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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Dipper, Spotted Redshank, YL Gull, Tawny Owl, Sparrowhawk to name a few

Date: 07/10-08/10/2018

Location: staying local.

Weather: Blue skies with grey today

Species Highlights: 
Dipper, Spotted Redshank, Greater Scaup, Yellow Legged Gull, Tawny Owl, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel.

Observation: 

Woke up Sunday and decided on getting a few ticks for Lauren to catch up so popped into Pensford and we were rewarded with this great little Dipper, after 3/4 shots it shot of down river and out of view.

Next stop was Chew Valley and my favorite hide Villice, the light was superb but not alot to see, the Heron was looking at himself i think.

But we spotted tick number 2 for Lauren a Greater Scaup, female.

Just as we were about to go a Spotted Redshank appeared and marched back and forth in front the hide.

Great looking bird and with some wonderful light this made the afternoon.

Next stop was Heron's Green Bay and a Jack Snipe, honest it's there seen through Trevors £3000 scope but my picture for photographic proof!

With 3 ticks for Lauren, she spotted number 4 a Yellow Legged Gull. 
No joy with our last target a Lesser Scaup but a good Day.

Monday Morning and i was free to wander as Lauren working so back down to Chew and Villice again, around 5 Great Whites and a few grumpy Heron but nothing else on view.

I've got so many pictures of Great White Egrets!

As soon as the GWE would land a Grey Heron would fly in squawking
and off the GWE would fly.

The highlight of the morning was this fantastic Sparrowhawk, It was hovering over a submerged Common sandpiper, which it was chasing. I never saw the Sandpiper re emerge from the water but guess it must have flown off when i was watching Sprawk hovering.

Such a little beauty.

I left Chew and headed over to Allan Chards on the chance of a Firecrest which he saw yesterday in Eastville park, but after a wander around with people saying you should have been here 30 mins ago as 2 Otters were seen 
Still I've never seen a Otter!! 
But a Bonus on dipping the Otter and the Firecrest was this Tawny owl squashed into this nest box, Allan had a picture of 2 Tawny in this box!

I left after a couple of hours but dropped into Newton St Loe on way back, All very quiet bird wise but leaf blower on full blast and groundsmen out in force pruning and and tiding top lake. Top path overlooking lake saw this Kestrel, she did not happy I disturbed her, I kept my distance but more students were approaching her.

And that was it she flew off.

Found this little chap posing just below where Kestrel was perched.

I did return route and a Cormorant was on Bankside.

He didn't seem bothered and yawned as I passed him. 
So many pictures in last couple of days i thought I'd share them with you!

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Overdue patch Blog

Date: 09/08/2018

Location: Newton St Loe

Weather: 
Slightly overcast but still warm.

Observation: 

2018 Butterfly challenge is over and all uk species photographed and seen this year by Lauren too. 

We had great fun traveling the country and went to some beautiful places too, 

blog for that to come shortly but for now here’s a blog from the patch Newton st loe.

Started walk around 11am, would like to start earlier but working on Thursday nights now so 11am

 it is.

Out the normal route through campsite a Grey Wagtail on brook was first to report but little else.

On up to fields and harvester and tractors in both fields so few birds about here, 2 calling Buzzards

the best of it. 

Stopped by Seven Acre to check on Butterflies and surprised to see 5/6 Holly blues 

20+ Speckled woods and plenty of Small Whites around wood.

From Globe look out I saw nothing, and not much until Farm shop in village where I spied this lovely 

Barn Swallow sat on the floor picking up grit,

I was within 10ft of him but he just carried on getting a beak full.

Grit helps with digestion, in case you wondered.

Normal stuff around village but fewer House Sparrow about. 

At church I could hear chainsaws and noticed they’d cut the woodpeckers favourite tree down! 

It’s the 3rd tree in the village which has been cut down of late. Down to 

Send A cow wood and a large great of Blue/ great tits feeding with Nuthatch also. 

On fields with Cows Rook, 

Crow and Jackdaws feeding in very dry grass. A single Blackcap in 

wood but so much foliage difficult to get pictures. 

On to Butterfly alley and Meadow Brown, Common Blue and I’m sure the same Small Copper 

all fluttering around but getting much thinner in numbers now.

Blue tailed Damselfly here also.

A Grey Wagtail on the now very dry waterfall.

Grey Herons scattered about 5 seen.

On up to top lake All adult swans present along with the 6 cygnets. 

A few chiffchaff seen around lake and even our first of the year Willow Warbler seen above top lake.

Sad news the little owls house has changed hands it now has new residents Barn Owl ! 

So not all bad, carried out along conservation path and noticed other little Owl tree has evidence 

of them still being there so not all bad.

(heavy crop as don't wanna give location away)

Buzzards , good numbers around today at least 6 seen around all never close.

At Park/ Home farm a few birds 2 Whitethroat chaffinch a group of around 20 Goldfinch and a 

few collared Dove, best spot with a Swift couldn’t focus camera but defo a Swift.............. 

also more Chiffchaff here. This one very annoyed i was taking his picture.

Walked the rest of the lanes towards home and female Kestrel seen hunting across fields.

On arriving home disturbed a family of Long tailed tits on our

feeders plus a female Bullfinch, got inside and the Male landed for a few shots.

So ended walk on 43 species not too bad for another late start. 

Went to Slimbridge in week and managed a few shots of the Wood Sandpiper, 

it showed right out the hide which was nice!

Green Sandpiper too. 

Also had a lesser whitethroat a very smart little warbler unfortunately not the shot of it I wanted.

A few others from a great day.

Linnet

Cormorant

Black Tailed Godwit

Crane chicks doing well this year.

Perfect light on this Grey Wagtail.

Down to Cornwall for a couple of days camping so I’ll have a wonder to look for Chough 

and anything else that turns up.

Thanks for reading happy birding to you!

​

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