Newton-St-Loe Birding: Bearded Reedlings

14 February 2020

Spawning Frogs on Newton St Loe

Date: 8th-13th February

Location:
Newton St Loe, Chew Valley Lake, Stockhill, Ashleworth Ham, Slimbridge
Weather:
Cold, Rain, Blue Skies.

Species Highlights:
Frogs, Bearded Reedlings, Greater Scaup, Crossbill, Black-tailed godwit, Kestrel.

Observation:
This year our frog spawn is early 2 weeks early, it appeared a day after we did a Pond clean, just pulling up dead and dying plants getting it ready for a bumper Dragonfly year I hope.

Lauren does the photos for the pond, and a great job she does!

Monday the weather wasn't great so a trip down to Chew Valley Lake was in order not long after entering the hide and seeing nothing in front...I mean nothing we left and we were gonna try another hide when I spotted a Bearded Reedling, year tick for Lauren, again Laurens pictures.

We heard 2 but this male put on a great show, such stunners.

We walked around to next hide with rain starting, on entering we spied Scaup another year tick for Lauren, 15 birds seen, really Scaup through the rain.

The rain eased off eventually leaving the great looking rainbow, with scaup at the end of it.

Next stop was Stockhill, It wasn't long before we spotted our targets Crossbill, male & female perched as always at the top of larch tree's very tricky as the wind was blowing a hooly!

Wednesday Lauren at work I decided to go to Ashleworth Ham in Gloucestershire, for a look for the Bean Goose after the drive up and an hour waiting for it, it was a no show. A bit of a Knightmare journey back, with a road closed, the diversion was flooded and my Van door falling off!

I dropped into Slimbridge on way back eventually to at least see some birds, hardly anything from hides so wandered around the captive pools.

Canvasback duck- Aythya valisineria

Hooded Merganser F -Lophodytes cucullatus

Lesser Scaup - Aythya affinis

Ferruginous duck - Aythya nyroca ( a Duck I keep missing for Uk but have seen in Rhodes)

This the male.

Not a bird I expect to see in the Uk but another Duck I've never seen, I've been to Slimbridge many times, seen photos of this bird there but never managed to see it! Its a Baikal teal (Sibirionetta formosa

What a beauty eh!

The captive Crane looks great close Up this one just a few feet away.

A Jackdaw posed nicely too.

The only hide where anything was happening was the Hogarth hide, Black-tailed Godwits just outside the windows.

An airborne predator or something flew over spoking the Godwits.

So that was Wednesday highs and lows.

Thursday was patch walk day, and a grey day to start but on top fields, I had a view of the only Fieldfare of the year.

Not much else to report apart from the Whooper Swan now it's 115 days. Mute swans all showing aggression towards it now, I hope soon it will depart.

Another year Patch tick was this Kestrel in the horse fields.

Like buses another kestrel, male/female.
Patch year list up to 55.

Wayne Year Bird List: 126
Lauren Year Bird List: 118

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26 September 2017

Mission Accomplished

Date: 26/09/2017

Location:
Patch, Somerset Levels, Chew Valley Lake & Chewton Mendip

Weather: Overcast, Grey but Warm

Species Highlights
Newton St Loe: Meadow Pipit, Little Egret.
Somerset Levels: Bearded Reedlings, Hobby, Marsh Harrier, Water Rail.
Chew Valley: Great White Egret, Cattle Egret
Chewton Mendip: Great Bustard.

Observation:
Since USA not been out much although did go round patch with not alot changing, Little Egret still Top Lake and a large group of Meadow Pipits at 50 or so birds in Horse Fields with 6 Barn Swallow on the 19/09 but only 1 seen on the 24/09 most gone by now I'll check again Thursday.

Tuesday promised fine sunny weather, but on getting up it was grey and misty here in Bath but headed off to Westhay anyway looking in on Chewton Mendip my second attempt at the Great Bustard female which had been there, no sign so headed on to the Levels.
My targets today were the Bearded Reedlings which show well this time of year. On arrival I saw them almost immediately in reed besides the Boardwalk. With a few other Photographers watching and snapping I walked on and sat down within a few minutes 15 Bearded started to grab the grit.

Stunning birds and totally oblivious to humans it seemed.

Who's been eating all the Pies!

Although they look great wherever they are, it's always good to get them off the floor and perched in reeds or in tree's.

Almost.

Then they went to the tree's along side boardwalk.
Excellent

I think at one point at least 30/40 birds were around us.

Took too many photographs but that's the great thing about digital, just means I need a bigger hard drive!

After a couple of hours and chatting to the other nice people there I wandered off around the rest of reserve with Marsh Harrier and Hobby seen also, got to the north hide and briefly saw a Water Rail always good. Lots of Common Darters in the last throws of life, making next year's Dragonflies.

I headed off.
I pass Chewton Mendip on the way home so a quick check for Bustard again, no show 3rd time! Still a hour left before I had to go so drove the short distance to Chew Valley and Villace hide, a few Great White Egret, Gadwall, Common Sandpiper on show but no much else from hide so went back to Heron's Green where more GW Egret at least 6/7 birds on show.

Robert was there and we relocated the 2 Cattle Egrets with his fancy Scope! He told me that not 60 mins before I'd arrived at Chewton the Bustard showed to him, so I headed back in that direction for one last attempt.