Birds and Moths

 of Burnham-on-Sea

• 30th December: The Yellow-browed Warbler is still residing in the the trees on the seafront. The only other sighting of interest in the morning was a Little Gull at Highbridge sewage works. Stormy weather arrived here this afternoon, and in an hour before dusk there were 4 Great Skuas, 1 Fulmar, 3 Kittiwakes, 2 adult Little Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull seen from Burnham Seafront.
  
  
  
  Little Gull, Highbridge, 30th December 2006.
  
  
• 28th December: Apart from the Yellow-browed Warbler which is still on the seafront at Burnham, there were 1500 Knot and 40 Sanderling at Berrow.
  
  
• 17th December-27th December: The Yellow-browed Warbler has been present daily during this period.
  
  
• 16th December: The Yellow-browed Warbler is still in the same trees on the seafront at Burnham. There was a single Blackcap at the same place as the Yellow-browed Warbler and 12 Blackcaps at Berrow Church. 
  
  
• 10th December: The day started calm and cold, but the weather soon deteriorated into another wet and windy day. Despite this there were a few surprises to be had. Whilst looking for the Yellow-browed Warbler which finally put in appearance, a Siberian Chiffchaff was discovered calling constantly. Another good sighting was two Whooper Swans which flew south along Burnham Seafront. Also the Greenshank is still knocking about the Brue Estuary.
  
  
  
  
  
  Whooper Swans and Siberian Chiffchaff, Burnham, 19th December 2006.
  
  
• 9th December: There were 3 Leach's Petrels off Burnham today, where there were also two casualties found.
  
  
• 8th December: At least 5 Leach's Petrels were still hanging around the Parrett Estuary.
  
  
• 7th December: The strong winds are continuing to batter the birds. Today there were at least 9 Leach's Petrels, 20 Kittiwakes and 4 Great Skuas, all seen from Burnham.
  
  
• 6th December: At last the wind has swung to due west, and immediately we were rewarded. With several observers watching from the seafront at Burnham throughout the day a total of at least 60 Leach's Petrels passed mostly in a southerly direction. One of the Leach's Petrels was a rather ghostly looking leucistic bird. Other birds blown into the Bristol Channel here included 30 Kittiwakes, a Great Northern Diver, a Great Skua, an Arctic Skua which briefly sat on the paddling pool, 2 Pale bellied Brent Geese and a Mediterranean Gull. Whilst seawatching two observers independently heard a/the Yellow-browed Warbler in the trees behind the seafront shelters.
  
  
• 4th December: Strong south-west winds produced 2 Leach's Petrel in a 10 minute watch from Burnham seafront.
  
  
• 3rd December: Stormy weather today produced 2 Leach's Petrels, 2 Great Skuas and a Kittiwake off Burnham this evening.
  
  
• 1st December: There was still one Little Stint amongst the Dunlin on the Brue Estuary and the Greenshank was also still present.

• 26th November: Despite lots of observers the Yellow-browed Warbler was not seen today. On the Brue Estuary there were 2 Little Stints, 1 Greenshank, 60 Golden Plover and 30 Black-tailed Godwits.
  
  
• 25th November: The Yellow-browed Warbler was still defending it's favourite bush.
  
  
• 20th November: The Yellow-browed Warbler was still present this morning at least.
  
  
• 19th November: The Yellow-browed Warbler was still present at Apex, and there were 3 Chiffchaffs here as well. Also the Greenshank was still on the Brue Estuary. There was a sprinkling of overhead migration today with 3 Redpolls, 2 Bramblings, 1 Siskin, 1 Yellowhammer amongst a couple of hundred Chaffinches.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 18th November: There was a Yellow-browed Warbler at Apex today. The only other noteworthy birds were a Greenshank on the Brue Estuary and a Brambling flying over.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Yellow-browed Warbler, Apex, 18th November 2006.
  
  
• 11th November: A blasting, cold north-west wind meant it was pretty grim here today and the only sightings were a female Common Scoter and 18 Avocets visible from Burnham Seafront. Then news broke of a Long-billed Murrelet in south Devon. see our outside the patch page.
  
  
• 5th November: A Richard's Pipit flew over Brean Down this morning, as did a heard only Snow Bunting, and there was also a Black Redstart here.

• 27th October: A half an hour watch from my garden this morning produced 350 Redwings, 100 Chaffinches, 50 Greenfinches and a Yellowhammer.
  
  
• 26th October: Sighting from Brean Down today included: 1 Yellowhammer, 5 Goldcrests, 18 Chaffinches, 150 Starlings, 1 Swallow, 1 Blackcap and a Brambling. In half an hour birds flying over my house at Burnham included 60 Redwings, 300 Chaffinches, 50 Greenfinches, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Song Thrush and 400 Starlings.
  
  
• 16th October: The first Redwings of the autumn were seen at Apex today when three flew over.
  
  
• 13th October: The only noteworthy sighting today was a Red-breasted Merganser which flew up the Parrett Estuary, only to return back down again ten minutes later after realising that it was heading for Bridgwater.
  
  
• 12th October: The first real signs of visible migration occurred today at Berrow with the highlight being a Richard's Pipit which flew south. Other birds seen included 1072 Starlings, 88 Skylarks, 187 Greenfinches, 94 Meadow Pipits, 88 Chaffinches, 29 Alba Wagtails, 1 Brambling, 4 Siskin, 2 Redpolls, 9 Swallows, 6 Reed Buntings, 35 Jackdaws, 7 Goldfinches, 37 Wood Pigeons, 7 Collard Doves and a single Snipe all flying south. The Spoonbill was also still in the Parrett Estuary today
  
  
• 11th October: The Lesser Yellowlegs, Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Spoonbill were all still present today. There was a small amount of waders at Berrow which included 300 Dunlin, 100 Ringed Plover, 1 Little Stint, 1 Knot and 1 Bar-tailed Godwit.
  
  
• 10th October: More of the same today with the Lesser Yellowlegs, Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Spoonbill all present and correct. There was also a Mediterranean Gull on Berrow playing fields this morning.
  
  
• 9th October: The Lesser Yellowlegs was only reported over this mornings high tide. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper was however far more obliging for birders allowing exceptionally close views. The only other news was the discovery of a Spoonbill which spent all day around the Parrett Estuary.
  
  
• 8th October: Both the Lesser Yellowlegs and the Buff-breasted Sandpiper were still present today. Also on the Axe Estuary were a Wood Sandpiper, a Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpipers and a Spotted Redshank with a flock of 300 Redshank. There was also a Spotted Redshank on the Brue Estuary.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Buff-breasted Sandpiper, West Huntspill, 8th October 2006.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lesser Yellowlegs, Axe Estuary, 8th October 2006.
  
  
• 7th October: The strong winds persisted overnight, but seawatching was short lived and produced only a Common Scoter and an Arctic Skua from Burnham. News soon arrived that there was a Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the Huntspill Seawall at the mouth of the Brue Estuary. The biggest surprise of the day however was Somerset's second ever Lesser Yellowlegs which was discovered on the Axe Estuary. Both birds were present throughout the day.
  
  
  
  
  
  Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Parrett Estuary, 7th October 2006
  
  
  
• 6th October: Strong southerly winds veered westerly in the afternoon forcing several seabirds up the Bristol Channel. Off Burnham there was a Pomarine Skua which flew inland over some flats. Also there were at least 12 Manx Shearwaters, 5 Kittiwakes, 1 Gannet and an Auk sp.
  
  
• 4th October: There was a little bit of overhead passage today at Berrow with 26 "Alba" Wagtails, 42 Skylark, 124 Meadow Pipit  flying South. But the minor highlight was two male Ring Ouzels near the fort on Brean Down early morning. Also here was a Great Spotted Woodpecker flushed from the bracken. While 25 Skylarks flew north and 150 Swallows flew south.
  
  

• 28th September: On the Brue Estuary there was a Short-eared Owl, 40 Lapwing and a Whinchat.
  
  
• 26th September: The first Firecrest of the autumn was seen on Brean Down amongst a very light sprinkling of common migrants.
  
  
• 23rd September: The only birds noted at  Berrow were a Tree Pipit, 72 Meadow Pipit and a lowly 36 Dunlin.
  
  
• 19th September: Waders on Berrow beach today were  2 Curlew Sandpiper, 250 Dunlin, 5 Grey Plover and 20 Knot.
  
  
• 18th September:  At Berrow there were  3 Curlew Sandpipers, 50  Dunlin, 10 Ringed Plover,  294 Oystercatchers ,   70 Sanderling and 4 Common Terns. 
  
  
• 14th September: A damp and dreary day today. Sightings from the Brue Estuary included 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Ruff, 850 Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 150 Turnstone and a Common Sandpiper.
  
  
• 13th September: Although it was low tide at Berrow there still two adult Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Dunlin and 7 Knot to be seen.
  
  
• 12th September: There were 2 Merlin on Brean Down and another seen at Red Road. But that is about it.
  
  
• 11thSeptember: With the weather set fine birding is generally disappointing at the moment. At Berrow this morning there were 30+ Blackcaps, 1 Sandwich Tern, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 41 Sanderling and just 2 Dunlin. Brean Down provided slightly more interesting with a rare autumn sighting of a Grasshopper Warbler, a Redstart, 25 Blackcaps and 8 Chiffchaffs.
  
  
• 10th September: Another beautiful day with very high tides, but not many interesting birds. On the Brue Estuary there were 850 Redshank, 176 Turnstone, 3 Common Sandpipers, 1 Dunlin and a Greenshank. At Berrow there were two Little Stint amongst the paltry numbers of small waders (where are all our Dunlin?).
  
  
• 9th September: There was very little change today, with a Hobby, 1 Tree Pipit, 3 Whitethroats, 4 Wheatears, 10 Willow Warblers and 50 Blackcaps on Brean Down.
  
  
•  8th September: Despite a glorious day with light east winds birds were hard to find. At Berrow the very high tides produced just 11 Dunlin, 178 Sanderling, 4 Ringed Plover, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 17 Knot. The Brue Estuary was no more exciting with just 500 Redshank, 140 Turnstone and a Common Sandpiper. Apex held a couple of Spotted Flycatchers, 3 Willow Warblers and 9 Chiffchaffs. During an afternoon walk around Brean Down, in the sunshine I saw a Hobby, 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 1 Redstart, 15 Blackcaps, 7 Willow Warblers and a Whinchat. There was a small but steady passage of Swallows (including an almost completely white bird) and House Martins. 
  
  
  
  Hobby, Brean Down, 8th September 2006.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Spotted Flycatcher and Kingfisher, Apex/Brue Estuary, 8th September 2006.
  
  
• 4th September: There were three Greenshank on the Axe Estuary at Brean today.
  
  

• 20th-31st August: There hasn't been a great deal to report recently, the only really noteworthy birds are up to three Mediterranean Gulls which are knocking about the area and a Wood Sandpiper which flew south over Burnham on the 22nd.
  
  
• 19th August: The Black Tern was still on Apex this morning, and there were a few migrants about with 2 Tree Pipits, 25 Reed Warblers, 4 Willow Warblers and 6 Chiffchaffs. While on the Brue there was a Teal and 2 Greenshank. One of the highlights of the summer was the very rare breeding attempt of a pair of Ringed Plover on the beach at Berrow. Despite all the odds, high tides, dog walkers, motor vehicles, gulls etc. they have managed rear single youngster.
  
  
  
  Ringed Plover nest with four eggs and the resulting baby. 30th July and 19th August 2006.
  
  
  
  Black Tern, Apex, 19th August 2006.
  
  
  
  Tree Pipit, Apex, 19th August 2006.
  
  
• 17th August: Heavy but infrequent showers this morning gave the feel that there should be something interesting about. Unfortunately at Berrow there was just a sprinkling of common migrants. There was a Greenshank which flew south, 20+ Sedge Warblers, 25+ Reed Warblers, 3 Blackcaps, 20 Willow Warblers, 6 Chiffchaffs, 3 Tree Pipits, 4 Yellow Wagtails, 100 Swallows, 300 House Martins and a Swift from dawn till 0900.
  
  
• 16th August: With the only birding being a brief visit to Apex amongst the DIY chores to be done this week, it was surprisingly rewarding with a Black Tern being chased around the pits by Swallows, 7 Swifts and a Lesser Whitethroat.
  
  
• 15th August: A very similar day to yesterday with Brean Down producing 1 Whitethroat, 40 House Martins, 5 Swift, 2 Tree Pipit and a fly over Green Sandpiper.
  
  
• 14th August: Today's sightings included 28 Knot and 237 Oyster Catchers at Berrow, while on Brean Down there was 3 Willow Warblers, 4 Blackcaps, a Tree Pipit and 40 House Martins.
  
  
• 11th August: It is not exactly very summer like at the moment, with fresh northerly winds adding a bit of an autumnal edge to the weather. Waders numbers continue to increase, and with the high tides the birds are forced close to the observers, if you have the patience to let the birds come to you. Totals for Berrow this morning were 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 650 Dunlin, 250 Ringed Plover, 1 Turnstone, 125 Sanderling and 7 Knot. While on the Brue Estuary on the falling tide there were 500 Redshank, 115 Turnstone, 9 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank.
  
  
  
  Curlew Sandpiper, Berrow, 11th August 2006.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sanderling, Berrow, 11th August 2006.
  
  
  
  Knot, Berrow, 11th August 2006.
  
  
  
  Turnstone, Berrow, 11th August 2006.
  
  
  
  Greenshank, Brue Estuary, 11th August 2006.
  
  
  
  Ringed Plover, Berrow, 11th August 2006.
  
  
• 10th August: Tides are currently very high. There are plenty af small waders at Berrow, at least 500 Dunlin, 200 Ringed Plover, 100 Sanderling, 5 Knot and an adult Curlew Sandpiper.
  
  
• 8th August: An evening look at the waders on the Brue Estuary provided a bit of variety if not excitement. Counts were 600 Redshank, 75 Turnstone, 1 Greenshank, 9 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover.
  
  

• 30th July: The very high temperatures of recent weeks have left us, although it is still very pleasant and warm. The Mediterranean Gull in the photographs below has become a regular visitor to our coast at this time of the year. It first appeared as an adult at Berrow in August 2001, returning in 2003, 2004 and 2005. It has also been sighted at Dungeness in Kent and Blue Anchor in west Somerset over the years. Other birds at Berrow include 700 Dunlin, 85 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone, 23 Ringed Plover and 6 Whimbrel.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mediterranean Gull, Berrow, 30th July 2006.
  
  
  
  
  Oystercatchers, Berrow, 30th July 2006.
  
  
• 27th July: Another pleasant day on the beach at Berrow. Waders included a Greenshank, 190 Oystercatchers, 48 Sanderling, 250 Dunlin, 4 Curlew and 4 Whimbrel.
  
  
• 25th July: The only bird of note today was a Green Sandpiper over our house while I was sorting through the moth trap.
  
  
• 22nd July: Strong overnight winds produced a Great Skua offshore at Berrow. Signs that autumn is fast approaching despite the record breaking summer weather, as the wader numbers rapidly increase. At Berrow we have 183 Oystercatchers, 91 Dunlin, 14 Sanderling, 36 Curlew, 3 Ringed Plover and 1 Whimbrel. There were two Mediterranean Gulls, an adult and a juvenile, on the beach at Berrow this evening.
  
  
• 15th July: Wader numbers in the area are gradually increasing. This morning on the Brue Estuary there were 410 Redshank, 33 Dunlin, 1 Turnstone and 2 Common Sandpipers.
  
  
• 10th July: Strong overnight winds produced 2 Pomarine Skuas, 2 Sandwich Terns and 3 Common Scoters off Burnham this morning.
  
  

• 29th June: There was an adult Mediterranean Gull on the beach at Berrow this evening.
  
  
• 24th June: A very pleasant day. There were 26 Redshank on the Brue Estuary and a Little Egret.
  
  
  
  
  
  Little Egret, Brue Estuary, 24th June 2006.
  
  
• 21st June: In strong winds there were at least 80 Manx Shearwater off Burnham.
  
  
• 20th June: Fresh westerly winds increased throughout the day. A brief visit to Burnham seafront in the morning produced a light phase Arctic Skua which chased the gulls for fifteen minutes before taking a rest on Steart Point. In the evening the was a single Gannet off Burnham and a few Manx Shearwaters off Berrow.
  
  
• 16th June: Wonderful summer weather all day. Here are a selection of common birds taken at Berrow this morning.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Little Egret, Reed Warbler and House Martins, Berrow, 16th June 2006.
  
  
  
• 6th June: Warm sunny weather produced a Marsh Harrier flying north-east over Berrow this morning.
  
  
• 1st-4th June: This is the first settled period of weather for several weeks and over the weekend the temperature was in the 20's°c. This of course means there are only the local breeding birds about.
  
  
  
  
  
  Whitethroat, Burnham, 3rd June 2006.
  
  
  

• 23rd May: An Arctic Skua, a Black Tern and 3 Common Terns were today's highlights.
  
  
• 22nd May: Seawatching, once again was the only option in today's gale force winds. Off Burnham seafront 3 Storm Petrels, 3 Arctic Skuas, 4 Gannets, 3 Manx Shearwaters and 30 Fulmar were recorded.
  
  
  
  Arctic Skua, Burnham, 22nd May 2006. © Rob Chace.
  
  
• 20th May: Another blustery day. Today's sightings include an adult Mediterranean Gull, 6 Manx Shearwaters, 9 Fulmars, 3 Gannets, a Great Skua and a Black Tern.
  
  
• 19th May: Today was a very stormy day. The only hope of any birding was to see what seabirds had been driven in by the gale force westerly. Totals for the day combining sightings from Burnham and Berrow were 200 Manx Shearwaters, 36 Gannets, 13 Fulmars, 2 Great Skuas and an Eider.
  
  
• 15th May: There was a Spoonbill present all day in the Parrett Estuary and surprisingly it wasn't the Axe bird relocating as that was seen on the Axe Estuary simultaneously.
  
  
• 13th May: On a somewhat grey and breezy FA Cup Final day, the Spoonbill was still roaming around the Axe Estuary with 3 Little Egrets.
  
  
  
  Spoonbill, Axe Estuary, 13th May 2006. © Wendy Slade.
  
  
• 11th May: Late this evening a Spoonbill was discovered on the Axe Estuary.
  
  
• 9th May: There were still 2 Mealy Redpolls and 10 Lesser Redpolls on Brean Down all day.
  
  
  
  Mealy Redpoll, Brean Down, 9th May 2006. © James Packer.
  
  
• 7th May: Wader numbers at Berrow over high tide were 100 Sanderling, 40 Whimbrel and 3 Bar-tailed Godwits.
  
  
• 6th May: Early morning fog at Burnham prompted James Packer and myself to try Brean Down in the search of some migrants. Although initially appearing devoid of life, we did eventually find a single Whinchat, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Short-eared Owl and a party of 17 Redpolls. The Redpolls were very difficult to get good views of in the hawthorn bushes but certainly two birds were Mealy Redpolls.
  
  
• 5th May: There were 81 Whimbrel, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 31 Oystercatchers, and 10 Sanderling on Berrow beach over high tide.
  
  
• 4th May: Migrants on Brean Down this morning included a Redstart, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Blackcaps, 10 Willow Warblers and 60 Whitethroats.
  
  
• 3rd May: With only 15 minutes to go birding today, I struck lucky when a Red Kite flew north east over the Brue Estuary and Apex. Also at Apex the was a singing Garden Warbler.
  
  
• 2nd May: The only sighting to report today was a Yellowhammer which flew south over our house this morning.
  
  
• 1st May: The first Swift of the year was seen over Apex. In a brisk north-westerly this morning there were 6 Gannets, 3 Fulmars and a Little Tern.
  
  
  

• 22nd April: At Berrow today there was a Sandwich Tern, an Arctic Tern, 9 Common Terns, 41 Whimbrel and 5 Bar-tailed Godwits reported.
  
  
• 21st April: With it being noticeably milder and more spring-like, fly-by sightings at Brean today included 1 Hobby north, more than 100 Swallows and 53 Sand Martins, plus a scattering of other spring birds including 80 Willow Warblers, 11 Blackcaps, 4 Redstarts (3 male and 1 female), 8 Whitethroats, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit (flying north) and 2 Wheatear. Reports from Berrow included 27 Swallows, 45 Sand Martins and 11 House Martins; 30 Willow Warblers, 3 Grasshopper Warblers, 8 Sedge Warblers and 3 Wheatear. Most unusual however were 4 Graylag Geese.
  
  
• 20th April: A four-hour power-cut at home this evening prompted a trip to the local Indian takeaway and a pleasant stroll around Apex which produced 1 male Redstart.
  
  
• 19th April: A single Pied Flycatcher was spotted at Apex today. The only other report came from Paul and Digger-the-Dog who watched 2 Pomarine Skuas and 1 Red-throated Diver from Berrow.
  
  
• 18th April: A brief circuit of Apex revealed 30 Willow Warblers, 5 Chiffchaffs, 2 Sedge Warblers, 1 Reed Warbler and 1 Whitethroat.
  
  
• 17th April: Seawatching from Berrow today produced a pale phase Pomarine Skua, 6 Gannets, 2 Fulmars, 1 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 8 Commic Terns, 1 Whimbrel, 50 Sanderling and 25 Ringed Plover.
  
  
• 15th April: Sightings from Berrow included 30 Sanderling, 20 Swallows, 20 Sand Martins, 1 Tree Pipit south, 2 Sedge Warblers, 1 Reed Warbler, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 40 Willow Warblers and 1 Kingfisher. While on Brean Down there was 4 Redstart, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 4 Tree Pipits, 6 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Whitethroat, 40 Swallows, 18 Sand Martins, 2 House Martins, and 2 Siskin.