Batheaston circular walk, 25 January 2026

Leader: Lucy Starling

​Five members joined me for a walk in search of resident birds and winter migrants. The weather was not particularly favourable but at least it was not windy.

A Buzzard circled over the Batheaston car park as members arrived and we heard and saw Goldfinches alight in the alder trees. The River Avon was fast flowing, high and muddy. We noted Beaver activity at the base of a Willow. Beavers are active in the area including in the Bathampton Meadows Avon Wildlife Trust reserve. From the pavement we could clearly see into the reserve over the river bank. Derek alerted us to a pair of Teal, less obvious than the larger Mallard, Canada Goose and Cormorant. We then saw our first Redwing, (winter visitor) and pair of Collared Doves in flight.

We walked fairly quickly under the bypass and railway line before heading up the narrow footpath adjacent to the railway which drops down into Bathampton Farm field. There was some standing water around the pylon but sadly no birds there apart from Pied Wagtail and overhead, a couple of Raven.  We ambled along the riverbank and finally came across more Redwing, and a Meadow Pipit preening in a hawthorn hedge. In the field beyond were a pair of Stonechat. Meadow Pipit and Stonechat are regular winter visitors to this patch. We found a lone Redwing eating hawthorn berries close to the railway crossing, followed by House Sparrow and Long-tailed Tit along Tyning Road, and a mobile flock of around 100 Redwing.

I finally located three Greenfinch at The George Pub where we had a coffee break, adding to our rather sparse passerine list (Dunnock, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird) before walking down Mill Lane and back to Batheaston via the cycle path. Unfortunately, it was now raining quite hard and the flock of Common Gulls and Black-Headed Gulls in the adjacent fields (which I saw on Friday 23rd and on my walk to the meeting point) had flown off somewhere.

A low flying Sparrowhawk was a surprise sighting here considering the weather. Consequently, we finished some 40 minutes earlier than scheduled. 

Walking from home along the towpath from Beckford Road to Batheaston and on my Friday 23rd recce, I heard and saw Moorhen, a pair of Mistle Thrush, six Song Thrush singing, Blackcap, Coal Tit, Wren, Goldcrest and male Bullfinch. 

Report by Lucy Starling, library photos © Chris Vines