This topic “Avalon Marshes migrants” is now closed. Please use new topic “Avalon Marshes” from Feb-2025
(Any chance of a new thread, please?)
Sharpham fields this morning. Three Whitefronts as on 12 January still, along with 132 Greylags and 16 Canada geese, 31 Mute Swans and 14 Cattle Egret.
On Long Drove pool, 234 Wigeon, 15 Pochard, 10 Tufted Duck and a pair of Kingfishers, overflown by two Snipe and a lone Red Kite.
amongst the variety of regular birds , it was refreshing to see a male Brimstone Butterfly, just past the gate to the NNR flitting quite merrily before pitching on the trunk of a tree and basking in the quite warm sun .
21-Jan-2025
Two Glossy Ibis distantly this afternoon from View Point-1 at Ham Wall RSPB, seen from 15:20 until 16:30 when we left there.
A video stiil frame can be seen on this X (Twitter) link below…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gh12rWIXsAAobS_?format=jpg&name=small
18-Jan-2025
A drive around The Levels gave 3 Goosander on Huntspill River at Gold Corner Pumping Stn., c.100 Cattle Egrets in 3 flocks on Godney Moor, and a big surprise: an all totally black Marsh Harrier that flew low & near across the road in front of our slow car on Edington Moor. I checked its head which was all black - no sign of any pale crown.
The only other all black Harrier that I’ve seen in the UK was a melanistic female Montagu’s on Somerton Moor 18/5/1999, found by Brian Gibbs if my memory is correct.
Single Whooper Swan on Noah’s lake 12:30
Sharpham Lane fields, midday Sunday 12th January. With c.200 Greylags and 30 Canada geese, one (possibly 2) adult Whitefronts and one first winter (belly stripes but no white forehead). Also, one Egyptian goose with the flock while two more flew into the fishing lake.
At Ham Wall earlier, a pair of showy bearded tits working the line of reeds behind VP1 - other side of the track
11-Jan-2025
Two White-fronted Geese with c.230 Greylags & 35 Canada’s on fields along Sharpham Lane this morning.
08-Jan-2025
Good morning at Noah’s Lake Hide, Shapwick Heath NNR & surrounds: 3 ad Whooper Swans & imm drake Greater Scaup close to the hide, and 2 Russian Greater White-fr Geese very distant with Greylags in far SW cnr. Also 3 Bullfinches and c.10 Redpolls
Lots of chiffchaffs around: 3+ Shapwick Heath, 5+ Ham Wall, 20+ Westhay reserve.
Had one cattle egret opposite The Bird pub in Westhay village.
Nice spin round on this lovely Christmas day:
All drakes, all Ham Wall: the Ring-necked Duck still from the railway bridge; on the 2vp lagoon, a smart Goldeneye and a scruffy Scaup. The Scaup may be pure, am not 100% sure, and it may be the recent bird from Westhay.
A pair of Pintail along Lewis’s Drove at Westhay was unusual; and there are still lots of gulls and C Egrets in fields around Panborough, inc an ad wp Med Gull.
Five Barnacle geese with forty greylag ,forty five Canada and fifteen cattle egrets in the field near the bridge Sharpham lane this afternoon
Cheers, Jon.
The Green-winged Teal was showing again at Catcott this afternoon.
Duck numbers way down at Greylake, which is a surprise - they should be going the other way. The female Merlin was there this pm and others saw the B Teal.
Heard a nice report of a male Hen Harrier over Noah’s about a week ago.
I’ll add the Scaup to the WeBS data - spent about 20 mins scoping the southernmost lake which was holding most of the birds including a few Aythyas. As I recall when I counted the NW pond and the one next to it they hardly had anything on them at all, it was probably skulking at the back in the overgrowth.
The Scaup was still on the NW fishing lake along Lewis’s Drove this morning - could be added in to the Webs count perhaps. It’s starting to gain some nice pale mantle feathers.
A Peregrine went over the Avalon Centre mid-morning, maybe the same one that others saw today.
Interesting that Cattle Egrets are so dispersed at the mo. There are loads in fields around Panborough, as well as the ones that all the Baikal twitchers are seeing at Pedwell.
Steady Webs at Shapwick, a Goldeneye most unusual and Pintail up to 160. No Ring-necked Ducks so fairly safe to assume we have had 2 so far, with both of them being on Ham Wall (Godwins) today per SD.