FEBRUARY
SOUTH WEST
Highlights In association with
The region’s star rare birds of February were undoubtedly the Sociable Lapwing in Cornwall, at Ruan Lanihorne (1st to 9th) and the drake Baikal Teal at Greylake RSPB, Somerset, throughout the month.
CLEVEDON-WESTON-SUPER-MARE: Weston-super-Mare had a Brent Goose (9th), 3,000 Dunlin, a Spoonbill (12th), Black Redstart and Water Pipit. The Blind Yeo had 20 Goosanders and three Great White Egrets. Clevedon-Yeo had 26 Knot (25th) and two Merlins. Battery Point, Portishead held nine Purple Sandpipers.
SEVERNSIDE: A few Common Scoters were identified from nocturnal migration recordings. A Crane flew over (19th). The wintering Black-necked Grebe remained at Portbury Wharf. Severnside produced 41 Avocets, 200 Curlews, three Bar-tailed Godwits, 24 Black-tailed Godwits, 280 Turnstones, 11 Knot and a few Jack Snipe. Seawatching produced a Fulmar (5th) and 150 Kittiwakes (6th). Severnside sites logged two Yellow-legged Gulls, three Short-eared Owls, a Merlin and Water Pipit. Oldbury Power Station had a Marsh Harrier (12th), three Black Redstarts and a single Brambling.
THE RESERVOIRS: Chew logged a Garganey, five Scaup, a Lesser Scaup and Bearded Tit (1st), a Yellow-legged Gull, three Mediterranean Gulls, a Ring-billed Gull, Marsh Harriers and a Firecrest. Blagdon had two Scaup and the wintering Ring-necked Duck. The Long-tailed Duck remained at Barrow Gurney, apart from one trip to Chew. Reservoir totals dropped to 93 Goldeneyes and 24 Goosanders. Seventy Cattle Egrets and 35 Little Egrets fed around Stanton Drew, the Cattle Egrets returning to roost at Chew. Single figure counts of Great White Egrets were at both main reservoirs. River Chew attracted 200 Siskins and a Redpoll.
OTHER SITES: A Mandarin visited Saltford. Ten Goosanders remained at the Yate Lakes. Bristol Airport had 40 Golden Plovers. Flooded fields at Saltford hosted two Mediterranean Gulls, 600 Common Gulls, 400 Black-headed Gulls and 36 Cormorants. A Bristol sports field had a Ring-billed Gull (16th). Marshfield had a Hen Harrier (26th) and Short-eared Owl (29th).
A White-tailed Eagle, no doubt from the Poole Harbour release program, was around the Bath area. Small flocks of Waxwing toured Bristol and Bath. The Eastern-race Lesser Whitethroat re-appeared (13th). There were 10 Firecrests and a Black Redstart in Bristol. Lower Woods at Wickwar had four Hawfinches mid-month. Saltford recorded three Redpolls and a Crossbill.
WEST: A Scaup remained on Stithians Reservoir. Hayle had a Spoonbill, Ring-billed Gull, Kumlien’s Gull, five Caspian Gulls, an Iceland Gull, a possible White-rumpled Sandpiper (9th), Swallow (22nd) and Reed Warbler (18th). Glaucous, Azores, Kumlien’s, Caspian and Iceland Gulls, and a possible American Herring Gull were at Mousehole. The Siberian Chiffchaff remained at Mar
