st hide), 4 Yellow Wagtail and a White Wagtail on the island (S Hale).

PORTBURY DOCK ESTATE:

5.4.11 Roe Deer, 4.30pm this evening

Photographed along the Drove Rhine, near the Kerry warehouse/Dusky Warbler site of a few years ago.

 
Rybachy Ringing Station 4/4/11:

4.4.11 Red-flanked Bluetail © Mikhail Markovets, many thanks

Rybachy is the world's oldest observatory, situated on the Baltic coast at Kaliningrad.

Check out http://www.zin.ru/rybachy/

Many thanks to Lyndon Roberts for the info.

Sightings 4/4/11

BRISTOL:
St Andrews: 15 Waxwing at North Rd 9am this morning, aerials near the Co-op supermarket (J Rossetti). Birds also here the day before apparently.

SLIMBRIDGE WWT:
An incredible 194 Black-tailed Godwit on the reserve today (per slimbridgebirds).

YATE:
Common: 2 Swallow, 2 Blackcap, 7 Chiffchaff and 3 Willow Warbler.

Kingsgate park: 2 Gadwall, 3 flyover Cormorant, 3 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff and 8 Willow Warbler (D Pearce).

PORTBURY WHARF:

4.4.11 Grey Heron

The 3 Bar-headed Goose types on the main pool mid-day (S Hale).

CHEW VALLEY LAKE:
A parvipes Canada Goose, the 1st winter Scaup, 2 Goosander ( 1st winter male + female), a Red-legged Partridge, the Oystercatcher still, 2 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull, 1,500 Sand Martin, 8 Swallow and a Sedge Warbler (KE Vinicombe).

FOREST of DEAN:
A Pied Flycatcher at RSPB Nagshead this morning and a Purple Heron reported at New Fancy View this afternoon

Streamer-tailed Tyrant Flycatcher

Streamer-tailed Tyrant Gubernetes yetapa, Brazil March 2011

 © John Martin, many thanks



A rare photograph of this South American flycatcher species. The Recorder also sent us an outer tail feather and with our newly acquired equipment, we were able to carry out some stable hydrogen-isotope analysis.

The isotope signature shows the bird to be of the poorly known sub-species strain 'hellarwe', probably from the south-eastern Santa Catarina region of Brazil.

Whereas most flycatchers like sunny, open wooded glades to make their aerial forays for insects, 'hellarwe' rarely ventures out from the thick jungle cover.

Clear sightings are rare and birds (the males at least), are best located by their long drawn out questioning call from the dense thickets....'we're the hellarwe....we're the hellarwe'.....not unlike our own Yellowhammer only with different words.

Many thanks for the ammunition John.

Sightings 3/4/11

A hint of some wader passage today with a Little Stint and Black-tailed Godwits at Clevedon and a Common Sandpiper at Portishead.

Chew had our first Reed Warbler of the spring today.

BRISTOL:
Stokes Croft: a Buzzard circling over 5pm (P Baber).

OLDBURY POWER STATION:
Shore: 20 Shelduck and 151 Curlew.

Migrants/others: a Sparrowhawk, 6 Sand Martin, 7 Blackcap, 30+ Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Raven and a Bullfinch (A Middleton).

SEVERNSIDE: combined totals, per severnsidebirds, B Lancastle, J Martin, S Matthews:
Aust Warth: 4 Buzzard and 4 Pheasant.

New Passage: 2 Canada Goose, the Barnacle Goose, 40 Shelduck, 3 Wigeon, 30 Teal, the male Common Scoter, 3 Buzzard, 25 Oystercatcher, 20 Curlew, 45 Redshank, 5 Turnstone, 4 Sand Martin, 5 Swallow, 1 Wheatear, 1 Coal Tit, 10 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler and2 Raven.

Severn Beach: 30 Shelduck, 4 Gadwall, 1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Ringed Plover, 52 Curlew, 25 Turnstone, a Common Gull, 2 Swallow (Orchard pools), 9 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler and a Coal Tit.

2 Sandwich Terns seen mid-day 2nd April, appropriately, they flew from inland and over Burger Bar bay and then downriver (many thanks Paul).

Chittening Warth: 2 male Wheatear and 2 Willow Warbler.

© Brian Lancastle, many thanks

Pheasant at Aust Warth & Linnet at Chittening Warth today



PORTISHEAD:

2 of 6 Purple Sandpipers on the rocks today

2 Peregrine upriver but no seabirds seen on the early morning watch to 9am (S Hale). Later 6 Purple Sandpipers on the rocks and a Common Sandpiper at the sea-front (B Atkinson).

GORDANO VALLEY:
Weston Moor: the 3 Bar-headed Goose here this morning (J Williams).

Walton Common: 2 Green Woodpecker, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Marsh Tit and a Nuthatch (per clevedonbirds).

CLEVEDON COAST: (combined reports, HE Rose, per clevedonbirds).
Full audit: 8 Mute Swan, 10 Canada Goose, 140 Shelduck, 8 Wigeon, 95 Teal, 25 Mallard, 1 Grey Heron, 4 Little Egret, single Moorhen, 16 Oystercatcher, 2 Ringed Plover, 14 Grey Plover, 10 Lapwing (Dowlais), 60 Knot, 1 Little Stint, 75 Dunlin, 21 Black-tailed Godwit (9 in summer dress), single Bar-tailed Godwit, 91 Curlew, 100 Redshank, 21 Turnstone, just 4 LBB Gull, 5 Sand Martin, 11 Swallow, 225 Meadow Pipit, 6 Wheatear, 14 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler and 4 Raven.
PILL:
river Avon shoreline: 30 Shelduck, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Peregrine, 6 Oystercatcher, 6 Curlew, a male Redstart, 2 Wheatear (m+f), 2 Long-tailed Tit and a Bullfinch (R Hawley).

ABBOTS LEIGH:
Highlights at the Sandy Lane area: 2 Green Woodpecker, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Chiffchaff, single Jay, Nuthatch and Redpoll (A Rhodes).

BARROW TANKS:

Little Ringed Plover © Sean Davies, many thanks

2 Little Ringed Plover and a Wheatear (S Davies).

CHEW VALLEY LAKE:
Highlights: 1,500 Sand Martin and our first Reed Warbler of the spring (equals earliest ever 3/4/01) (per cvlbirding).

SOMERSET LEVELS:
Shapwick Heath NR: a Black Stork reported 9.36am! We wouldn't be upset if anyone set us details...

BACKWELL LAKE 2/4/11:

© Phil Baber, many thanks

Other sightings, the male Wood Duck, 4 Tufted Duck, 20 Sand Martin, 1 Swallow, single Blackcap, 2-3 Chiffchaff, 50+ Willow Warbler ('fall'), 7+ Brambling and a Bullfinch (P Baber).

Sightings 2/4/11

OLDBURY POWER STATION:
Waders: 158 Curlew (including 17 colour-ringed birds) and a flock of 22 Black-tailed Godwit, 21 birds later flying to south.

Migrants: 8 Sand Martin, 3 Swallow, 8 Blackcap, 3 Willow Warbler and 'plenty' of Chiffchaff (per opsbirding).

LITTLETON-on-SEVERN:
The 30 Stock Doves still in their ploughed field today (V Savery).

SEVERNSIDE: per severnsidebirds, J Martin:
NP-NW: the 2 Canada Goose, Barnacle Goose and Common Scoter still, migrants were: 1 Tree Pipit, a Swallow, 2 Wheatear and 2 Willow Warbler.

Severn Beach: 2 Gadwall, 6 Common Scoter. 2 Ringed Plover, 47 Curlew, 12 Common Gull, 2 Sand martin and 2 Swallow.

Hoar Gout: 6 Tufted Duck and a singing Cetti's Warbler at the Vosa pool. At nearby Cabot Park, an early Coot brood, 1 chick seen to be taken by a Grey Heron.

AVONMOUTH:
Holesmouth: 17 Gadwall, a Bar-tailed Godwit and 7 Wheatear (S Davies).

PORTBURY DOCK:
4 Oystercatcher, 4 Wheatear, 6 Chiffchaff and 8 Willow Warbler of note (S Hale).

PORTBURY WHARF:
150 Sand Martin over the pools am (S Hale) and a male Redstart at the middle hide 2.30pm (H Taffs).

LONG ASHTON:
Gatcombe area: single Buzzard, 2 Swallow, 10 Willow Warbler and 2 Raven (D Brooke-Taylor).

CLEVEDON COAST:
Off Ladye bay, 14 Sandwich Tern (7-5-2) downriver around 1pm (P Chapman).

ANCHOR HEAD:
12 Tern sp upriver, 2 Common Tern and 3 Sandwich Tern downriver during 12pm-1.30pm seawatch (P Bowyer).

BREAN DOWN:
Migrants: 350 Sand Martin, 25 Swallow, single House Martin, 3 Tree Pipit, 10 alba Wagtail, 5 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff, 40 Willow Warbler, 5 Siskin, 1 Redpoll, 50 Goldfinch and 20 Linnet.

Sea: 2,500 Herring Gull (per westonbirds).

BARROW TANKS:
200 Sand Martin (S Davies).

BARROW GURNEY:
56 nests at the rookery (D Brooke-Taylor).


BLAGDON LAKE 1/4/11:
An Osprey through 7pm last night (per BL birds).

Sightings 1/4/11

Saturday 2/4/11 Avonmouth high tides BST: 7.36am at 12.53m and 7.54pm at 12.48m

SLIMBRIDGE WWT:
Migrant highlights: 6 White Wagtail, a Water Pipit and a male Lapland Bunting (Holden tower).
Wader highlights: a flock of 53 Black-tailed Godwit and a Spotted Redshank (per slimbridgebirds).

OLDBURY POWER STATION:
Highlights today: 3 Mute Swan, a nesting Canada Goose, 27 Shelduck, 2 Tufted Duck, single Kestrel, 24 Curlew, 1 Green Woodpecker, 11 Chiffchaff and  2 Willow Warbler (W King).

LITTLETON -on-SEVERN:
30 Stock Dove feeding in a ploughed field (A Middleton).

Ploughed fields are worth checking out in late April/early May for any passing Dotterel....

SEVERNSIDE: per severnsidebirds.
New Passage: the Common Scoter still present this evening, 20 Teal, 20 Redshank, 90 Turnstone and a wheatear of note here also.

1.4.11 Dunlin at New Passage © Vic Savery, many thanks

PORTBURY WHARF:

1.4.11 Little Owl again © the Sightings Page team
you won't find pictures of this quality on Gary Thoburn's website

At the pools and elsewhere, 6 Canada Goose, 30 Shelduck, 4 Cormorant, 1 Little Grebe, 2 Gadwall, a Curlew, 2 Long-tailed Tit and a Reed Bunting (N Hawkridge).

CHEW VALLEY LAKE:

The Ferruginous Duck present at Herriott's pool, also around the lake, the 3 1st winter Scaup, the 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull, 1,500 Sand Martin early on but only 250 in the afternoon and a Brambling(combined reports, per SH, S Davies).



the Yellow-legged Gull © Keith Vinicombe, many thanks

the legs are a dead give-away...





Unusual Species in Avon - new rules for submission of records

Club members should note that we will no longer accept written descriptions and/or photographs of unusual species in Avon.

Photographs can be doctored or simply faked and descriptions can be copied and pasted straight from the internet or the fieldguides. We are therefore setting the bar of proof much higher.

With effect from 1st April 2011, we will only accept records of locally rare birds in Avon if the record is supported by an accompanying mitochondrial DNA sample from the bird in question.

We have recently purchased a Polymerase Chain Reaction analyser coupled with a Short Tandem Repeat statistical database which will give 99.99% accuracy of any samples checked.

Though the DNA molecule is relatively large in microbiological terms, it is still extremely small to handle in everyday use.

When submitting the birds' DNA to us, members should ensure that the envelope is securely stuck down, especially at the edges of the flap where sometimes you can forget to lick the gum. Sellotape is recommended.

We hope to to verify records within 2 days of receiving samples and we will get back to you as soon as the results are known.

For national rarities only, we will automatically send on the DNA reference sample and analytical trace to the BBRC for verification.

Many thanks for your cooperation in anticipation.

The Sightings Page team.