November is still a month worth looking for birds. It has a respectable total of 158 species recorded during the month with a few surprise birds. The most interesting records include; Great Northern Diver (1984), Ring-necked Duck (2000), White-rumped Sandpiper (1998), Long-tailed Skua (1994), Woodlark, Shorelark, Snow Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Cory’s Shearwater (2000), Whooper Swan (1983) and Richard’s Pipit (1993). Other notable seabirds seen and “hoped for” in South West gales include Leach’s Petrel and Little Auk.
November 2004
November 30th
A quiet end to the month with little change in the number or variety of birds. At Severn Beach there were 500 Dunlin, at least 100 Redshank, 6 Knot, 2 Stonechats and 2 Rock Pipits. The flock of 2000 Dunlin remained at Northwick Warth with 6 Black-tailed Godwits, 250 Lapwing, 30 Redshank, 450 Wigeon and 100 Teal.
November 29th
There were 2 dark-bellied Brent Geese at Severn Beach where 140 Redshank, 500 Dunlin, 2 Rock Pipits and 2 Stonechats were also seen. On Northwick Warth there were just 2 Black-tailed Godwits with 2000 Dunlin, 280 Lapwing, 30 Redshank, 450 Wigeon and 80 Teal. Additional Stonechats included “duos” at the Orchard Pools, Aust Warth and Chittening Warth.
November 28th
There were 18 Black-tailed Godwits with at least 2000 Dunlin, 200 Lapwing, 70 Redshank, 100 Curlew, 40 Oystercatcher, 2 Common Snipe, 200 Wigeon and 200 Teal at Northwick Warth. A Raven flew west over here. There were 2 Stonechats and 5 Rock Pipits on the Severn Beach salt marsh, many Meadow Pipits were feeding on the sea wall here. Another Stonechat was seen at New Passage.
Meadow Pipit, Severn Beach 28.11.4
November 27th
The mobile and elusive Firecrest was seen again at the Orchard Pools, Severn Beach. There was a good variety and number of birds at Northwick Warth including the male Merlin, 20 Black-tailed Godwit, 9 Grey Plover, 3000 Dunlin, 200 Lapwing, 80 Redshank, 30 Turnstone, 60 Oystercatcher, 120 Curlew, 300 Wigeon, 180 Teal, 20 Shelduck, 3 Pintail and 2 Shoveler. Nearby at New Passage, a Water Pipit and a Kingfisher were seen in the Pill. The highlight of the day was however a Harbour Porpoise, seen just after the morning high tide, very close to the seawall at Severn Beach.
November 26th
A Little Egret and 4 drake Pintail were seen at Northwick Warth in addition to the 2000 Dunlin, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, 65 Redshank, 20 Turnstone, 3 Grey Plover, 300 Lapwing, 270 Wigeon and 200 Teal also present. There were 6 Stonechats again at Chittening Warth and another 2 at Severn Beach.
Pintail and Wigeon, Northwick Warth 26.11.4
November 25th
The Dunlin flock on Northwick Warth increased to at least 2000 birds today. Other birds here included 18 Black-tailed Godwit, 220 Lapwing, 50 Redshank, 2 Common Snipe, 250 Wigeon and 200 Teal. There were 6 Stonechats at Chittening Warth.
November 24th
The best bird for several weeks, a Firecrest was found this afternoon at the Orchard Pools, Severn Beach. This was possibly the same bird seen here in October. There were 22 Black-tailed Godwits, 9 Grey Plover, 1000 Dunlin, 140 Lapwing, 80 Redshank, 200 Wigeon, 200 Teal and a male Merlin on Northwick Warth. Notable birds at Chittening Warth included 4 Stonechats and a female Blackcap. Another 2 Stonechats were present at Severn Beach.
November 23rd
There were still 12 Black-tailed Godwits, 1000 Dunlin, 85 Redshank, 120 Lapwing and a Knot at Northwick Warth. A flock of 250 Wigeon and 150 Teal were seen off Aust Warth. A Kingfisher was seen again in the Pill at New Passage. Sightings of Stonechat included 2 at Severn Beach, another 2 at Chittening Warth where an additional 60 Redshank were present.
November 22nd
There were 21 Black-tailed Godwits, 700 Dunlin, 150 Lapwing, 40 Redshank and a male Merlin on Northwick Warth. A visit to Chittening Warth produced 120 Turnstones, 102 Oystercatchers, a female Pintail and 2 Stonechats. A flock of 80 Kittiwakes were seen off Severn Beach in breezy conditions.
November 21st
A slight improvement in the weather and more variety of birds today. An adult Mediterranean Gull and a Kingfisher were seen at New Passage. Nearby, there were 25 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Knot, 1500 Dunlin, 200 Lapwings and a Merlin on Northwick Warth. The colour-ringed Ruddy Shelduck was seen at Severn Beach with 10 Shelduck. Other birds here included 105 Redshank, 60 Oystercatchers, 4 Common Snipe, 6 Shovelers, 3 Rock Pipits and a Stonechat. A Jack Snipe and 2 Stonechats were present at Chittening Warth. A Peregrine and a Short-eared Owl were seen at Aust Warth.
November 20th
Dismal weather; cold, grey and constant drizzle resulted in very few birds of interest being seen.
There were 80 Lapwings, 40 Redshank, 300 Dunlin and 2 Common Snipe at Northwick Warth. A Kingfisher was present again in the Pill at New Passage. There were 8 Gadwall on the Orchard Pools, Severn Beach, several Stonechats and a Water Pipit were reported at Chittening Warth.
November 19th
A visit to Severn Beach produced a Golden Plover, 4 Rock Pipits, 2 Stonechats, 60 Turnstone and 50 Redshank. The birds at Northwick Warth remained much the same with 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 500 Dunlin, 200 Lapwing, 40 Redshank and 30 Gadwall being seen.
November 18th
A mild, wet and windy day. At Northwick Warth, there were 14 Black-tailed Godwits, 100 Turnstone, 500 Dunlin, 200 Lapwing and 40 Redshank. A visit to Chittening Warth produced 2 Stonechats, a Kingfisher and 2 Rock Pipits. Another 2 Stonechats were seen at the Orchard Pools, Severn Beach.
November 17th
A moderate strength South West wind produced no seabirds and made finding anything else of interest difficult. There were 200 Lapwing, 100 Turnstones, 500 Dunlin and 30 Redshank at Northwick Warth. A small number of Fieldfares and Redwings were seen at the Orchard Pools, Severn Beach.
November 16th
There were 1500 Dunlin, 18 Grey Plover, 200 Lapwing, 70 Redshank and a single Black-tailed Godwit at Northwick Warth. A Kingfisher remained in the Pill at New Passage. Severn Beach produced another 110 Redshank, 300 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plovers, 2 Stonechats and 3 Rock Pipits. Another 4 Stonechats remained settled at Chittening Warth.
November 15th
An adult Mediterranean Gull was seen again at Northwick Warth along with a male Merlin, 1000 Dunlin, 18 Grey Plover and 70 Redshank. A Kingfisher was seen nearby at New Passage. A visit to Severn Beach produced 130 Turnstones, 110 Redshank, 2 Stonechats and 2 Rock Pipits. A Pochard was seen here on the Orchard Pools. Another flock of 1000 Dunlin and 2 Stonechats were present at Chittening Warth.
November 14th
A cold morning after overnight frost. A dawn visit to Severn Beach produced a male Merlin, 2 Stonechats, 3 Rock Pipits, flyover Brambling and Redpolls. An adult Mediterranean Gull, 8 Stonechats and at least 1000 Dunlin were present at Chittening Warth. Another 1000 Dunlin were present at Northwick Warth with 20 Black-tailed Godwits, 140 Lapwing, 20 Oystercatcher, 16 Grey Plover, a male Merlin, 240 Wigeon, 70 Teal and 15 Shelduck. The hedgerows along the seawall here held at least 6 Chiffchaffs, a male Blackcap and many Redwings. A colour ringed (red) Ruddy Shelduck was seen on the square pool at Avonmouth Sewage Works.
Black-tailed Godwits and Oystercatchers, Northwick Warth 14.11.4
November 13th
A bright and cold day. An adult Mediterranean Gull was seen at Northwick Warth along with 180 Wigeon, 70 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 1500 Dunlin, 13 Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Grey Plover, 140 Lapwing, 60 Redshank and 5 Common Snipe. At Severn Beach, there were 4 Stonechats, 8 Rock Pipits and at least 1 Water Pipit in the salt marsh, another 2 Stonechats at the Orchard Pools and a male Blackcap was seen in a garden. Another 2 Rock Pipits, 2 Stonechats and a Common Snipe were present at Chittening Warth. A Little Owl and 2 more Stonechats were seen at Aust Warth.
November 12th
The number of Dunlin increased to at least 1200 birds at Northwick Warth. Other birds here included the male Merlin, the dark-bellied Brent Goose, 13 Black-tailed Godwit, 60 Redshank, 160 Lapwing, a Knot, 150 Wigeon, 60 Teal , a large flock of 50 Gadwall and 2 Shoveler. A Kingfisher and 2 Rock Pipits were seen nearby at New Passage. There were 2 Stonechats at Severn Beach, 2 at Aust Warth another 2 at Chittening Warth.. There were 5 Rock Pipits at Severn Beach and 2 more at Aust Warth. Another Kingfisher was seen at Chittening Warth.
Stonechat, Aust Warth 12.11.4 Brent Goose, Northwick Warth 12.11.4
November 11th
A few more birds of interest today. The most notable was a Short-eared Owl at Aust Warth, hunting over the salt marsh close to the road. There were 2 Stonechats and 2 Chiffchaffs again below Aust Cliff.
On Northwick Warth, there were 2 Merlins, 11 Black-tailed Godwits, 800 Dunlin, 140 Lapwing, 50 Redshank, a Knot and the dark-bellied Brent Goose. A large party of 34 Shoveler, 2 Stonechats and a male Blackcap were seen at Chittening Warth. A visit to Severn Beach produced 4 Rock Pipits and 2 Stonechats. A Green Sandpiper was present nearby at the Orchard Pools.
November 10th
A cold North West wind made finding any birds unpleasant. The number of Wigeon and Teal dropped considerably but the dark-bellied Brent Goose was still at Northwick Warth with 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 300 Dunlin, 90 Lapwing and 40 Redshank. There were 3 Stonechats at Chittening Warth and a visit to the Orchard Pools, Severn Beach produced a Tufted Duck and 6 Gadwall.
November 9th
The usual Wigeon and Teal flock remained on Northwick Warth with the dark-bellied Brent Goose, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, 10 Grey Plover, 500 Dunlin, 120 Lapwing, 70 Redshank, 50 Turnstone and the male Merlin. There were 2 Stonechats and 2 Lesser Redpolls at the Orchard Pools, Severn Beach. Another 4 Stonechats, 3 Chiffchaffs and a Peregrine were seen at Aust Warth.
November 8th
A quiet day, the dark bellied Brent Goose remained on Northwick Warth with 500 Wigeon, 200 Teal, 12 Black-tailed Godwit, 300 Dunlin, 120 Lapwing and 50 Redshank. A female Merlin was seen at Severn Beach attacking the local flock of 80 Greenfinch.
November 7th
At least 550 Fieldfares were seen flying south over Northwick Warth in a 2 hour period this morning. There was also an increase in number of Redwings and Blackbirds, several dozen of each were seen in the hedges. Other birds here included a male Merlin, the dark-bellied Brent Goose, 270 Wigeon, 190 Teal, 7 Pintail, 6 Gadwall, 280 Dunlin, 140 Lapwing, 90 Redshank, 3 Knot, a Black-tailed Godwit and an influx of 38 Common Gulls. Unusual sightings at Severn Beach included a Bewick’s Swan, a Great Crested Grebe and a flock of 200 Kittiwakes moving high up the estuary. Other birds seen here included 4 Rock Pipits, 4 Stonechats, 50 Turnstone, a Grey Plover and 3 Common Snipe. Another 2 Stonechats were present at Aust Warth.
Bewick’s Swan, Severn Beach 7.11.4
November 6th
The dark-bellied Brent Goose remained on Northwick Warth with 250 Wigeon, 150 Teal, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Grey Plover, a Knot, 5 Common Snipe, 260 Dunlin, 120 Lapwing, 80 Redshank on the foreshore, 55 Fieldfare and a Brambling flew over. A Kingfisher and 2 Stonechats were seen nearby at New Passage. The only birds of note at Severn Beach were 2 Stonechats, 3 Rock Pipits and 4 Shoveler. Another 80 Dunlin, 4 Stonechats and a Blackcap were present at Chittening Warth. A Weasel gave excellent views at Seabank Power Station near the “pagoda” pool.
November 5th
The birds remained much the same today. The adult male Merlin and dark-bellied Brent Goose were still at Northwick Warth along with 200 Dunlin, 80 Redshank, 120 Lapwing, single Knot and Grey Plover. There were 60 Turnstone and a Kingfisher nearby at New Passage. A visit to Severn Beach produced 5 Stonechats, a Common Snipe and 82 Oystercatchers. Additional Stonechats included 2 at Chittening Warth, 2 at Aust Warth where a Chiffchaff and Peregrine were also seen.
November 4th
The dark-bellied Brent Goose remained off Northwick Warth with 200 Wigeon, 150 Teal, 200 Dunlin, 105 Lapwing, 30 Redshank and a Knot. A flock of 55 Turnstone were seen at New Passage. There were at least 4 Rock Pipits and 2 Stonechats at Severn Beach, another 2 Stonechats and a Chiffchaff remained at Aust Warth.
November 3rd
Normal coverage resumed today producing some interesting sightings. A male Merlin, a dark-bellied Brent Goose, 200 Dunlin, 50 Redshank, 120 Lapwing, single Grey Plover and Kingfisher were seen from New Passage. A Jack Snipe was a lucky sighting at Severn Beach after being flushed by a dog walker. At least 6 Rock Pipits and 2 Stonechats were also seen here. At least 60 Knot, 18 Shoveler and 4 Stonechats were present at Chittening Warth. Another 2 Stonechats, 3 Chiffchaffs and 2 Peregrines were seen at Aust Warth.
November 2nd
A grey, damp day with a North East wind. A good number of Chaffinch were still moving into the wind at dawn this morning. There is little else to report due to the lack of “daylight” coverage today. There were at least 250 Wigeon, 200 Teal, 60 Redshank and 250 Dunlin off New Passage in a low tide visit at dusk.
November 1st
A light North East wind and cloud cover, similar to yesterday, produced more heavy Chaffinch migration with several thousand birds observed heading into the wind. A Whimbrel was seen and heard at Chittening Warth where 2 Stonechats and 80 Dunlin were also present. There were 250 Dunlin, 50 Redshank, 80 Lapwing and 4 Shoveler at New Passage. A drake Pintail and a Stonechat were seen at Severn Beach. Another 2 Stonechats and 2 Ravens were seen at Aust Warth.
