DURSLEY BIRDWATCHING AND PRESERVATION SOCIETY
SEPTEMBER 2017 BULLETIN
FROM YOUR CHAIR AND COMMITTEE
“Hello again fellow 'Dursleys'!
I hope that you have all been enjoying the summer and have been able to get out and about and enjoy a bit of birding?
The news from me and your committee mainly concerns events over the coming month.
It is with much regret that your Committee has reluctantly decided that we will not have our usual marquee at Frampton Country Fair this year. This is due to a lack of volunteers either available, or willing, to help erect the marquee and spend time on the stand.
We do hope that our members will still go along and enjoy this large and popular event, taking place on Sunday 10th September. Currently it is very much our intention that DBWPS will return to the Frampton Country Fair in 2018.
Better news concerns the Severn Wader Festival (see details below). Having been involved personally in the early stages of the planning for this festival and instrumental in getting Wader Quest involved, I am extremely pleased that DBWPS will be present and very grateful to those members who have already offered their time to help on the Society's stand. This is definitely the kind of event, being focussed on birds and their conservation, that I would like to see the Society support.
I want also to mention our new programme initiative, afternoon indoor meetings. The first of these was held at Slimbridge Village Hall in mid-August and attracted a reasonable turn- out for a new venture, especially as it was the one sunny afternoon that week! There was some confusion apparently over the entrance charge, as last month's Bulletin indicated in one place that the cover charge would be for non-members only and in another place that it was universal. Running these meetings does incur further costs for the Society and some charges will be necessary, but in actual fact the Committee had not discussed fully this aspect of these meetings. I will ensure that this is done before the next meeting and that the correct information will be shown in next month's Bulletin.
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The idea behind these events, for me at least, is primarily to provide indoor meetings for those members who are unable to get to our evening meetings during the autumn and winter months. A secondary goal is to introduce the Society to potential new members (although we appreciate that mid-week afternoon meetings are unlikely to draw in younger members!). It is for that reason that we are holding the meetings in different village halls around our area. The next meeting will be in October, but a final decision has yet to be made on the venue and speaker. I do hope that you enjoy this new addition to our programme and support it - it will only be a success if you do!
I would like to return very briefly to the subject of transport and charges. Some of you may be confused to see the term 'mini-coach' used frequently in the trip notifications. The change in name is down to the coach company, but let me reassure you that this is in fact the replacement for the mini-bus and so the charging for trips that use it will be the charges we agreed for mini-bus trips; it does not represent a sneaky way of charging more!
The three types of transport we utilise are therefore: - car share - mini-coach (i.e. mini-bus) - coach
I hope this clears up any confusion that may have been created.
Finally, on the subject of indoor meetings, a quick reminder from me that our new indoor meeting programme begins on 11th September and we hope to see many of you there.
Best wishes - and good birding!”
Roberta Goodall DBWPS Chair
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Severn Wader Festival at WWT Slimbridge - Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September 2017
This year, for the first time, Wader Quest will be joining forces with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust to bring you the ‘Severn Wader Festival’ at the WWT reserve in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire.
You can join the WWT Slimbridge reserve team, alongside friends of DBWPS Rick and Elis Simpson from Wader Quest, for a fantastic weekend packed with events and activities to celebrate our wading birds.
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There will be safaris, talks in the cinema, ‘Guides in Hides’ to help you identify the birds on show, wood carving demonstrations, opportunities to meet wader experts and lots more. DBWPS will be having a stand at the festival. Our thanks go to the members who have already volunteered to assist with this important event, but we would welcome more of you, so please do contact us if you are willing to come along and help, either via the Society’s e- mail address [email protected] or by calling Colin Crew on 01454 227128.
Wall in Bulgaria: an illustrated talk (Indoor) – Presenter: Terry Wall MPAGB ARPS EFIAP/p – Monday 11th September 2017
Terry is an award-winning international wildlife photographer who travels widely in search of new photographic experiences and images.
Following on from his previous visits to the Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society, Terry's presentation will transport you to Hungary and Bulgaria, which are both wonderful countries for both birding and photography. Bulgaria boasts unspoiled meadows full of many species of flowers, insects and birds and in addition to the beautiful Bee-eaters and Wryneck which will be featured, the presentation will also showcase some of the many exotic butterfly species readily found in this area.
The Hortobagy National Park in Hungary in spring is a breeding ground for the fabulous Red-footed Falcon, European Roller, Bee-eater (Left, photo by Terry Wall) and Hoopoe and early morning starts were rewarded by unrivalled views of these species. Woodland pools brought many of these birds in to bathe and drink.
This is our first talk of the new season and we are hoping we can encourage you to come along and be thrilled by the beautiful wildlife of these Eastern European countries. We do manage to get some of the best wildlife artists in the country to come along and entertain you and meetings are of course free to attend for DBWPS members. Please come along and support this event and as a special offer, bring a friend in the hope that they will be tempted to come and join us. This is definitely a talk for the ‘armchair traveller’, so sit back and enjoy the ride!
East Devon – Leader: Mike Robinson - Sunday 17th September 2017
We will be leaving Dursley Bus Station at 0800 and the mini-coach will firstly travel to Aylsbeare Common, where we will have a short stop and walk in the hope of finding Dartford Warbler and other heathland birds.
We will then continue our journey to Seaton in East Devon, where we will spend most of the day visiting the River Axe Reserve, with its visitor centre and splendid hides, looking for waders and birds of prey.
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If time permits and members wish, we can take a tram ride through the reserve (this proved popular on our last visit). Before leaving for home, we hope to do a short sea watch from the promenade at Seaton.
We already have 13 members booked and the closing date will be 11th September 2017, so please call Mike Robinson on 01453 842566 if you would like to come along. When booking, please also state if you would be interested in the tram ride, as it may be possible to negotiate a reduction in price if we book this in advance. The cost for the mini-coach will be £20 per head.
Newport Wetlands NNR – Leader: Howard Lloyd - Saturday 23rd September 2017
This year we are putting on a luxury mini-coach for this annual trip, leaving Dursley Bus Station at 0800 to arrive on site for 0930. The cost will be £21 per head, to include the Severn Bridge Toll. We are limited to a maximum of 16 on the mini-coach, although other members are welcome to travel by car and join us on site.
Directions: Meet at the Uskmouth Reserve at 0930 (Grid ref: 834.335). Following a brief visit to the RSPB-managed Visitor’ Centre, we will walk around the extensive reed bed area. Part of the circular walk overlooks the Severn Estuary and the mouth of the smaller River Usk is seen looking towards the city. Cetti’s Warblers are often heard, Reed Buntings often seen and Bearded Tits occasionally spotted.
There is a convenient picnic area on site so please bring a packed lunch, after which we will drive the short distance (2.5 miles) to Goldcliff, parking on the grass verge on the Common, shortly after passing the Pub in Goldcliff village. We will then walk to the Goldcliff Reserve, as directed by the wooden public footpath sign on the roadside. There are hides here overlooking the saline lagoons and we intend visiting all three of them.
The River Severn cannot be seen from the hides but is visible by climbing a short, steep bank near the third hide. The area is good for wildfowl and Goldcliff is particularly good for Waders. Walking is easy at both sites, although the grass paths at Goldcliff will be slippery if wet and extra care must be taken here when climbing steps to the hides, as they may be muddy.
Directions: Exit the M4 at Junction 23A, then take the first exit at the roundabout. Continue towards the steel works, across a couple of roundabouts, then after about two kilometres take a left turn at the sign for Redwick, Whitson and Goldcliff. After about 100 metres, take the right turn at the sign for Whitson and Goldcliff. Continue on a narrow country road for a couple of miles to Goldcliff, then follow the ‘Brown Duck’ signs to Uskmouth, remembering to take a left at Nash! The meeting will finish at about 1500.
For bookings, please call Mike Robinson on 01453 842566. We currently have eight members booked and the closing date is 11th September 2017. Please do still ‘book’ if you are coming by car, so the leader knows who to expect. For more details, please call Howard Lloyd on 01454 414616 or 07980 037876.
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A Naturalist in England: an illustrated talk (Indoor) – Presenter: Philip Mugridge - Monday 25th September 2017
Phil is a wildlife photographer based in the Forest of Dean, who has travelled extensively both home and abroad in search of that ‘perfect image’. England, despite its dense population, has a wide diversity of wildlife and in his presentation, Phil will explore many different habitats, ranging from coastal and freshwater areas to forests and heathlands.
Phil will also share his experiences of encounters with a wide variety of birds, mammals and insects and will pass on a few photographic tips along the way. An event not to be missed!
(Photos, Gannet above and Red Grouse right, both by Philip Mugridge)
WWT Llanelli, South Wales – Leader: John Ryman - Sunday 9th October 2017
This luxury mini-coach trip to the ever-popular WWT reserve in South Wales will leave Dursley Bus Station at 0800 for a day of birdwatching on the Welsh coast. There are excellent facilities on site.
For bookings, please call Mike Robinson on 01453 842566. We currently have eleven members booked and the closing date is 18th September 2017. The cost for travel will be £21 per head, to include the Severn Bridge Toll.
For attendees who are not members of the WWT (please remember your membership card if you are!) there will also be an entrance fee payable, although we should be able to provide vouchers which will allow non-members of the WWT to gain entrance to the site at the discounted group rate.
If at least 28 members are interested, a larger 30 seat coach can be considered, but otherwise transport will be available for up to 16 attendees.
If any trip is in doubt because of bad weather or unexpected circumstances: For bookable events, we aim to contact people that have booked if an event has to be cancelled. It is important, therefore, that we have your telephone number or e-mail address when you book an event. We will also put a notice on our website. Full details of events can be found in the Bulletin, or enquiries can be made to the Leader (if a DBWPS member), the Programme Secretary (Mike Robinson on 01453 842566) or by e-mail to [email protected]
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OUTDOOR MEETING REPORTS
Kenfig NNR, South Wales – Leader: Dave Carrington (Manager and Warden) - Sunday 18th June 2017
***CORRECTION*** In the report on this trip included in the August Bulletin, we listed ‘Blue-tailed Chaser’ as one of the species of dragonfly seen. It has subsequently been pointed out to us by a DBWPS member that there is no species known by this common name. (I wonder if it should have been ‘Blue-tailed damselfly’, Ischnura elegans, instead? Can anyone who attended advise us please? Ed.). We apologise for this inaccuracy.
Nightjar Walk – Leader: John Arrowsmith - Wednesday 19th July 2017
Seven members turned up at 1930 on a balmy but cloudy evening at the stone works adjacent to Cannop Ponds. I have led this meeting in the past but before it has always been in mid-June and so I was not sure that we would see or hear any Nightjars. I need not have worried, however.
The usual birds were seen around the stone works, partly due to the fact that the feeders in the stone works yard are still being well stocked. These included Siskin, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Moving down to the ‘overflow’ from the pond, we again came across a family of Grey Wagtail, a species which we have never failed to see in this spot, whilst the more familiar Pied Wagtail was also noted in this area. The pond had the usual mix of water birds, including lots of young Mandarin and a number of adult females, but as in previous years there were no male Mandarin visible, although the birds are in 'eclipse' plumage at this time of year and males look very like females, so they may well have been there in ‘disguise’! Other water birds included Mallard, Greylag Goose, Coot and Moorhen. Flying over the pond were Swallow and Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Leaving the stone works, we walked along the path next to the pond and came across the odd Blackbird, Wood Pigeon and some very territorial Wrens. On arriving at the second pond we scanned the water and spotted Mute Swan and three Little Grebes. Flying over the pond were Swift, House Martin and one Buzzard. I had been told by our expert in the forest that there was one pair of Nightjar at Russell's Enclosure and three pairs at Crabtree Hill. Russell's Enclosure is within walking distance of the stone works, whilst Crabtree Hill is way beyond Speech House. The consensus however was to try where larger numbers have been seen, so we set off at 2040 for the car park near Speech House.
The walk to the reported Nightjar spot is a good mile from the car park and we arrived there about 2110. On route we came across Stonechat and also heard a Willow Warbler. Sunset was at 2121 and at exactly 2130, we heard our first ‘churring’ Nightjar, which was shortly followed by two more. A Nightjar was then seen flying around some trees and eventually, two Nightjars flew across in front of us. This turned out to be the last sighting but we were able set off for home fairly happy, with our target bird seen well and a total of at least 27 species recorded.
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Full list of birds seen (or heard): Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coot, Great Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greylag Goose, Grey Wagtail, Goldfinch, House Martin, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Grebe, Mallard, Mandarin, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, Nightjar, Siskin, Swallow, Stonechat, Swift, Willow Warbler, Wood Pigeon and Wren.
Report and Species List by John Arrowsmith
Evening Safari at Slimbridge WWT – Leader: Dave Paynter - Wednesday 26th July 2017
Fifteen members joined Reserve Warden Dave Paynter for this popular annual event. As we set off on the Land Rover and trailer we saw both a Buzzard and a Grey Heron flying nearby, whilst four Common Crane were in a nearby field. We were also fortunate enough to have a close encounter with several Roe Deer, including a very confiding buck who allowed us to approach quite close.
As we dropped down onto 'The Dumbles' (Left, photo by Colin Crew) we could see that the Severn was a long way out, but patient scanning of the mud allowed us to identify Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, lots of Shelduck and some Curlew. After hearing their familiar fluting calls, we were also able to identify a party of six Whimbrel, which Dave informed us was a good count for the time of year. We continued our journey along the river bank, diligently followed by the ever-friendly herd of cows, which themselves were accompanied by numerous hirundines, mainly Swallow but with some Sand Martin amongst them. We saw a few Yellow Wagtails, fleetingly at first, but eventually we had closer views of several birds.
We decided to view the Zeiss scrape from behind the seawall and were immediately greeted by a very vocal Redshank mother who was guarding a late brood of chicks. There were numerous Avocets on the pool, after a record breaking breeding season at Slimbridge, plus a flock of Dunlin, many still showing the dark undersides of their breeding plumage. With care, we were also able to pick out the beautiful russet colours of a Little Stint feeding amongst them.
Several Cranes were also present here but the highlight of our evening was undoubtedly when our Chair Roberta Goodall spotted a small, lone wader, which we were able to identify as a Pectoral Sandpiper (Right, photo by Roberta Goodall). Although one of the commoner North American vagrant waders found on our shores, there are still typically only around one hundred records per year in the UK, so it was a very pleasing find.
Content with our evening’s work, we returned to the car park, keeping an eye out for the Tawny Owls which Dave has been seeing on site recently, but it seemed our luck had run out. The last bird of the evening though was a dashing female Sparrowhawk, which whipped past us as we prepared to depart.
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Our grateful thanks go to Dave for another enjoyable evening under some very atmospheric cloud cover, although the wind was a little fresh at times! The members who came were able to identify at least 39 species, although it was the quality of the birds on the night rather than the quantity which made for such a memorable visit.
Full list of birds seen or heard: House Martin, Wood Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Feral Pigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Lapwing, Swift, Mallard, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Moorhen, Grey Heron, Buzzard, Swallow, Sand Martin, Black-headed Gull, Stock Dove, Curlew, Common Gull, Shelduck, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Whimbrel, Oystercatcher, Little Egret, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Avocet, Redshank, Dunlin, Little Stint, Canada Goose, Shoveler, Pectoral Sandpiper and Sparrowhawk.
Report and Species List by Colin Crew
Coombe Hill, Wotton-under-Edge – Leader: Vic Polley – Sunday 6th August 2017
Twelve people joined me at Coombe Hill, a privately owned site and acknowledged as one of the best butterfly sites in Gloucestershire, being especially known for the presence of the Chalk Hill Blue. It is a 15.4 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is grazed by a herd of Welsh Black cattle in the winter to maintain the extensive flora on which the butterflies breed and feed. 32 butterfly species have been recorded here, out of a total of 59 species seen in the UK (57 in England).
After encountering a number of Meadow Browns, the first few pale-blue male Chalk Hill Blues (Right, photo by Vic Polley) then appeared, followed by a few understated brown females. We saw scores of them during the visit and they were well photographed. (On the following day, I counted 203 Chalk Hill Blues on my weekly transect!). Unfortunately, the sun disappeared for good soon after and with it went the chance of seeing many other species.
A second generation Dingy Skipper was spotted, however; this is the first time a second generation individual has appeared in the 12 years I have been doing weekly butterfly transects at Coombe Hill. Part of the reason for this unusual occurrence is the better summer weather we have been experiencing. A Green Woodpecker sounded the alarm as we mooched around – they have bred here for many years. A number of male Common Blues were encountered and several females, the latter coming in a variety of colours from mainly blue to almost completely brown. As we returned almost to our starting place, a Small Blue was finally bagged by one or two of us – such a tiny butterfly being difficult to see in the absence of sunshine. However, despite the weather, we managed to see three Red Listed species, those being Chalk Hill Blue, Small Blue and Dingy Skipper. My thanks to all those who came along to see these rather attractive creatures.
Report by Vic Polley
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INDOOR MEETING REPORTS
**PLEASE NOTE**- Indoor meetings are held at the Dursley Community Centre. Details are on the DBWPS website and your Programme Card.
SOCIETY BUSINESS
Proposed coach and minibus trips
All coach and minibus trips will depend on the number of members booked. All members booked will be informed if the Society is not able to run transport for an event and given the option of a car share scheme.
Bookable events for the late Autumn season:
Sun 22nd Oct - Titchfield, Hampshire – Leader: John Arrowsmith – 14 booked Sat 4th Nov - Upton Warren, Worcestershire – Leader: Colin Crew – 8 booked
** It will assist the Programme Secretary greatly in organising appropriate transport if members can book well in advance of the date of each trip they wish to attend! ** Transport arrangements for Society trips will be as follows. The rationale for these arrangements was detailed in full in your June 2017 Bulletin.
1. For 12 or fewer members – Car Share (using up to 3 cars) will probably be the most practical and economical.
2. For 15-16 members – A luxury mini-coach with driver will cost £20 per head, plus parking and tolls. Discretion may be used to arrange mini-coach travel for a minimum of 13-14 members at a small loss.
3. For 15 or more members – Larger coaches can be put on for longer trips, subject to there being enough attendees, with a likely cost of £20 or more per head.
Please contact Mike Robinson on 01453 842566 to book. Members who have booked to attend an event will be contacted before it takes place but if you have not been contacted one week before and you think you have your name down, please contact Mike Robinson.
Mike Robinson – Programme Secretary
Important update concerning our annual Film Evening
As advised in our August Bulletin, there has been a change to the date of our annual film evening. This is because we have been extremely fortunate to book the well-known Television Wildlife Director, Presenter and Producer Stephen Moss as our presenter for 2018. The film evening will now take place on Saturday 10th February 2018 and not on Saturday 20th January 2018 as previously advertised.
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WWT Slimbridge have kindly agreed to the change of date and the title of Stephen’s presentation will be ‘Around the World with the BBC Natural History Unit’. Tickets will cost just £10 per person and will also include access to a floodlit ‘Swan Feed’ with a WWT Slimbridge Warden on arrival and a glass of wine or juice and cheese and biscuits during the interval. More details will appear in a future Bulletin.
IT & Communications Update
The Society’s ‘Twitter’ account is now up and running!
It will be used to keep you up to speed with ‘short notice’ updates, Society activities, special events and general items of interest. Social media now plays such a massive role in modern communication that your Committee felt it was high time that we embraced this. You can now search on Twitter for @DursleyBirds – we already have nine followers! Please do ‘give us a follow’ as the modern parlance goes, pass details on to friends and relatives who might be interested and if you tweet out any interesting local sightings or bird-related content, add @DursleyBirds so that others can link in to your tweets.
Chris Usher IT & Communications
MEMBERS BIRD SIGHTINGS
Please enter your sightings at www.universalquestions.com/nature Any rare or unusual sightings should be submitted to the Society Website www.dursleybirdwatchers.btck.co.uk If you do not have access to a computer, send them to; Sandra Drew, 2 Downfield Close, Alveston, Bristol, BS35 3NJ
**PLEASE NOTE** - SIGHTINGS SUBMITTED BY POST ARE ONLY LIKELY TO BE UPDATED ON THE WEBSITE PERIODICALLY WHILST IT IS BEING REBUILT. MEMBERS CAN STILL ADD THEIR OWN SIGHTINGS TO THE WEBSITE.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE BIRDING HIGHLIGHTS
The Temminck’s Stint at New Passage was last seen on 22nd July, whilst another exciting small wader was found by our own Roberta Goodall on 26th July, a Pectoral Sandpiper at WWT Slimbridge. Strong winds saw several European Storm Petrel and a Fulmar appear off Severn Beach on 3rd August. One or more Wood Sandpiper (Right, photo by Roberta Goodall) were seen at WWT Slimbridge from 5th August until at least 18th August, joined briefly by four Curlew Sandpiper on 8th August. Two juvenile Garganey located at Northwick Warth on 11th August were present until at least 18th August.
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FROM YOUR EDITOR
I am very excited about the upcoming Severn Wader Festival. Since the sad demise of the ‘Slimbridge Festival of Birds’ I do not believe we have had a better opportunity to promote the Society to a large and hopefully sympathetic audience ‘on the ground’, so I very much hope that this event will see a few new members eager to join us.
Please can I have all articles for the next bulletin by 15th of the month? Preferably by e- mail to [email protected]
Colin
Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society – Officers & Committee 2017/2018
Chair: Roberta Goodall Clarence Villa, Church Lane, Saul, Gloucestershire, GL2 7JY 01452 740548 Vice Chair: Nigel Hewston 1 The Orchard, Uley, Dursley, Gloucestershire, GL11 5ST 01453 861368 Treasurer: Chris Usher 32 Sunnyfield Road, Hardwicke, Gloucestershire, GL2 4QF 01452 721863 Secretary: Brenda Usher 32 Sunnyfield Road, Hardwicke, Gloucestershire, GL2 4QF 01452 721863 Programme Secretary: Mike Robinson 45 Parklands, Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire, GL12 7LT 01453 842566
Membership Secretary: Caroline Sandrey 15 Spey Close, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 2NR 07972 125959 Bulletin Editor: Colin Crew 1 Gifford Close, Rangeworthy, South Gloucestershire, BS37 7QU 01454 227128 Bulletin Distribution: Jacquelin Hill TBC 01453 542303 IT & Communications: Chris Usher 32 Sunnyfield Road, Hardwicke, Gloucestershire, GL2 4QF 01452 721863 Librarian: Louise Bailey 16 Rosslyn Way, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 1SG 01454 528290
General Committee: Peter Steele, Ken Cservenka, Alan Keith, Colin Crew, Maggie Jordan
e-mail: [email protected] website: www.dursleybirdwatchers.btck.co.uk
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