Bird News: December 2024

The month started with lots of Little Egrets on the Moors with a few Great Egrets for good measure. Our Congresbury Moor Reserve only produced a couple of Snipe (2nd) with a Kingfisher, a Barn Owl and unusually a Fox staring at us.

The Congresbury Moor/Gang Wall winter survey (4th) was notable for nil counts of Fieldfare and Redwing. A flock of 50 Linnets with about a dozen Chaffinches was the highlight.

A Barn Owl was seen hunting by the Strawberry Line at midday on the 9th, presumably Storm Darragh had precluded hunting over previous nights Four Siskins along the Strawberry Line was an encouraging record. A long walk to Phipps Bridge the following day produced 150 Linnets in two flocks, two Little Grebes on the river and a dozen Skylarks. There were small numbers of Redwings and Fieldfares and a Green Sandpiper on Wemberham Rhyne.

The Little River, Yatton North End produced two Green Sandpipers on the 12th as well as a Grey Wagtail, two Mistle Thrushes and a Kingfisher. Muck spreading on the adjacent fields attracted 300 Black Headed Gulls and 15 Lapwings. The River Yeo from the Gang Wall to Wemberham had a Goosander, a Great Egret and three Common Sandpipers on the 16th. A Water Rail was calling and a Kestrel hunting nearby.

My Congresbury correspondent located Fieldfares and Redwings on the Strawberry Line between Silver Springs and the PV farm along with 21 other species on the 17th. Two days later a Red Kite was a surprise near the motorway at Wemberham and a Great Egret with a red colour ring was reported from Kenn Moor Road. A members garden in Yatton was visited by two Song Thrushes – ‘the first for years’.

On the 21st. a flock of 50 Chaffinches at the Wemberham end of Little River was notable and a Green Sandpiper was seen there again along with 30 Redwings. A Great Egret by Wemberham Lane wasn’t the ringed bird mentioned above. It had five Little Egrets for company and a Song Thrush was singing a few hesitant notes.

Two Barn Owls were hunting by the Strawberry Line in strong winds at dusk on the 21st. The next afternoon with the wind still strong there were three Barn Owls hunting together. In Congresbury five Siskins were in a members garden with at least two feeding on Alder seed on the Moor Lane section of the Strawberry Line. By Christmas Eve the Congresbury garden hosted two Lesser Redpolls as well as regular visiting Siskins. There were eight Little Egrets visible from Wemberham Lane, a confiding Great Egret and a Mistle Thrush feeding with Rooks. A Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail were on the Little River.

On Boxing Day my intrepid Claverham correspondent was cycling along Brockley Way at 7.15am (yes really). Her bike brakes squealed when applied and a female Tawny Owl answered! It was reported as a spooky experience. The Kenn Moor Snipe count on the 29th realised a Jack Snipe and 30 Snipe. There were five Snipe at the Congresbury Moor Reserve the following day with a couple of Teal and a dozen Linnets.

New Year’s Eve (well the morning) saw a Peregrine perched on the pylon nearest to the railway. There was no wind it was absolutely a flat calm – ‘ the lull before the storm’. This was my first sighting of a Peregrine on a pylon for several months. They really don’t like them but Cormorants love them, their big webbed feet enable them to perch comfortably. Another surprise was a Feral Pigeon on one of the electricity cables, the first bird I have seen actually on one of the cables since the power was turned on (it has subsequently been turned off) a few months ago. A Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail were on the Little River again.

Your sightings and photos are always very welcome at birds@yacwag.org.uk

Trevor Riddle