Common Blue Damselfly male, Green Lawn © Nigel Milbourne 2026
Friday 31st July
Andy D. reported the Garganey and a Wood Sandpiper at Top End mid-morning.
Thursday 30th July
Richard M. reported two juvenile Wood Sandpipers at Top End, and a GLOSSY IBIS in front of the Fishing Lodge before it was flushed by grass cutting.
Tuesday 28th July
Richard M. reported twelve Black-tailed Godwits and a Redshank at Top End, and Nick P. saw a Weasel, 27 Great Black-backed Gulls, an Egyptian Goose and a juvenile Cattle Egret at the Fishing Lodge.
Monday 27th July
Andy D. reported 36 Little Egrets, 34 Cattle Egrets (including two juveniles), and a juvenile Red Kite at Top End today. Richard M. added two Black-tailed Godwits later.
Saturday 25th July
Andy M. reported a couple of small grebes at Top End that looked like probable Black-neckeds this afternoon, that he managed to confirm a short while later.
Friday 24th July
Andy D. reported 30+ Cattle Egrets including ten juveniles this morning, but couldn’t relocate the adult female Garganey. Avon Birds also listed five Great White Egrets, 14 Little Egrets and two Egyptian Geese.
My sister and I went for a walk around Macmerry (East Lothian) this afternoon, and saw a flight of eleven Grey Partridges.
Thursday 23rd July
The Yellow-legged Gull was back at the Fishing Lodge again today according to Nick P.
I drove to Scotland today, and just after turning off the M74 what should I see but an Osprey fishing over the headwaters of the River Clyde from the A702.
Wednesday 22nd July
Andy D. reported 28 Little Egrets (inc. three juveniles), circa 25 Cattle Egrets (inc. one juvenile), three Great White Egrets abd three Red Kites over the meadows where the hay was being cut.
Tuesday 21st July
I managed to engineer some ‘me time’ today and drove up to (near) Fairford in Glos. to see the LONG-TAILED SHRIKE. A lovely bird, and good views as soon as I arrived, but it took three hours going up, and two and a half coming back. The road closures are a nightmare. I’ve seen them before, in China and India, I think, but there are a number of sub-species.
Monday 20th July [Hot}
Dave P. and I did the WeBS count this morning from 0940-1225hrs. The water level is about 62% by my reckoning. The count details were as follows: Canada Goose 209, Mute Swan 50 (inc. broods of 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5), Egyptian Goose 3, Shoveler 3, Gadwall 81, Mallard 473, Pochard 1, Tufted Duck 8, Moorhen 42, Coot 594, Little Grebe 22, Great Crested Grebe 9, Lapwing 1, Common Sandpiper 1, Green Sandpiper 1, Black-headed Gull 30+, Herring Gull 5+, Yellow-legged Gull 1 adult, Great Black-backed Gull 25+, Lesser Black-backed Gull 20+, Cormorant 4, Little Egret 25, Great White Egret 11, Cattle Egret 44, Grey Heron 12, Buzzard 2, Hobby 3, Grey Wagtail 1. At least 11 Clouded Yellow butterflies were feeding on Devil’s-bit Scabious flowers – but note that the Top End, Flower Corner and Bell’s Bush meadows were hay cut this afternoon. Andy D. saw a Red Kite today as well.
Clouded Yellow butterfly, Flower Corner © Nigel Milbourne 2026
ADDITIONS: I went back to the lake to check through the ducks as they moved out to feed at Top End this evening. I added Shoveler, Pochard and Hobby to the WeBS list above. I also amended the Little Grebe count as they all gathered to roost together. 50 spp.
Cattle Egret adult, Green Lawn © Nigel Milbourne 2026
Sunday 19th July [Hot & breezy]
I spent a couple of hours this afternoon with my camera looking for dragonflies and damselflies, but I didn’t see or photograph anything out of the ordinary. I noted a Common Sandpiper, a Great White Egret, two Little Egrets and three Cattle Egrets but there were obviously more present. Jacky T. contacted me earlier in the day to tell me she’d seen 60+ Cattle Egrets in the fields with the cattle on Holt Farm, plus three Clouded Yellows on the Devil’s-bit Scabious. Thanks for the news.
Friday 17th July [Hot & breezy]
I spent three hours this afternoon with new BW Conservation Ranger, Leyla, at the lake. During that time we went to check the heronry to see if there were signs that it was used this year. Two of three nests appeared to be in a good state of repair, but a third was clearly not used this year. I wasn’t able to check the breeding success due to illness in April, but we found evidence of one young bird that had failed to fledge on the ground nearby. My conclusion is that we probably had two pairs this year but the outcome was unknown. We saw a Lapwing, 18 Great Black-backed Gulls, seven Great White Egrets, 13 Little Egrets and 38 Cattle Egrets and six Green Woodpeckers.
Wednesday 15th July [Hot & breezy]
Andy D. came over to Blagdon this morning and saw the two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers at the Lodge, together with an adult Yellow-legged Gull, and an adult Common Gull, among the usual Herring and Black-backeds. Also reported were four Little Egrets, including a recently fledged juvenile, four Cattle Egrets, including two juveniles, two juvenile Green Woodpeckers, and a Red Kite.
Small Tortoiseshell, Top End © Nigel Milbourne 2026
Tuesday 14th July [Hot & breezy]
Andy D. reported 39 Cattle Egrets (including five juveniles) and ten Egyptian Geese this morning. I finally managed to enjoy an hour and a half late afternoon in the sunshine. At the Lodge, I found an adult Garganey with three Teal, two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, and three Lapwings with a host of gulls. Three Egyptian Geese flew off the road when I drove around the corner at Green Lawn, and I’d already seen a few on The Island. As I made my way towards Top End I was really impressed with the number of butterflies on the wing, and having met Ali at the gate, wasn’t surprised to see several Coulded Yellows. He said some had been seen today by staff at the Pumping Station and along the North Shore. I noted 13 species of butterfly, one of which was one of the Skipper spp. I counted a minimum of seven Clouded Yellows. I got this shot of a male Beautiful Demoiselle at Holt Copse, and saw a family group of House Sparrows finding plenty to eat at Top End (my first at the lake this year). 40 spp. Looking through the pictures I took while I was at the lake I have several of a 24-spot Ladybird, that I believe is a first for the site. I’ve added it, and a picture, to the Beetles list and gallery respectively.
Beautiful Demoiselle, Holt Copse © Nigel Milbourne 2026
Monday 13th July [Hot & breezy]
I went to the lake for a short peek late in the day and fount two Lapwings in front of the Fishing Lodge with the loafing gulls. I didn’t really see anything else of note, even the egrets are getting commonplace, and although I started to count them I didn’t see it through. Nevertheless, there were four plus Great White, five plus Little, and at least seven Cattle Egrets, with plenty more around Top End. 24 spp.
A Red Kite drifted over the village around tea time.
Friday 10th July [Scorchio]
I was in Bath for most of the day, but had a look around in the early evening. There didn’t appear to be any waders today, but I counted a minimum 22 Great Black-backed Gulls (one of which was yellow D:IE again). I also noted eight Great White Egrets, nine Cattle Egrets and 25 Little Egrets, while I counted at least eight Lesser Emperor dragonflies, and one Common Darter, on the east side of Rainbow Point with many others (not counted) also seen along the way from the Lodge. 24 spp. Avon Birds carried another report, this time from Andy D., of four Great White Egrets, 14 Little Egrets (one juv), four Cattle Egrets (one juv), five Grey Herons, and 16 Lesser Emperor dragonflies.
Thursday 9th July [Hot]
An evening visit saw a few new birds starting to turn up with a Green Sandpiper briefly at the dam, two Little Ringed Plovers (adult and juvenile) in front of the Lodge and a Teal on Tiny’s Shallow. I also noted a single Great White Egret without checking Top End because I ran out of daylight while I was building up the herptile heap, that Mark H. and I created, with new material. A Hummingbird Hawk-moth that I found appears to be a new addition to the site macromoth list too. 24 spp.
During the day, I saw three Red Kites together over Rickford as I drove back up the Combe, and another overhead as I walked to the gym via Fuller’s Hay.
Wednesday 8th July [Hot]
I spent the morning in discussions with Bristol Water at Chew Valley Lake, about the conservation project I’m engaged in, then had some time out on the water scoping some proposed work with a contractor. We saw a number of Lesser Emperor, Emperor and blue damselfly spp. while we were out there. I heard a Cetti’s Warbler, Garden Warbler and Blackcap singing along the Bittern Trail, and saw quite a few egrets in flight, with Great White and Cattle in front of the east shore public hide when we popped in.
Tuesday 7th July [Late sunshine & a steady breeze]
I had a birding walk from home to Wood Bay Point and back during which I saw 13 Shelduck in front of the FIshing Lodge, three of which were juveniles. There didn’t appear to be any waders on the margins that are being exposed around the lake as the level continues to drop. Once again there were quite a few egrets, but it is hard to put a definitive number on those present, with all the comings-and-goings, especially among the Cattle Egrets. I settled for those I could count in one sweep from Rainbow Point plus a couple of others I’d seen on the way there: 13 Little, four Cattle and six Great White Egrets. 27 spp.
Monday 6th July [Sunny, with a steady breeze]
Andy D. reported seven Shelduck at Rugmoor around 1000 hrs this morning, and Chris P. saw them on the west corner of Green Lawn in the evening before they flew off west towards the coast. Thanks guys – I think these are the first Shelduck reported at the lake this year, and probably the largest group ever seen here too!
Friday 3rd July [Dry, sunny & breezy.]
This afternoon I decided to have a look for Dragonflies and Damselflies again. While I was there, I saw six Egyptian Geese on the dam wall, and three Oystercatchers (found by Merv P. -cheers for the text mate) in front of the Fishing Lodge. It was virtually impossible to count the egrets, they were really mobile and the Cattle Egrets especially were in and out from the lake to surrounding farmland all the time. I settled on two Great White, three Little, and 15+ Cattle Egrets, but there were probably many more. 30 spp. As for the Odonata, there was a single patrolling Lesser Emperor, two Emperors, two Common Darters and two Black-tailed Skimmers at Green Lawn. I also saw Common Blue and Small Red-eyed Damselflies there too.
Oystercatcher, Fishing Lodge © Nigel Milbourne 2026
Thursday 2nd July [Sunshine & breezy]
I counted 185 Canada Geese, two Egyptian Geese, three Gadwall, 22+ Cattle Egrets, two Little Egrets, two Great White Egrets, and logged a Great Black-backed Gull (sub-adult) with a yellow darvic D:IE so, probably, ringed on Denny Island in the Bristol Channel. 30 spp.
Small Red-eyed Damselfly male, Green Lawn © Nigel Milbourne 2026
Wednesday 1st July [Mainly sunny after overnight rain]
Andy D. was at the lake this morning, again, and counted a Great White Egret, 18 Little Egrets and 14 Cattle Egrets (including a juvenile), plus a Red Kite. Interestingly, in the evening, I counted three Great White, four Little and 20+ Cattle Egrets at roost before I left. 26 spp.