I had some nice local birding recently; the first week of December drew in lots of Pinkfooted Geese in and around Marishes i.e. between Thorntondale and Yedingham. The resident Kingfisher put in a star appearance at Eden Camp pond and a young Peregrine was observed harassing the local Woodpigeon population.
As Christmas was drawing close I did a quick dash down to Reading and Somerset to deliver presents to nephews and nieces and took in a few days birding as a festive treat to myself and why not. A few Red Kites were seen in Reading and along the M4 which are always nice to see. On the 14th Dec I travelled over to Somerset and had a quick afternoon visit to Cheddar Reservoir – a great move in retrospect as I picked up a very nice year tick in the form of Red Crested Pochard !!! Although I have seen these very smart ducks abroad on numerous occasions I have not seen this species of duck in the UK for many years.On the 15th of December I had a mad dash around some of North Somerset’s best birding spots; the day started off well with two Ravens passing over as I was packing the car. The birds were very high but their deep croaking calls betrayed their presence. I started today’s birding trip at Chew Valley; at Herriot’s bridge there were at least a dozen Pintail another cracker in the bag!! Late morning/ early afternoon I moved over to Chew Valley reservoir for another visit and the Red Crested Pochard was still in evidence ; giving close views but the light was rubbish for any credible shots.
Local information is very valuable and a very kind local birder gave me some valuable information concerning Cattle Egrets!! They had been seen feeding by the road side at Burtle – a small village near my final destination Ham Wall RSPB reserve near Westhay. So a mad dash over the levels, through Wedmore and down to Burtle. Then followed 15 agonising minutes as I searched every muddy field in Burtle – with no luck. Just as I had given up and was doing a U turn …. a flash of white caught my eye …….. yes there they were!!!! 3 Cattle Egrets feeding in the field with some cattle!!!!! It was great to connect with these birds again.
With the Cattle Egrets thoroughly vetted and photographed it was a quick drive over to Ham Wall for the late afternoon show; a Starling murmuration …. with up to 300,000 birds taking part!!! And yes the Starlings didn’t disappoint the roost was amazing !!! It’s not often you get to see more than a quarter of a million birds flying around in one huge flock. What a way to end a great day.
Homeward bound today … but as I was passing Slimbridge I could not resist a visit to one of the UK’s most iconic reserves.As soon as I parked the car there were Bewick’s calling and flying over. Superb!!! After paying the entrance fee I made my way to the hides…. especially after hearing about a very confiding Water Rail that had been seen earlier that morning. Sure enough, within 5 minutes arrival at Willow Pool hide the Water Rail put on a great show!!
Next it was the Bewicks!!! Wow, there at least 20 birds and it was great to see them so close. Smaller than Whoopers with more black on the bill, these iconic birds breed in Siberia and make their way down to the South West of England every Autumn and make the return journey in March.
Other wildfowl were seen in great numbers; Wigeon, Teal, Shelduck and Pintail. Just to make the morning complete two Cranes came into feed in one of the fields ; what a way to end my visit. As always, my birding trip to Somerset and Gloucestershire did not disappoint … I can’t wait for my next trip.
As the year comes to an end, can I say thank you to everybody who has visited my site. Your comments are greatly appreciated.
Happy Birding for 2022 and safe journeys wherever your Birding may take you.
Kind regards Jon.
