Above: Goldeneye drake © David Hall
Leader: Glen Maddison
On a cool, windy March morning 12 members plus leader met in the car park at Stockhill and set off on a two-hour circular walk through the forests trails of muddy tracks and tarmac paths. The gusty wind made bird-watching very difficult at times, making the finding of our target species, Crossbill, increasingly hard.
Our first real sighting came in the form of a male Goshawk, spotted overhead, gliding/displaying over the rides between two plantations, which was a new species for many of the group!
We spotted a large broken egg on the ground which had us puzzled because, while it looked pale blue it was also very mottled. When cleaned up afterwards it proved to be a Raven’s egg.
Raven egg, cleaned up © Glen Maddison
Coltsfoot © Andrew Harrison
We picked up the usual Blue, Great and Coal tits, with distant calling Siskins and Ravens, before finding a single Goldcrest, and chancing across a couple of Firecrests, which refused to come close, though we all got decent views.On the walk back to the car park we found a clump of Frog-spawn in a flooded rut, and it was nice to chance upon some Coltsfoot too. Unfortunately we just could not locate any Crossbills, so we must return later in the year when breeding is over.
We decided on a lunch stop down at Woodford Lodge, Chew Valley Lake, where some of our members spotted a single Great White Egret, and after we’d eaten, we followed the path down to the dam, walking through the enclosed woodland, where we added Song Thrush and Redwing, Great Spotted Woodpecker and singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap to our lists before scanning the lake, where the only species of wildfowl on show were a small flotilla of Tufted Duck, some Mallard, and best of all, four Goldeneye, including a showy Drake.
Goldeneye female © David Hall
Returning back to the car park and departing for home, we were engulfed in a cloud of small Non-biting Midges, obviously being far more appreciated by the birds, than by us!
Not a bad day out, despite the wind, with 43 species of birds seen and/or heard.
Glen Maddison
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