SOUTH WEST

Highlights

Unusually, Scilly was somewhat outdone by other parts of the country this September. The archipelago still produced the likes of Western Bonellis’ Warblers, a long-staying Balearic Woodchat Shrike (St Mary’s), and Baird’s Sandpiper, though.

AVON

CLEVEDON-WESTON-SUPER-MARE: Clevedon-Yeo logged 12 Pintails, two Grey Plover, a Little Ringed Plover, two Whimbrels, two Bar-tailed Godwits, Ruff, Sanderling, two Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stints, a Wood Sandpiper, 35 Knot, six Greenshanks, 1,000 Black-headed Gulls, a Mediterranean Gull, various egrets, a Marsh Harrier and White Wagtails. The Axe Estuary held a Glossy Ibis.

Uphill had a Ruff. There were 46 Snipe at Bleadon Levels. A Firecrest was at Sand Point. Over 100 Meadow Pipits and the occasional Tree Pipit flew over both Sand Point and Clevedon. A Rose-coloured Starling was at Kingston Seymour (14th-15th).

SEVERNSIDE:

A Common Scoter was around Oldbury and Littleton. An Eider was at Portishead. Six Pochards visited Portbury Wharf. Hundreds of Teal and Wigeon returned to Northwick Warth, joined by three Pintails. Oldbury had two Golden Plover, 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, 80 Turnstones and a Curlew Sandpiper.

The Severn Beach/Northwick Warth area had five Grey Plovers, 150 Ringed Plovers, a Little Ringed Plover, 200 Curlews, 300 Black-tailed Godwits, a few Bar-tailed Godwits, 64 Turnstones, 47 Knot, 600 Dunlin, 30 Snipe, 200 Redshanks, two Greenshanks, a Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, two Little Stints, two Curlew Sandpipers and two Sanderling.

Upper Severnside sites produced two Mediterranean Gulls, a Yellow-legged Gull, 15 Common Terns and three Arctic Skuas.

The New Pill roost held 18 Little Egrets. A Marsh Harrier and Hen Harrier passed through. Northwick Warth had 16 Yellow Wagtails and a Citrine Wagtail.

THE RESERVOIRS:

Garganeys were at Chew and Blagdon. Combined reservoir counts included 750 Shovelers, 500 Gadwall, 2,200 Teal, 110 Wigeon, 66 Pintails, 3,650 Tufted Ducks, 155 Pochards, three Goldeneyes, two Goosanders, 200 Great Crested Grebes and 150 Little Grebes. There were 15 Ringed Plovers, 40 Black-tailed Godwits, four Little Ringed Plovers, a Grey Plover, Dunlin, Ruff, Knot, a Little Stint, Common and Spotted Redshanks, Greenshanks, and counts at Chew of 35 Snipe and 21 Green Sandpipers.

A Crane was at Chew. Three Spoonbills toured the area. Great White Egrets included 33 at Chew and 18 at Blagdon. Chew had 12 Cattle Egrets. Yellow-legged Gulls, Mediterranean Gulls, four Sandwich Terns, a few Common Terns and 20 Black Terns passed through. The last two Swifts were seen (8th). There was a Wryneck (18th). Ospreys, Marsh Harriers, Red Kites and Hobbies were reported regularly.

OTHER SITES:

Three Quails remained at Marshfield. Maxima included seven Whinchats, ten Wheatears and 70 Meadow Pipits. A Cuckoo was in a Downend garden (2nd). Chipping Sodbury Common attracted 30 Chiffchaffs, 40 Blackcaps, 15 Whitethroats, 20 Lesser Whitethroats, a Pied Flycatcher, four Spotted Flycatchers, six Whinchats, six Redstarts, a Tree Pipit and 33 Yellow Wagtails.

Fourteen Swifts flew over Bristol. Nailsea Moor logged 13 Whinchats and 27 Wheatears. An Osprey flew over Yatton. Two Wrynecks were in Bristol. Four White Wagtails were at Lansdown. A Crossbill flew over Thornbury. Jane Cumming

CHANNEL ISLANDS JERSEY:

Saint Ouen’s Bay held six Kentish Plovers, Purple Sandpipers, hundreds of Ringed Plovers and Dunlin, 200 Sanderling and 300 Turnstones. A Black-winged Stilt, four Little Stints and a Ruff were in the Sandpits. The Wetlands Centre had ten Snipe, Greenshanks, Green Sandpipers and Common Sandpipers. Wrynecks were at Kempt Tower, Le Pulec, Grosnez and Noirmont (two). Honey Buzzards, Ospreys, Merlins, Peregrines and Hobbies moved through.

Thousands of Meadow Pipits, tens of thousands of Swallows and House Martins, hundreds of Tree Pipits, many Whinchats, Wheatears and Redstarts, and hundreds of Yellow Wagtails moved through. Seawatching produced tens of thousands of Sandwich Terns, hundreds of Mediterranean Gulls, a few Little Gulls, Great Skuas, up to ten Pomarine Skuas per day, Arctic Skuas and Arctic Terns. A Roseate Tern was in Saint Ouen’s Bay. Grouville Bay had 500 Balearic Shearwaters, Manx Shearwaters and Storm Petrels.

Noirmont had a Cuckoo, Ortolan Bunting, two Ring Ouzels, Firecrests, 30 Wheatears, a Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl and Great White Egret. Sooty Shearwaters were off Grosnez and Corbiere. Three pale-bellied Brent Geese were in Saint Aubin’s Bay and 200 dark-bellied birds arrived at Grouville Bay. Dotterel were at Les Landes and Noirmont. Two Rose-coloured Starlings were at Le Braye. A Nightjar was taken into care at Victoria Village.

DEVON

An Icterine Warbler was at Soar (1st). Berry Head had a Long-tailed Skua past (2nd), plus 262 Balearic Shearwaters, and Sabine’s Gull, 379 Balearic Shearwaters and Storm-petrel (30th). Dawlish Warren NNR had Wrynecks (8th & 26th), seven Balearic Shearwaters, juvenile Little Stint and juvenile Spotted Redshank (8th), Wryneck and second-winter Little Gull (11th), and a Grey Phalarope, two Pomarine Skuas and 10 Balearic Shearwaters past (28th). Lundy had Common Rosefinch (5th & 18th), Wryneck (5th) and Ortolan Bunting (20th). A Red-backed Shrike and two Pied Flycatchers were at East Prawle (7th), and there was a Rose-coloured Starling (23rd). A Red-backed Shrike was at Avon Dam Reservoir (9th). South Huish Marsh had a Rose-coloured Starling (10th), Pectoral Sandpiper (14th & 26th-28th), Spotted Crake (26th-27th) and second-winter Little Gull (27th). South Efford Marsh had a Glossy Ibis (14th). Bowling Green Marsh RSPB had a Pectoral Sandpiper (26th-27th). A Hoopoe was at Slapton Ley (11th-12th). An Ortolan Bunting was at Axmouth (12th-13th), and one flew east at Hartland (18th). Wrynecks were at Soar (7th-19th), Kennford (7th), Portworthy (7th), Burrator Reservoir (9th), Bigbury-on-Sea (12th), Hope’s Nose (12th), Jennycliff Bay (15th),

Challaborough (16th), Watermouth (16th), Wembury (19th) and Prawle Point (two, 19th). Powderham had a Glossy Ibis (15th). Exmouth had a Glossy Ibis and two Spoonbills (15th). A White-tailed Eagle went over Seaton (19th), and a Honey Buzzard went over Plymstock (24th). Velator NR had a Glossy Ibis, two Little Stints and up to six Cattle Egrets (16th-18th). A first-winter Bonaparte’s Gull was off Slapton Ley (26th).

ISLES OF SCILLY HIGHLIGHTS:

A Bee-eater was over Tresco (1st), Old Town (9th) and St Mary’s (10th). A Wryneck was on St Agnes (1st). A Dotterel was on Tresco (from 2nd), occasionally visiting Bryher. A Marsh Harrier roamed the islands, with a Golden Oriole on St Martin’s and a Bluethroat at Porth Hellick (from 2nd). Three Wilson’s Petrels, two Little Gulls and five Sooty Shearwaters were south of the islands (2nd). A Western Bonelli’s Warbler was on the Garrison (from 4th).

A Black Tern was near St Martin’s (4th-5th). An Ortolan Bunting was on the Garrison (5th) when 11 Wrynecks were logged. A Common Rosefinch was on Bryher and a Red-breasted Flycatcher on St Martin’s. A Woodchat Shrike at Helvear, St Mary’s (from 6th) was thought to be of the Balearic race. An Avocet roosted on St Martin’s (7th). A Melodious Warbler was on Lower Moors, a Western Bonelli’s Warbler on Bryher and a Woodchat Shrike on St Martin’s (8th).

Another Western Bonelli’s Warbler was on St Martin’s, an Osprey over Lunnon, a Pectoral Sandpiper over St Agnes before appearing at Porth Hellick, and a Wilson’s Petrel at sea (9th). The first of three Rose-coloured Starlings on Bryher was found (12th). There was a Melodious Warbler on St Agnes, a Wilson’s Petrel seen from the Scillonian, two Ortolan Buntings on Tresco, an Osprey over Higher Moors and a Barred Warbler on St Martin’s (12th).

Two Glossy Ibises flew over the islands (13th), eventually settling on Tresco. Ortolan Buntings were on Tresco and at Old Grimsby (13th). A Buff-breasted Sandpiper was on St Martin’s. A Red-backed Shrike was at Content and an Ortolan on St Agnes (14th-15th). A Baird’s Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper were on Bryher, and a Melodious Warbler at Content (16th). A Common Rosefinch was on Gugh and a Tawny Pipit over Bryher (19th).

The islands’ tenth Great Crested Grebe was off the Garrison, a Firecrest on Tresco and a Spotted Crake on the Great Pool (20th). A Spotted Redshank was on the Great Pool (from 21st), with a Little Grebe there (21st). A Buff-breasted Sandpiper was on Shipman Head Down, Bryher (22nd), when 50 Great Shearwaters and a Sooty Shearwater were west of Scilly. A Red-backed Shrike was at Pelistry (23rd). A Pectoral Sandpiper was at Porth Hellick (24th).

An American Golden Plover was at Porth Loo (24th), before settling on Bryher. A Red-backed Shrike was on St Martins (24th). A Yellowbrowed Warbler was at Porth Hellick and Carreg Dhu Gardens, and a Common Rosefinch on St Agnes (25th). A Western Bonelli’s Warbler, two Red-backed Shrikes and a Common Rosefinch were on St Martin’s (from 26th).

A Glossy Ibis flew over St Martins and Bryher (27th) and then settled on St Mary’s (to 30th). Spotted Crakes were on the Great Pool (from 27th) and at Porth Hellick (29th). Two Pinkfeet and four Pectoral Sandpipers were noted late in the month. Will Wagstaff

WILTSHIRE HIGHLIGHTS:

Wrynecks were ringed at Swindon STW and SPTA(C). Black Redstarts were at Salisbury and Pewsey. The Great White Egret remained at the Water Park. The Ruddy Shelduck returned to Langford Lakes. Blackcap passage was remarkable on SPTA(C) where 486 were ringed in three sessions, plus 143 Chiffchaffs. Other migrants included Garden Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat.

Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Wheatear, Whinchat and Meadow Pipit passage was above average. Greenshanks were at Langford Lakes and the Water Park. Green and Common Sandpipers were seen in good numbers. Langford Lakes had 164 Lapwings. An Osprey was at Britford. A Black-tailed Godwit and Black Tern were at the Water Park. A Ring-necked Parakeet was at Swindon. Rob Turner