Bristol Birdwatching. (1 Viewer)

[originalspykid69]

Aust Wharf turned out to be something of a disapointment on Sunday for me.
An easy place to find , and a short drive too from central Bristol for me , but despite raving reviews of this spot , we saw very little!
Maybe we were at the wrong spot , but asking 3 birders there they confirmed "this is Aust wharf"
An expance of grassland stretched out into the estuary , and the sea was not visable , so where do you watch the waders , where would the Spoonbill be?
We looked for the elusive short eared owl , but no luck , so on to New passage for a look around. We saw some Redwing on the walk , and some Pipips although not sure what type as too far off , and not too good on Pipips....Anyone?
Arriving at new passage we were at once greeted by a pair of Raven cronking as they flew towards Aust.
The trees here were full of birds , including some Goldcrests which we got quite close to.
Setting up the scope , and scouring the coastline was a revelation!
Thousands of Dunlin , oystercatcher , Curlew and Lapwing were there , sharing the beach with Teal , Pochard and a solitary Shelduck , nice!
One heron spotted , and a good mixed flock of gull , maybe something mixed in with them , I'm not very good with Gulls!

A smashing place to visit , and highly recommended.
From there we drove back into bristol , and stopped on the Avon at Sea mills , for a look.
Wow! Urban area with Redshank feeding not 50 feet away , some great views and hopfully some images to come. Lapwing too , and all accomodating.

If You hav'nt tried these places , maybe give them a go. For anyone who uses these areas often , could you let me know where to go at Aust wharf as it looked very desolate and not very birdy!

Lee.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Hi Lee,

I like the walk along the raised bank between Aust Warth and New Passage (all too rarely), looking in the hedges, wandering out on the wet flats, and in the fields inland. At around high tide it's best for waders and ducks at New Passage, but a scope is very useful there, and in general in this area. Most of the pipits you'll have seen would be Meadow, but Rock are regular, and others (tree and water) less so. Lots of goodies turn up along this stretch of coast, but remember it's worked hard by a few sharp locals who put in lots of hours for their rewards. The Pied Wheatear just upriver at Olbury-on-severn lat week is surely a good enough encouragement!

Check out the severnside birds website for latest sightings.

 

[originalspykid69]

Thanks for the info Larry.

I'm always unsure of where I can and cant go when visiting a new place so didnt like to wander off too far. I was suprised that there were so few birds on the inland pools too except a solitary Lapwing. would this be the pools where the Spoonbill has been seen?
I'm not knocking the place though , I can see the appeal and it's a very beautiful area.

Thanks again for the info , and for confirming the Pipit sightings. Regards , lee.

 

[originalspykid69]

Chew valley lakes was good this morning , with the Spotted Sandpiper still around , and also the water rail(S)
A female Goosander showed well at Herriots pool , also a Little egret , and a high flying single House Martin.
Two Mandarin flew overhead , and on the flats a pair of Dunlin mixed in with the Lapwings.
From there I nipped into Woolard for some Dipper watching and found a lone bird after much searching. Watched him for some twenty minutes (doing his thing) and then he flew upriver and perched within ten feet of me and proceeded to sing his little heart out!
Brilliant! (A footnote to this is that the local parish council have mailed me back with regard to being in touch with the enviroment agency to clean up this stretch of the Chew)