Bristol Birding

I'm over the moon to have the beginnings of a rookery in an oak on the railway embankment behind the house in Filton. I don't even have to leave the back doorstep. 8 birds (4 pairs). Two nests are well advanced, and the other two are still in the early stages.
@bristolbirding.bsky.social

Drake Ring-necked Duck still, Blagdon, Top End, plus 2 Red Kites. 1 Common Sand, 4 Goosander, 5 Sand Martin and 30 Cattle Egret at Chew.

Look what I found (again) on the Severnside patch this morning! Have to say, I was quite surprised to see the female Hooded Merganser back on Pilning wetland. Not sure how it's reappearance will affect the record re: acceptance? #ukbirding

Port of Bristol (Avonmouth) Tide Times

Low 04:51 2.29m
High 10:44 11.03m
Low 17:01 2.62m
High 22:58 10.67m

Port of Bristol (Avonmouth) Tide Times

Low 04:29 1.94m
High 10:19 11.76m
Low 16:37 2.21m
High 22:31 11.41m

Your count will go into the records, never fear.

Chiffchaff, Linnets and singing Dunnock on my walk to the pipes at Severn Beach today @severnsidebirds.bsky.social @bristolbirding.bsky.social #southglosbirds

OK well this is the last time I'm doing this as none of my numbers even made it into the Avon blog 😂

What a waste of time

Next time I won't bother reporting

4 LRPs on Pilning Wetland and 8 common RPs at the back pond

Another dismal grey day. A Great Crested Grebe found by @andy-1963.bsky.social on the estuary near my house at Severn Beach was my first here for 2 years. There seem to be plenty of newly arrived singing Chiffchaff in the area and 2 Little Ringed Plover were still on Pilning Wetland.

New passage descending tide: 60+ turnstones with a few knot

Aust Warth: 3 stonechat, 1 kestrel

@bristolbirding.bsky.social

Pilning: chiffchaff singing, 3 cormorants, 50+ teal, 30+ shoveller, 4 lrp ✅, 10+snipe, 11 redshank, 1 Cetti's singing, 1 reed bunting singing✅, 2 gadwall✅, 20 curlew, 2 blackwits, 8 ringed plovers✅, 15+ lapwings, 1 stock dove, 2 tufties,

@bristolbirding.bsky.social

Long trip to severnside still yielded no egrets for 2026! I decided to try to count any of the non-boring birds but inevitably lost the will to live halfway through. Here's my list:

Severn beach: 1 GCG, 10 wigeon, 16 shelduck, 1 singing greenfinch, 2 pied wag
@bristolbirding.bsky.social

Port of Bristol (Avonmouth) Tide Times

Low 04:15 1.65m
High 09:55 12.41m
Low 16:21 1.97m
High 22:07 12.03m

Scenes on Severnside this morning when @oscardewhurst.bsky.social and I were surprised by 2 displaced Great-crested Grebes that had drifted up the estuary in the murk. Less than annual here, this represents a class patch year tick. This pic of one from 2018 by @severnsidebirds.bsky.social #ukbirding

40 Siskin in birches on New Rd, Filton nr Holiday Inn Express this morning.
@bristolbirding.bsky.social

2m and 1f Common Scoter from Sutton Wick, Chew, in the gloom. Also the 2f Scaup still. Nice.

Port of Bristol (Avonmouth) Tide Times

Low 04:01 1.20m
High 09:31 13.00m
Low 16:12 1.61m
High 21:44 12.59m

Despite being a much cooler day with North East wind I found my first 2 Sand Martins of the year feeding over Pilning Wetland. Also present were 2 Little Ringed Plover, 200 Knot and at least 5 singing Chiffchaff in the area.

Male Shoveler, today at Catcott Nature Reserve

New British and Irish bird atlas announced for 2027 A new bird atlas for Britain and Ireland has been announced by five conservation organisations. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), BirdWatch Ireland, the RSPB, Scottish Ornithologists' Club (SOC) and Welsh Ornithological Society (WOS) have come together to begin work on Bird Atlas 2027-31.

A new bird atlas for Britain and Ireland has been announced by five conservation organisations:

Six greenfinches in our garden! Six!
That’s a record :D
We’ve seen a gradual increase over the last few years. So good to see :D

It's finally feeling like Spring at Aust after a good push of Wood pigeon and finches this week - mostly Chaffinch Linnet and Siskin with fewer Crossbill and Redpoll.

Port of Bristol (Avonmouth) Tide Times

Low 03:35 0.70m
High 09:03 13.49m
Low 15:53 1.05m
High 21:20 13.10m

Finally saw a Reed Bunting at Herriot's Pool this evening. #avonbirds

Robin chicks in my Nailsea garden this morning. The nest is inside a plant pot I placed in a Climbing Hydrangea with the intention that Robins would use it to nest in. #avonbirds

First vismig session of the season on the Severnside patch produced Crossbill, Redpoll, Siskin, Red Kite and 1,200 Woodpigeon with @j-dunning.net. Grounded migrants included my first LRPs of the year and a free-wheeling flock of 226 Knot on the estuary. Spring sure comes early nowadays #ukbirding

Port of Bristol (Avonmouth) Tide Times

Low 03:00 0.43m
High 08:30 13.79m
Low 15:23 0.59m
High 20:50 13.48m

Review of the Week: 23 February-1 March 2026 The first real wave of spring migrants dominated the headlines, with a Hooded Merganser in Avon occupying rarity interest. Sam Viles reports.

Review of the Week: 23 February-1 March 2026

The first real wave of spring migrants dominated the headlines, with a Hooded Merganser in Avon occupying rarity interest. Sam Viles reports:

Purple, Black & Red in Portishead this morning.