YACWAG aims to establish and maintain nature reserves in the Parishes of Yatton
and Congresbury for the benefit of the public, and to advance education in natural history and nature conservation.         

 

 Welcome to our new website. We hope you

find it useful. If you have any comments or

suggestions please contact us.

Great Spotted Woodpecker photos

Higgy has taken some excellent photos on one of our reserves. See the Birds category on the left hand list.

Red kite sighting

A red kite, with its distinctive red forked tail, was spotted flying over Claverham on 8 May.

Strawberry Line Walk     5 May 2012

A fine morning was a bonus after the recent rain and starlings flying from their nest sites north of the railway to their feeding areas on the south side engendered the first of many discussions, noting the continued decline of the starling as a breeding bird.

Blackbirds, robins, wrens and a song thrush were all singing,  but our first migrant visitor was a lesser whitethroat – all the way from Ethiopia. A common whitethroat soon followed – its song, habits and wintering area all different from its near relative.  Chiffchaffs and the occasional blackcap were heard before our first reed warbler regaled us whilst one of the resident Cetti’s warblers sang only briefly and was not at all co-operative.

Large numbers of swallows were feeding very low over one of the adjacent fields with several, unusually, perched on the field itself.  We had to trek along the line to eventually hear a sedge warbler, noting a pair of reed buntings on the way.  Then as we returned a spotted flycatcher appeared – the first I have ever seen along the line!  It was flycatching so everyone got good views.  That would have been the highlight but for a scrumptious breakfast, with good company and conversation, served up at the Strawberry Line Cafe back at the station.    Trevor Riddle

First Bat Events of the Season 

We were pleased to welcome some new faces on 4 May to our first bat walk of the season, which is traditionally held on the Strawberry Line, on a surprisingly mild and dry evening. Daniel Hargreaves explained how we use various bat detectors to find out which bats are around – we recorded Common and Soprano Pipistrelle.

The following evening Daniel persuaded several members to join him at Blagdon Lake for a trapping session hoping to find Nathusius Pipistrelle bats – but only Common and Soprano Pipistrelles and a Daubentons bat were caught.  However, it is always a treat to see these marvellous creatures in the hand and everyone enjoyed the experience.

See our Bat page for information on how to get involved with bats.

 

Good News on May Day

The first cuckoo reported this spring was heard on 1 May at the far end of Stowey Road, Yatton near the railway by a member whose house backs on to the fields.  If you live at that end of Yatton you may be lucky enough to hear it.  Please let us know if you hear a cuckoo anywhere in the Yatton/Congresbury area.

First Littlewood Bird Survey of the Season

The first Littlewood bird survey took place today (5 April) in conditions totally removed from the warm sunny Strawberry Line survey last week – it was dull and very cold.

Nevertheless 6 chiffchaffs and 3 blackcaps were singing in the wood. A major surprise were 5 redwings perhaps wondering if it was wise to fly further north. On the other side of the coin, a flock of 20 swallows were on the moor adjacent to the wood, with another 40  near the black ditch. A single lapwing was seen north of Littlewood, no doubt attempting to nest.

Strawberry Line breeding birds survey

 On 29 March, a glorious spring morning, Viv French, John Croxton & Trevor Riddle began the 15th annual breeding birds survey on the Strawberry Line.  They counted a record 17 singing chiffchaffs, 6 singing blackcaps, 2 singing Cetti’s Warblers and 18 singing robins amongst a host of other resident species. The bird survey season is now underway and any member who would like to be an apprentice surveyor is invited to register their interest with Trevor on 835208.

Reports of First Swallow and Willow Warbler

One of our members sighted his first swallow of the season on Monday 26 March in Claverham on wires near the Village Hall - a taste of things to come! On 27 March Trevor heard a willow warbler singing in Yatton Station upside car park – quite an early date.

YACWAG Bird Walk 9 March 2012

Nine members and visitors met at St Mary’s Churchyard, Yatton on a morning more late winter than early spring.  The churchyard yielded little bird song except for lots of blue tits sorting out territories around the YACWAG bird boxes.

We moved on to the Strawberry Line where a few wrens and a robin were in full voice. A buzzard was spotted and then a male reed bunting showed how well camouflaged it was at a distance of twenty feet.  A couple of ravens flew over whilst a kestrel was perched near to one of our owl boxes on 10 acre field.  We were able to listen to greenfinches and goldfinches and compare their songs and calls.  Several snipe flew from 10 acre field while a heron passed steadily over and a green woodpecker flew past rather more quickly.  A very quiet walk in Meakers and Phippens fields produced a startled pheasant and a fresh barn owl pellet, which was skilfully dissected by one of our visitors – it was soft and very fresh, and a fitting conclusion to our walk.

An exciting first for Kenn Moor

 

 

4 Bewick’s swans were sighted on Kenn Moor on 21 February.  They had joined the group of around 65 mute swans on the Moor.

 

 

 

Trevor Riddle has only ever seen Bewick’s swans flying over the area and not very often so this is a very significant sighting.

2012 – YACWAG’S YEAR OF THE TREE

Celebrating YACWAG’s Year of the Tree & the Queen’s Jubilee - Can You Help?

This year YACWAG is co-ordinating the planting of 60 trees within Yatton and Congresbury to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. Later this year we will also be publishing a book with a selection of 60 significant trees within the parishes. The trees being included will have local historical or wildlife significance, or otherwise be worthy of celebrating.
If you know of any special or rare local tree within the parishes of Yatton or Congresbury, please email us with its story by 31st March.

The full colour 50 page book will be published in October this year and will be priced under £5. A discount will be offered to members who pre-order on a form which will be available on this website from August. Any profit made from sale of the books will help with the cost of the tree planting project.

Working by the Line

Ten members enjoyed some beautiful weather to shake off the Winter blues on our Stowey Reserve with some brush cutting and ditch clearance.

 

 

 

 

Whilst one group worked in the field near the railway line cutting down the invasive sedge another was clearing out a ditch at the other end of the reserve.

 YACWAG started 2012 with ’Ottitude’

 

James Williams with Gill Brown & Kiri Green, Leaders of NS Otter Group, & Tony Moulin, Chairman of YACWAG

On Tuesday 24th January 2012 (YACWAG) launched a new Otter Group with an illustrated talk by otter expert James Williams, author of ‘The Otter Among Us’ and ‘The Otter’, who shared his knowledge and experience of otters.  Local people will have opportunities to help with local otter surveying – full training will be available to anyone who would like to get involved and more information is available by email from yacwagottergroup@yahoo.co.uk