AVON BIRD REPORT 2006 AVON ORNITHOLOGICAL GROUP Front cover : Garganey (male) taken at Chew Valley Lake in May Photograph by Gary Thorburn Rear cover: Map of the Avon area computer generated by S. Godden, Dept. of Geography, University of Bristol. Text drawings by: Phil Baber, Brian Slade, John Martin, Richard Andrews. Typeset in WORD 2000 and printed by Healeys, Ipswich ISSN Number – 0956-5744 CONTENTS Front Avon Ornithological Group (AOG) cover Editorial H.E. Rose 3 Notes on species for which documentations is 4 required. A review of 2006 R. Higgins 5 Diurnal migration in October R.L. Bland 9 Migrant date summary 10 Weather in 2006 R.L. Bland 11 Introduction to systematic list 14 Systematic list Swans and geese J. Williams 17 Ducks M.S. Ponsford 22 Game birds R. Mielcarek 36 Divers to Spoonbill R.J. Higgins 37 Raptors B. Lancastle 45 Water Rail to Coot R. Mielcarek 52 Waders H.E. Rose 54 Skuas to Auks R.M. Andrews 70 Doves to Woodpeckers R. Mielcarek 81 Passerines, Larks to Dipper J.P. Martin 88 Passerines, Wren to Buntings R.L. Bland 94 J. Williams & R 120 Escaped, released and hybrids Mielcarek Contributors of records 122 The diet of urban Peregrines in Bath Edward Drewitt 123 Unusual ornithological events in the Avon area, A.H. Davis 131 1981 - 2005 The affect of the 1990’s mange epidemic in Fox’s M Dadds 145 on Common Pheasant Yellow-legged Gull identification in Avon John Martin 151 A gull incident at Chew Valley Lake C. J. Stone 155 Sapsucking by Great Spotted Woodpecker R. L. Bland 156 R.L. Bland & J. 157 The breeding birds of the Avon area 2005 Tully Avon ringing report L.F. Roberts 167 Gazetteer 174 Back Advertisement cover Map of the Avon area Cover Editorial As will be obvious, we have changed the size of this Report from A5 to B5. We thought long and hard before making this change as we realise that some readers would have preferred the old format to stay. There are three main reasons for the change: • The ever-growing amount of material due to the increase in both the number and quality of the observations received, • The wider pages will allow more detailed tables to be presented, this will develop over time, • The wider pages will also allow the Report to open more easily, and so it should be easier to read. There will also be a slight saving in paper as the proportion of print area to margin is increased. We welcome detailed comments but having made the main change we intend to stay with it for several years to come. The prey of a pair of Peregrines in Bath has been studied over several years, and the paper in this issue by Ed Drewitt detailing these observations makes fascinating reading. It shows that aspects of some other species have not so far been recorded. For example more Woodcock were taken by this pair in the autumn of 2006 than are usually recorded in the whole of the Avon area in a year. The second and final part of Andy Davis’s survey of the unusual ornithological events over the past 60 years is also published in this issue, together with the first part published last year it gives an valuable historical perspective on the bird-life of our region over the past few decades. Two further papers by Mark Dadds and Richard Bland, respectively, give insights into some unusual aspects of the lives of our Pheasants and their relationship with the Fox population, and the feeding behaviour of some Great Spotted Woodpeckers. There is also an interesting note on an aircraft/bird shrike by Chris Stone. The third in our series of papers on the identification of ‘difficult’ species is on the Yellow-legged Gull and, as last year, it is written by John Martin. This species has only recently been “officially recognised”, that is as a species in it’s our right, and so this paper is timely. No new species were added to the Avon list in 2006, but see below. Unusual sightings included a Lesser Yellowlegs in September (third record), a Whiskered Tern in May (third record), a Red- billed Chough (third record since 1900 and the first since 1942), and a Common Rosefinch (also a third record). Two sightings from earlier years should also be mentioned - both potentially first records. In May 2003 a North American Northern Cardinal was seen at Portbury, BOURC has accepted this record as an escape but in our opinion due to the nearness to the port ship- assistance cannot be completely ruled out. Finally, in November 2005 a Frigatebird species (probably Magnificent ) was seen on Flat Holm to leave the island and head towards Weston-s- Mare and so into Avon waters. Unfortunately no Avon birders saw the bird as it (probably) passed up the Estuary. Finally, as usual, I would like to thank over those who submitted records, both regular and description, and whether by paper or electronically. Electronic recording is gaining pace and we welcome this as it makes the work of producing the Report easier, and it saves paper too. Also thanks are due to all those who wrote parts of this Report for all their hard work and dedication. This applies to all members of both the editor’s and recorder’s committees, to Andy Davis and Keith Vinicombe, and especially to Jason Williams who prepares the final document for the printers. H.E. Rose 4 Avon Bird Report 2006 Species and subspecies for which descriptions are required As well as the species listed below, we also require descriptions of all ‘British Birds’ rarities (see the BBRC website http://www.bbrc.org.uk for a list of species and details of how to submit these nationally – the ideal is to submit to BBRC and send a copy to the county recorder), and out-of-season migrants (for example a Whimbrel in January, or a Fieldfare in July). We also reserve the right to ask for supporting notes in the event of queries regarding any record. Full details can be found in the 2005 Report . Whooper Swan Rough-legged Buzzard Red-rumped Swallow Bean Goose Osprey Richard's Pipit Pink-footed Goose Red-footed Falcon Tawny Pipit American Wigeon Merlin* Red-throated Pipit Green-winged Teal Spotted Crake Bohemian Waxwing Red-crested Pochard+ Corn Crake Bluethroat Ring-necked Duck Common Crane Cetti's Warbler** Ferruginous Duck Stone-curlew Aquatic Warbler Greater Scaup Kentish Plover Marsh Warbler Common Eider * Eurasian Dotterel Icterine Warbler Long-tailed Duck American Golden Plover Melodious Warbler Surf Scoter Temminck's Stint Barred Warbler Velvet Scoter White-rumped Sandpiper Dartford Warbler+++ Red-breasted Merganser+ Purple Sandpiper* Subalpine Warbler White-headed Duck*** Pectoral Sandpiper Greenish Warbler Common Quail** Buff-breasted Sandpiper Pallas's Leaf Warbler Red-throated Diver Red-necked Phalarope Yellow-browed Warbler Black-throated Diver Grey Phalarope Radde's Warbler Great Northern Diver Pomarine Skua Dusky Warbler Red-necked Grebe Arctic Skua* Wood Warbler ++ Slavonian Grebe Long-tailed Skua Firecrest Black-necked Grebe# Great Skua* Red-breasted Flycatcher Northern Fulmar* Sabine's Gull Bearded Tit Cory’s Shearwater Ring-billed Gull Willow Tit Great Shearwater Iceland/Kumlien’s Gull Eurasian Golden Oriole Sooty Shearwater Glaucous Gull Red-backed Shrike Manx Shearwater* White-winged Tern Great Grey Shrike Balearic Shearwater Little Tern Woodchat Shrike Wilson's Storm-petrel Roseate Tern Red-billed Chough European Storm-petrel Common Guillemot* Hooded Crow Leach’s Storm-petrel Razorbill Rosy Starling Northern Gannet* Black Guillemot European Serin European Shag Little Auk Twite Black-crowned Night Heron Atlantic Puffin Common Redpoll Great Egret European Turtle Dove Arctic Redpoll Purple Heron Long-eared Owl Common Rosefinch White Stork European Nightjar** Hawfinch Eurasian Spoonbill Alpine Swift Lapland Bunting European Honey-buzzard European Bee-eater Cirl Bunting Black Kite Hoopoe Ortolan Bunting Eurasian Marsh Harrier Eurasian Wryneck Rustic Bunting Hen Harrier Greater Short-toed Lark Little Bunting Montagu’s Harrier Wood Lark Corn Bunting+++ Northern Goshawk Horned Lark # away from the three main reservoirs * inland only ** sight records of non-singing birds away from established breeding areas ***category D, but descriptions required please + except males in breeding plumage ++ autumn only +++ away from breeding stronghold Avon Bird Report 2006 5 Review of 2006 R.J. Higgins First Winter Period The winter was dry and, by the standards of recent years, cold. Easterly and north-easterly winds, caused by continental high pressure systems, dominated for most of the period, with the exception of spells from Jan. 9th to 18th, and Feb. 12th to 17th when depressions brought south-westerlies. The cold weather was probably responsible for some movement of wildfowl into the area. Eurasian Wigeon numbers were double those of the previous winter and the largest party of Greater White-fronted Goose in our area since 2000 was seen: 17 over Severn Beach on Feb. 20th. However, some species often associated with low temperatures were in short supply, with only one record of Tundra Swan and very poor numbers of Smew. The latter species may well have been displaced from the reservoirs by disturbance associated with the Ruddy Duck cull. Low water levels at the main reservoirs produced good counts of Eurasian Teal and Mallard, and Common Pochard numbers were also high. On the coast, counts of Common Shelduck were on the low side. On the Estuary a slight increase in Dunlin numbers was welcome, and the highest count of this species for several years was made at Severnside. Common Redshank numbers were also good, but Black-tailed Godwit counts were down.