Avalon Marshes migrants

 
Mike Harris
 
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Mike Harris
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29 November 2023 15:37
 

Female Ring-necked duck at Westhay today, next lake on the left past the reserve car park on Westhay Moor Drove.

 
Mat Ridley
 
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Mat Ridley
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28 November 2023 20:34
 

Noah’s this afternoon: 2700 wigeon estimated from count of photos, 200 pintail scattered through the wigeon flock, 20 tufted. Shoveler, gadwall, mallard and pochard in single figures. Decoy on 23rd almost empty of duck.

 
Jeff Hazell (Levels-birder)
 
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Jeff Hazell (Levels-birder)
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26 November 2023 17:40
 

26-Nov-2023
Couldn’t easily gain entry to the hide at Greylake this morning, 18 vehicles in car park and someone just leaving said the hide was overfull with about 20 people! It was the same last Friday morning. So again we turned around and went across Tealham Moor: 3 GWE, Kingfisher, but no Whooper. Then below Mudgley: c.60 Cattle Egrets & 15 Little Egrets, and near the LH turn for Panborough & Bleadney our car flushed a Green Sandpiper from the roadside rhyne that landed out in the middle of a short grass field. 3 Jays together near Brook Farm on edge of Godney Moor fishing lake.

 
Andy Mears
 
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Andy Mears
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26 November 2023 17:06
 

I couldn’t see the female RND at Westhay this am but there was still one at Decoy despite a massive reduction in wildfowl numbers there.  Only 20 Golden Plover just north of Westhay today.

4 ad and 1 juv Crane were at Greylake, and a smart Water Pipit.  Still only modest duck numbers.

Otherwise, peeps saw Glossy Ibis from 1vp and imm fem Gt Scaup on Waltons at Ham Wall.  Ad male Black Redstart reported at Abbey House in Glastonbury yesterday I notice.

 
Jeff Hazell (Levels-birder)
 
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Jeff Hazell (Levels-birder)
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23 November 2023 19:22
 

23-Nov-2023 (late afternoon)
The female Ring-necked Duck still present with a group of Tufted Duck on the roadside old peat workings c.200m east of Westhay Moor Reserve car park. Also the adult Whooper Swan still at the western end of Tealham Moor with 5 Mute Swans on shallow roadside flooding south of the road.

 
Mat Ridley
 
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Mat Ridley
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22 November 2023 17:35
 

Upper Godney at 1550 hrs this afternoon, 180 cattle egret gathering and feeding in a partially flooded field. At 1600 they took off and headed towards Westhay NNR.

 
Andy Mears
 
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Andy Mears
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22 November 2023 16:52
 

Another v quiet morning at Long Drove, Ham Wall and Shapwick today was followed by a better afternoon…

A female Ring-necked Duck was with the small Tufted flock on the first roadside lake just east of Westhay NNR car park.  This bird has a nice white eye-ring with a very thin white line going back - so not as dark as the dark Decoy bird and not as well-marked as the well-marked Decoy bird!  No.5 (or 6?)

50 Golden Plover were with Lapwing just north of Westhay village.  Saw the Glossy Ibis at last - it was with 50 Cattle Egret and a dozen Littles in a roadside field about 3km north of Westhay village.

2 ad wp Med Gulls were with a big flock of BHGs on Tadham Moor floods, and the Whooper was still on Tealham.

 
Jeff Hazell (Levels-birder)
 
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Jeff Hazell (Levels-birder)
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20 November 2023 17:35
 

20-Nov-2023
There were 208 Cattle Egrets below Mudgely this morning, which are rather overshadowed by the roost count of 666 (yes 666) at Westhay Moor this evening (per BirdGuides). None on a flooded Tealham Moor, but 36 Little Egrets together was a best count I’ve had for some time. No sign of the Whooper Swan at the western end of the Moor, but lots of distant parts it could be on far from the road. A juv/fem Marsh Harrier slowly hunting along the drier edges, and 2 Kestrels flying together. A Grey Wagtail on the roof of the car park hide at Catcott Lows, but still no ducks!!

BTW: the access road to Cattcot Lows Reserve from Burtle is closed by roadworks, so the only car access is via Catcott Village.

 
Andy Mears
 
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Andy Mears
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19 November 2023 17:43
 

Duck chaos today.  Perhaps the main thing is a good report from 10th of 2 drake and 3 female Ring-necked Duck at Decoy.  Otherwise, everything seems to be moving around…

The duller drake RND on Noah’s for Sean D.
Various RNDs seen on Ham Wall by RSPB et al (I saw 1 female), but none on Decoy it seems.
Ad female and juv-type Garganey 1vp (to go with yesterday’s Decoy drake) - bizarre after a fab spring but an awful ‘autumn’.
3 female-type Goldeneye on Long Drove (and 1 still Westhay) - so with at least 1 drake around, that’s a min of 5 birds confirmed.
(And somewhat further south, a nice female Scaup was still on West Moor floods after being found yesterday by Pete A.)

Little Gull and Whooper seen on Tealham (see previous thread).

 
Andy Mears
 
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Andy Mears
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18 November 2023 16:35
 

Terrific few hours in the field today…

A Goldeneye is still at Westhay just east of the reserve.
30 Golden Plover were with Lapwing on floods just north of Westhay village.
Decoy amazing with many duck all around the hide - over an hour with Andy S, they included the duller drake RN Duck and the 2 females (no sign of the bright male);  a female Goosander;  and an eclipse drake Garganey.  Big numbers of Wigeon and Shoveler again, a few Pintail, etc.  The birds were moved around a few times, partly due to shooting to the south and also M Harriers of course but very unusual to have so many duck around the hide.  Each of the 3 RND and the Goosander were right in front of the hide at some point.
The Whooper was still on Tealham Moor west end, to the south of the road.
C Egrets all over the marshes to the west of Westhay NNR.
Plenty of BH Gulls, Starlings and Fieldfare around.
All rather good but I still haven’t crossed paths with the ibis.

Also a juvenile female Peregrine, 30 C Egret and lots of BHGs on the Knowle Moor floods just to the north.

 
Mike Moxon
 
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Mike Moxon
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15 November 2023 21:43
 

Flocks of c.60, 130 (again) & 45 Cattle Egret below Mudgeley this afternoon - surprising how consistent the numbers are, although not quite in the same fields! Another 6 were along the B3151 slightly outnumbered by Little Egrets & 2 Greats, but none nearer Tealham (just another Great). Also a Green Woodpecker in the trees opposite (below Mudgeley)

 
Mat Ridley
 
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Mat Ridley
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14 November 2023 17:39
 

Male and female RN duck still present at Decoy this afternoon, sticking close together. By 1600 they had moved closer, directly out from left hand hide window. Forty odd tufted for comparison; a few teal, mallard, gadwall and a single pochard; the rest of the 1000+ duck were wigeon and shoveler. Flocks of fieldfare and redwing passing through, 100 or so of each. 10,000 starling did a practice murmuration over Decoy at 1615 before heading east.

 
Andy Mears
 
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Andy Mears
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12 November 2023 19:34
 

Another day, another Goldeneye.  A female on the roadside lake just east of the Westhay NNR car park this pm.  That’s a max of 4 Noah’s, 1 Decoy, 1 Ham Wall and 1 Westhay in the last week of which I’m aware.  They may overlap, of course.

Otherwise this w/e:
Seem to be just 2 RND left at Decoy and both are the ‘original’ birds (male and female).
Short-eared Owl over Tealham this pm.
1stw Little Gull Greylake for Sean D et al.
Also for Sean, ringtail Hen Harrier Ham Wall and 660 C Egret roosting at Westhay (Yep, that’s 660!)
A Glossy Ibis has been seen in the Westhay area now and then in the last week apparently - guess it has an awful lot of habitat to choose from.
Sibechaff for Dan W on Ham Wall.

 
Mike Moxon
 
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Mike Moxon
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10 November 2023 21:33
 

& Chris Craig had another 70 Cattle Egrets at Chew Valley Lake this afternoon, which are presumably from the Levels (plus 12 at Slimbridge = c.500)

 
Andy Mears
 
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Andy Mears
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10 November 2023 20:47
 

Nice one, Mike.

Completely agree with Jeff’s RND analysis and it’s clear we’ve had 4 on Decoy now this autumn.  Well, at least 4…!