Chew Valley Lake, 4th December by Richard Swinbank

Chew Valley Lake, 4th December by Richard Swinbank

After a rather wet Saturday, our expectations for the weather on the Sunday were not high. But, when the seven of us had gathered at Herriot's Bridge, the bright sunshine gave us good views of a good variety of ducks in the lake, and flocks of Lapwing with a few Dunlins and Starlings mixed in. Staying for a while there, we were also treated to brief views of a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail, and good views of a small group of Goosanders.

Next stop was a nature trail along the north-eastern shore. In one copse, there was quite a lot of action, with Goldcrests, Coal Tits, Long-tailed Tits and a Treecreeper - though I didn’t all manage to see all of them. As we crossed over Hollow Brook, we found half a dozen Bewick’s Swans by the island, and a mystery wader at the edge of the brook. After a good deal of debate (and later confirmation with the help of field guides), we decided it was a Green Sandpiper . The Bittern Trail was very waterlogged after the recent rains (and sadly without Bitterns), so we only walked as far as the East Shore hide. After encountering a nice flock of Siskins on the way back, we headed off to the visitor centre for lunch.

After lunch, and purchasing the required permits, we visited a few hides giving us views over some of the quieter areas of the lake. A stop at Heron’s Green Bay gave us good view of more Goosanders, Goldeneye, and a Black-necked Grebe - a bit of a rarity. Villice Bay held a good range of ducks, including Teal, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Mallard and a few Wigeon, and another Green Sandpiper. The final hide, at Stratford Bay, looked over several Ruddy Duck, and a group of Snipe looking inconspicuous in the vegetation. We had hoped for a Water Rail - having had excellent views last time we visited, but no such luck this time. By then dusk was falling, so we made our way back home - pleased with our day’s birdwatching, with almost 60 species seen.

Birds seen, in BOU order or alphabetic order

BOU order

Mute Swan

Bewick’s Swan

Canada Goose

Shelduck

Wigeon

Gadwall

Teal

Mallard

Pintail

Shoveler

Pochard

Tufted Duck

Goldeneye

Goosander

Ruddy Duck

Pheasant

Little Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

Black-necked Grebe

Cormorant

Grey Heron

Sparrowhawk

Buzzard

Moorhen

Coot

Lapwing

Dunlin

Snipe

Black-headed Gull

Common Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Wood Pigeon

Kingfisher

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Grey Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

Wren

Dunnock

Robin

Stonechat

Blackbird

Fieldfare

Chiffchaff

Goldcrest

Long-tailed Tit

Marsh Tit

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Treecreeper

Jay

Magpie

Rook

Carrion Crow

Starling

Chaffinch

Siskin

Linnet

Bullfinch

Alphabetic order