Birds and Moths

 of Burnham-on-Sea

2009 sightings:

December:

28th December: Fieldfare numbers have picked up recently at Berrow, and large numbers of Lapwing remain in the fields.
 

27th December: No reports today.
 

26th December: The fields around Brean farm produced 62 Golden Plover and around 400 Lapwing. Otherwise, pretty quiet with around 2,00 Dunlin in the Parrett estuary. Shelduck numbers seem incredibly low at the moment. A count of 40 today was in comparison with recent weeks pretty high. Normally at this time of year we would expect to see many hundreds.
 

25th December: Waders at Berrow included 13 Bar Tailed Godwit, 30 Oystercatcher and 4 Sanderling.
 

24th December: At Berrow a redhead Red Breasted Merganser flew north. Waders were represented by 11 Bar Tailed Godwit, 46 Oystercatcher, 5 Sanderling and a Turnstone. Also at Berrow 7 Golden Plover were around the fields with good numbers of Lapwing. Two unconfirmed records from non birders recently concern 2 Bewick Swan over Berrow, and a report of a pink and black Starling sized bird in a Berrow garden last week.
 

23rd December: The only news comes from the Axe estuary where there were singletons of Spotted Redshank, Knot and Sanderling amongst large numbers of Dunlin.
 

22nd December: Highlight of the day was the discovery of a juvenile Common Crane. Initially flushed from the banks of the Axe estuary, it was quickly relocated in fields on Red road, Berrow where it showed extremely well for half an hour. However, as the snow and fog cleared the bird took flight and left the area high to the south. Ford common produced increased numbers of Lapwing and Redwing together with 65 Golden Plover and 10 Teal.

Common Crane. Berrow. 22nd December. ©J.Packer. www.somersetbirder.co.uk

21st December: 70 Lapwing over Berrow may have been cold weather movement or simply local birds moving feeding grounds. Also at Berrow were 50 Curlew, 3 Bar Tailed Godwit, 5 Sanderling  and 5,000 Dunlin.
 

20th December: The 9 Bar Tailed Godwit were back on the beach at Berrow, where there were also 40 Oystercatcher, 12 Curlew and 20 Dunlin. Of interest, construction of the Golf clubs new reservoir continues just inland of Berrow dunes.

Berrow Golf club reservoir under construction. December 2009.©A.Slade.

19th December: Very quiet at Berrow today with just 2 Bar Tailed Godwit, 40 Oystercatcher and a few Curlew worthy of mention.
 

18th December: 9 Bar Tailed Godwit at Berrow represented a good winter count. Also there were 3 Curlew, 4 Sanderling and 400+ Dunlin.
 

17th December: Waders at Berrow included 37 Curlew, 3 Bar Tailed Godwit, 15 Oystercatcher, 6 Sanderling and a handful of Dunlin. Finch numbers appear to have increased recently with 60+ Greenfinch at Berrow and a general increase in Chaffinch numbers.
 

16th December: No news again today.
 

15th December: No reports today. Recent observations have highlighted the total lack of winter thrushes around at the moment. Normally the surrounding farmland and dune system would hold many hundreds, whereas we are struggling to find double figures.
 

14th December:  Just 3 Curlew to report at Berrow.
 

13th December: Highlights today included a Marsh Harrier hunting over Stert island and 5 redhead Goosander that flew up the Parrett estuary before heading up the Brue estuary. Elsewhere a circular walk encompassing Berrow Golf course the LNR and Red Road produced 5 Teal, 24 Curlew, 1 Snipe,  270 Lapwing and 2 Raven.
 

12th December: 2 Black Redstart were again in Brean Down cove, whilst 2 Bar Tailed Godwit and a drake Pintail were on the Axe estuary.. Blackcap numbers seem to be increasing with 20+ at Berrow LNR. The only other species of note was a single Coal Tit at Berrow.

Black Redstart.  Brean Down cove. 12th December. ©J Packer. http://www.somersetbirder.co.uk
 

10th December: Brean cove held 1 Black Redstart, whilst the adjacent Axe estuary produced 140 Teal, 10 Wigeon, 300 Lapwing, 28 Curlew, 50+ Redshank, 32 Golden Plover and 150 Dunlin.

9th December: Berrow produced 28 Oystercatcher, 4 Bar Tailed Godwit, 1 Knot and 30 Common Gull.
 

8th December: Waders at Berrow included 4,000 Dunlin, 38 Curlew, 21 Oystercatcher and 3 Sanderling.
 

7th December: The Brue / Parrett estuaries held a similer selection of waders as the 5th with the addition of 12 Grey Plover. Winter duck were represented by 27 Wigeon and 21 Teal in the mouth of the Brue.
 

6th December: Berrow was its usual quiet self with just 11 Oystercatcher, 60 Dunlin and 18 Common Gull together with a further 100 flyover Lapwing. The Brean area held 2 Black Redstart.
 

5th December: Quite a bit more to report today. Lapwing were on the move with 500+ over Burnham and Berrow. The Brue and Parrett estuary produced some good wader counts with 230 Curlew, 114 Oystercatcher, 400 Redshank, 150 Turnstone, 2 Bar Tailed Godwit, 13 Snipe,  60 Knot, the long staying Ruff and 3,000 Dunlin. Also of interest were an adult Mediterranean Gull, a female type Merlin and 94 Common Gull. The only other news was of 3 Bar Tailed Godwit on the Axe estuary.
 

4th December: Just a few scraps today with 110 Dunlin, 60 Oystercatcher and 20 Blackcap at Berrow / Burnham and 2 Chiffchaff and 4 flyover Siskin at Apex lakes.
 

3rd December: Waders at the Brue estuary were represented by 800 Dunlin, 500 Redshank, 134 Turnstone and 51 Oystercatcher. Also there were 25 Wigeon.
 

2nd December: No news today.
 

1st December: Finally a decent settled morning with clear skies and light winds. Brean produced 2 Shag settled on the sea, 3 Black Redstart, 1 Blackcap, 100 Lapwing and 4 Golden Plover together with 80 Sanderling and 51 Oystercatcher on the beach. The adjacent Axe estuary held singles of Greenshank and Spotted Redshank amongst 80+ Redshank. Also of note were 40 Curlew, 110 Teal and 21 Wigeon. 1 Jack Snipe was flushed from the saltmarsh. Highlights from the Brue / Parrett estuary were 250 Wigeon, 150 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 1 Little Grebe 150 Lapwing and a Redpoll.
 

November:

30th November: Early morning at Berrow failed to produce a single noteworthy record. Of interest, Blackcap numbers are unseasonably low with only a few birds being seen at a time when we would normally expect to be recording much higher numbers.
 

29th November: No reports today.
 

28th November: Fairly quiet again with 80 Oystercatcher, 5 Bar Tailed Godwit and 1 Sanderling at Berrow, 30 Golden Plover and 300 Lapwing at Brean farm, whilst 2 Black Redstart remained with one in the cove and one on the down..
 

27th November: Another disgusting day of rain and wind meant no one ventured out.
 

26th November: Brean beach held 36 Oystercatcher and 33 Sanderling whilst 1 Black Redstart was in the cove.
 

25th November: All the action was again further up the channel. All that could be mustered off Berrow were 40 Kittiwake.
 

24th November: With the strong winds still favouring a south/south west bias we continue to miss out on the Leach's Petrels being seen further up the channel. Berrow beach held the usual flock of 50+ Oystercatcher together with a Bar Tailed Godwit.
 

23rd November: A three hour seawatch off Burnham seafront was slow but did produce singles of Red Throated Diver, Great Northern Diver and a drake Common Scoter.
 

22nd November: Very quiet at Berrow again with 51 Oystercatcher, 39 Curlew and 500 Dunlin.
 

21st November: Just the usual suspects at the Brue estuary with good numbers of Redshank and Turnstone together with the long staying Ruff and 20 Dunlin.
 

20th November: Particularly thin pickings at Berrow today where the only sighting involved 60 Oystercatcher on the beach.
 

19th November: There were 45 Kittiwake off Berrow this morning and 51 Oystercatcher on the beach there. The 2 Black Redstart remain in Brean Down cove.
 

18th November: The undoubted highlight of the day was a Drake Velvet Scoter that flew south off Berrow this morning. Also off Berrow were 275 Kittiwake and 68 Common Gull whilst the beach produced the same 65 Oystercatcher as yesterday and 500 Dunlin.
 

17th November: The only snippet of news is from Berrow where there were 65 Oystercatcher, whilst 90 Woodpigeon and 30 Chaffinch flew south.
 

16th November: Onshore winds at Berrow produced 1 Common Scoter and 16 Kittiwake, whilst on the beach there were 1,300 Dunlin, 15 Curlew and 2 Sanderling.
 

15th November: Overhead passage at the Brue estuary included 1,000 Woodpigeon, 150 Chaffinch, 1 Brambling, 70 Redwing and 9 Fieldfare. Also there was the long staying Ruff and a Merlin whilst 3 Chiffchaff were at Apex.
 

14th November: A day of storm force winds and constant hefty showers. There were 80 Kittiwake lingering off Burnham seafront late in the day, but apart from that only 1 Little Grebe and a Chiffchaff at Apex could be mustered.
 

13th November: Pretty dire again with just 6 Oystercatcher on Berrow beach and a few winter thrushes overhead.
 

12th November: No news today
 

11th November: Some interest at Apex today with a very late Garden Warbler and also a Woodcock there.
 

10th November: The only news come from the Axe estuary where there were 40 Ringed Plover, a Spotted Redshank and 330 Dunlin.
 

9th November: No sign of the Yellow-browed Warbler today at Apex, just 1 Chiffchaff and unusually 15 Blackbird flew south. There were 2 Female / Immature type Black Redstart in Brean Down cove, whilst nearby the Axe estuary held 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Knot and 136 Dunlin. At the Brue / Parrett estuary there were 26 Wigeon, 4 Teal, 100 Lapwing, c80 Redshank the Ruff and 500 Dunlin.
 

8th November: A cracking start to the day when a Yellow-browed Warbler was discovered at Apex lakes in the small wood to the right of the main lake. Although generally elusive it did call and show occasionally. Also there were at least 4 Chiffchaff and a male Blackcap. 200+ Fieldfare also flew south. On the adjacent Brue estuary there were still good numbers of Redshank and Turnstone together with the long staying Ruff and 6 Dunlin.  Berrow produced 500 Dunlin, 100 Oystercatcher and 6 Curlew.
 

7th November: All reports come from the Brean / Axe estuary area where there were 18 Wigeon, 350 Lapwing, 36 Redshank, 100 Oystercatcher, 50 Sanderling a very late Whimbrel and a Kingfisher. A Kittiwake was off the end of the down
 

6th November: A trickle of late overhead passage at Berrow this morning included 180 Woodpigeon, 40 Fieldfare, 200 Starling and 250 Chaffinch. Late news for yesterday. A Fulmar was reportedly picked up exhausted on Berrow beach and taken to a nearby wildlife rescue centre.
 

5th November: Nothing worthy of reporting on another day dominated by blasting north westerly winds. Work on the "Species" list is ongoing, but I have taken the opportunity to upload the current list of recorded species together with some detail.
 

4th November: Another day of gusting winds and hefty showers resulted in very little being reported. 1 Pale Bellied Brent Goose and 95 Oystercatcher were seen from Burnham seafront whilst at Berrow on a dropping tide there were 12 Oystercatcher, 4 Curlew, 35 Sanderling and 300 Dunlin. 200 Starling flew south there.
 

3rd November: All todays news comes from the Brue and Parrett estuaries where there were 6 Pale Bellied Brent Goose and 94 Oystercatcher on Stert Island, 20+ Avocet, 100 Grey Plover, and 2,500 Dunlin on the Parrett and 900 Redshank, 302 Turnstone, 13 Lapwing the long staying Ruff and 7 Wigeon on the Brue.
 

2nd November: Very little to report other than a few waders on Berrow beach that included 140 Oystercatcher, 200 Dunlin and 150 Sanderling.
 

1st November: A nice start to the month when following heavy overnight rain and strong westerly winds a Little Auk flew south off Berrow Beach in the afternoon. Also displaced were 240 Kittiwake. 1,000+ Dunlin were on the beach.
 

October:


31st October: Waders on the Brue estuary were represented by 800 Redshank, 358 Turnstone and singles of Ruff, Jack Snipe, Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper. Berrow was very quiet with just a single Grey Plover of note on the beach and 300 Starling, 10 Blackbird and 54 Chaffinch overhead.
 

30th October: Just a few birds on the move over Berrow this morning with 700+ Starling, 20 Redwing, 5 Fieldfare, 2 Stock Dove and 185 Chaffinch.
 

29th October: The bird of the day was a Siberian Chiffchaff in the bushes along the Brue Estuary, the bird was moving east along the bushes calling constantly. There were also 3 Chiffchaff along the Brue. Migration certainly picked up today, with constant Redwing calls passing over all night it was no great surprise that birds were still moving when daylight resumed this morning. Today's totals were 6500 Chaffinch, 12 Brambling, 2000 Starling, 175 Redwing, 380 Fieldfare, 8 Song Thrush, 15 Blackbird, 17 Skylark, 8 Meadow Pipit, 28 Lapwing, 15 Greenfinch, 4 Linnet, 1 Redpoll, 250 Wood Pigeon and 4 Reed Bunting. 

28th October: There was a little bit more overhead passage today. 160 Wood Pigeon, 200 Fieldfare, 6 Brambling, 7 Siskin, 12 Skylark, 130 Starling, 180 Redwing, 19 Jackdaw but only 22 Chaffinch. At the Brue estuary there were 50 Snipe and 1 Jack Snipe in the spartina plus 600 Redshank and 50 Knot on the riverbank. Also reported were 4 Water Pipit.

27th October: A light passage at Berrow included 960 Chaffinch, 12 Wood Pigeon, 341 Starling, 3 Fieldfare and a Brambling flying south. While on the beach at Berrow there are now 3000 Dunlin.

26th October: The only news today came from Brean Down which was fairly quiet with 1 Yellowhammer, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Bullfinch, 4 Blackcap and 20 Skylark, enlivened at the end by a Firecrest on speed around the reservoir.

Firecrest, Brean Down, 26th October 2009. ©R. Musgrove

25th October: There were just a few odds and ends at Berrow, with 1500 Dunlin, 41 Common Gull, 7 Ringed Plover, 10 Sanderling, 47 Oystercatcher and a Merlin. A Great Northern Diver was seen from Brean Down, whilst overhead there were 5 Swallow and a House Martin. The Axe estuary produced 2 each of Snipe and Jack Snipe together with 160 Redshank, 30 Lapwing and 60+ Skylark.

24th October: Overnight, and early morning rain brought overhead migration to a near standstill with just 50 Chaffinch and 4 Redwing at Berrow, where the rising tide produced 4 Curlew, 47 Oystercatcher, 3,000 Dunlin and 2 Ringed Plover.
 

23rd October: Chaffinch dominated southerly passage at Berrow this morning with 6,000 counted. Starling were not far behind with 4,000. Other species over single figures were 50 Meadow Pipit, 26 Pied Wagtail, 125 Greenfinch, 17 Skylark and 12 Siskin. More unusual species on the move were 1 Green Sandpiper and 2 Bullfinch. Waders at Berrow were represented by 73 Oystercatcher, 300 Dunlin and 3 Ringed Plover. Things were very quiet at Brean Down with just 8 Swallow being of note.
 

22nd October: Despite constant hefty downpours Chaffinch and Starling continued to move in excellent numbers with an estimated 5,000 each. Blackbird numbers also appeared to be up with many birds in the bushes and a few on the move. Otherwise, movement was restricted to 50+ Meadow Pipit and much smaller numbers of the expected species. High tide at Berrow produced 8 Curlew, 60 Oystercatcher, 16 Knot, 1 Ringed Plover, 250 Dunlin and 42 Common Gull, whilst out over Stert island a large flock of 2 - 3,000 Dunlin were swirling around. Along the Brue Estuary there was a late Wheatear, 3 Blackcap and 3 Chiffchaff.
 

21st October: A Richards Pipit flew south calling at Berrow this morning. High tide there produced a female Common Scoter on the sea, 15 Oystercatcher, 50 Sanderling and 200 Dunlin. Chaffinch dominated overhead passage with an estimated 3,000 south. Starling were again moving in good numbers with 1,500 seen. Other birds moving south included 4 Golden Plover, 50 Meadow Pipit, 20 Skylark and single figure counts for Brambling, Siskin, Redpoll, Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch.
 

20th October: Little to report in deteriorating weather conditions. In excess of 2,000 Starling passed over today mainly heading south east. Wader numbers on the Brue estuary remained fairly static and there was a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull on Brean beach.
 

19th October: 3 Tree Sparrow that briefly pitched in trees at Berrow were todays highlight, although good numbers of migrants were on the move with 10 Song Thrush, 52 Redwing, 29 Alba Wagtail, 880 Starling, 50 Woodpigeon, 11 Skylark, 50 Meadow Pipit, 750 Chaffinch, 16 Brambling, 42 Greenfinch, 9 Siskin, 3 Redpoll and 8 Reed Bunting over Berrow, where there were also 120 Dunlin on the beach. The Brue estuary held 600 Redshank, 200 Turnstone, 10 Dunlin the usual Ruff and a Common Sandpiper. There were 5 Chiffchaff at Apex.
 

18th October: Todays highlights were a flyover Hawfinch at the Brue estuary and a Woodcock flushed on Brean Down. Apart from a single Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Grey Plover amongst c400 Redshank on the Axe estuary, the remainder of todays totals are made up of passage birds at the Brue estuary and Brean Down which included a male Merlin, 40 Redwing, 1 Fieldfare, 120 Jackdaw, 1 Ring Ouzel, 8 Swallow, 30 Starling, 1 Grey Wagtail, 10 Redpoll, 7 Siskin,  40 Chaffinch and 7 Brambling.
 

17th October: High tide at Berrow produced 1 Teal, 31 Oystercatcher, 7 Curlew, 59 Ringed Plover and 1,100 Dunlin. A combination of  passage counts at Berrow and Brean Down resulted in 1 Ring Ouzel, 280 Redwing, 1 Fieldfare, 27 Song Thrush, 10 Blackbird, 110 Starling, 47 Woodpigeon, 248 Jackdaw, 10 Pied Wagtail, 100 Chaffinch, 30 Reed Bunting, 15 Siskin, 13 Brambling, 60 Skylark and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. There were just 8 Chiffchaff and 1 Blackcap.
 

16th October: Not much news today although there was a Curlew Sandpiper on Brean beach. 160 Turnstone and the Ruff were on the Brue estuary.
 

15th October: The highlight was a Woodlark flushed from fields near Brean Down farm.  The Down produced singles of Snipe and Ring Ouzel, 30 Song Thrush, 20 Redwing, 4 Blackbird, 30 Reed Bunting and 2 Brambling. Starling dominated overhead passage at Berrow this morning with an hours count producing 780 birds moving south. Other birds on the move included 40 Jackdaw, 20 Woodpigeon, 2 Skylark, 1 Redwing, 9 Song Thrush, 2 Blackbird, 40 Pied Wagtail, 150 Chaffinch, 10 Siskin and 2 Snipe. 

Jackdaw on the move. Berrow. 14th October. ©A.Slade.

14th October: Plenty of coverage today with birders at most of our regular sites. High tide at the Brue estuary produced a Curlew Sandpiper together with 800 Redshank, 200 Turnstone, 7 Dunlin and singles of Spotted Redshank, Knot and Ruff. A Shoveler also flew over there. Grounded migrants today included 1 Ring Ouzel at Brean Down and totals at various sites of 2 Wheatear, 9 Blackcap, 18 Chiffchaff and 2 Goldcrest. It has also been necessary to combine the overhead passage totals across the sites which are as follows:-. 1 Snipe,  4 Fieldfare, 4 Blackbird, 62 Song Thrush, 68 Redwing, 510 Jackdaw, 40+ Pied Wagtail, 39 Swallow, 72 Starling, 125 Meadow Pipit, 47 Skylark, 28 Siskin, 12 Redpoll, 7 Reed Bunting, 150 Chaffinch and 2 Brambling. Clouded Yellow were more conspicuous today with 8 being seen together with large numbers of Small Copper.

Wheatear. Berrow LNR. 14th October. ©A.Slade.




Clouded Yellow. Berrow LNR. 14th October. ©A.Slade




Small Copper.  Berrow LNR. 14th October. ©A.Slade.

13th October: An excellent count of  7 Ring Ouzel on Brean Down this morning where the supporting cast of grounded migrants included 50+ Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Redwing, 1 Bullfinch, 1 Dartford Warbler, 9 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff and a Coal Tit. Overhead passage produced 12 Swallow, 80 Meadow Pipit, 11 Skylark, 6 Pied Wagtail, 8 Siskin, 6 Redpoll, 50 Chaffinch, 43 Linnet and 31 Goldfinch. Berrow remained quiet although  205 Jackdaw, 4 Rook 36 Woodpigeon and 6 Redwing did fly south. High tide at the Brue estuary held 800 Redshank, 230 Turnstone, and singles of  Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Knot and Dunlin.

Ring Ouzel,  Brean Down. 13th October. ©R.Musgrove.

12th October: Bird of the day was a confiding Dartford Warbler on Brean Down. Also grounded were 20 Song Thrush, 1 Blackcap and 3 Chiffchaff. Overhead passage included 26 Redwing, 14 Swallow, 70 Skylark, 10 Reed Bunting, 8 Redpoll, 100 Meadow Pipit, 4 Siskin, 65 Goldfinch and a Grey Wagtail.  Very quiet at Berrow this morning over the low tide. Overhead passage was at a near standstill with just very small numbers of the expected species. Singles of Lapwing and Golden Plover south provided the only interest. The last few days have seen good numbers of Bearded Tit at Berrow with well over 20 birds being particularly active and vocal.

Dartford Warbler. Brean Down. 12th October. ©P. Bowyer.

11th October: No reports received on a dank and drizzly day.
 

10th October: Quite a few reports but nothing to get excited about. High tide at Berrow held 100 Oystercatcher, 6 Curlew, 2 Grey Plover, 60 Ringed Plover and 300 Dunlin whilst just along on Brean beach there were 300 Oystercatcher, 6 Curlew and a Knot. The Axe estuary held 400 Redshank, 80 Lapwing and a Green Sandpiper. Single Little Grebe were seen at Berrow golf course and unusually at Brean farm area. Grounded migrants were limited to single Wheatear at Berrow and Brean, 10 each of Song Thrush and Blackbird at Brean and 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap and a Goldcrest at Brean. Combined overhead passage totals for Brean and Berrow resulted in 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 75 Starling, 26 Jackdaw, 227 Swallow, 3 House Martin, 95 Chaffinch, 130 Meadow Pipit, 7 Siskin, 42 Skylark, 9 Pied Wagtail and 25 Greenfinch. Jay were conspicuous this morning with a few scattered along the coast. Finally another 3 Clouded Yellow were seen with 2 at Berrow LNR and 1 at Brean.
 

9th October: Bird of the day was a Red Kite seen near Berrow church being mobbed by Jackdaws before finally heading off east. High tide at Berrow produced a bit more activity than late with 300 Oystercatcher, 300 Dunlin, 60 Ringed Plover,  50 Sanderling and an adult Mediterranean Gull. Overhead passage also showed some improvement with 2 Mistle Thrush, 35 Starling, 100 Chaffinch, 20 Greenfinch and 2 Redpoll. A decent fall of 25 Song Thrush had taken place on Brean Down, but there was little else there except 15 Chiffchaff and 5 Blackcap. Counts were down at the Brue estuary with 200 Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 200 Turnstone, 1 Common Sandpiper,  2 Dunlin and the Ruff. Overhead passage there was restricted to 2 Siskin and a Jay.   Yesterday, Whilst trying to attract the Apex Med Gull to bread an adult Black Headed Gull was seen to be sporting a Swedish ring. Further details will be published when received.
 

8th October: Grounded migrants at Brean Down were at a premium with just a few Chiffchaff and 2 Wheatear. Overhead passage was dominated by Meadow Pipit with an estimated 500 birds. Also on the move were 40 Skylark, 50 Swallow, 10 Pied Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail and 3 Reed Bunting. A Merlin was watched chasing the pipits before heading south. Berrow showed a slight improvement with 3 Wigeon, 285 Oystercatcher, 5 Curlew, 11 Ringed Plover and 140 Dunlin. On nearby Red road there were 56 Common Gull. The confiding 1st winter Mediterranean Gull was again at Apex.  Easily the best sighting of the day was a Clouded Yellow butterfly seen in a Burnham garden.
 

7th October: Very little to report. Berrow held 25 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin and 12 Oystercatcher, while numbers of Redshank and Turnstone remained constant on the Brue estuary.
 

6th October:  Fairly routine at Berrow today with 300 Oystercatcher, 5 Curlew, 35 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin, 17 Sanderling, 18 Common Gull and unusually for Berrow 4 Rock Pipit, although they soon flew off south. The presumed long staying Grey Seal was still offshore.
 

5th October: Another excellent count of Redshank on the Brue estuary this morning with 1,230 birds present. Also there or on the adjacent Parrett estuary were 330 Oystercatcher, 250 Turnstone, 16 Curlew,  3 Spotted Redshank and 1 Dunlin. Migrants were restricted to 3 Wheatear and 1 Grey Wagtail.  Some light overhead passage at Brean Down involved 387 Swallow, 42 House Martin, 21 Skylark, 400+ Meadow Pipit, 1 Tree Pipit, 15 Pied Wagtail and 40+ Chaffinch. Grounded migrants were very thin on the ground with 5 Wheatear and 20 - 30 Chiffchaff.
 

4th October: A slight improvement at Berrow today with 240 Oystercatcher, 1 Curlew, 18 Ringed Plover, 400 Dunlin and 17 Common Gull. Migrants were represented by singles of Grasshopper Warbler and Sedge Warbler. High tide at the Brue estuary produced c1,000 Redshank, 312 Turnstone the Ruff and 1 Spotted Redshank.
 

3rd October: Evening seawatching  from both Burnham seafront and Berrow produced 3 Fulmar, 4 Wigeon, 3 Common Scoter, 1 Razorbill, 4 Sandwich Tern, 2 Arctic Tern and a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull. Just odds and ends otherwise with yesterdays Mediterranean Gull still at Apex, 1 Spotted Redshank, 2 Whimbrel and the Ruff still on the Brue estuary, whilst waders at Berrow were restricted to 44 Oystercatcher, 10 Curlew and 16 Ringed Plover.
 

2nd October: Little change in wader numbers at the Brue estuary except Turnstone numbers were up to 266. A very confiding 1st winter Mediterranean Gull was at Apex lakes.

1st winter Mediterranean Gull. Apex lakes. 02 October. ©P.Gay




Spotted Redshank. Brue estuary. 02 October. ©A.Slade.

1st October: The main news came from the Brue estuary where a Lapland Bunting flew over calling early morning. Other highlights there were a Merlin and 4 Spotted Redshank. The supporting cast included 1,050 Redshank, 160 Turnstone, 2 Dunlin and the Ruff.  Brean Down could only produce a trickle of overhead passage with 150 Swallow, 8 House Martin, 4 Skylark, 27 Meadow Pipit, 49 Linnet,  27 Chaffinch, 4 Alba Wagtail and 12 Reed Bunting.

Ruff.  Brue estuary. 01 October. ©A.Slade

September:


30th September: A bit more on the move at Brean Down today with 50 Swallow, 32 Skylark, 33 Jackdaw, 30 Meadow Pipit, 50 Linnet, 20 Chaffinch, 10 Greenfinch, 25 Reed Bunting and singles of Redpoll and Siskin. Grounded migrants were thin on the ground with 3 Wheatear, 10 Blackcap, 15 Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest.
 

29th September: The patch remains distinctly quiet. The Axe estuary produced 50 Teal, 40 Curlew and a Wheatear, whilst overhead movement at Berrow early morning was limited to a trickle of Meadow Pipit, 10 Alba Wagtail, 2 Rook and 15 Jackdaw.
 

28th September: Quiet again today with the only news being from Berrow where there were 12 Curlew, 232 Oystercatcher, 3 Knot, 80 Sanderling and 5 Dunlin over high tide.
 

27th September: More routine fair today. The Brue estuary held 870 Redshank, 200 Turnstone, 2 Knot, 2 Dunlin and the Ruff.  An impressive 35+ Reed Bunting were on the move at Brean Down where other flyovers included a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 17 Skylark, 2 Jay, 150 Meadow Pipit, 25 Chaffinch and 2 Siskin. Hirundines had reduced to just a trickle, whilst the only grounded migrants were 3 Wheatear. Berrow was again very quiet with just 3 Skylark, 70 Meadow Pipit, 2 Siskin, 18 Chaffinch and 8 Reed Bunting on the move and 9 Blackcap grounded.
 

26th September: A fair bit of variety today, but nothing of particular interest. The best bird was a Dark Bellied Brent Goose that flew south past Brean Down. Also at the Down there was a decent movement of 25 Song Thrush and a noticeable increase in Robin with around 20 birds. Other grounded migrants were in short supply with 4 Wheatear, 15 Blackcap, 15 Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest. Overhead migration continues to pick up slowly with 1 Mistle Thrush, 1,000 Swallow, 20 House Martin, 1 Sand Martin, 1 Skylark, 1 Tree Pipit, 200 Meadow Pipit, 3 Grey Wagtail, 22 Alba Wagtail, 17 Chaffinch and 5 Reed Bunting. The Axe estuary held 8 Little Egret, 50 Lapwing, 280 Redshank, 2 Dunlin and 5 Wheatear.
 

25th September: Just a few bits and pieces from Berrow today with 167 Oystercatcher, 3 Knot, 1 Dunlin and 20 Common Gull.
 

24th September: Very little grounded at Brean Down with just 15 Chiffchaff. A bit more was on the move overhead with a good count of 16 Reed Bunting. Also moving were 5 Skylark, 3 Grey Wagtail, 30 Swallow, 50 Linnet and 100 Meadow Pipit. Berrow produced the usual adult Mediterranean Gull and 16 Common Gull together with 130 each of Oystercatcher and Sanderling whilst migrants were limited to 10 Chiffchaff and 2 Blackcap.
 

23rd September: A brief visit ensured variety was much reduced at the Brue estuary with 870 Redshank, 200 Turnstone, 1 Ruff and 1 Knot still present. The Wryneck was still present on Brean Down where other sightings included a Merlin, 10 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroat and 10 Chiffchaff.
 

22nd September: Most of the action came from the Parrett and Brue estuaries where the highlights were a Marsh Harrier and 2 Curlew Sandpiper. The supporting cast included 9 Avocet, 260 Oystercatcher, 871 Redshank, 1 Whimbrel, 215 Turnstone, 1 Knot, 45 Ringed Plover, 1 Common Sandpiper, 100 Dunlin and the Ruff still present. Berrow was again the poor relation with just 156 Oystercatcher and 8 Curlew. On nearby Red road there was an adult Mediterranean Gull and 40 Common Gull.
 

21st September: Just a few odds and ends today. Berrow continues to be a dead loss with high tide producing just 3 Oystercatcher. Nearby on the Red road playing fields there was an adult Mediterranean Gull and 16 Common Gull. Apex produced 2 flyover Siskin and Grey Wagtail. A Jay was also present there. Only the bottom track at Brean was investigated producing 25 Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcap and a Kingfisher.
 

20th September: The Wryneck was still present at Brean Down today being seen around midday. Quite a bit on the move overhead there this morning with 700 Swallow, 400 House Martin, 9 Alba Wagtail, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 6 Grey Wagtail, 4 Skylark, 600 Meadow Pipit, 2 Tree Pipit and 120 Linnet. Numbers of grounded migrants continue to slowly diminish with c.60 Blackcap, 4 Wheatear, 2 Redstart and singles of Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and Goldcrest. A single Little Owl was also noted. Some interesting news has been received concerning a colour ringed Sanderling that was present on Berrow beach from at least the 6th - 9th August. The bird was ringed at Iwik Village in the Banc d' Arguin National park in Mauritania, North Africa  on 16th April 2009 and was still present there on 8th May.
 

19th September: The Wryneck was still present on Brean Down this morning, but proved very difficult to pin down. Other grounded migrants included 40 Blackcap, 4 Redstart, 3 Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler, 30 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest and 9 Wheatear. Overhead, birds were still on the move in fair numbers with 500 Swallow, 200 House Martin, 300 Meadow Pipit, 1 Tree Pipit, 22 Skylark, 6 Grey Wagtail, 70 Linnet and 7 Reed Bunting. The nearby Axe estuary held 6 Wheatear and a Whinchat. Despite a promising looking high tide at Berrow things remain painfully slow with just 29 Ringed Plover of note.

Late news from the 3rd of this month concerns a Gannet picked up exhausted in a Brean garden and taken to the local rescue centre. (sounds familiar!!)

Gannet.  Brean.  03 September. ©R. Montgomery.

18th September: Highlight of the day came late in the afternoon when a Wryneck was flushed from the top of Brean Down. Subsequent searching drew a blank. A large fall of Blackcap had also taken place with up to 80 present. A good supporting cast included 30 Chiffchaff, 8 Willow Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler and singles of Whitethroat, Redstart and Sedge Warbler. A bit more was on the move overhead with 400 Swallow, 200 House Martin, 300 Meadow Pipit, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail, 6 Reed Bunting and singles of Skylark and Siskin. In comparison, the high tide at Berrow was a real let down with just 13 Ringed Plover, 16 Sanderling and 3 flyover Grey Wagtail.
 

17th September: The only news was from Brean Down where it was very quiet. Hirundine movement had dropped right off with just a steady easterly trickle of Swallow. Grounded migrants were restricted to 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler and a Whitethroat.
 

16th September:  All the news comes from the Brue estuary and Apex area where hirundines again dominated with many hundreds of both Swallow and House Martin, and a presumed Swallow/House Martin hybrid. Waders were represented by 600 Redshank, 8 Curlew, 136 Turnstone 1 Snipe and a Common Sandpiper. Other odds and ends included 1 Little Grebe, 3 Raven and 4 Wheatear.
 

15th September: Barely any news today. 2 Wheatear, 4 Blackcap and a Coal Tit at Berrow and 6 Wheatear at Brean Down was all that could be mustered.
 

14th September: Highlight of the day was a Corncrake flushed early morning on Brean Down. Also there were 40 Blackcap and 2 Wheatear. Waders at Berrow included 24 Curlew, 248 Oystercatcher, 2 Grey Plover, 12 Knot,  68 Sanderling  2 Dunlin and 2 Ringed Plover. Berrow also produced 2 Teal, 1 Kingfisher, 11 Wheatear, 2 Yellow Wagtail and 4 Chiffchaff.
 

13th September: A few more migrants on Brean Down this morning with 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Redstart, 20 Blackcap, 6 Willow Warbler, 15 Chiffchaff and 3 Wheatear. Swallow were again on the move in excellent numbers with in excess of 2,000 seen. Other migrants on the move included c200 Meadow Pipit and 5 Grey Wagtail. On the adjacent Axe estuary there were 33 Teal, 1 Whimbrel and 4 Knot.
 

12th September: A general clear out of migrants at Brean Down with just 4 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroat, 20 Chiffchaff and 3 Wheatear grounded. Surprise of the morning was 5 Greylag Goose that headed towards the Axe estuary. Overhead migration was again dominated by hirundines with 4,200 Swallow, 280 House Martin and 100 Sand Martin. Other birds on the move included 200 Meadow Pipit, 3 Tree Pipit, 6 Grey Wagtail and 10 'Alba' Wagtail.
 

11th September: A good scattering of migrants on Brean Down this morning included 1 Pied Flycatcher, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, at least 7 Redstart, 4 Blackcap, 1 Whitethroat, 30 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler and 1 Wheatear. Overhead passage was dominated by an easterly movement of Swallow that probably numbered 2,000 in 3 hours along with 80 House Martin and 15 Sand Martin. Meadow Pipit were also on the move with c.200 together with 4 Tree Pipit, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 2 Grey Wagtail.

Sparrowhawk. Brean Down. 11 September. ©P.Gay

10th September: With no one out in the field today reports are restricted to a few birds noted over Berrow which included a steady southward movement of Swallow together with a few Meadow Pipit and 1 Grey Wagtail.
 

9th September: At the Brue estuary/ Apex there were c600 Redshank, 160 Turnstone, 1 Ruff and a Common Sandpiper. Chiffchaff were conspicuous with around 15 whilst there were also 2 Willow Warbler. Berrow produced 280 Sanderling and 180 Dunlin, whilst a steady trickle of Meadow Pipit moved south.

Chiffchaff. Apex. 09 September. ©A.Slade.

8th September: The morning tide at Berrow was again fairly quiet with 10 Knot, 6 Ringed Plover, 20 Dunlin and 160 Sanderling. Gulls were better represented with an adult (unringed) Mediterranean Gull, 56 Common Gull and 300+ Black Headed Gull. Overhead migrants were limited to 8 House Martin and 3 Grey Wagtail.
 

7th September: Pretty routine fare at Berrow today with 36 Mallard, 215 Knot, 12 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin and 60+ Sanderling. The first Meadow Pipit of the autumn were on the move with 10 south. The Axe estuary from Brean sluice produced 400 Redshank, 1 Turnstone, 1 Black Tailed Godwit and 10 Dunlin. Also there were  20 Meadow Pipit and 3 Yellow Wagtail. We attempted some late evening wader ringing at Berrow but only managed to trap 1 Ringed Plover.

Ringed Plover. Trapped & Ringed, Berrow. 07 September.

6th September: A more thorough count at the Brue estuary this morning showed there to be 810 Redshank, 100+ Turnstone,  5 Dunlin and a Ruff. Migrants were represented by singles of Tree Pipit and Grey Wagtail. A very quick look at Berrow produced 130 Oystercatcher, 132 Knot and 60+ Sanderling.
 

5th September: With the wind having eased right down it was back to wader watching at Berrow with the morning high tide producing 1 Grey Plover, 60 Knot, 248 Sanderling, 2 Ringed Plover and 10 Dunlin. Migrants included 2 Wheatear and 2 flyover Grey Wagtail. Good numbers of Redshank (no count) remain on the Brue estuary where there was also 5 Curlew, 1 Common Sandpiper and 6 Wheatear. A fair selection of migrants on Brean Down this morning included 7 Wheatear, 1 Redstart, 15 Blackcap, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Whitethroat, 10 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler and a Goldcrest, while overhead there were 3 Grey Wagtail. An evening seawatch off Burnham seafront in only a light westerly breeze produced the surprise of the day with a Leachs Petrel lingering. Also present were 6 Manx Shearwater and 2 adult Mediterranean Gull.

Knot. Berrow. 5th September. ©P.Gay

4th September: Seawatching from Berrow was again a little disappointing with 2 Fulmar 10+ Manx Shearwater, 2 Great Skua and 1 Arctic Skua. Berrow beach held 150 Sanderling and 1 Wheatear, whilst rather surprisingly 1 of the Little Ringed Plover was back on the Golf course. At Brean Down migrants were represented by 6 Wheatear and 5 Tree Pipit.
 

3rd September: Strong westerly winds displaced a few seabirds into the bay. Watches from Burnham seafront and Berrow over both high tides produced 2 Fulmar, 20+ Manx Shearwater, 1 Shag, 3 Great Skua,  3 Arctic Tern and a couple of Commic Tern.
 

2nd September: Early morning at Berrow produced 22 Mallard, 139 Oystercatcher, 26 Curlew, 1 Turnstone, 4 Knot, 34 Ringed Plover and 254 Sanderling on the beach whilst overhead there was a single Sand Martin, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 2 Raven. Grounded migrants were restricted to 4 Blackcap. On the nearby playing fields there was 1 adult Mediterranean Gull and 39 Common Gull.
 

1st September: Not a great start to the month with just 1 Wheatear, 4 Stonechat and a Coal Tit to report at Berrow.

August:

31st August: The 2 Little Ringed Plover were still at Berrow early morning commuting between the golf course and beach. Also there, a Tree Pipit flew north and a Teal flew inland. Over the afternoon high tide there were 212 Oystercatcher, 1 Whimbrel, 60 Knot, 160 Sanderling,  4 Ringed Plover and a single Dunlin. The sea produced 26 Mallard and a Teal.

Little Ringed Plover. Berrow. 31st August. ©P. Gay

 30th August: At Berrow, 2 juvenile Little Ringed Plover spent the day on the golf course fairways. Also there were 4 Wheatear and 4 Stonechat whilst in the afternoon there was a heavy westerly passage of Swallow involving many hundreds of birds. A Tree Pipit flew over the Brue estuary. A dead Minke Whale was seen floating in the Parrett estuary.
 

29th August:  A single Shag flew down channel off Brean Down this morning where there was a small fall of migrants with 1 Redstart, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Grasshopper Warbler and 8 Wheatear.  Berrow golf course produced a Garden Warbler together with 4 Chiffchaff and 2 Willow Warbler. Singles of Grey Wagtail and Yellow Wagtail flew south.
 

28th August: Strong onshore winds and frequent squally showers helped push some seabirds into the bay. Watches from Burnham seafront and Berrow resulted in 2 Gannet, 3 Fulmar, 24 Manx Shearwater, 6 Great Skua, 2 Arctic Skua, 2 Sandwich Tern and 6 Arctic Tern. Waders at Berrow were restricted to 270 Oystercatcher and 2 Knot.
 

27th August: Waders over high tide at Berrow included 240 Oystercatcher, 4 Whimbrel, 26 Ringed Plover, 140 Sanderling 10 Dunlin and 1 Turnstone. 3 adult Mediterranean Gull were also on the beach together with 44 Common Gull, whilst in excess of 200 Swallow flew south.
 

26th August: Just a brief early morning visit to the Golf course today which produced 1 Common Sandpiper and a Whimbrel
.

25th August: Not much at Berrow today with just a single Mediterranean Gull and 2 Buzzard. Excellent numbers on the Brue Estuary with 1000 Redshank, 223 Turnstone, 1 Common Sandpiper, 8 Dunlin and a singing Grasshopper Warbler. Brean Down was quiet with just 1 Wheatear and 60 House Martin.
 

24th August: Two juvenile Little Ringed Plover were on Berrow beach this morning. On the Brue Estuary before the rain set in were 180 Turnstone, 600 Redshank and a Common Sandpiper.

23rd August: Similar fare today with the exception of a Wood Sandpiper flying south at Berrow. The numbers at Berrow were 2 Mediterranean Gull, 31 Common Gull, a Raven, 140 Sanderling, 79 Dunlin, 65 Ringed Plover, 55 Oystercatcher, 2 Knot, 1 Whimbrel, 2 Wheatear and 64 Swallow.

22nd August: Continued improvement over the morning high tide at Berrow with 104 Oystercatcher, 34 Curlew, 6 Whimbrel, 4 Turnstone, 2 Knot, 85 Ringed Plover, 20 Dunlin and 180 Sanderling. 3 Mute Swan flew south. Presumed migrants included 2 each of Whitethroat, Blackcap and Willow Warbler. A single Grey Wagtail flew south whilst well over 100 Swallow moved south in two hours. On the nearby playing fields there was again an adult Mediterranean Gull and a Raven. The Brue & Parrett estuaries produced some excellent counts with 1500 Shelduck, 84 Mallard, 271 Oystercatcher, 1 Whimbrel, 872 Redshank (including a partial albino with white head and chest), 103 Turnstone, 1000+ Dunlin, 11 Snipe and 2 Common Sandpiper. Migrant wise there were 400+ Swallow lingering, 6 Willow Warbler whilst a Tree Pipit flew south.

 

Redshank and Turnstone, Brue Estuary, 22nd August 2009.

20th August: Red road playing fields held 1 adult Mediterranean Gull and 30 Common Gull whilst a Raven flew over. Swallow continue to move in steady numbers.
 

19th August: The evening rising tide at Berrow produced 32 Oystercatcher, 1 Whimbrel, 170+ Sanderling, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 24 Common Gull.
 

18th August: Apart from a steady stream of Swallow and 12 House Martin moving south over Berrow in the afternoon there is no other news.
 

17th August: High tide at Berrow was uninspiring with only 70 Oystercatcher, 1 Whimbrel, 120 Sanderling, an adult Mediterranean Gull and 33 Common Gull.
 

16th August: Another quiet day. Redshank and Turnstone numbers remain stable on the Brue estuary where there were also 4 Common Sandpiper. The only migrant of note was a Yellow Wagtail that flew south over Burnham. Berrow on a low tide is usually a dead loss and so it proved with the only slightly noteworthy record being 400+ Shelduck.
 

15th August: Extremely poor reward today with a flyover Yellowhammer at Brean Down and just 14 Curlew and 56 Oystercatcher at Berrow.
 

14th August: An early morning highlight at Berrow with 6 Crossbill flying north east.  Morning watching at the Brue estuary produced 410 Redshank and 111 Turnstone, whilst overhead there were 2 Swift, (1 also at Berrow) 2 Tree Pipit and a Siskin. The high tide at Berrow revealed 236 Oystercatcher, 6 Whimbrel, 50 Sanderling, 25 Ringed Plover, 40 Dunlin and the usual ringed adult Mediterranean Gull. Overnight moth trapping produced a single Dark Sword-grass, whilst at Berrow this morning we recorded our first Brown Argus of the year.
 

13th August: More waders at Berrow this morning with a surge in numbers of Ringed Plover to 111 and Dunlin to 100. Also present were 156 Sanderling, 137 Oystercatcher, 3 Whimbrel, 1 Turnstone and 49 Common Gull. A quick look at the Brue estuary at low water produced 110 Redshank and 6 Turnstone.
 

12th August:  No one was able to make it into the field today, so we have no news.
 

11th August: The best bird at Berrow was a Greenshank that flew south calling. High tide there produced 9 Curlew, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Knot, 9 Ringed Plover, 60 Sanderling and 14 Dunlin. 51 Common Gull and 2 adult Mediterranean Gull were also on the beach. Migrants were represented by 2 Wheatear, and 7 Willow Warbler whilst a presumed migrant Buzzard flew purposefully south. Swallow were again on the move in fair numbers.

10th August: The only report today was an adult Mediterranean Gull on Red road playing fields.
 

9th August: An attempt at tape luring petrels on the end of Brean Down overnight failed to produce any birds but did result in the accidental capture of a Greater Horseshoe Bat. This is the first recent record for the area. Moth trapping on the down resulted in another Devonshire Wainscot at least 10 Annulet and a Dark Sword-grass.  Little change on the birding front at Berrow with 24 Oystercatcher, 6 Whimbrel, 200+ Sanderling, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin, 2 adult Mediterranean Gull and 25 Common Gull. Overhead there were again good numbers of Swallow on the move with a few Swift.

Greater Horseshoe Bat.  Brean Down 09 August.  ©P. Bowyer

8th August:  Wader numbers seem lower at Berrow at the moment, although disturbance at this time of year is extreme!!. Over this mornings high tide at Berrow there were 62 Oystercatcher, 9 Whimbrel, 188 Sanderling, 12 Dunlin and 5 Ringed Plover. The usual ringed adult Mediterranean Gull was also on the beach whilst 2 adults were nearby on the playing fields. 1 Wheatear was on the golf course. Swallow were again moving in good numbers with half a dozen Swift.

Southern Hawker.  Berrow. 08 August. ©P.Gay.

7th August: Very few reports today. The usual ringed adult Mediterranean Gull was on Berrow beach this morning, whilst the adjacent golf course held 3 Wheatear. Swallow were again moving in small but steady numbers throughout the day.
 

6th August: 2 Wheatear on Berrow golf course were the first of the autumn. The evening high tide at Berrow was very poor with just 6 Whimbrel, 1 Ringed Plover and 140 Sanderling.
 

5th August: The only news today was of a steady westward passage of Swallow over Berrow village throughout the day. None of the regular coastal sites were visited.
 

4th August: Very quiet over this mornings high tide at Berrow with just 45 Oystercatcher, 6 Whimbrel, 6 Ringed Plover, 80 Sanderling and 10 Dunlin.
 

3rd August: There was an early morning highlight at Berrow when a Wood Sandpiper flew low south over the Golf course calling. Swallow were moving south constantly in small parties together with singles of Swift and Sand Martin. 1 Meadow Pipit also flew south. Late afternoon high tide at Berrow was uneventful with 17 Mallard, 165 Oystercatcher, 4 Whimbrel, 10 Ringed Plover, 80 Sanderling and 20 Dunlin. A Hobby flew south over Berrow village in the early evening.
 

2nd August: Quieter at Berrow today with 145 Oystercatcher, 10 Curlew, 4 Whimbrel, 2 Knot, 170 Sanderling, 10 Ringed Plover and 20 Dunlin. Swallow and Swift were on the move with 100 and 20 respectively. 6 Willow Warbler hints that passerine migration may be getting underway.  The regular returning ringed (was 78T now 34K4) adult Mediterranean Gull first seen in 2001 has also been on the beach this week. Overnight moth trapping on Brean Down produced the first Annulet for the area whilst at Berrow there was a specimen of The Ear. (Dissected for id confirmation). Again this is the first known record for the area. A third new moth for the area was confirmed late in the day as Oidaematophorus Lithodactyla.

Lastly, a word of warning. We witnessed two visiting birders stuck up to their waists in mud at Berrow and in need of coastguard rescue. If visiting, be careful!!.

The Ear. Berrow. 02 August 2009. ©D. Slade.




Oidaematophorus Lithodactyla. Berrow 02 August 2009. ©D.Slade.

1st August: The undoubted highlight today was 4 adult summer plumaged Curlew Sandpiper at Berrow. Other waders included 100 Oystercatcher, 10 Whimbrel, 2 Knot, 2 Turnstone, 1 Redshank, 230 Sanderling, 50 Ringed Plover and 100 Dunlin. 1 Manx Shearwater was offshore. Hirundines were on the move in small numbers with 57 House Martin, 48 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin. 

July:

31st July: Wader numbers at Berrow continue to edge up. Today there were 157 Oystercatcher, 1 Curlew, 11 Whimbrel, 4 Knot, 11 Ringed Plover, 150 Sanderling and 250 Dunlin. Also present was 1 adult Mediterranean Gull and 32 Common Gull.
 

30th July: The only reports today were of 11 Common Gull at Berrow on the playing field, and a small but steady movement of Swallow south together with a single Swift.
 

29th July: Persistent and often heavy rain for nearly the whole day meant there were no sightings today.
 

 28th July:  Pretty routine at Berrow with 113 Oystercatcher, 4 Whimbrel, 2 Knot, 1 Ringed Plover and 140 Sanderling.
 

27th July: High tide at Berrow produced 110 Oystercatcher, 17 Curlew, 9 Whimbrel, 1 Ringed Plover, 240 Sanderling, 280 Dunlin and 3 adult Mediterranean Gull including a ringed bird. Also at Berrow there was a juvenile Willow Warbler and 1 Sand Martin flew south with a handful of Swallow. A dead Harbour Porpoise was washed up on Burnham beach this morning.
 

26th July: A bit more variety at Berrow today with 59 Oystercatcher, 21 Curlew, 4 Whimbrel, 2 Ringed Plover, 110 Sanderling, 66 Dunlin, 2 adult Mediterranean Gull and 33 Common Gull. Swift were moving south in steady numbers all day while 57 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin also flew south.

Mediterranean Gull. Adult, Berrow. July 2009. ©J Packer.

25th July:  In the early hours confirmation was obtained that the pair of Long Eared Owl that had been at Berrow in recent years had again successfully fledged young. Also at Berrow today were 86 Oystercatcher, 200 Sanderling,  2 Dunlin, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull and 25 Common Gull. The Axe estuary produced 54 Oystercatcher, 140 Redshank and 8 Curlew. An overnight moth trapping session at Brean Down produced a specimen of Devonshire Wainscot for the second year running, and we think it safe to assume this species to be resident on the down.

Devonshire Wainscot. Brean Down. 25th July. ©A.Slade

 

24th July: Not much change, although Mediterranean Gull again featured well with 3 adults at Berrow and 3 (an adult and 2 juveniles) flying west along Brean Down. Berrow also produced 25 Oystercatcher, 7 Curlew, 1 Whimbrel 150 Sanderling and 30 Dunlin.
 

23rd July: Quieter today with Berrow producing 5 Whimbrel, 150 Sanderling, 6 Dunlin and an adult Mediterranean Gull.
 

22nd July: At the Brue estuary this morning there were 580 Redshank, 9 Turnstone, 1 Common Sandpiper and 2 Dunlin. Also this morning at Berrow there were 6 Whimbrel, 269 Sanderling, 22 Dunlin and 17 Common Gull. Mediterranean Gull was well represented with at least 3 (possibly 4) adults at Berrow whilst a juvenile was on the Axe estuary.
 

21st July: Wader numbers are slowly picking up at Berrow where today there were 66 Oystercatcher, 4 Whimbrel, 2 Knot, 1 Redshank, 1 Ringed Plover, 300 Sanderling and 220 Dunlin. The first Migrant Hawker of the year was at Apex.
 

20th July: Waders still dominate the news with the Brue estuary producing 1 Spotted Redshank, 450 Redshank, 24 Turnstone, 37 Dunlin, 4 Common Sandpiper and an unusual record of a Green Sandpiper. Lesser numbers at Berrow with 25 Oystercatcher, 16 Curlew, 1 Whimbrel and 18 Dunlin. An adult Mediterranean Gull was also at Berrow.
 

19th July: Absolutely no news today.
 

18th July: Very quiet today with the only news being 68 Oystercatcher, 54 Sanderling and 1 Whimbrel at Berrow.
 

17th July:  Highlight of the day was a Storm Petrel that flew north very close inshore at Berrow. Nearby at Burnham there were 8 Manx Shearwater. Waders at Berrow continue to rise with 18 Oystercatcher, 3 Curlew, 1 Whimbrel, 17 Knot and 108 Sanderling. The Brue estuary produced 2 Spotted Redshank, 350+ Redshank, 18 Turnstone, 3 Common Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin and an adult Common Tern
.

16th July: Little to report again with Berrow producing 51 Oystercatcher, 55 Sanderling, 15 Dunlin and 1 adult Mediterranean Gull. None of the moth traps have been run for quite a few nights due to the unsettled weather.
 

15th July: Just waders again today, but with midday high tides numbers are lower. The Brue estuary held 2 Spotted Redshank, 440 Redshank, 13 Turnstone, 11 Dunlin and 1 Common Sandpiper, whilst at Berrow there were just 12 Curlew and 13 Sanderling.
 

14th July: A day dominated by waders. At the Brue estuary there were 2 Spotted Redshank, 300 Redshank, 13 Turnstone, 3 Common Sandpiper and 9 Dunlin, whilst at Berrow, there were 85 Oystercatcher, 29 Curlew, 2 Whimbrel, 6 Knot, 15 Sanderling and an adult Mediterranean Gull.
.

13th July: Very little to report today with just 33 Oystercatcher, 21 Curlew and 7 Sanderling at Berrow.
 

12th July: High tide at Berrow produced 59 Oystercatcher, 21 Curlew, 12 Sanderling, 10 Dunlin and the first Sand Martin of the autumn. Highlight of the day was the discovery of a rather tatty Old Lady on a wall at Berrow. This constitutes the first record for the area.

Old Lady. Berrow. 12th July.  ©P. Gay
 

11th July: Return wader passage was the order of the day with the Brue estuary producing 552 Redshank, 2 Spotted Redshank, 10 Turnstone, 9 Dunlin and 4 Common Sandpiper, whilst high tide at Berrow provided 1 Whimbrel, 10 Oystercatcher, 5 Curlew, 5 Sanderling and 4 Dunlin. The only other species of note was an excellent southerly movement of 600+ Swift at Berrow.
 

10th July: High tide at Berrow produced 2 Whimbrel, 1 Curlew, 41 Oystercatcher and 7 Sanderling. The first Gatekeeper was also on the wing.
 

9th July: Just a few bits and pieces. High tide at Berrow produced 7 Oystercatcher and a Sanderling, whilst a Grey Wagtail flew south. Nearby 3 adult Mediterranean Gull and 20 Common Gull were on Red road playing field. At the Brue estuary at least one of the Spotted Redshank was still in evidence together with 250+ Redshank.
 

8th July: An early morning seawatch off Burnham failed to produce a single bird of note. In fact, the only slightly worthwhile sighting was of an escaped  Blue Eared Glossy Starling near the police station which has apparently been present for a number of weeks.
 

7th July: Strong west/north west winds off Berrow this morning produced 700+ Manx Shearwater, 3 Gannet and a Sandwich Tern.
 

6th July: Redshank numbers continue to build at the Brue estuary where 329 were present today. The 2 Spotted Redshank were also still on site, together with 1 Turnstone, whilst a Common Tern flew downriver. The only other news was of 52 Oystercatcher at Berrow.
 

5th July: An interesting day with a hint of return wader passage. At the Brue estuary the 2 summer plumaged Spotted Redshank remained with 181 Redshank, 2 Common Sandpiper and 8 Black Tailed Godwit. Also, a nice surprise at the Brue in the form of a Red Veined Darter. At Berrow this morning waders were represented by 11 Curlew, 1 Whimbrel and 1 Grey Plover. Also of note were 2 adult Mediterranean Gull, 350 Black Headed Gull, 10 Common Gull and 420 Shelduck.

Red Veined Darter. Brue estuary 5th July. ©A.Slade

 

Black Tailed Godwit. Brue estuary. 5th July. ©A.Slade

 

4th July: A juvenile Little Ringed Plover on the Brue pools this evening was the highlight of the day. The two summer plumaged Spotted Redshank were still on the Brue estuary / pools together with 200 Redshank, whilst a Sandwich Tern flew down river. Insects were represented by a Southern Hawker at the Brue and 40+ Diamond-back moth caught overnight.

Spotted Redshank with Redshank. Brue estuary. 4th July. ©A.Slade

 

3rd July: Two fine summer plumaged Spotted Redshank were the highlight at the Brue estuary this morning where 84 Redshank were also present. There were 24 Curlew at Berrow

Spotted Redshank. Brue estuary. 3rd July. ©A.Slade

 

2nd July:  Very quiet over high tide at Berrow with just 2 Curlew, an adult Mediterranean Gull and 4 Common Gull. There was an excellent count of 800 Marsh Helleborine spikes at Berrow.
 

1st July: High tide at Berrow produced 48 Oystercatcher, 4 Mediterranean Gull (2 Adults), 1 Common Gull and 400+ Black Headed Gull including 20 juveniles. On the insect front there was a second record for the patch in the form of  Hedya Salicella (1st in 1991). Other notable insect records included the seasons first Ruddy Darter, 1 Banded Demoiselle and 9 Diamond Back-moth

Hedya Salicella. Burnham. 01 July. ©A.Slade

 

June:

30th June: The hot and humid weather continues but there really is very little to report. Shelduck numbers are continuing to build in the bay with 300 - 400 now present. Despite the promising conditions the moth traps were devoid of anything noteworthy and the only snippet of  other news concerns a few Emerald Damselfly at Berrow.
 

25th June: A new moth for the patch this morning was Oblique Carpet caught at Berrow.

Oblique Carpet, Berrow, 25th June 2009.

24th June: Settled weather continues and the only bird news was a adult Mediterranean Gull at Berrow.

21st June: Not much to report today. A Common Tern was feeding on the pools at Apex and there are now 138 Redshank on the Brue Estuary. The first Small Skipper of the year was at Berrow.

20th June: There is still a fresh westerly wind which produced one Fulmar and a "commic" Tern off Berrow.

19th June: A sunny but blustery day. Redshank numbers on the Brue Estuary have risen to 47 and there were 18 Manx Shearwater off Burnham in the afternoon. We thought it was about time that White Rock-rose Helianthemum apenninum featured on the website. This is a plant that occurs commonly on Brean Down, but at only three other sites in the UK.

White Rock-rose Helianthemum apenninum,  Brean Down, June 2009.

 

18th June: Around 400 Manx Shearwater were seen from Berrow beach this afternoon.

15th June: Absolutely nothing to report today, even the weather was uninteresting. 

14th June: Just 3 Siskin flying south over Burnham on a hot and cloudless day. There are at least 51 Lizards Orchid spikes in flower on the Golf course.

13th June: Warm and sunny with the first returning 18 Redshank on the Brue Estuary the only sighting.

12th June: Another pleasant day with yet again all the sightings from Berrow. 6 Grey Herons flew south which is unusual. On the beach there were 69 Oystercatcher, 16 Sanderling, 6 Dunlin, 170 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Common Gull and the Grey Seal. In the reed bed and dunes there were 6 Bearded Tit, 1 Grasshopper Warbler and 5 Stonechats. 

11th June: More or less the same fare at Berrow. 12 Sanderling, 1 Dunlin, 227 Black-headed Gull, 1 Common Gull and the 1st summer Mediterranean Gull.

10th June: Today's numbers included  31 Sanderling, 8 Dunlin and a 1st summer Mediterranean Gull at Berrow, where the Grey Seal continues to devour flat fish offshore.

9th June: Waders at Berrow today included 2 Bar Tailed Godwit, 67 Sanderling and 11 Dunlin. Black Headed Gull numbers remained steady with 125 present together with 2 Common Gull. It is pleasing to report a pair of Stonechat have raised 4 young also at Berrow.
 

8th June: Still a decent scattering of waders at Berrow today with 2 Whimbrel, 22 Oystercatcher, 1 Knot, 54 Sanderling and 7 Dunlin. Black Headed Gull continue to increase with a total of 136. Yesterdays Mediterranean Gull was still present, together with a Common Gull. The long staying Grey Seal was also showing again today.
 

7th June: For the time of year an excellent count of 79 Sanderling on the beach at Berrow together with 1 Whimbrel, 6 Dunlin,  36 Black Headed Gull and a 1st summer Mediterranean Gull.
 

6th June: Nothing to report on a day heavily affected by rain and cool weather.
 

5th June: Very little to report in much cooler conditions. A Siskin flying south at Burnham early morning was the only noteworthy bird, whilst the moth traps only yielded 1 Silver Y.  Another new moth for the patch was confirmed today as Luquetia Lobella, although further investigation revealed one was trapped in 2004 but not identified at the time.
 

4th June: Following the recent national influx, it was nice to find a Red-veined Darter at Berrow this morning. Also at Berrow a further 130+ Red-eyed Damselfly were noted on a variety of  pools where 20+ Black-tailed Skimmer were also present. A new moth was identified for the patch at Berrow, in the form of Argyresthia Spinosella whilst migrants were represented by 4 Bordered Straw, 3 Diamond-back,  2 Dark Sword-grass, 4 Silver Y and 1 Rush Veneer.

Red-eyed Damselfly, Berrow. 4th June. ©J Packer. http://www.somersetbirder.co.uk

 

3rd June: Early this morning there were 20 Red-eyed Damselfly on the golf course pond at Berrow. This is only the second Berrow record following a few nearby in July 2007. A single Bordered Straw was the only migrant moth trapped overnight.
 

2nd June: This afternoons high tide at Berrow produced 12 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 43 Oystercatcher and 105 Black Headed Gull. Early this morning, a Hobby flew east at the Brue estuary. Nearby there were 3 Red-eyed Damselfly on the Brue pools. The moth traps were again busy but migrants were limited to 1 Cosmopolitan and 6 Silver Y.

Sand Dart, Berrow. 02 June.  ©P.Gay.

 

1st June: The only bird reported today was 1 Whimbrel at Berrow.  The continuing hot weather prompted a look for Dragonflies & Damselflies at Berrow and produced the following species on the wing. Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Broad-bodied Chaser, Emperor Dragonfly, Hairy Dragonfly and Black-tailed Skimmer. On the butterfly front Painted Lady are still moving in small numbers whilst Meadow Brown was new for the year. The moth traps produced plenty of species, but nothing very exciting. The only migrants were singles of Bordered Straw and Dark Sword-grass.

 

May:

31st May: More of the same settled weather and a lack of any birds news at all. Moths at Burnham included 1 Dark Sword-grass, 2 Silver y and 2 Diamond-back Moth.

30th May: Still hot and sunny with virtually no news except for one Whimbrel and 18 Black-headed Gulls on the Brue Estuary and 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Grasshopper Warbler and a Garden Warbler at Brean Down..

29th May: A glorious day for sun seekers, with unbroken sunshine all day and temperatures reaching into the mid twenties. The notable news of the day was of 400 Painted Lady butterflies flying south at Berrow throughout the day. Bird wise just 4 Whimbrel, 4 Buzzard and a Peregrine at Berrow where there were also 2 Water Voles.

28th May: It was a fairly pleasant day today with the wind easing and eventually the sun coming out. All the news came from Berrow today, where 3 Arctic Skuas flew south along the beach, and waders numbered 60 Sanderling, 37 Dunlin and 2 Ringed Plover. Later a Hobby flew north over Berrow village.

27th May: Heavy and persistent rain set in pre dawn and lasted well into the afternoon pretty much washing out the day. The only reports were of 4 Curlew and 3 Whimbrel off Burnham and more of the same at Berrow with 3 Manx Shearwater, 3 Kittiwake, 1 Gannet, 1 Fulmar, 50 Sanderling and a Whimbrel.
 

26th May: Overnight, the wind swung from a light southerly to a strong north westerly which resulted in exceptional numbers of Manx Shearwater being pushed into Bridgwater bay. It was impossible to make an accurate count but a fair estimate would be 1,500 birds. Also present were 3 Fulmar, 1 Gannet, 4 Kittiwake, 2 Commic Tern and a Sandwich Tern. A summer plumaged Great Crested Grebe was on the sea off Burnham. The evening tide, despite a stronger wind managed to produce just 2 Manx Shearwater, 2 Fulmar and 2 Arctic Tern.
 

25th May: Not much to report today. At Berrow, wader numbers remain fairly constant with 10 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 82 Sanderling and 28 Dunlin. Black Headed Gull numbers continue to rise with 32 at Berrow and 8 at the Brue estuary where there was also 1 Common Gull. Moth traps are being run at four locations when weather permits, but catches have been low with minimal interest. During the past few weeks there has been 2 Silver Y and 2 Diamond-back Moth.
 

24th May: On the bird front, just waders to report at Berrow today with 7 Whimbrel, 30 Oystercatcher, 80 Sanderling and 20 Dunlin. At Brean Down 2 Gannet flew up channel whilst migrants included the Cettis Warbler of previous days, 1 Whinchat and 4 Lesser Whitethroat. On what was easily the hottest day of the year, butterflies were prominent with an excellent influx of Painted Lady. At least 60 were watched heading mainly north during the day at Burnham and Berrow, whilst between 70 -100 were recorded on Brean Down in the afternoon. Also recorded for the first time this year were Small Heath, Small Copper and Large Skipper.

Painted Lady. Berrow. 24th May. ©Mrs B.Slade

 

23rd May: A little more wader variety at Berrow today with 15 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 11 Oystercatcher, 160 Sanderling, 5 Ringed Plover and 20 Dunlin. Also at Berrow 8 Gannet flew north close inshore and there were 9 Black Headed Gull on the beach. A Red Kite that was drifting north over Berrow suddenly turned round and departed south east. Elsewhere, there was a Spotted Flycatcher at Apex lakes.
 

22nd May: Just a sprinkling of waders at Berrow this morning. 1 Curlew, 20 Sanderling and 6 Dunlin. Also at Berrow 7 Mute Swan  flew south. At around 11pm a migrant Nightingale was in full song at Berrow.
 

21st May: Despite good coverage of various sites, the only bird worthy of note was a Spotted Flycatcher at Apex lakes.
 

20th May: At last, a more pleasant day with lighter winds and less showers. Migrants on Brean Down this morning included the Cettis Warbler still in song, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Wheatear, 1 Reed Warbler, 6 Willow Warbler and a steady passage of Swallow west. An evening stroll at the Brue estuary produced 1 Common Sandpiper and 1 Redshank. The last couple of years have seen small catches of Small Eggar and we suspected they must be breeding nearby. This was proven today with the discovery of a web of caterpillars on Brean Down. The first Common Blue of the year was also on the wing at Brean.

Spotted Flycatcher, Brean Down. 20th May. ©A.Slade



Small Eggar Caterpillars. Brean Down. ©A.Slade.

 

19th May: Hirundines were the main feature of the day with over 100 House Martin, 50 Swallow and 1 Sand Martin being logged at various localities. There was an unusual record from Brean Down of a Cettis Warbler in full song. Also at Brean was 1 Lesser Redpoll. High tide at Berrow proved uninspiring with 3 Curlew, 4 Whimbrel and 114 Sanderling.
 

18th May: Another cool, windy and showery day. Combined with the months lowest tide it was no surprise that very little was recorded. The only news was from Berrow with 8 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 82 Sanderling and 30 Dunlin.
 

17th May: A really horrible cold, wet and windy day. Just a scattering of waders to report at Berrow. 4 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 2 Turnstone, 25 Ringed Plover, 40 Sanderling and 50 Dunlin. Someone was brave enough to venture on to Brean Down and recorded 1 Common Gull, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and a Goldcrest.
 

16th May: Strong south westerly winds very rarely provide us with any seabirds and today helped prove the point with none seen over the high tide period. On the beach at Berrow there were 2 Sandwich Tern, 4 Whimbrel, 35 Oystercatcher, 70 Sanderling, 75 Dunlin and 13 Ringed Plover.

Ringed Plover, Berrow. 16th May. ©J.Packer.  http://www.somersetbirder.co.uk

 

15th May: The main highlight today was a Spoonbill that was resting on the Steart side of the Parrett estuary, but was easily viewable from Burnham seafront. At Berrow another Red Kite was seen late morning heading north east. Also at Berrow were 10 Manx Shearwater, 8 Whimbrel, 10 Turnstone, 23 Ringed Plover, 80 Sanderling, 350+ Dunlin and a Cuckoo. Just a few odds and ends at Brean Down. 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Tree Pipit, 2 Wheatear, 14 Siskin and a Grasshopper Warbler.
 

14th May: The weather may have been grey and dismal, but the birding certainly wasn't. During the late morning at Berrow there was a quite remarkable passage of raptors. The highlight was a Black Kite that flew north along the Golf course having previously been seen at nearby Steart. Then came a quite unprecedented movement of Red Kite with 15 being counted moving North/North east. A female type Marsh Harrier also flew North. Earlier in the day, also at Berrow there had been 2 Gannet, 2 Black Tern, 6 Commic Tern and a 1st summer Mediterranean Gull.  Waders were again well represented with 13 Whimbrel, 5 Curlew, 51 Oystercatcher, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 3 Turnstone, 11 Knot, 12 Ringed Plover, 100 Sanderling and 50 Dunlin. Additionally, Black Headed Gull numbers increased to 12 and 4 Mute Swan flew south.  During an evening stroll at Berrow a Greenshank flew north east calling. Migrants at Brean Down included 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Garden Warbler, 1 Whinchat, 3 Tree Pipit, 2 Wheatear, 2 Siskin and 20+ Redpoll sp, whilst offshore 18 Kittiwake flew north..

Red Kites, Berrow. 14th May. ©P.Gay
 

13th May: Despite the horrible dank and drizzly weather there was a good selection of birds at Berrow this morning. The highlight was three mobile flocks of Common Tern that numbered 35 in total. A Great Crested Grebe flying south was unusual. Wader numbers were up on previous days with 10 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 47 Oystercatcher, 7 Turnstone, 5 Knot, 91 Sanderling, 244 Dunlin and 24 Ringed Plover. Black Headed Gull numbers edged up to 5, whilst Swift were arriving in a small but steady stream off the sea.
 

12th May: A small influx of new waders at Berrow resulted in a bit more variety today with totals of 9 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 2 Knot, 1 Turnstone, 50 Sanderling, 6 Dunlin and 6 Ringed Plover. Unusually for the time of year Lesser Redpoll continue to be seen in good numbers with 9 present at Brean Down this morning. The only other bird of note at Brean was 1 Siskin flying north. Another Butterfly on the wing at Berrow today was The Wall.

Whimbrel, Berrow 12th May. ©A.Slade.
 

11th May: Still some waders hanging on at Berrow including 27 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit,  118 Sanderling and 4 Dunlin. The only other birds of note were 4 Black Headed Gull and a Cuckoo. The first migrant Painted Lady was also seen at Berrow today.
 

10th May: A few interesting migrants at Brean Down included 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Whinchat, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Siskin, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Wheatear, 2 Lesser Whitethroat and 2 Garden Warbler. Very poor reward today from Berrow with just 24 Whimbrel,  64 Sanderling and 3 Wheatear. Singles of Lesser Redpoll and Siskin flew north over Burnham. On the insect front both Hairy Dragonfly and Blue Tailed Damselfly were noted on the wing.
 

9th May: Berrow was very quiet this morning with the only waders being 19 Whimbrel and 3 Bar Tailed Godwit.  9 Black Headed Gull flying south were unusual for the time of year. Migrants were represented by an unidentified Lark flying south, a Tree Pipit that also flew south and 1 Wheatear on the beach. At the Brue estuary/Apex there was also some unexpected southerly movement with 19 Redpoll sp and 1 Siskin. At Brean Down 1 Cuckoo and 3 Wheatear were grounded whilst overhead passage included 5 Tree Pipit, 1 Redpoll and 1 Siskin.

Shelduck. Brue estuary. 9th May. ©A. Slade
  

8th May: Early morning seawatching off Berrow produced 8 dark phase Arctic Skua (Flocks of 5 and 3),  20+ Gannet, 3 Fulmar, 5 Commic Tern and 2 Arctic Tern. Waders over this mornings high tide included 50 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 57 Sanderling and 50 Dunlin.
 

7th May: All the news today comes from Berrow, where over two high tides there were 35 Whimbrel, 4 Bar Tailed Godwit, 47 Oystercatcher, 42 Ringed Plover, 130 Sanderling, 1 Knot and 120 Dunlin. Migrants were represented by 4 Wheatear on the beach and a flyover Yellow Wagtail. Both Swift and House Martin appear to be back on territory, and a further 30 Swift passed overhead together with a trickle of Swallow and House Martin. Away from the birding front there was a fishing line entangled Thornback Ray washed up on the beach.
 

6th May: Very little to report today with Berrow producing 1 Fulmar, 40 Whimbrel and 80 Dunlin. There were 2 Common Sandpiper on the Brue estuary this evening.
 

5th May: Over this afternoons rising tide at Berrow there were 30 Manx Shearwater, 2 Fulmar, 63 Oystercatcher, 29 Whimbrel, 7 Bar Tailed Godwit, 100 Sanderling and 82 Dunlin.
 

4th May: Increasing westerly winds resulted in some seabird displacement with watches from Burnham and Berrow in the afternoon producing totals of 92 Manx Shearwater, 6 Fulmar, 1 Gannet and 200+ Kittiwake. Waders over the high tide at Berrow included an excellent count of 210 Sanderling. Also present were 47 Whimbrel, 7 Bar Tailed Godwit, 2 Knot, 4 Ringed Plover and 37 Dunlin. The majority of waders at the Brue estuary have now dispersed leaving just 1 Turnstone and 3 Redshank. Nearby a Common Sandpiper was an unusual find on Apex lakes. Morning watching at Brean Down produced 1 Hobby, 5 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Tree Pipit and singles of Siskin and Grey Wagtail, whilst earlier there was a single Cuckoo at Berrow. A total of 19 Swift were noted at various localities throughout the day.
 

3rd May: A slight increase in wader numbers at Berrow today with 40 Whimbrel, 6 Curlew, 12 Bar Tailed Godwit, 12 Knot and 40 Dunlin. Also at Berrow were 4 Sand Martin, 2 House Martin and a Wheatear. On the Brue estuary there was a single Turnstone and a Stock Dove flew over.

Roosting waders at Berrow. 3rd May. ©P.Gay
  

2nd May: The midday high tides at Berrow rarely produce much of interest and today was no exception with just 35 Whimbrel, 4 Curlew, 12 Knot, and 30 Dunlin.
 

1st May: On the rising tide at Berrow there were 38 Whimbrel, 3 Bar Tailed Godwit, 8 Knot and 77 Oystercatcher. Also at Berrow the Little Grebe pair now have a third chick and a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling in the reedbed. The Grey Seal was also still present offshore.


 

April:

30th April: At Berrow a second Little Grebe chick was seen today. Also at Berrow were 32 Whimbrel, 19 Bar Tailed Godwit, 12 Knot and 2 Grasshopper Warbler. At Ford Common this evening there were 2 Stock Dove, 1 Lapwing and a steady passage of Swallow north. On the Butterfly front Holly Blue have been on the wing for a week or so and Speckled Wood appear to be having a good year.
 

29th April: A new breeding bird for Berrow was confirmed this morning when a pair of Little Grebe were seen to have reared one young. Also at Berrow were 99 Oystercatcher, 38 Whimbrel, 18 Bar Tailed Godwit, 4 Curlew, 10 Knot, 3 Sanderling and 1 Ringed Plover.  The Brue estuary produced 1 Common Sandpiper, 7 Turnstone, 6 Redshank and 2 Dunlin.

Reed Bunting (with nesting material) Berrow. 29th April. ©P.Gay
  

28th April: There were even less waders on Berrow beach than in the previous few days. 25 Whimbrel, 8 Bar Tailed Godwit and 1 Ringed Plover was all that could be mustered.  Butterfly wise there are good numbers of Small White, Green Veined White and Orange Tip on the wing.
 

27th April: Just a sprinkling of waders to report over tonights rising tide at Berrow. 35 Whimbrel,  25 Bar Tailed Godwit, 3 Curlew, 2 Knot and 2 Dunlin.
 

26th April: Waders at Berrow over this mornings high tide included  61 Whimbrel, 24 Bar Tailed Godwit, 40 Oystercatcher, 2 Sanderling, 6 Dunlin  and 2 Ringed Plover. The only passerine of note at Berrow was a single Whinchat. Quiet on Brean Down with just 3 Wheatear, 2 Tree Pipit, 4 Yellow Wagtail and 2 Lesser Redpoll.
 

25th April: The first Swift of the year passed over Brean Down where 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit and 2 Wheatear were also noted. Not much change over this mornings high tide at Berrow with 40 Whimbrel,  5 Bar Tailed Godwit, 108 Oystercatcher, 12 Ringed Plover and  5 Dunlin. Also present were 1 Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Wheatear.

Oystercatchers, Berrow. 25th April. ©P. Gay
   

24th April: A bizarre highlight from Berrow this afternoon when a pair of unringed Grey Partridge were found in a small suburban garden. Quite how they got there and where they came from is a mystery. The other highlight today was also from Berrow where a Crossbill flew south early in the morning. Also there were 63 Whimbrel, 23 Bar Tailed Godwit, 20 Oystercatcher, 9 Dunlin, 5 Ringed Plover, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 White Wagtail and a Wheatear, whilst overhead 6 Tree Pipit flew south.

Grey Partridge, Berrow. 24 April. ©P.Gay

 

Whimbrel, Burnham. 24th April. ©A.Slade
 

23rd April: Pretty routine at Brean Down this morning. 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 12 Whitethroat, 3 Tree Pipit, 1 Wheatear and 3 Lesser Redpoll. Observation over two high tides at Berrow proved more interesting with 4 Gannet, 64 Whimbrel, 15 Bar Tailed Godwit, 19 Ringed Plover, 109 Oystercatcher and 1 flyover Tree Pipit.

Grasshopper Warbler, Brean Down. 23rd April. ©P.Gay
 

22nd April: One female type Marsh Harrier flew north east over the Brue Estuary. There was also a near summer plumaged Spotted Redshank on the Brue pools. At Berrow waders included 61 Oystercatcher, 1 Knot, and  3 Ringed Plover. 7 Mute Swan flew north, 1 Mistle Thrush flew south and 2 Grasshopper Warbler were in the reedbed. There was a small passage of 80 Swallow and 6 Sand Martin.

Marsh Harrier, Brue Estuary, 22nd April. ©A.Slade
 

Cetti's Warbler, Apex, 22nd April. ©A.Slade
 

19th April: There was a report of 15 Common Scoter off Berrow mid morning. The high tide failed to produce any birds of note but a Grey Seal was unusual. The first Garden Warbler of the year was present on Brean Down in the morning, where 105 Goldfinch flew north.
 

18th April: In light north easterlies the lunchtime high tide produced 7 Common Tern and 4 Little Tern heading north off Berrow beach. Also present were 2 adult Little Gull,  4 Common Scoter,  110 Oystercatcher, 11 Whimbrel and 30 Dunlin. Most of yesterdays Wheatear appeared to have moved on with just 9 counted today. At Brean Down 110 Swallow and 60 Goldfinch were heading north early in the morning.
 

17th April: At Berrow, "many thousands" of Swallow were reported heading north. There was also a very high count for our patch of 60 Wheatear on the beach. 1 Common Sandpiper was flushed from Berrow golf course pond early in the morning.
 

16th April: There was an excellent count of 12 Grasshopper Warbler on Brean Down this morning where other migrants included 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 15 Whitethroat, 5 Tree Pipit, 2 Siskin, 100 Swallow and 3 Sand Martin.
 

15th April: A bit more variety and movement at Brean Down today where there were 240 Swallow, 50 Goldfinch, 29 Sand Martin, 10 House Martin, 15 Meadow Pipit, 3 White Wagtail, 4 Wheatear, 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Whimbrel and 2 Tree Pipit.
 

14th April: On Brean Down today there were 4 Grasshopper Warbler, 3 Whitethroat, 20 Willow Warbler, 20 Swallow and 10 House Martin.
 

13th April: Brean Down produced 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 3 Whitethroat, 4 Tree Pipit and 7 Sand Martin. Berrow has been rather quiet lately and again the only record was of 61 Oystercatcher and 4 Curlew.

Meadow Pipit, Brean Down. 13th April. ©P.Gay
 

12th April: Very little to report. The only minor highlights were 8 Ringed Plover on the beach at Berrow and 2 Mistle Thrush that flew south calling.
 

11th April: The first Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler were back on territory at Berrow today along with 2 Grasshopper Warbler. Also at Berrow an impressive flock of 50 Whimbrel flew north.  Brean Down was very quiet with just 1 Grasshopper Warbler,  2 Whitethroat, 30 Swallow and a large falcon that was considered to be a Saker 
 

10th April: A little more variety on Brean Down today with 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Wheatear, 20 Willow Warbler, 60 Swallow, 20 House Martin and 2 Sand Martin.  Waders on the Brue Estuary included 200 Redshank, 150 Turnstone and 16 Dunlin.
 

9th April: The first Grasshopper Warbler of the year was reeling at Berrow, whilst at Brean Down there was the first Whitethroat and Yellow Wagtail of the year together with 10 Swallow, 1 Wheatear, 2 House Martin and 15 Willow Warbler.
 

7th April: Again, a small scattering of migrants at Brean Down included 4 Siskin, 45 Swallow, 5 Sand Martin, 1 House Martin, 1 Wheatear and 20 Willow Warbler.
 

6th April: Brean Down produced a male Redstart, 3 Tree Pipit, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 30 Willow Warbler and a Brambling, whilst at Berrow a female type Marsh Harrier flew north.

Lesser Redpoll, Brean Down. 6th April. ©Paul Bowyer
 

5th April: Migrants at Brean Down included a male Redstart, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Lesser Redpoll, 20 Willow Warbler, 3 House Martin and 2 Swallow.
 

4th April: The only news was of one Ring Ouzel on Brean Down.
 

3rd April: At least 40 Willow Warblers were at Brean Down today.


 

March:

18th March: There was a Ring Ouzel at Berrow today. 1 Common Sandpiper was on the Brue Estuary.

16th March: A Red Kite flew south over Berrow.

Red Kite. Berrow. 16th March.

15th March: There was a small fall at Apex today which included 140 Sand Martins,15 Chiffchaffs, and a Firecrest, with 2 Siskin flying over here.

Firecrest, Apex. 15th March. ©J. Packer
 

14th March: At Apex this morning there were 3 Chiffchaff and 3 Sand Martins.

 

 

February:

12th February: Two Brambling flew south at Burnham.

 

January:

11th January: Today's search for Woodcock in the dunes at the Local Nature Reserve proved successful with one bird being flushed from under the trees.

10th January: A Green Sandpiper flew over the Brue Estuary towards Huntspill, which was presumably displaced due to the cold weather.