All news

Sandhurst Brawn (10 April 2011, contributed by Mike Smart)

In the aftrenoon, I heard a Mallard duck making low encouraging quacking noises at the base of a pollarded willow. It had been pollarded fairly recently and was perhaps eight feet high, with a few new shoots poking up. One after another about half a dozen tiny ducklings jumped/fell/glided to the ground from the bole of the tree. Never seen this before! Maybe that’s why you don’t find so many nests of Mallard (and other ducks?) on the ground?

Coombe Hill (9 April 2011, contributed by Les Brown, Tim Cash, Mike Smart and John Wiltshire.)

More signs of early arrival of summer visitors, and of wader passage through the Severn Vale.

Wader passage: two Little Ringed Plovers, calling as though they had just arrived and were likely to move on; a Greenshank dropped in; a Green Sandpiper made a very brief appearance.

Summer visitors: at least 10 singing Chiffchaffs, 6 Blackcaps and 4 Willow Warblers; new arrivals included at least three singing Whitethroats, at least three singing Sedge Warblers, at least five singing Redstarts (more to the Wainlodes end of the canal).

Among the residents: three pairs of Canada Geese (one female still sitting in very exposed site); about 11 Greylags; the usual pair of Egyptian Geese; about three pairs of Shelducks; the pair of Oystercatchers; about five pairs of Lapwings on the reserve (two females sitting) another two pairs on arable outside the reserve; about four Curlew; two Redshank, some trilling, two or three Snipe.

Plus late winter visitors: eight Wigeon, 25 Teal.

Severn Hams (8 April 2011, contributed by Mike Smart)

A Whitethroat singing along the Chelt by Priors Norton this morning. But, much more surprising, what seemed to be to be a very early Grasshopper Warbler at Ashleworth at dusk this evening. Ashleworth also had 2 Wigeon, 24 Teal, a male Shoveler and a male Pintail. Two Curlew came in to roost, but no sign of colour rings.

Cleeve Hill (7 April 2011, contributed by Andy Jayne)

On Cleeve Hill this morning three male Ring Ouzels, a singing male Redstart, two Wheatears and a Swallow in the hill fort area (SO985254) and 13 Golden Plovers over to the NW.

Sudmeadow area (6 April 2011, contributed by Gordon Avery)

A Red Kite over GLS/SUD heading NW this afternoon at approx. 2.56pm.

Coombe Hill (26 March 2011, contributed by Les Brown, Tim Cash and Mike Smart)

The infighting between the Farmyard Goose and the male Canada has been resolved…. in favour of the Canada. A battle royal was observed from the Grundon Hide on Thursday, when the Canada nearly drowned the Farmyard Goose. This morning the Farmyard Goose was standing rather forlornly on its own, and there were two, perhaps three, pairs of Canadas on their own. Also two pairs of Greylags.

About 14 Lapwings, displaying nicely; two Redshank, trilling; about four Curlews bubbling; a pair of Oystercatchers; a single Ruff; a single Little Ringed Plover flew over, calling, and continued on to the north without stopping. A Peregrine cruised up and down, looking interested.

The same colour-ringed Curlew, seen at Coombe Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday, was seen roosting at Ashleworth Ham on the evening of Friday 25 March, so perhaps it is not a passing migrant after all, but one of the local breeding birds?

The Mythe, Tewkesbury (24 March 2011, contributed by Mike Smart)

Mythe brickpits: 2 Mute Swans, 2 Tufted Ducks, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Blackcap singing, 1 Chiffchaff singing, 3 Treecreepers.

Mythe Brook, in fields along the Severn: Mute Swans (a pair plus five immatures), a pair of Canada Geese mating, 45 Wigeon, 2 Teal, 3 Tufted Ducks, 2 Grey Herons, 1 Cormorant in a riverside tree in full breeding plumage. 20 Lapwings (14 migrants, at least three displaying pairs over grassland); 16 Golden Plovers (sitting in a grass field, being dive bombed by a resident Lapwing which clearly didn’t appreciate their presence on its territory); 1 bubbling Curlew; 10 Fieldfares; at least two singing Reed Buntings.

Sudmeadow (23 March 2011, contributed by Gordon Avery)

A Red Kite this morning flying low over Sudmeadow at 11.35am, closely followed by about 100 large gulls!

Coombe Hill and Ashleworth (22 March 2011, contributed by Mike Smart and Les Brown)

Coombe Hill at first light: the threesome between the two Canadas and the white Farmyard goose continues, the Farmyard bird getting more and more insistent; three pairs of Shelducks, 2 Wigeon, 110 Teal, 8 Shoveler. The pair of Oystercatchers looking well settled; 12 Lapwings with lots of aerobatics and tail-up display, lovely to see them so active and a month earlier than last year; six Snipe; one Redshank; about eight Curlews, apparently all local birds; one Little Egret; one Swallow; three Chiffchaffs singing.

However, another observer arrived later at about 10.00am and later told me that at about midday ten Curlew had arrived, one of them colour-ringed; I took another look in the afternoon to confirm his reading of the rings and it proved to be one of the 66 birds ringed at Wibdon Warth on the Severn estuary in September 2010 (see GNS NEWS for December 2010). This demonstrates that some of the birds at Coombe Hill are clearly migrants on their way back to continental nesting grounds, shows the inland route they take, and their habits en route (leisurely progress, stop to feed and roost). By the evening there were also two Egyptian Geese, displaying quietly, a second Little Egret and a Little Ringed Plover, and a total of 30 Curlews. It just shows it’s worth spending as much time as possible in the hide, all day at this time of year!

The water level has gone down a fair bit at Ashleworth: 130 Wigeon, 80 Teal, 8 Shoveler, three displaying Lapwings, eight Snipe, at least one Chiffchaff.

Ketford Bank (20 March 2011, contributed by Mike Smart)

Three Mandarin Ducks flew along the River Leadon. There is a good display of Daffodils on the nature reserve.