City Stroll from Pulteney Weir to Prior Park Gardens, 16 November 2025

Above: Bath Abbey Cemetery © Lucy Starling 

Leader: Lucy Starling

Ten members joined me on a cloudy morning, in a light, chilly, easterly breeze for a three hour amble. We started with a fly-by Cormorant, Black-Headed Gulls, (winter visitors to Bath), plus a number of larger Herring Gulls and fantastic views of an obliging male Kingfisher. One of our resident Peregrine pair, also obligingly appeared on cue, with prey, and we could see the meal being devoured on St John’s spire. We admired the Tulip trees along the way, featured in Bath Urban Treescape Trail B : Riverside Ramble. A Mute Swan was no surprise as we approached the canal locks by the Travel Lodge. I thought we might see a Grey Heron here but there was our male Kingfisher again!  We admired the Grey and Italian Alders on Rossiter Street before heading to Prior Park Road, where we paused to look into the small orchard opposite the Honda car sales. A Jay and a Carrion Crow searched for food in the pasture. 

I had mentioned the Yew trees in Church Street, in particular at Thomas à Becket church, favoured by Greenfinch. Within seconds, I heard the twittering call and three Greenfinch flew across the road in front of Widcombe Manor. But where were the Ravens and Buzzards?

We came across a small flock of Great and Blue Tit which included a Goldcrest and it was great to hear the “yaffle” call of a Green Woodpecker.

All of the group bar one entered Prior Park National Trust Gardens and we spent about twenty minutes looking around the bottom lakes and admiring the Palladian Bridge. The two pairs of resident Little Grebes delighted us all, along with Coot, Moorhen, Mallard and a flock of Black-Headed Gulls. At this time of year, the Palladian Bridge and most of the bottom lake can be viewed from the footpath at the end of Church Lane.

 We finally saw a Buzzard as we headed back to Prior Park Road and entered Bath Abbey Cemetery, which is festooned with Primroses in early Spring. A pair of Kestrel nested here in 2020. Sadly, no calling Raven or Stock Dove but a member discovered many ladybirds gathering to hibernate.

Returning to Pulteney Weir, Philip Delve located a Grey Heron camouflaged against the roof of the grey postal sorting office. The male kingfisher was in the same place and we saw it catch a fish in the brown and swollen River Avon.

The Peregrine, having eaten, was now face-on and easier to see as the clouds had temporarily lifted, allowing the sun to give us a clearer view.

Lucy Starling