Wednesday 30th April [Hot]
It was another early morning out on Black Down doing more BTO bird survey work with Skip H. and Dave P. We split up to cover a whole 1sq. km. and I noted three Wheatears, Tree Pipit, five pairs of Stonechat (plus two more in an adjacent square), two Cuckoos, Whitethroat, Linnet etc. I hope to get down to the lake later, after a gym session this afternoon. At lunchtime I saw five Swifts over adjacent rooftops from our house, chasing and screaming. These are the first I’ve seen this year. Down at the lake in the evening, it was flat calm, with very few birds showing from the dam. I drove slowly along the south side to Rainbow Point where I spent some time with a scope checking out the birds at Top End. I didn’t see a Ring-necked Duck today, but I saw a group of five Grey Herons, two Little Egrets and a Great White Egret. The only hirundine was a single Swallow taking a few sips of water at Cheddar Water. I can’t believe how poor the birding has been at the lake so far this year – my site list is 94 spp in 88 visits by the end of April, lower than any other year since at least 2014. It’s quite shocking really. No Shelduck, Redshank, Med. Gull, Barn Owl, Kingfisher, Hobby, Peregrine, Whitethroat…. the list goes on.
Tuesday 29th April [Warm & sunny]
I birded on foot from the Lodge to Top End gate and back during the afternoon. The drake Ring-necked Duck was with Tufteds, there was just a single Common Sandpiper on the dam, and a Great White Egret. I recorded 40 bird spp. and four butterfly spp. There were lots of teneral damselfies drifting away from the water into the hedges, but I didn’t manage to see a Hobby. I spoke with angler Jeff H. who told me he’d seen a Hobby two days ago, and he rang me when I was right at Top End to say he’d just see a Hobby again at Green Lawn. Needless to say, I dipped that one too. There are a few marsh orchids starting to put their heads up now.
Monday 28th April [Warm, sunny & still.]
I was up with the lark this morning to do a BTO survey with Skip H. on Black Down. I saw my first Cuckoo, Whitethroat and five Wheatears of the year in a list of 21 spp. After a gym session in the afternoon, I went to the lake in the evening and saw a drake Ring-necked Duck with Tufteds, a brood of four juvenile Mallards, a brood of five juvenile Canada Geese, seven Common Sandpipers on the dam, two Little Egrets, and an immature Great White Egret, of note. 32 spp.
Sunday 27th April [Warming up & sunny]
I had an evening walk from Home Bay to Top End and back. There had been a boat fishing competition during the day, which had just finished when I got there. I saw the drake Ring-necked Duck at Top End but, although I waited until after sunset, there were no Hobbies or egrets to be seen. 35 spp.
Saturday 26th April [Some early sunshine, then clouding over & becoming muggy]
I was out all day, but had a quick look at the lake in the evening using my car to get around. I saw the drake Ring-necked Duck, seven Common Sandpipers on the dam, and two Great White Egrets. 22 spp.
Friday 25th April [Sunny spells and warm]
I went to the lake with my camera this afternoon and walked from Holt Copse to Top End and back. It was a waste of time in the hide – the water level has dropped significantly and the marginal vegetation is growing a long way out from the hide. There were also five boats in front, with a total of fifteen in Top End. The Tufted Ducks were present and the drake Ring-necked Duck still with them, but too far away from the hide to photograph. So, I decided to walk and see if I could get any shots of the summer visitors. A couple of Garden Warblers weren’t playing ball, and the Willow Warber was particularly difficult, singing high in the trees. However, I did get this rather appealing view, which shows it has good binocular vision, even though the eyes are on opposite sides of the head, which is hardly surprising given it sallies forth from branches to catch insects aerially, it’s just I’ve not really thought about it before. I saw a Little Egret, and heard four each of Garden and Cetti’s Warbler singing. 39 spp.
Willow Warbler, Top End © Nigel Milbourne 2025
Thursday 24th April [A warm sunny afternoon]
I went to the lake in my car after tea. I spent most of my time in and around the Top End hide. The fishing boats were heading back to the Lodge, and with that the Tufted Ducks started to appear from cover. Among them was a drake Ring-necked Duck. I was hoping to see a Hobby, so stayed until 1945 hrs, but no such luck, although I did see three Little Egrets. 35 spp.
Wednesday 23rd April [Some sunny spells and a light breeze.]
When I arrived at the Lodge and saw the number of parked cars there, and the lack of boats visible from the Lodge, I feared that they would all be crowded into the Top End again today. I decided to bird on foot from the Lodge to Top End gate regardless, and was pleased I did. I heard my first Sedge Warbler of the year, in Lodge Copse of all places. When I got to Green Lawn a flock of 28 Cattle Egrets flew up from the water’s edge. I guess they were bathing, having come off Holt Farm, as the cows were making their way in to be milked. When I got to Rainbow Point, sure enough, there were boats scattered around the margins of Top End every few yards. I saw few ducks, but when I got to the hide I went through those that I could see, and found one of the Ring-necked Ducks. I guess the other one has flown, and is the one reported at Chew yesterday. 47 spp.
Tuesday 22nd April [A pleasant & warm day]
The forecast was for sunshine and a light breeze early this morning, so I decided to carry out a lakeside survey of singing/calling birds and met Skip on the dam at 0645 hrs, who was doing my old ST5060 BBS square. My survey (0710-1034 hrs, 5.5 miles) wasn’t especially exciting, although I did see two Whimbrel fly-over. Singing bird counts were as follows (figures in brackets were counts made on 6th April): Pheasant 8 (7), Stock Dove 1(10), Woodpigeon 12 (11), Great Spotted Woodpecker 3 (3), Kestrel 1 (0), Magpie 1 (2), Carrion Crow 7 (8), Blue Tit 9 (8), Great Tit 5 (8), Cetti’s Warbler 7 (3), Willow Warbler 2 (6), Chiffchaff 22 (36), Reed Warbler c. 10 (0), Blackcap 31 (24), Garden Warbler 3 (0), Wren 38 (37), Nuthatch 2 (3), Song Thrush 12 (4), Mistle Thrush 1 (1), Blackbird 17 (9), Robin 27 (31), Dunnock 5 (4), Chaffinch 17 (13), and Bullfinch 1 (0). Also noted during the survey were Little Grebes calling in two areas, a Common Sandpiper, two Little Egrets, a Great White Egret, a Raven, two Orange-tip butterflies, two Speckled Wood butterflies, two Violet Oil-beetles, and Green-winged and Early Purple Orchids in flower. 50 bird spp. Back at home, I saw a Holly Blue butterfly and found a speckled feather on the patio that, bizarrely, looks as if it has come from a Helmeted Guineafowl.
Monday 21st April [Early rain, drying out later, with a cold wind in the evening.]
I had a drive along the south side of the lake between 1928 and 2041hrs and had a quick look from the Top End hide, but the wind blowing through the slats was too cold for me to stick around. I saw a Little Egret there, one of the Ring-necked Ducks, and a drake Pochard with what’s left of the Tufted Duck flock. There were two Common Sandpipers on the dam wall viewed from the south end. 33 spp.
Sunday 20th April [Mainly cloudy, with just a few sunny spells.]
I had some things to catch up with since I got back home last night, and only ventured down to the lake in the afternoon. I saw one, possibly both, drake Ring-necked Ducks, but the level of boat angling disturbance was quite high, and has been for the last week or more at Top End due, I think, to competition(s) and practice sessions. The small flocks of Tufted Ducks are being forced to move frequently in order to feed and rest. Generally speaking, the Ring-necked Ducks move with them, but not always. The wintering bird often splits away from the groups in order to feed on its own close to the bank, and hides among flooded trees when disturbed. I birded on foot, walking from home to Top End gate and back. Of note, I saw just a pair each of Shoveler and Gadwall, a drake Pochard, a pair of Great Crested Grebes nest-building, a Common Sandpiper, one Little Egret, a Red Kite, and heard two Cetti’s Warblers at Home and Long Bays, and a Garden Warbler singing behind Top End hide. 39 spp.
Saturday 19th April
Andy M. reported that the two drake Ring-necked Ducks were still present today, in Long Bay, when he saw them.
Thursday 17th April
I went to Cornwall this morning and returned on Saturday evening. While there, I ‘dipped’ the Azores Gull at Newlyn Harbour, although birding was not the primary reason for my being in Cornwall. I only managed to give it 45 minutes or so.
Wednesday 16th April
I paid a visit it to the Top End this afternoon, and heard my first Garden Warbler of the year at Hellfire Corner / Bell’s Bush. I also saw the two drake Ring-necked Ducks, two LIttle Egrets, a Great White Egret, and heard a Cetti’s Warbler and Willow Warbler in a list of 38 spp.
In the evening Mark, Ken, Jane and I were joined by Fiona M., Daniel H. and two Vincent Wildlife Trust bat workers for a bat trapping session. We were hoping to catch Nathusius’ Pipistrelles using six harp traps and lures, for Fiona to fit with Motus tags. We caught a number of Soprano Pipistrelles, some Lesser Horseshoe Bats and just one male Nathusius’ Pip. It was processed, fitted with a ring, J13600, and a Motus tag, then released. It flew off strongly when released at Butcombe Bay, where it was caught, and headed in a northerly direction. All the other bats were immediately released. As it was a pretty quiet and cold evening, we packed up at around 0030 hrs.
Tuesday 15th April
I birded on foot from Rainbow Point to Top End hide and back this afternoon. I heard my first Garden Warbler of the year at Hellfire Corner and the Willow Warbler still singing behind the hide. The boat fishermen have been congregating at the Top End of the lake for the last few days, which is making finding the waterfowl difficult, but I did see one of the Ring-necked Ducks at Flower Corner after most of them had headed back to the Lodge. There was a single Little Egret and lots of hirundines of all three species, and that was about the extent of it. 36 spp.
Monday 14th April [Threatening sky, but it stayed dry until mid-afternoon, then we had some light rain showers.]
Phil, Skip, Dave P. and I did the WeBS count this morning in quite windy conditions. Highlights were the two drake Ring-necked Ducks, and a flock of 49 Cattle Egrets. The count details were as follows: Canada Goose 19, Mute Swan 23, Shoveler 2, Gadwall 7, Mallard 21, Teal 7, Ring-necked Duck 2, Tufted Duck 120, Moorhen 1, Coot 116, Little Grebe 4, Great Crested Grebe 24, Snipe 4, Common Sandpiper 10, Herring Gull 2, Great Black-backed Gull 6, Lesser Black-backed Gull c. 20, Cormorant 10, Little Egret 4, Great White Egret 4, Cattle Egret 49, Grey Heron 1, Sparrowhawk 1, Buzzard 6, Cetti’s Warbler 2, Grey Wagtail 2.
In the evening I got a call from an old friend, Chris S., who’d come to see the Ringers, so we met up, found and admired them, then had a good chinwag before he had to set off on his long drive home. Good to see you mate.
Sunday 13th April [Mainly overcast & cooler than of late. Some sunny spells.]
I went to the lake this afternoon and birded along the south side in my car. I met a lad from Ubley who’d seen the drake Ring-necked Duck on its own at Top End. I also saw one from the hide not long afterwards, along the bank at Indian Country. I headed back towards the Lodge on the way home, and came across some Tufted Ducks in Wood Bay, that had been pushed in close to the shore by fishing boats heading back towards the Lodge from along the south shore. I saw a drake Ringer close to the bank and grabbed a load of pictures from my car. I thought I’d check the other two groups of Tufteds before moving on, and the nearest group also had a drake Ringer in it about 30 metres away from the one I’d been photographing. Gobsmacked! I took pictures of that one too. As boats were going past, the ducks were clearly unsettled and the second one I’d found took a very short flight which gave me the following pictures that I thought I’d share, as they’re a little different from the usual side on views.
Drake Ring-necked Duck, Wood Bay © Nigel Milbourne 2025
Aside from the Ringers, I saw a Little Egret at Top End and heard the Willow Warbler still singing behind the hide. A small flock of Swallows were feeding over the road at Long Bay too. 31 spp. After tea, I went for a run around the lake on footpaths and lanes, and came across two partridges that were about 20-30 metres from me. They were clearly a pair, one feeding and the other standing guard, and allowed me to walk around them without taking flight. It was getting dark and I found it hard to make out any real plumage detail, even at that range, but as there was no obvious white on the head or throat, I’m happy they were (released) Greys. We will be doing the WeBS count tomorrow morning.
Saturday 12th April [Dry with sunny spells, but the weather is on the turn.]
I didn’t go to the lake today, but while doing a bit of gardening on the patio I started to clear a small pile of leaves and found a Hedgehog underneath them, not five metres from the back door. It was awake, so I gently moved it to the back garden where there was lots of cover for it to hide away again. Later, I drove down the Portway at about 1430 hrs on the way to Avonmouth and saw, from my car, what I felt sure was an Osprey flying up the gorge just upstream from Sea Mills. Did anyone else see it?
Friday 11th April [Warm with wall-to-wall sunshine]
I think it was the warmest day of the year and a perfect day to be outdoors. I birded from the Lodge to Top End gate and back, as I often do, and as I went past Flower Corner what should I see – yep, the drake Ring-necked Duck again. There were three Common Sandpipers on the dam, two Snipe and a Little Egret at Top End, the first Reed Warbler I’ve heard this year and a Green-veined White at Home Bay. I found my first flowering Green-winged Orchid, and the sad corpse of a Grass Snake that had been recently run-over along the road.
Barred Grass Snake, Flower Corner © Nigel Milbourne 2025 (phone picture)
As I walked back under some Oak trees, an Oak Apple fell on the ground right beside me and gave me a start. They are caused by Biorhiza pallida, the Oak Apple Gall Wasp, when it lays eggs inside the leaf buds. The plant tissues swell as the larvae of the gall wasp develop inside, forming the gall.
Oak Apple Gall © Nigel Milbourne 2025 (phone picture)
Apart from the three Common Sands on the dam, I was greeted by the awful smell caused by Blue-green algae at the south end. The bottom of the lake has been breaking up in the warm sunshine this week and releasing nutrients into the water body. I hope we don’t have a repeat of the extraordinary bloom we had last year when the lake turned bright sky blue. Skin contact is best avoided, and keep dogs out of the water (which you should anyway).
Blue-green algae build up at south end of the dam today © Nigel Milbourne 2025 (phone picture)
Thursday 10th April [Wall-to-wall sunshine]
A couple of hours this evening produced the most unexpected sighting of a female Pintail at Top End. Moreover, she was displaying madly at two drake Mallards – they seemed rather unimpressed though! Four Shoveler (the first I’ve seen for a while) and a Swallow flew past the Lodge while Mark H. and I were catching up, the Common Sandpiper was on the dam, and two Great White Egrets were at Top End. 32 spp.
As you can never have too many Brown Hare pictures, here’s another gift…
Brown Hare, undisclosed site © Nigel Milbourne 2025
Wednesday 9th April [Wall-to-wall sunshine]
I didn’t get to the lake today because I spent the afternoon up on Blackdown doing a preparatory walk for one of my BTO Dartford Warbler Survey squares. At that time of day it was pretty quiet, although I found three pairs of Stonechat (plus another outside my square), a female Reed Bunting, Buzzard, singing Willow Warbler, Blackbird and Linnet, and saw a flyover Goldfinch. The most remarkable spectacle was all the Peacock butterflies flying on the open hilltop, plus the three Small Tortoiseshells I also saw.
Tuesday 8th April [Wall-to-wall sunshine]
I birded for over three hours along the south side of the lake late this afternoon. I saw three Snipe, two Little Egrets, 21 Cattle Egrets, and heard one each of Willow and Cetti’s Warbler singing. Butterflies included Orange-tip, Peacock and four Speckled Woods. There was no sign of the drake Ring-necked Duck. 44 spp.
Monday 7th April [Wall-to-wall sunshine]
I spent an hour and twenty minutes at the lake this evening. The lake was mirror flat and the sunset beautiful. I didn’t see the drake Ring-necked Duck, but spotted two Little Egrets and the Common Sandpiper. List 34 spp.
Sunday 6th April [Sunny & breezy]
I did my first spring survey at the lake this morning between 08:08 & 11:16 hrs. Singing/calling birds included: Pheasant 7, Stock Dove 1, Woodpigeon 11, Collared Dove 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 3, Green Woodpecker 3, Jay 2, Magpie 2, Carrion Crow 8, Blue Tit 8, Great TIt 8, Cetti’s Warbler 3, Willow Warbler 6, Chiffchaff 36, Blackcap 24, Goldcrest 2, Wren 37, Nuhatch 3, Song Thrush 4, Mistle Thrush 2, Blackbird 9, Robin 31, Dunnock 4, Chaffinch 13, Goldfinch 1, Reed Bunting 1. Other notables included Ring-necked Duck m. 1, Osprey f. 1, Fieldfare 1, Sand Martin many feeding & flying east, Rook (nests) 52, Common Sandpiper 1 and Snipe 1. List 51 spp.
Osprey female, Blagdon Lake © Nige Milbourne 2025
Update: Seb has just sent me pictures of what appears to be the same bird, taken on the River Teign at Bishopsteignton in Devon, yesterday.
Saturday 5th April [Sunny & breezy]
I made two visits to the lake today. In the morning I birded on foot from Rainbow Point to Top End hide & back, met Mark H. at midday to put a repaired bat box front in place, went home for a cuppa, then spent a couple of hours in the afternoon on Rainbow Point watching for migrants, particularly raptors, in flight. In the morning I saw the Ring-necked Duck before sitting in the hide for a while. A calling Great Black-backed Gull drew my attention to an Osprey flying up the lake towards me at 1115 hrs. I grabbed some distant shots before it veered behind the hide. I ran out of the hide but didn’t see it again. I looked for it as I made my way back to my car but no luck. About 45 minutes later an Osprey was reported over t’other place – possibly the same bird. While at the lake I saw two Red Kites in the distance, one carrying nesting material, the other one following. The leading bird dropped the material it was carrying and spiraled down after it, followed by the other bird. I lost them both to sight. Does anyone know if this is courtship behaviour or just a case of ‘dropsey’ by the leading bird? In the afternoon, I went to Rainbow Point to scan the whole lake and surroundings for a couple of hours. Two Red-legged Partridges ran across the road in front of my car, and I saw the two Red Kites again, plus a handful of Sand Martins and Swallows, and my first couple of Meadow Pipits this year at Green Lawn. Also present during the day was a Little Egret and an immature Great White Egret. Morning list 37 spp. Afternoon list 35 spp. plus a Holly Blue and several Orange-tip butterflies. Cuckoo-flower and Cowslip are showing well now.
Cuckooflower aka Lady’s Smock, Top End © Nigel Milbourne 2025
Friday 4th April [Mizzle & damp early on, turned to sunshine later in the day.]
I spent an hour or two at the lake this evening, where I saw the drake Ring-necked Duck, but little else apart from a constant stream of large gulls flying down the lake towards the coast. Earlier in the day I’d seen a Red Kite between Aldwick and the dam. 33 spp.
I had planned to spend the day at the lake, but a phone call, in response to an email I sent this morning, turned everything on its head. Seb Loram of the Devon Osprey Partnership rang the doorbell about 15 minutes later. We spent the next four or so hours around the lakes looking at the poles I’d put up a decade ago with the late Robin Prytherch and Ken Carruthers, and discussing what we’d each done to try and attract Ospreys to our respective home areas. We even spotted an Osprey at Herriott’s while we were at Chew Valley Lake (that was beautifully photographed by Wayne Tucker). Seb and I also talked about the possibility of refurbishing the local nest poles later in the year, to compliment work he has been doing in Devon, Dorset and Cornwall, as we each hope to attract Ospreys to colonise the south-west of England.
Thursday 3rd April [Mainly sunny. Breezy.]
I had nearly two hours at the lake this afternoon. The drake Ring-necked Duck was at Top End, and I spent some time photographing a pair of Gadwall that were trying to feed but continually being chased off by a pair of Coots that had set up a breeding territory. There was a pair of Wigeon on the other side of Top End, which was a bit unexpected if I’m honest. I also saw one each of Great White and Little Egrets. Behind the hide, I came across the first Dark-edged Bee-fly I’d seen this year, a few hoverflies including Eristalis pertinax, and several Brimstone and Orange-tip butterflies.
Gadwall drake, Top End © Nigel Milbourne 2025
Wednesday 2nd April [Bright & sunny. Very breezy.]
We stopped on the way home from Cornwall for a ride on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway. Loved it. When I got home this afternoon, I headed down to the lake and birded my way to Top End hide and back. It was a bit quiet in the terrific blow, but I saw four Cattle Egrets and the drake Ring-necked Duck at Flower Corner before heading home.
Tuesday 1st April [Bright & sunny though very windy]
I was out for a run on the Camel Trail before the sun came up this morning. I missed my turnaround point and ended up going quite a bit further than planned, but it was beautiful morning. I saw a few Swallows around Trevose Head and a Little Egret in Padstow Harbour a bit later in the day.
Brown Hare, undisclosed site © Nigel Milbourne 2025