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28th June 2011 – Went to Stumble
Head for the day. Did a short seawatch 1500 to 1530. Very quiet really with
wind in the north and a sea state of two. A number of Gannets, Kittiwakes and auks
passing by but generally very quiet with only one Manx Shearwater noted.
21st June 2011 – Noted a
juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker in Longhope today
suggesting breeding nearby.
19th June 2011 – I had a walk
around the short trail at Nagshead in the late
afternoon. It was amazingly
quiet. I only saw one Robin and a
Nuthatch although Blackbird and Song Thrush were singing. Even though it was flat calm with no
wind noise, it was eerily quiet when I thought that breeding birds would be
busy foraging. Of note, however, I
noted probably more Grey Squirrels in the time I was there than I ever
have. They seemed to be
everywhere. Of note, two of the Yew
trees on the lower part of the short trail are looking
very yellow and unhealthy. I wonder
what the problem is with them?
16th June 2011 – I had to go to
London on business. I had a look
around Paddington canal basin. 2
Canada Geese were expected but I thought that a pair of
Red-crested Pochard were unusual here. I may be wrong.
14th June 2011 – I made a very
short visit to the canal north west of Newent near Oxenhall. There
is also a large lake, probably used for fishing. I have not been here before but it looks
interesting habitat. A pair of Mute Swans have 2 cygnets, Canada Geese were
present on the lake as were a couple of Grey Herons fishing. I need to come back here for a longer
look.
12th June 2011 – A very
unusual situation today because it rained for just about all of the daylight hours
with 9mm logged by 2000. I do
not remember this happening since at least February.
3rd June 2011 – About 1700, I was
walking in the woods to the south west of Soudley
village where I happened upon a number of Wild Boar. They were spread about on both side of
the road and I counted a minimum of 15 animals but there were probably many
more including boarlets.
2nd June 2011 – A large number of
Swallows were very low and hawking insects over the village green of Devauden, south of Monmouth. Swifts were present and are probably
breeding in the village.
30th May 2011 – Rain fell for most
of the day. At Staunton, there were
a number of Swallows flying low and hawking insects over the crop fields just
after the rain had stopped.
A
juvenile Great Tit momentarily came into my veranda in Longhope
this evening suggesting that breeding of this species had taken place nearby.
28th May 2011 – A very short
visit to the hide at Ashleworth. The water levels seem
higher than recently. Birds noted
from the hide included 7 Mallard, a Mute Swan and a Canada Goose
which looks to be injured. A Grey
Heron was trying to fish and a Cuckoo was heard in the distance. There were a number of Swifts overhead
and as I was leaving a few House Martins turned up.
24th May 2011 – Coombe Hill Canal. The water level in some parts of the
canal is understandably low after the very dry months of March, April and much
of May. I walked across the
northern meadow where I could hear a Cuckoo calling. A Sedge Warbler was singing near the
hide, and from the footpath I could see a pair of Canada Geese with young and a
pair of Mute Swans with cygnets.
Two Egyptian Geese and two Shelduck were
present and two Lapwing were running about on the edge
of the scrape but I could not see any young. One of the Lapwing
did have a stint of fending off a corvid so whether
they have bred or not is uncertain.
To the east, at least one Curlew was calling and seen flying around
several times. Have they got young
two fields away? On my return I was
pleased to see a species that I have not seen for a while, that is, a
Yellowhammer which flew across the canal near the bridge.
23rd May 2011 – After a few days
of inactivity on the natural history front, I made a visit to Slimbridge from lunchtime to the middle of the
afternoon. It was a very windy day
which was progressively more overcast and in the middle of the afternoon, it
came on to rain quite heavily. From
the Holden Tower, there were at least 150 Dunlin on the river. They were in fine summer plumage. Several Curlews were taking shelter, one
each behind tussocks of vegetation.
A Jackdaw is nesting inside the Holden Tower and looks down on people as
they climb the stairs to the middle level.
On Rushy Pen, it looks like a pair of Common
Terns will breed. The female is
spending a lot of time on an island and the male is bringing fish to her. Oystercatchers are very prominent on
this lake too. There was a steady
Swift passage with many low over the Top New Piece presumably hawking
insects. The rain cleared through
as forecast as I got home at about 1600 to give a glorious late afternoon and
evening.
13th May 2011 – A very short
visit to Symonds Yat. There were many House Martins moving
through, mostly below the viewpoint. A Sparrowhawk
and several Buzzards were soaring but there was no sign of the Peregrines this
afternoon. I suspect one was
incubating and the other perched up somewhere out of sight.
12th May 2011 – The only bird of
note today was a Kingfisher flying under the M5 Motorway along a brook with a
public footpath also beneath the road at Damery.
10th May 2011 – Far few showers
today and in the late afternoon, I was again at Lower Lydbrook
and again there were a small number of Swifts over the river. On the field footpath up to the western
end of the site of the old viaduct there were hordes of Mayflies. In a field on
the opposite bank of the river at the ‘T’ junction in the village,
there were 7 Fallow Deer.
9th May 2011 – A showery day. I walked the short trail at Nagshead RSPB Reserve.
The wind had dropped out a little and there was a bit of song even
though it was late in the afternoon.
Nuthatches seemed to be very busy and easy to find but no sign of any
flycatchers.
At
Lower Lydbrook, by the river, there were a number of
Swifts sweeping overhead with an odd Martin or two.
Back
at home, more Swifts were overhead.
8th May 2011 – At lunchtime, I
noted my first Swift of the year over Longhope. Fantastic birds.
3rd May 2011 – Had a short late
afternoon walk over field footpaths to the north east of Upleadon. There were a few hirundines
overhead on occasion but they do still seem to the thin on the ground so far
this year.
2nd May 2011 – A very quick walk
around the short trail at Nagshead late this
afternoon on a very breezy day yielded a Tawny Owl sitting in a tree at the far
end of this walk.
1st May 2011 – I walked the
southern part of the Brecon Beacons from south east of Pen y Fan. Red Kite, Raven and
many Meadow Pipits were around and about on a dry, partially sunny day but with
a very strong wind on the top of the Beacons.
Of
note from the Gloucester Weather Station, only 3mm of rain was recorded in
March and only 1mm in April.
Extremely dry and this was reflected in conditions underfoot on the
Beacons today. I don’t think
that I have ever seen it so dry up there.
29th April 2011 – A small flock of
hirundines around the trees at Longhope
this morning was the biggest number of these seen this year. They are certainly not in abundance so
far this year.
24th April 2011 – A walk across
the fields near Waterhay in the Cotswold Water Park
was very pleasant on a fine and warm day.
Of note was the appearance of blue damselflies which were the first of
the year. Unfortunately I was
unable to identify them before they disappeared. At least one, possibly two Swallows were
over the car park at Waterhay but in general there
are very few hirundines around at the moment.
23rd April 2011 – A walk over the
northern meadows at Coombe Hill Canal where there
were at least 2 Curlew, 3 Lapwing and 1 Oystercatcher.
At Ashleworth a
little later at lunchtime, there were 2 Hobby hawking insects over the scrapes
and these looked to be a male and female and maybe they are the local birds returning.
21st April 2011 – Another walk
over Plump Hill and a Wood Warbler singing near the aerials was a first for the
year. Another
fine warm day to continue the spell.
19th April 2011 – An amazing day
in that I went and sat quietly in the woods in the Forest of Dean at a feeding
site and I counted 20 Brambling, many of which were males in fine summer
plumage. There was more than that
when they flew. A Grey Squirrel
seemed to have young in a nest hole in a tree nearby and in the distance there
were at least 3 Fallow Deer and a Cuckoo heard in the far distance was a first
for the year.
16th April 2011 – Went to Devizes
today and at East Kennett there was a Corn Bunting singing on some wires when I
walked by and was still there some time later,
when I returned.
14th April 2011 – A short visit to
Symonds Yat to see how the
Peregrines were faring. It may be
that incubation has started in that one bird was almost continually sitting
near the rock face and occasionally flying and giving very good flight
views. At no time were two birds
seen together. A Goshawk gave good
flight views on two occasions.
12th April 2011 –A lone Swallow
was over Hartpury on the drive out this morning. A walk up Coombe
Hill Canal from the western end and over to The Leigh was productive in that
there were several Speckled Wood butterflies along the towpath, these being the
first of the year for me as were the few House Martins and Sand Martins at the
outfall of the River Chelt into the River
Severn. Hirundines
seem to be thin on the ground so far this year.
11th April 2011 – Long-tailed Tits
appear to be very busy and very frequent around the garden and they are
apparently nest building nearby.
10th April 2011 – A walk over
Plump Hill late afternoon. Of note
was a Willow Warbler singing near the main road at 1800.
9th April 2011 – Nagshead RSPB Reserve in the very late afternoon. There were a number of Jays flying about
near the Meadow where there was also a singing Willow Warbler.
5th April 2011 – I had a short
visit to the hide at Ashleworth just after
lunch. There appeared to be less
birds present than on Saturday 2nd April. The 2 Lapwing were still there, seeing
off a corvid.
Only apparently 10 Coot, 15 Teal, 20 Wigeon
and some Mallard.
I
moved on to Coombe Hill Canal (Wainlodes
Hill end). A few Sand Martins flew
down river, the first that I have seen this year. A Kingfisher flew up and down the River Chelt to and from the River Severn 4 times at the spot
where I parked by the sluice gate on the former.
2nd April 2011 – I went to the
hide at Ashleworth on a day of sunny periods and mild
temperatures. Between 1315 and
1345, there were 19 Coot which is a higher number than of late. Wigeon and
Teal were the most numerous duck and Shoveler and
Mallard were present too.
Chiffchaffs seemed to be singing everywhere and also of note were 2
Buzzard over the reserve and 3 Lapwing, which appeared to be a pair in front of
the hide and one of them seeing off an intruder. Along Stank Lane there were at least 2
Curlew with much calling going on.
I
walked along the Coombe Hill Canal from the western
end to the footbridge. My first
Willow Warbler of the year was singing near the road and there were 2 Curlew
over the fields on the southern side.
Butterflies noted today included, Brimstone, Peacock, Small
Tortoiseshell and Orange-tip, the latter being a first of the year for me.
1st April 2011 – Slimbridge. From the Holden Tower, there were 6
White Wagtails, 2 Pied Wagtails, 2 Meadow Pipits and a Lapland Bunting in a calm
area out of the blustery wind on the shore of the main scrape. From the Robbie Garnett Hide the Lesser Scaup was still there with the Tufted Ducks and on the Rushy Pen late in the afternoon there was a Black-headed
Gull with a white darvic, ‘2N04’. The Mediterranen
Gull with the green darvic noted last Saturday, 26th
March was ringed in France and has been seen in Spain.