AVON

CLEVEDON-WESTON-SUPER-MARE:

The Clevedon-yeo coast had a Common Scoter (5th), two Spotted Redshanks, and a Short-eared Owl (17th and 21st). Maxima were 28 Little Egrets and 750 Lapwings. A Great White Egret was at Bleadon. A Marsh Harrier visited Weston (5th). Seven Sanderling and 47 Ringed Plovers were on the Axe (9th).

SEVERNSIDE:

Three Whooper Swans were at Oldbury Power Station (9th). An Avocet was at Portbury Wharf (1st), with two Mediterranean Gulls there throughout. One or two Jack Snipe were at several coastal sites. Five Purple Sandpipers were at Battery Point, Portishead, with 176 Black-tailed Godwits at Northwick Warth. Severn Beach produced 32 Kittiwakes (29th). A Short-eared Owl visited Oldbury (22nd), with two at Aust Warth. A Merlin toured the coastal sites. A Siberian Chiffchaff was at Avonmouth. Two Water Pipits were at both Northwick and Littleton Warth.

THE RESERVOIRS:

Chew held five Bewick’s Swans, five Scaup, a Lesser Scaup, Long-tailed Duck (to 29th, when it moved to Barrow Gurney), 35 Goldeneyes, 30 Goosanders, a Cattle Egret (from 23rd), 10 Great White Egrets, 17 Little Egrets, a Marsh Harrier, Black-necked Grebe, Little Stint, Yellow-legged Gull, two Bearded Tits and six Water Pipits. Blagdon logged a Whooper Swan (5th), three Scaup, two Great White Egrets, two Black-necked Grebes, an Avocet and 176 Black-tailed Godwits. There were 33 Little Egrets at Backwell Lake.

OTHER SITES:

There were three records of Red Kites around Avon. Merlins were at Marshfield and Yatton. There were 15 Woodcocks in the Gordano Valley. A Willow Tit near Radstock (21st) was an unusual sighting these days. Fourteen Mandarins were at Uley. Golden Plovers included 500 at Marshfield and 350 at Saltford. There were 464 Fieldfares at Saltford (23rd) and 800 Redwings at Kenn Moor (17th). Eight Bramblings were at Saltford (9th) and five at Marshfield (12th). Flocks of up to five Hawfinches roamed parkland and churchyards in the greater Bristol area. Nine Firecrests were reported, also mainly around Bristol. Five Black Redstarts were scattered along the coast. Many garden feeders attracted up to five Blackcaps.