Quedgeley and Slimbridge

Sunday 14th December 2008

A couple of hours around Quedgeley (tetrad SO81C Quedgeley North) with Andy this morning taking in Clearwater Drive, Rea Bridge, Stonebench, The Orchard and Green Farm, produced 39 species:

Cormorant 1
Mute Swan 1
Mallard 12
Red-legged Partridge 3
Pheasant 6
Moorhen 5
Black-headed Gull 1
Herring Gull 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Feral Pigeon 10
Wood Pigeon 22
Collared Dove 4
Little Owl 2 (Stonebench)
Green Woodpecker 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Meadow Pipit 10
Grey Wagtail 1 (photo above)
Pied Wagtail 4
Wren 2
Dunnock 8
Robin 14
Blackbird 42
Song Thrush 3
Goldcrest 4
Long-tailed Tit 10
Blue Tit 20
Great Tit 20
Magpie 10
Jackdaw 5
Rook 2
Carrion Crow 12
Raven 2
Starling 33
House Sparrow 46
Chaffinch 8
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 17


A trip to Slimbridge WWT in the afternoon was very pleasant, but the best birds were in the road side fields, including 43 Bewick's Swans, five Ruffs, a Redshank, 60 Dunlins and 500 Lapwings. A Green Woodpecker was in the car park, 10 Lesser Redpolls were around the reedbed filter and a Chiffchaff was near the toilets. At South Finger, the birds included six Siskins (photo above) and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers (male and female). A ridiculously tame Robin was near the South Finger Reedbed filter (below).

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