January 2023 News

Tuesday 31st January [Sunny & dry after early drizzle. A stiff breeze.]

I spent much of the day at the lake. I am following up sightings of Dipper, so far without any success, but as the last records were around 1932 they are worth checking out. Then, I met Rich M. and Andy D. to have another look at the gathering of Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita at Top End. The Siberian Chiffchaff P.c. tristis was still present (we haven't heard it call yet), as was another bird that I photographed yesterday which Richard and Andy think might be a bird they both heard call like a tristis nearby a few days ago. I watched it for a while over the last two days, but haven't heard it call. There were another 5+ Common Chiffs present there and I heard another two elsewhere during the day. There was no sign of the Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris again, since Rich saw it yesterday lunchtime, and I don't think anyone else saw today it either. I noted circa 15 Lapwings Vanellus vanellus flying down the lake, 13 Mute Swans Cygnus olor (many of which are feeding in adjacent improved fields as of this week), 3 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola, a female/juvenile Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus, the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, and a 1st-winter Goosander Mergus merganser.

Chiffchaff with a curious mix of characters, Top End. 30th Jan 2023.

Monday 30th January [Sunny & dry. A NW breeze.]

I got down to the lake just after lunch and met up with Rich M. and Mark briefly, who had been watching the Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus spp. again this morning, and attempting to get some pictures of the Siberian Chiffchaff P.c. tristis, plus resolve the question of whether or not there is a second Siberian Chiffchaff present in the same spot. I set my stall out to photograph the bird I found on the 20th, Mark having got a couple of shots today and Gareth Jones who also got a some shots yesterday (thanks for sending me them Gareth). I spent some time with a number of Chiffchaffs coming and going, but with the Siberian Chiffchaff feeding in front of me the whole time. I took pictures of the Sibe, but also some of the others for comparison. Rich M. and Andy D. had heard and eventually seen another bird giving a 'tristis'-like call over the last few days, but told me that it had some olive tones and looked different to the first bird. I havevn't gone through my photos yet, but having heard the bird calling myself yesterday, I hope I might have some shots of that too.

Rich told me he'd seen the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris at Bell's Bush just before I arrived, but I didn't spot it during my walk this afternoon, having put my camera away. I noted 2 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, 1 Little Egret Egretta garzetta, about 50 Lapwings Vanellus vanellus, a Snipe Gallinago gallinago, 6 Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita, the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, and three new birds for my site year list, a Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, an adult Peregrine Falco peregrinus and a male Greenfinch Chloris chloris in the top of a Larch tree, which gave me a 'bit of a moment' thinking I may have found a Crossbill!

Here are some images of the 'classic' Siberian Chiffchaff that I took today:

Siberian Chiffchaff high in a tree against a pale background. 30th Jan 2023.

Siberian Chiffchaff, Top End. 30th Jan 2023.

Siberian Chiffchaff showing green edges to remiges and retrices. 30th Jan 2023.

Siberian Chiffchaff showing yellow at bend of underwing. 30th Jan 2023

Siberian Chiffchaff showing yellow at bend of underwing. 30th Jan 2023.

Siberian Chiffchaff showing face pattern and 'rusty' ear coverts. 30th Jan 2023.

Siberian Chiffchaff showing ear coverts and white throat. 30th Jan 2023.

Siberian Chiffchaff showing face and throat. 30th Jan 2023.

Sunday 29th January [An increasing westerly breeze with some rain showers. Mild.]

I walked from the house today and made it as far as the Top End bird hide and back in the time I had available. At the dam I saw the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, and at Home Bay a Lesser Redpoll Acanthis cabaret popped out in front of me. As I got to Long Bay, Mark rang and told me he'd found the Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris at Hellfire Corner and that it had flown high towards the dam. No sooner had he told me and I spotted it back in Long Bay! I worked my way along the south side through another shower and came across 2 Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita, then another 5, among which was the Siberian Chiffchaff P.c. trisitis. I spent no less than half an hour watching it at fairly close quarters as it fed on winter gnats in the same place throughout. The other Chiffs moved off during this time, leaving just the Sibe and a couple of Goldcrests Regulus regulus in front of me. Marvellous, but no camera...

I counted 24 Wigeon Mareca penelope, 2 Great White Egrets Ardea alba and a Little Egret Egretta garzetta.

Saturday 28th January [Mainly overcast. Little breeze.]

I met Mark at the Lodge this afternoon and we walked the south side of the lake, finishing at the dam at dusk. The drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris was still present at Top End, as was the adult-winter Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus with the Common Gulls Larus canus feeding on Lag Farm fields. Other notable records included the Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti, a Water Rail Rallus aquaticus, circa 35 Lapwings Vanellus vanellus (although Mark saw more before I arrived), 2 Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita, 2 Mistle Thrushes Turdus viscivorus, a Snipe Gallinago gallinago, 3 Stonechats Saxicola rubicola, 2 Great White Ardea alba and 4 Little Egrets Egretta garzetta. Finally, at the dam we counted 25 (12 drakes) Goosanders Mergus merganser. My day list was 54 bird and 3 mammal species.

Friday 27th January [Mainly overcast with sunny spells. A bitter NNE breeze.]

Despite the sunny spells, there is still some marginal ice in the sheltered spots around the lake. I birded from the Lodge to Top End gate and back this afternoon, and saw the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris opposite the Top End hide, found an adult winter-plumaged Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus among the Common Gulls Larus canus feeding on Lag Farm, and noted the usual Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, 4 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, 2 Snipe Gallinago gallinago, just one of the Stonechat Saxicola rubicola pair, and a flock of about 150 Lapwings Vanellus vanellus that flew up and down the lake three times before heading back west from whence they came. My day list is on BirdTrack.

Thursday 26th January [A little milder today. Mainly overcast]

I walked along the Avon & Kennet Canal this morning, with friends, from Dundas Aquaduct to Avoncliffe Aquaduct and back. While looking down at the river at Avoncliffe, we saw a Dipper - I thought it was a bit of an unexpected sighting on the main river, though very welcome for a birder who doesn't see them on his own patch.

When I got home I went down to the lake for an hour and a half before dark. I picked out the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris off the Indian Country bank, 4 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, 8 Lapwings Vanellus vanellus, the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola, 12 (6 drakes) Goosanders Mergus merganser and 34 Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo.

Wednesday 25th January [Foggy, cold & damp.]

I ventured out late morningand drove to the Top End hide hoping to see the Siberian Chiffchaff again, but conditions were pretty poor in truth. I noted the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris at Bell's Bush, so parked by the Top End hide. I walked to Top End gate and back to Wood Bay Point before turning back to my car. Notable birds included 3 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, a Grey Heron Ardea cinerea catching a swallowing a small mammal (probably a Short-tailed Field Vole), and the RND again along Burmah Road. The fog got thicker so I decided to go home for some lunch. I saw the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola at Holt Bay and the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos on the dam, before setting off up the hill, by which time I could barely make out the tower on the dam from the Park Lane junction. It doesn't look like the sun is going to break through today. My day list is on BirdTrack.

Tuesday 24th January [Hard overnight frost. Bright & sunny.]

This afternoon, after checking the dam and seeing the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, I had a look for the Siberian Chiffchaff but couldn't find it. Next, I went to the Top End hide and spotted the Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris among a group of sleeping Pochard Aythya ferina off Hellfire Corner. I met another birder looking for it 20 minutes later, but neither of us could find it afterwards. I walked the south side and counted 132 Teal Anas crecca (cf. 25 yesterday on the WeBS count) and 4 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, saw the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola, 3 Meadow Pipits Anthus pratensis and 3 Snipe Gallinago gallinago. When the sun went down I headed home, but stopped at the dam where I saw 12 (6 adult drakes) Goosanders Mergus merganser.

I note there was a report of the Siberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita tristis today on Bird Track, plus 8 other Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita.

Monday 23rd January [Bright & sunny. Milder than of late.]

Rob and I did the WeBS count, then I spent a while afterwards hoping to photograph the probable Siberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita tristis that I've been seeing at the Top End since 20th January. I didn't see the Chiffchaff, but Richard M. did earlier, and he thought it looked "okay" too.

The count was as follows: Coot 903, Tufted Duck 453, Canada Goose 213, Pochard 140, Mallard 45, Cormorant 33, Goldeneye 25, Teal 25, Great Crested Grebe 24, Lapwing 16, Wigeon 13, Shoveler 8, Gadwall 8, Little Grebe 6, Mute Swan 5, Moorhen 5, Grey Heron 4, Great White Egret 4, Snipe 2, Common Sandpiper 1, Ring-necked Duck 1. We also noted 4 Buzzards.

Sunday 22nd January [Starting to thaw this morning. Overcast all day.]

I was on site shortly after 1000 hrs and saw the Common Actitis hypoleucos and Green Sandpipers Tringa ochropus on the dam. I went looking for the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris which I found off Bell's Bush, and noted 2 Reed Buntings Emberiza schoeniclus at Holt Bay, and 2 female/immature Marsh Harriers Circus aeruginosus at Rugmoor en route. Having established the duck was still present, I drove back to the Lodge and met Mark, who I spent a leisurely day's birding with from there to Top End gate and back. We put a few local visitors (permit holders) onto the duck, and I amassed a day list of 59 bird species, including 7 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, the singing male Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti, 3 Stonechats Saxicola rubicola and a Tawny Owl Strix aluco, heard a Water Rail Rallus aquaticus squeal, and spent more time watching a candidate Siberian Chiffchaff P.c. tristis that I saw for the first time on the 20th with at least 4 Common Chichaffs P.c. collybita. Tomorrow, I will be doing the WeBS count with Rob.

Saturday 21st January [A hard frost overnight & thick fog all day]

I decided to go for a walk at the lake in the afternoon despite the fog. It lifted a little, but for most of my visit I couldn't see the far bank! The drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris was still present, as were 3 Great White Egrets Ardea alba. I met Ken H. at Green Lawn and I walked up to Top End with him, birding as we went. We managed to spot the RND at Hellfire Corner, and spent some time checking the passerines trying to find insects in the marginal vegetation. We found 4 Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita feeding together at Bell's Bush barrier. When I checked the dam end before I left, I could barely see 100 metres out into the gloom, so given the conditions a list of 47 bird and 3 mammal species was pretty respectable.

Mark just phoned me and told me he'd found 3 Greylags Anser anser with the Canada's on Holt Farm. As he met Ken going home at Ubley gate, and Ken and I both checked the geese, they must have flown in just after we left.

Friday 20th January [Dry, cold & sunny]

I did a long stint at the lake today from 1015 to 1650 hrs and racked up 58 bird spp. The Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris was still present, as were 3 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, no fewer than 9 Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita (I saw 8 and Mark added another), the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, a Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus, a single Goosander Mergus merganser and I heard a Water Rail Rallus aquaticus squeal. I subsequently recorded the male song! As usual, my day list is on Bird Track.

While I was photographing Chiffchaffs at Top End this afternoon, I saw my first bumblebee of the year, a Buff-tailed Bombus terrestris, which subsequently landed on the marginal ice between me and the feeding birds. It did get stuck on its back at one point, but Mark saw it manage to turn itself over so I hope it managed to fly off.

Thursday 19th January [Dry, cold & sunny.]

A very pleasant day was spent by the lake, but disappointingly for those who came hoping to see the four duck species noted yesterday, there was just the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris today, and that took some finding, it having moved up the lake to Wood Bay Point/Burmah Road. No-one to my knowledge connected with the Smew or Scaup, and no Goosanders had flown in to roost by the time I left at 1655 hrs. So, that left the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, 3 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, a Snipe Gallinago gallinago, and the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola of note.

Wednesday 18th January [Dry, sunny & cold. Margins of lake iced over.]

I had a shortish walk this afternoon, before meeting Chris Sperring of the Hawk and Owl Trust. I got as far as Wood Bay Point and back before the meeting and saw the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris, drake Scaup Aythya marila and a surprise female Smew Mergellus albellus all in Wood Bay. The Smew was the first since 2011, and is likely to be the bird from Chew Valley Lake. I also saw 3 Great White Egrets Ardea alba and the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola. After my meeting with Chris, I couldn't relocate the Smew, but thanks to Mark P. I checked the dam end before coming back up the hill and counted 21 (9 drakes) Goosanders Mergus merganser that had flown in to roost. I added Nuthatch Sitta europaea to the site year list today as well.

Ring-necked Duck, Holt Bay. 17th Jan 2023.

Tuesday 17th January [Dry, sunny & cold.]

I saw a warbler briefly yesterday in the late afternoon sunshine that I was not able to identify with limited views, so I spent two hours looking for it again this morning between 1000 hrs and midday. I didn't see it and only had another hour to have a quick look for everything else, so my notes are brief today. The drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris was showing very well in Holt Bay in the sunshine, but I didn't spot the Scaup between Rainbow Point and the dam. I saw the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola in Holt Bay too, photo-bombing my efforts with the duck, and noted at least two Great White Egrets Ardea alba. I heard a singing Stock Dove Columba oenas during my vigil to add to the site year list, and came across the Lesser Redpoll Acanthis cabaret in Birch trees by the reed bed in Home Bay. As usual, the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos was on the dam.

Drake Ring-necked Duck, Holt Bay. 17th Jan 2023.

Monday 16th January [A dry & sunny day, if a little cool.]

I had a free afternoon and arrived at the lake at lunchtime, where I met Martin at the Lodge. We spent some time around Lodge Copse looking for the Lesser Redpoll, but didn't see it, although we did add Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula to the site year list. We didn't spot the Ring-necked Duck either, although the Greater Scaup Aythya marila was still feeding between the Lodge and Green Lawn. The pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola were at Holt Bay and there were 3, possibly 4, mobile Great White Egrets Ardea alba around the lake today.

Female Stonechat, Holt Bay. 17th Jan 2023.

Male Stonechat, Holt Bay. 17th Jan 2023.

Sunday 15th January [A mainly dry, sunny, day.]

I enjoyed a good birding walk at the lake this afternoon, although I didn't see any new species for the year list, so the news has a certain familiarity about it. I started with the ever dependable Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos at the dam, saw the drake Scaup Aythya marila from the Lodge thanks to Andy M., and repaid the compliment by finding the lone Lesser Redpoll Acanthis cabaret in Lodge Copse for him and Mark, caught up with the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris in Long Bay, and the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola in Holt Bay, before meeting Melanie and Lionel to clean out the owl boxes. When I got back to the Lodge at dusk I checked the gull roost and counted assembed flocks of 36 Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, 31 Great Crested Grebes Podiceps cristatus and 4 Goosanders Mergus merganser roosting at the dam end.

Saturday 14th January [Rain overnight. Mainly sunny, breezy & cool.]

When it dried up a bit around lunchtime I decided to go for a walk in the afternoon, but due to the flooding I was only able to go as far as Bell's Bush barrier and back on foot. At the dam I saw a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls Larus marinus and an adult drake Goosander Mergus merganser. At the Lodge I spent some time watching the feeeder but only saw the usual tits and finches. When I got to Long Bay I saw the adult drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris, a Lapwing Vanellus vanellus on Holt Farm, a Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos on Green Lawn, the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola in Holt Bay, 2 mobile Great White Egrets Ardea alba, and at Burmah Road a single Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis. As I reached Lodge Copse on the way back I met Mark, who'd just topped-up the feeder. We watched it again for a while but there was no sign of the Lesser Redpoll. We drove to Top End along the flooded road, but apart from a Green Woodpecker Picus viridis didn't see anything else new before going our separate ways.

Friday 13th January [Sunny, but still cool & blustery.]

I finally got my act together and arrived at the lake just after 1400 hrs. I spent some time around the Lodge area, including watching the feeder, and caught up with the lone Lesser Redpoll Acanthis cabaret. I walked towards Bell's Bush, which was still impassable on foot due to flooding, and saw the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris in Long Bay, met John L. (nice to be able to put a face to the name at last), saw the pair of Stonechats Saxicola rubicola and the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos at Green Lawn, saw Sue C. and Alison (it's been ages ladies), reckoned there to be 2 Great White Egrets Ardea alba and searched in vain for the female RND again. I didn't see the drake Scaup today either. Sue told me they'd seen a Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus towards Top End as they drove through, which is a nice addition to the growing site year list. Thank you.

Thursday 12th January [Very wet overnight & morning, dry but overcast in the afternoon]

The lake is full and going over the overspill.

Much of the area around the lake is flooded, including the south side road and the footpath the other side of the boundary hedge. I walked from the Lodge to Bell's Bush and back this afternoon and saw the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris in Long Bay. I managed to add the two missing duck species I'd expect to have on the list by now, a pair of Pintail Anas acuta in flight west along the north shore and several Shoveler Spatula clypeata in the flooded meadow edge at Burmah Road. Of course, the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos was on the dam wall.

I also saw a report of a single Lesser Redpoll Acanthis cabaret on the Lodge Copse feeder, which is pleasing because I thought I heard one call there yesterday while checking out the copse and feeder but couldn't see it. I'll have to wait to add it to my list though.... I looked again this afternoon without any luck, although I was really impressed with the number of visits being made by Coal, Blue and Great Tits - it was hectic to say the least.

Wednesday 11th January [Sunny, then overcast & rain before I left site.]

I went to the lake around 1015 hrs and stayed until 1300 hrs today. The level continues to rise and waves are just about lapping over the spillway. The Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos had been joined by a Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus on the dam wall, and the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris was just off the boat quay, at the The Lodge, on my arrival there. I had a brief look around the car park area and at the feeder in Lodge Copse and added Goldcrest Regulus regulus and Jay Garrulus glandarius to my growing patch year list. At least one of the Stonechats Saxicola rubicola was on the edge of Green Lawn, and I saw 2 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, the drake Scaup Aythya marila and drake Ferruginous x Pochard hybrid while searching unsuccesfully for the female RND again.

Tuesday 10th January [Overcast & gloomy, but milder today.]

The weather forecast was poor for today, so I elected to walk in the afternoon with my binoculars from the Lodge to Top End and back, rather than spend hours looking for the female RND when the light for photography was so poor. The Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos was on the dam, and the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris in Home Bay on arrival. The walk was pretty uneventful from a birding perspective, although I spotted 3 Great White Egrets Ardea alba, the drake Scaup Aythya marila from Rainbow Point, and saw my first Buzzard Buteo buteo and Fieldfares Turdus pilaris of the year at Blagdon, both of which I'd inexplicably failed to see or hear during previous visits. Two Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita caught my attention, but both sounded too bright in the call to be anything other than our usual wintering birds.

Monday 9th January [Sunny & at times very breezy]

The curse of the camera strikes again! I set my stall out to photograph the female Ring-necked Duck today but failed to find her between midday and 1530 hrs in pretty difficult conditions. At times I had to hold my scope and tripod to stop them getting blown over. As usual the first bird I saw on arrival was the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos on the dam:

Common Sandpiper, Dam. 9th Jan 2023

Then I had a look from the Lodge, where I saw the drake Ring-necked Duck just off the boat quay (don't stray onto this please). I checked the gulls a couple of times before moving down to Holt/Wood Bays to look for the female. No luck! I found the adult drake Scaup Aythya marila off Rainbow Point and went back to the Lodge to see Lucy (nice to meet you) and Dave N. who were watching the drake. I almost went home at that point but thought I'm not going to give up on my mission, so drove back to Wood Bay Point and walked from there to Top End hide and back checking all the way for the duck and a Cattle Egret that had been reported to me. No luck with either, although I did see 2 Great White Egrets Ardea alba and a Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus. By this time, the wind was really howling down the lake and despite another hour searching, I gave it up as a bad job when the sun dropped behind the Mendips.

Sunday 8th January [Showers. Mild & breezy.] Water level approx. 95%

Late morning through until mid-afternoon produced a reasonable list of 49 spp. (see Twitter) given the conditions. The male and female Ring-necked Ducks Aythya collaris were both still present, as was the adult drake Scaup Aythya marila. I think there were 3 Great White Egrets Ardea alba present, but they are so mobile it's hard to be sure how many there are when you're birding on foot. An adult drake Goosander Mergus merganser, the Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, Stonechat pair Saxicola rubicola, and singing Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti were the only other notable birds.

Saturday 7th January [Overcast, still & mild]

I have a report that the male Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris was still in Home Bay this morning at 1120 hrs.

I arranged to meet Mark, socially distanced and masked, this afternoon to get my year list off to a start. He rang me just before I left home to let me know he'd spotted the female Ring-necked Duck off the tip of Rainbow Point, and as I arrived he spotted the drake Scaup Aythya marila as well (I put it down to the years of patient training I've given him). So, that started my afternoon off very well, but after that it steadily went downhill. The rain poured down forcing a hasty retreat to the car, and despite spending a great deal of time looking through the gulls I just couldn't find a Med., and to cap it all the Goosanders didn't arrive to roost before I went home. Nevertheless, it was great to be out at the waterside, and tomorrow's another day. It's upwards and onwards from here...

I put my rather poor list for the couple of hours on BirdTrack and will share them each time I visit this year on the @blagdonbirds Twitter account (see Home Page left panel for the links if you're interested).

Friday 6th January

The male Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris is in Home Bay at 1130 hrs per WeBS counter Phil D. Richard M. kindly got in touch later, at 1245 hrs, and said the male had moved to Long Bay, and that he couldn't find the female RND. Thanks again for all the updates, I'm hoping I might be able to have a look for myself tomorrow - although it does sound like the horse may have bolted!

Another update at 1530 hrs: the drake RND is still in Long Bay. No reports of the female or drake Scaup, although conditions are said to be "choppy".

I went out for a very brisk 4 mile walk at lunchtime and saw the same group of Grey Partridges I saw on the 2nd. This time there were 10 together. Afterwards, with Celia testing positive for covid too, we elected to drive home in the evening, reducing the risk to Ruth and because I was itching to get back on 'My Patch'.

Thursday 5th January

One chap contacted me and spent over an hour looking for both of the Ring-necked Ducks without success, but Avon Birds is reporting that one was seen at Blagdon today - I don't know if it was the male or female, or who reported it, I'm afraid.

I went for a 5 mile walk with my sister Ruth around Butterdean Wood, where Harriet is a Woodland Trust volunteer. It was very quiet, although we did come across one good mixed flock of Long-tailed Tits etc. Ruth was pleased to see Nuthatches and Treecreepers through her new bins.

Wednesday 4th January [Rain & gales]

Mark, Martin and Paul W. have seen the female Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris around lunchtime. It was towards Top End and distantly visible in appalling conditions from Rainbow Point, but moved into Wood Bay since. The drake RND was in Long Bay last I heard. Conditions were very poor for photography I'm told. Mark also saw 3 Great White Egrets Ardea alba fly into the willows, where they occasionally roost, during the deluge. No-one reported the Scaup to my knowledge but this was down to the weather more than anything I believe.

Tuesday 3rd January

Rich M. has just phoned me at 1135 hrs to say the male Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris is currently in Home Bay and the female RND is in Holt Bay. My thanks for this and any other updates forthcoming. I have a photo of the female from the back of one of the first witnesses camera, sent by Ian who found it, but obviously don't have permission to publish it. I'd be keen to receive any shots for inclusion on the blog if anyone is willing to share them. You can see a shot I took of a female at Slimbridge on the Ring-necked Duck species account page (click link) if you want to see what you're looking for, but it would be nice to have one of the first female at the lake.

My daily dose of exercise was taken at Ferny Ness car park just down the road from Ruth's house. I met the local birding guru (masked and socailly distanced) and he told me the White-winged Scoter was out on the Firth in front of me. Having been told where to look, it didn't take long to pick it out with a group of Velvet Scoters. I showed Harriet, my half-sister who came down too, and spent an hour or so looking at Long-tailed Ducks, Eiders, Slavonian Grebes (circa 50), Common Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers and a host of others before I deemed it time for me to get back to my indoor isolation.

Monday 2nd January [Bright and sunny]

Ace reporter, Mark, tells me there's been a steady stream of year listers to see the drake Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris (see December 2022 photo if you want to see what it looks like), and he managed to find the drake Scaup Aythya marila today as well. From what he was telling me on the phone, it sounds like there's been a fall of Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita too. Two Great White Egrets Ardea alba and 5 Goosanders Mergus merganser were among the other more notable species present on a lovely sunny day.

I walked with Ruth, my sister, along an old tramway from the village hoping to see some birds while we were out. The area is basically one of arable farming and I was hoping for some farmland birds. We saw very few birds, apart from a small flock of 13 Yellowhammers, until we walked alongside the last field into the village where I spotted 8 Grey Partridges just a few metres away behind a hedge. It was the first she'd seen and they showed very well.

LATE NEWS: Ian Dickie has sent me an email with a photo of a second Ring-necked Duck at the lake today, found at 0840 hrs. The photo appears to be that of a female, and the finder and the few people who saw it with him at Cheddar Water (south end of the dam) thought it may be a 1st-winter, although this will need confirmation. Well done to those who stuck with helping to identify it. It's the long-awaited female I'd been hoping for. If I'm lucky, it'll stick around long enough for me to see it when I shake off covid (day 4). Ian also reported a Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus was on the dam with the usual Common Sandpiper at around 0830 hrs. What a fantastic find! I wonder how many of those who drove up, asked to be shown the drake RND, drove off again without even casting another glance at the lake?

Sunday 1st January

Brian has just contacted me to say the Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris is still in Home Bay, viewed from the Fishing Lodge, this morning. Good luck all you birders out there today!

Mark spent the afternoon at the lake and totted up a very respectable 59 bird species. The ongoing site year list can be found by clicking on the '2023' button.