September
Places to visit
September is the months to head to the coast, with south west winds lots of seabirds will be going past, anywhere from Cornwall to Dorset can be good. With prolonged South West winds Severn Beach can be surprisingly good
Many waders are on the move, Curlew Sandpipers and Knot are turning up in our area, this is also the time for American waders to arrive so look carefully through any Dunlin and Ringed Plover flocks for White Rumped, Pectoral and Baird’s Sandpipers
Severn Beach and New Passage / Pilning Wetlands, Chew Valley lake and Slimbridge are the top sites in our area.
Late September I will be heading to Shetland in the hope of finding some rare migrant birds and with any luck Orca Whales and Otters.
Interesting Butterflies on the wing this month include, Brown Hairstreak and Clouded Yellow.
Reports in RED are my own sightings (number) = total species seen this year so far
TOTAL SO FAR THIS YEAR (259)
Recent Bird records (South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the old county of Avon)
September
23rd Sept- 2nd Oct
Shetland Highlights
Pallas’s grasshopper Warbler, 2 Olive Backed Pipits, Rustic Bunting, 3 Little Buntings, Parrot Crossbill, Short Toed Lark, 2 Red Breasted Flycatcher, 2 Barred warbler, Wryneck, Common Crane, Red Backed Shrike, Great Grey Shrike, Lapland Bunting, 2 Common Rosefinch, 2 Bluethroat, 23 Yellow Browed Warblers and 2 Otters (259)
20th
Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Tree Pipit, Whitethroat, 2 Wheatear, Green Shank, 7 Bar Tailed godwits, 200+ black Tailed Godwits, 300+ Dunlin, 50+ ringed Plover at Northwick Warth / Pilning Wetlands (237)
17th
Sabine’s Gull at Avonmouth
3 Avocet and a Curlew Sandpiper at Northwick Warth / Pilning Wetlands
Woodchat Shrike, Little Egret, 5 Whinchats, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and 10+ Yellow wagtails on Chipping Sodbury Common.
13th
Sabine’s Gull, 3 Leach’s Petrels, 1 Arctic Skua and 5 Manx Shearwaters off Severn Beach
Grey Phalarope and Curlew Sandpiper at Slimbridge
12th
Sabine’s Gull at Sand Point
11th
2 Leach’s Petrels, 1 storm Petrel, Grey Phalarope and 7 Manx Shearwaters off Severn Beach
2 Manx Shearwaters at Chew Valley Lake
10TH
Woodchat Shrike, 7 Whinchat, 3 redstart and 30+ Yellow Wagtails on Chipping Sodbury Common
7th
3 Black Terns, Wood Sandpiper and a Curlew Sandpiper at Chew Valley Lake
3rd
Woodchat Shrike, 9 Whinchat, 10 redstart and Tree Pipit on Chipping Sodbury Common
7 Black Terns and 7 Great White Egrets at Chew Valley Lake
Cattle Egret, Garganey and Wood Sandpiper at Slimbridge
2nd
Woodchat Shrike still on Chipping Sodbury Common along with 12 Whinchats and 10+ Redstarts
1st
Woodchat Shrike still on Chipping Sodbury Common
Osprey, 3 Great White Egrets, 3 Hobby and a Garganey on Chew Valley Lake
Marsh Harrier at Middle Woodford