Wednesday 30th October [Overcast, still & mild.]
Two and a quarter hours over lunchtime was much more productive than the last few days, and I saw 6 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon, heard some Teal in Top End trees, saw the Common Sandpiper back on the dam, a Great White Egret, at least 4 Cattle Egrets on Holt Farm with cattle (mostly hidden by a hedge), and four Siskins in an alder tree at Top End in a total of 41 spp. There are still large numbers of Aythya ducks and Coots on the water which may stay awhile with the angling boats coming off the water tomorrow (although I can’t find confirmation on the fisheries website). There’s just one day left to improve on a miserly 62 spp. this month – it’s been a disappointing autumn migration in the Yeo valley so far, but November quite often brings unexpected surprises. We can but hope.
Tuesday 29th October [Overcast & mild with little wind]
I managed to get out for a run at lunchtime, which left me little time to visit the lake after I got home, and showered. In 22 minutes I saw 21 spp. including a flock of 20 Cattle Egrets on Holt Farm at gone 1700 hrs, when I would normally have expected them to have gone to roost.
Monday 28th October [A dank, grey day, with drizzle & light rain.]
Not deterred by the conditions, I spent nearly three hours at the lake this afternoon but saw very little variety in the bird life. I managed just 31 species for my trouble. The only notable bird I saw was a single Cattle Egret.
Saturday 26th October [A pleasant, warm, sunny day.]
It was a grand afternoon, so I decided to get out in the sunshine and birded on foot from the Lodge to Top End gate and back. Sadly, from a birding point of view, it was very quiet. I saw the Common Sandpiper on the dam, two Great White Egrets, and 14 Cattle Egrets that flew off to t’other place late afternoon, and that was about it. 35 spp. In addition, I saw an unidentified white butterfly, a Red Admiral and a Migrant Hawker on the wing.
Friday 25th October [A dull morning that brightened later in the day]
Today I drove to Rainbow Point, after checking out the dam end, and set my scope up to scan a group of Cattle Egrets in a tree on Rugmoor Point. There were 18, that flew off to t’other place not long after I’d counted them. I could see a handful of sleeping Shoveler, and just two Wigeon, apart from a few Mallard and Pochard, and hundreds of Tufted Duck and Coots. When I walked to Top End, I watched three male Great Spotted Woodpeckers having a right set to in a willow tree. Apart from the ‘peckers and a few singing Robins it was pretty quiet.
Wednesday 23rd October [Overcast to start, brightening later.]
When I pulled up at the Lodge this afternoon, there was an absolute cacophony coming from Lodge Copse, where at least four Ravens were present and others appeared to be coming and going. They were all up in the tree tops, so I couldn’t work out why they were there – it’s a most unusual occurrence. Two Egyptian Geese were on the north end of the dam, and I was just in time to see two Cattle Egrets fly off towards t’other place, two Great White Egrets fly in high from the dam end that landed on Rugmoor Point where another was already feeding, and a male Marsh Harrier that flew across the lake to Rugmoor Point too. I chatted to couple of birders who told me they’d seen two Marsh Harriers before I got there. At Top End I saw two Redwings.
Monday 21st October [Overcast but warm and dry – unlike the WeBS count last month!]
Rob, Skip and I did the WeBS count this morning. It wasn’t exactly the sunny morning the weather forecasters promised, but it was nice for the count. The totals were as follows: Mute Swan 26, Shoveler 5, Gadwall 2, Wigeon 4, Mallard 58, Pintail 8, Pochard 123, Tufted Duck 898, Moorhen 18, Coot 1735, Little Grebe 2, Great Crested Grebe 34, Common Sandpiper 1, Black-headed Gull c.80, Common Gull 2, Great Black-backed Gull 4, Cormorant 16, Cattle Egret 4, Great White Egret 1, Grey Heron 4, Red Kite 1, Buzzard 1, Cetti’s Warbler 1, Grey Wagtail 1. We also saw a Redwing at Top End in a list of 45 spp.
Sunday 20th October [Wet overnight & morning. Turning sunny in the afternoon.]
Late afternoon, I met up with Mark at t’other place to do the four bat boxes at Woodford Bank. We didn’t see any bats, but cleared the boxes out ready for next year. My word there have been some changes along that bank with erosion, and scrub growth, during covid. Anyway, to be fair, there has been a great job done recently, clearing scrub and opening out the woodland a bit, which has made checking the bat boxes a whole lot easier than of late. It also looks like quite a bit of work has been done along the south side of Villice Bay too since I last saw it. Tomorrow, we will be doing the Blagdon WeBS count.
Saturday 19th October [Dry & sunny]
Mark and I met up at 0900hrs to do the bat boxes at the Pumping Station, then we drove along the lake looking for birds on the way to t’other place, where we did the boxes at Moreton. In the 16 boxes at Blagdon we saw at least 15 Soprano Pipistrelles.
Friday 18th October [Dry in the morning, drizzle later.]
I had a quick drive through late afternoon but didn’t see anything of note.
Thursday 17th October [A beautiful day to be out]
It was warm and sunny, so I birded from the Lodge to Top End gate and back this afternoon. I met Martin K. at Top End and while chatting to him saw two Marsh Harriers, a male and a probable juvenile, over the lake that flew off towards t’other place. Then, the 26 Cattle Egrets that were on Rugmoor Point followed them. I heard a Cetti’s Warbler sing, and saw two Migrant Hawkers, a Common Darter, a Red Admiral, two Comma’s and a Speckled Wood, still on the wing in the mild autumn weather.
Tuesday 15th October [Overcast]
I birded from the Lodge to Top End hide and back. I saw the Stonechat again, Common Gull, Lapwing, Kestrel and Raven in a list of 33 bird species and a Migrant Hawker.
Monday 14th October [Dull & overcast with low mist on the hills]
I arrived at the lake around 1500 hrs this afternoon and after checking the dam, I drove on to the Lodge. There were some fishing boats in Pipe Bay, but quite a large flock of waterfowl over Tiny’s Shallow. So, I got the scope out and went through the Coots, Tufted Ducks and Pochard, then looked around and spotted a white gull off Spinney Point. I spent some time looking at it but was a bit puzzled by it’s almost completely white appearance sitting on the water. A boat angler approached quite close by but it didn’t spook, it just stayed there on its own with nothing else to compare it with for size. It looked long (the wings extended well beyond the tail) and I thought of a possible Glaucous Gull, but desperately wanted it to move. Eventually, it flew, and I thought it was going to go up the lake, but it veered and came in towards Green Lawn where it landed. In flight I could see biscuit coloured feathering in the wings, and curiously, the remains of quite a broad tail band. I thought this latter feature probably ruled out Glaucous and Iceland Gull. I decided to whip up to the house to get my camera in the hope of getting some photos while it was on the Lawn, but it had gone by the time I got back. I drove to Rainbow Point in the hope that it might have landed on Rugmoor Point. When I scoped the point, there were white ‘blobs’ everywhere – at least 31 Cattle Egrets and 16 Lapwings, but eventually I spotted the gull among a small flock of Black-headed Gulls. I rang Chris C. to see if he was around and would be prepared to come to Rugmoor Gate, for a closer look, because I was really puzzled by it. We met at the gate and got the scopes out. It appeared to be smaller than I’d first thought, so my mind turned to one of the medium-sized gulls e.g. Iceland, Kumlien’s, Thayer’s or even an aberrant Common. It had a stoutish bill, black at the end and pink for the basal two thirds, with a blackish cutting edge. It was almost pure white when standing, with pale pinkish legs. There was one darker mark on the left side, lesser coverts or mantle, which Brian T., who’d also arrived, said appeared greyish to him. We all thought the bird looked long-winged, rather-dainty looking, and stood not much taller than the Black-headed Gulls. It was dwarfed by the Great Black-backed Gull nearby. It flew back down the lake and west over the dam while we were still there, and Brian got a few flight shots as it went by, which show the brown feathering in the wings well, so at least we have these to look at – well done mate. We debated the possibilities, but couldn’t come up with anything other than a probable hybrid and/or leucistic gull. But the question, still remains that even if it was a leucistic specimen, or hybrid, what was it? When I got home Brian shared some pictures, and Chris a short video, on our local birding WhatsApp group, so I went through the gull books and websites and am really none the wiser. A few people have suggested it might be a leucistic Lesser Black-backed Gull, possibly, one of the northerly sub-species. Whilst Baltic Gull, a subspecies of Lesser Black-backed Gull, is an apparently very rare passage migrant in this area, I can see that a case could be made for this, but who knows? I hope it gets seen again, because it’s worth some close-up pictures to, hopefully, throw a bit more light on its identity. While I was stalking across Green Lawn hoping to photograph the gull there, I noticed what I assume to be the male Stonechat that I’d seen in Long Bay hedge last Friday. I also noted 2 Great White, and a Little Egret during all the excitement.
Leucistic Gull, Blagdon Lake © Brian Thompson 2024
Sunday 13th October [Cold overnight. Increasingly pleasant as the day wore on.]
Mark and I decided to try and get a few more bat boxes checked at Chew Valley Lake today, so arranged to meet up at 0830 hrs. We concentrated on the Picnic Site #2 area to Hollow Brook, then Wick Green. There seemed to be fewer bats in the boxes today, perhaps as a result of the cold night. We found 16 Soprano Pipistrelles in the 25 boxes we checked, which means we’ve just got Moreton and Woodford Bank to do before the end of the month (which is something of a relief). Although there weren’t many bats in residence, most of the boxes had plenty of evidence of use over the year left in them! I didn’t go to Blagdon Lake today.
Saturday 12th October
Having spotted a curiously small bat in one of the Blagdon boxes last Monday, we decided to go back to have another look for it this morning. Where there had been, what we took to be 8 Soprano Pipistrelles in the box last time, turned out to be just three this time around, with no sign of the ‘little’ bat. After that, we drove over to Chew Valley Lake to check a few of the boxes there, on Nunnery Point and at the Ringing Station. We found 20 Soprano Pipistrelles in 13 boxes, before calling it a day – I had to leave to go and get my winter ‘jabs’ at the surgery. On the way along the south side of Blagdon, on the way to t’other place, I counted 6 Great White Egrets and met Andy M. who told me he’d not found anything of interest by the time he’d got to Bell’s Bush.
Friday 11th October [Sunny with a nip in the air]
I drove slowly along the south side of the lake stopping at several spots to scan this afternoon, and at Rainbow Point to scope the bulk of the wildfowl just east of there. I saw 21 Cattle Egrets fly over Holt Farm and off over the Mendips, where I also saw a Red Kite in flight, a male Stonechat at Long Bay, a Great White Egret at Holt Bay, 16+ Lapwings on Rugmoor Point, and 5 Pintail at Top End. The water level has come up to about 73% now, and there are few places for waders to drop in and feed on, but I live in hope. Avon Birds had a report of 13 Grey Partridges at the lake today – without doubt birds put down by the shooting fraternity and, possibly, not Grey Partridges either. Mark saw two groups of Red-legged Partridges a few days ago, which I haven’t seen since, and, I photographed a slightly curious ‘game’ bird on the neighbours drive in the village on Sunday 29th September that resembled a Grey Partridge but may have been another of the released birds..
Thursday 10th October [Broken cloud & cool]
I birded on foot from Home Bay to Flower Corner and back late in the afternoon. I didn’t notice anything new on or around the lake. Not even an egret.
Wednesday 9th October [A warmish, mainly dry, day.]
After a visit to the physio. early in the morning, followed by a trip to the dentist, I was about to go to the lake when Merv. P. texted me to say he’d been at the lake in the morning and had very little to report, apart from saying the work on Wookey Point has now been completed. He said the last few willows have been removed and the cut wood was being burned – the view from the hide was much better now. Once again, thanks to BW for managing to get this done before the water level beat the contractors – it was really nip and tuck. Teal, a dabbling duck, are the one bird species named in the SSSI designation for the lake, especially the aggregations that occur when the water level falls sufficiently for them to be able to feed around the lakeside margins. Clearing the vegetation from Wookey and Rugmoor Points will, hopefully, encourage that to happen again when the water level drops next time. On the 8th Jan. 1956, 2900 Teal were counted at the lake, and although I’ve only counted a maximum of 1750 during the 28 years I’ve been doing WeBS counts, it is important to manage the reserve in order to provide suitable habitat for them. As Merv hadn’t seen much, I decided to go for a quick walk through the woods instead of going to the lake, before the forecast showers arrived. Later, I read that Pat H. had seen a couple of Cattle Egrets in the dairy herd, I assume, at Holt Farm on the south side of the lake.
Tuesday 8th October [Heavy rain & short sunny spells]
I didn’t venture down to the lake until just after tea for a quick look around, therefore, I haven’t got anything to report except for lots of coloured water running into the lake as the heavy rain drains off the fields.
Grey Heron, Fishin Lodge © Nigel Milbourne 2024
Monday 7th October [Dry early, showers later.]
I met up with Mark just after 0900 hrs this morning, to clean and check the bat boxes (except for those in the Pumping Station grounds). We managed to get all the boxes done just as it started raining. We did 44 Schwegler boxes, Jane’s House and 3 Kent boxes and found one Lesser Horseshoe, 54 Soprano Pipistrelles and 11+ Natterer’s Bats. It took us 6 hours. After that, and with the rain falling, I decided to go home rather than bird my way back. I had seen a Great White Egret, 5 Mistle Thrushes, a Kestrel, and heard yaffling Green Woodpeckers during the day, but was really focussed on getting the boxes done to be honest.
Sunday 6th October [Remaining warm although some heavy rain showers]
I only got to the lake at last light, in order to refill the bird feeder, so didn’t see very much in the way of the birds, although a single Great White Egret and 3 Little Egrets shone out like beacons in the failing light. Tomorrow, Mark and I are going to check some bat boxes at the lake.
Saturday 5th October [A warm sunny, afternoon.]
I birded from the Lodge to Top End hide and back, but to be honest although I scoped just about every Tufted Duck I could see, and there were several hundred, I could’t find anything thing else hiding among them. So, when I got to Bell’s Bush, I resorted to counting Wigeon -there were a surprising 110. When I got to the hide, although there were still some bushes on Wookey Point, I counted 11 Pintail, but there may have been others I couldn’t see well enough sleeping up against the bank. I also noted the Common Sandpiper, 8 Lapwings and a single Great White Egret.
Friday 4th October [A warm afternoon in the sunshine]
Rejoice! I was greeted with the sound of chainsaws and the Green Mantle team clearing willows on Wookey Point this afternoon. Thank you BW, Kirsty, Green Mantle and all those who kept chipping away to try and get this work done – you know who you are. They hadn’t quite cleared all of it by the time I left, but they told me they hope to burn the cut wood next week and, I presume, finish off. That might depend on the weather and rising water level of course. Fingers crossed. There were still some butterflies and Migrant Hawkers flying, but the waterfowl were mostly gathered in a huge flock between Wood Bay and Rugmoor Points, due to the pike fly anglers at the dam end and the chainsaw action at the Top End. I counted 5 Great White Egrets, 2 Lapwings and saw most of the usual ducks with the exception of Pintail. There was the added bonus of an adult Yellow-legged Gull at the Lodge and Red Kite over Yeo Valley Farm too.
Thursday 3rd October [A warm sunny afternoon]
It was a pleasant afternoon to spend birding at this time of year. I saw the Common Sandpiper, 1 Great White Egret, 8 Lapwings, 8 Pintail and 3 Great Woodpeckers, of note. While I was in the hide a stunning Fox showed on the water’s edge, but I didn’t quite have time to grab a photo. Butterflies included a Painted Lady, one Red Admiral, and several Small White and Speckled Woods, plus a few Migrant Hawker dragonflies. There seem to be lots of wasps and more than a few Hornets about too.
Wednesday 2nd October [Mainly overcast]
Today, I went to the lake late morning and birded Rainbow Point to Top End gate and back until early afternoon. Things are very quiet at the moment, and the only thing that was of much interest was a juvenile Marsh Harrier that was hunting around the Top End for most of the time I was there. It was being chased and harried by an adult Black-headed Gull that seemed to be on a personal mission to drive the harrier to into bankside trees. At one point, a pair of Crows joined in the fun too. I did a little better than Monday with 3 Lapwings, 2 Great White and 3 Little Egrets, in 35 bird spp. plus some Migrant Hawker dragonflies.