DURSLEY BIRDWATCHING AND PRESERVATION SOCIETY - Dursley Birdwatching ...

DURSLEY BIRDWATCHING AND
PRESERVATION SOCIETY

                              May 2020 BULLETIN
                            FORTHCOMING EVENTS                              ¤

We hope that you are all well and although isolated are enjoying the return of spring with its
wonderful display of flowers and birds getting ready for the breeding season.
Although we have like other organisations cancelled meetings in May because of the present
circumstances we like everyone are hoping that we can resume operations in the near future
and hope when that time does come we will be prepared.
This month we should have been making our annual trip to the Great Bustard site on Salisbury
Plain. We are unable to do so but I did receive the latest news letter from them and hopefully
we can send this to you to read. For those with e-mail address see attachment.
Myself, and your committee have been busy putting up a program from June 2020- April 2021
(enclosed attachment) and hope we can resume events as soon as possible. This attachment
(sheet) will give you two programs. Please pass one on to a neighbour or friend.
Mike Robinson.

              If any trip is in doubt because of bad weather or unexpected circumstances
For bookable events, we will try and contact everyone by telephone if an event has to be cancelled. We
will also put a notice on our website and inform members who get their bulletin by e-mail. It is
important therefore that we have your contact details. M.G.R.

We have an established on-line booking system, that you can use to book yourself onto any trips
. It’s really easy to use - select how many spaces you would like, click the ‘RSVP’ button and the
site will automatically send you an e-mail confirmation. Using this service means your event
organiser knows how many people to expect and can easily contact everyone about any changes.
You can find out a list of upcoming trips at http://www.dbwps.org.uk/events/ For those of you
who do not have a computer or do not feel confident enough to do this, you can of course still
book over the phone by calling Simon on 07825 66 83 89 or sending an e-mail

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to dursleybirders@gmail.com

OUTDOOR MEETING REPORTS                               P
          nd
March 22 – Forest of Dean -
In lieu of the planned Steart WWT trip, I met up with Dot Jones - one of our birders and
we drove separately to the Forest of Dean to stay within the advice given at the time.
We decided to go relatively early and make a full day of it. We met in Speech house car
park. Dot was a bit ahead of me and had already got a few in the bag notably Treecreeper
which I didn’t see and still needed for my year list. It was already sunny, although a little
windy and the weather got better all day.
Mud was going to be a problem as there had been so much rain recently so we stuck to the
drier paths. Our first target bird was the Great Grey Shrike on Crabtree Hill and en-route
we had a couple of vocal croaking Ravens and a Mistle Thrush. As we neared Crabtree Hill
the Shrike was already on station on top of a nearby larch. It took off quite quickly and
almost immediately began hovering like a miniature Kestrel, a behaviour neither of us had
seen before.

                   Distance apart-Simon Ashley                  Great Grey Shrike- Bob Axwothy
 We lost sight of it as it went off, presumably on a hunting foray, but it wasn’t lost for
long. As it moved from tree to tree, it favoured one of 4 or 5 large trees and a still
leafless silver birch, so we were able to move steadily closer. We had excellent views as it
repeated the hovering trick a few more times and it even caught something, probably a
large bee. It was a captivating bird to watch and a pleasure to see it so active and so
close. After an absorbing hour we were able to tear ourselves away and continue our
circuit of Crabtree Hill. We spotted Goldcrest, an abundance of Coal Tits and after
thinking we weren’t going to see
them four or more splendid
Stonechat
Our next stop was to New Fancy
View in the hope of seeing the
elusive Goshawk. Although sunny it
was still windy and despite putting
in a good hour or so the only birds
we saw were Buzzards and Wood
Pigeons. We did get great views of
a basking Adder though which was
soaking up the heat beneath the
security of a gorse bush                             Adders at New Fancy – Alan Gilbert

Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society (Founded: 1953)                                    Page 2

Our third stop was Parkend in the hope of seeing Hawfinch /Crossbill - neither of these
two were seen but we added Marsh Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker to the list.
With the sun warming us we moved to our final location for the day. The Stone works and a
walk to Cannop Ponds. In addition to the Mandarin (at least 15 seen) we added Grey
Wagtail and a bonus Siskin.
We finished around 4pm. It had been a great day out and we amassed 39/40 species for
the day. Thanks to Dot for being such a great guide.

Bird List – Little Grebe, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Buzzard,
Moorhen, Coot, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Pied
Wagtail, Wren, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Long tailed
Tit, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Great Grey Shrike, Jay, Magpie, Raven,
Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch Siskin and Reed Bunting, Also Adder, Fallow Deer and Grey Squirrel

                                              Fallow Deer – Mike Robinson.
Calcott X-Roads & Leighterton
Our Vice Chair printed the 30plus postal bulletins last month and as he lives nr Cirencester we agreed to meet
halfway to Wotton under Edge at Calcot X-roads so that I could deliver to our Bulletin distributer.
We met in a small layby just before the X-roads (coming from Wotton) and talked at distance hoping to find a
new bird for Ken’s list. It was interesting because this bird is usually found on telephone wires crossing a large
field but on this occasion the field was being ploughed, so no chance. However, as we talked Ken heard one Corn
Bunting in the hedge behind us. We could see it but we were looking into the sun, so we moved down the road
but managed to disturb about 20 which flew along the hedge.
Our bird watching was not finished as we spotted 5 Buzzards sitting on the un ploughed part of the field almost
as though waiting for the tractor to finish. Another one, presumably a male as it was very small joined the
group. We then had a drive using separate cars to Leighterton to look for hedgerow birds and others. Did see
Red Legged Partridge on the road and at our stop outside the village Ken added Skylark and Stock Dove to his
list. We were looking into the strong sunlight on this trip and did not see many birds but on the return journey
with the sun behind me I did see a lot of birds which included a flock of Yellowhammers and a flock of mixed
Thrushes. A great trip before the lockdown started and we were able to get the bulletins to postal members
thanks to Jaquelin.
Mike Robinson.

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Corn Bunting

INDOOR MEETING REPORTS                                          B
 Monday January 13th Scotland, Landscapes and Wildlife- Andrew Bluett
In a change to the published programme Andrew Bluett came to us to talk about his beloved Scotland on
Monday 13th January. The population average is only 174 people per square mile, with most of these
concentrated along the central belt with the area occupied somewhat matching the light visible from the
night time satellite images. Scotland occupies 30,414 square miles and as most of us who have visited can
testify, has very changeable weather with the tendency to be wettest in the west. Much of Scotland was
shaped by volcanic activity and on the Ardnamurchan peninsular there are the remains of a six mile wide
Caldara which is insignificant when compared to the one Yellowstone National Park occupies. The Point of
Ardnamurchan is also the most westerly point on the British mainland. Glacial activity also played a part in
shaping Scotland’s scenery with u-shaped valleys and the result of glacial striation, where large house sized
rocks were left stranded after the last ice-age. The influence of man can also be seen with the evidence being
stone circles and standing stones. The Brock near Loch Hope in the far north is a fortified dwelling and the
Crannog at Loch Tay is a reproduction of an Iron-age man-made island dwelling. In the 18th and 19th century
the highland clearances took place, involving the forcible eviction of farmers off the land by the Duchess of
Sutherland, to the coast where they had to learn to be fishermen or starve. Traditional houses known as
Black Houses had walls 4-feet thick and a thatched roof.
In the area surrounding Tongue in the far north, Arctic Tern, Eider Duck, Common Gull, Sanderling, Whimbrel
and Great Northern Diver can be seen. The Flow Country to the untrained eye looks like a flat featureless
landscape with peat bogs and water as far as the eye can see. However, on closer inspection man has cut

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lines of drainage channels and peat cuttings. In the old diggings interesting flowers such as the carnivorous
Sundew can be found, while the whole area is the breeding territory for Dunlin, Greenshank, Curlew, Red and
Black Throated Divers, Merlin and Golden Plover. We saw pictures of both Golden Plover and Greenshank
nests.

(A friend of Andrew’s is involved with Greenshanks in the flow country and putting tags on them so they can find out where they
go in winter. A lot go to South East Ireland but they have had reports from South Africa and The Gambia where I took this
picture -MGR)

Handa, an island off the northwest coast is home to breeding, Great and Arctic Skua and seabirds such as
Fulmar, Kittiwake, Guillemot and everyone’s favourite the Puffin. On the east coast at Chanonry Point on the
Moray Firth is one of the best places to see Dolphins, which come relatively close to the shore. Golden Eagle
can be seen in the Highlands and Cairngorms and if you are lucky you may see a Pine Martin. Common
Sandpipers can be seen near most rivers. In the high tops of the Cairngorms breeding Arctic Hare, Ptarmigan,
Dotterel, Purple Sandpiper and Snow Bunting can be seen. There is also an introduced herd of Reindeer. In
the Caledonian Pine Forest, Siskin, Scottish Crossbill, Crested Tit and Red Squirrel can be found. Harder to find
now are Capercaillie and Wildcat. Both Red and Black Grouse can be found on Tayside. The Bass Rock off the
Firth of Forth holds a very large Gannet Colony. The Outer Hebrides off the northwest coast hold breeding
Corncrake, Short-eared Owl, Lapwing, Redshank, Oyster Catcher, snipe and Red-necked Phalarope, while
along the rocky coasts Otters can be seen. White-tailed Sea Eagle is now breeding on the west coast and the
Island of Mull is a good place to see them. Andrew’s talk covered most habitats north of the central belt with
excellent photography and commentary covering the geology, history and wildlife.

Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society (Founded: 1953)                                                      Page 5

**PLEASE NOTE**- Indoor meetings are held at the Dursley Community Centre. Details
                           are on the DBWPS website.
                                    SOCIETY BUSINESS                                 ^
 Programme 2019/2020
Sorry we had to cancel Nick Martin’s talk about the secret Lives of Species in the Forest of Dean but pleased
to say he has agreed to do the talk next year.
We are pleased to say that we have managed to finish your program for 2020/2021. There
are lots of interesting trips and speakers for the season which we hope you will enjoy. –
See program card attachment.

‘           Sales Table at Indoor Meetings       ‘
The sales table that we had a couple of year’s ago at indoor meetings proved to be popular, with many
items sold to help society funds. This will continue in 2020 if we can find a volunteer. If you have any good
quality items you could donate for sale it would be much appreciated. Items could include books, DVDs,
CDs, preserves, fruit and vegetables in season, cakes or any other suitable items.

¿ Website ¿
Our Secretary Simon Ashley has agreed to be in charge of the website and IT. He kindly helped Chris
Usher to set up various aspects of this role and does this subject as a job for a large Eco firm. Please
contact if you have a Society IT related query.

ó Dursley Pet Shop ó
The Dursley Pet Shop are again supporting the Society and we are pleased to announce that if you show
your membership card in the shop you will now be entitled to a 10% discount on a wide range of gardening
items sold in the shop, such as seeds and bulbs, as well as the discount received on bird related items. Just
right for the new gardening season!

                            MEMBERS BIRD SIGHTINGS                                         ó
Any rare or unusual sightings should be submitted for the Society Website using the e-mail
address secretary@dbwps,org.uk
If you do not have access to a computer, send them to; Sandra Drew, 2 Downfield Close,
Alveston, Bristol, BS35 3NJ

      **PLEASE NOTE** - ‘POSTAL’ SIGHTINGS WILL ONLY APPEAR ON THE WEBSITE

               MEMBER SIGHTINGS CAN ALSO NOW BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE

                             FROM OUR MEMBERS                                             —
Articles For Sale, Comments etc. This is your spot please use. Now is a good time for these as we need material for your next
month’s bulletin, Why not send us your favourite wildlife picture and we will try and use it

Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society (Founded: 1953)                                                    Page 6

Hello -- I know that birds may not be at the front of your mind at the moment, but I thought I would write to
suggest some BTO schemes (all of them currently free to use) that you might find interesting or
therapeutic if you are confined to your home or the immediate neighbourhood. The first two involve
gardens but the third can apply anywhere, even just from a window.

1. Garden Birdwatch is the BTO's main garden bird monitoring scheme; it has just celebrated its 25th
birthday. Normally there is subscription scheme (£17 per annum) as it receives no subsidies, but BTO
has just decided to offer it as a free service during the current "lockdown" - this promotion was launched
last week. You register your garden and record the birds using it as often as you like; your sightings build
up into your personal garden bird log and also contribute to important national research about bird
populations, movements and diseases. You record the main features of the garden (pond? berries? do
you feed?). It's a great scheme for children.

Link here: https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw

2. "Nesting Neighbours" is all about the birds nesting in your garden - in boxes or otherwise - now is the
perfect time to contribute to this scheme.

Link here: https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/nesting-neighbours

3. If you are able to go outside for daily exercise, you might like to record the birds you encounter on
BirdTrack - the BTO's personal bird log that enables you to record all your sightings, anytime, anywhere.
It has lots of features, summarising your sightings in innovative ways, and again all your records
contribute to the national picture - at the moment for example, Bird Track is charting the arrival rate of our
summer visitors. Here is Chiffchaff for example - the blue line shows this year's records, indicating that
arrival rate is currently earlier than the historical average.

Finally, those of you involved in surveys should already have heard directly from BTO HQ with their Covid-
19 advice. It is easy to summarise - Do not leave your house to carry out a BTO survey. This will be
updated on the BTO website regularly. Note that the "Breeding Waders of Wet Meadows" is completely
cancelled, even if the restrictions are relaxed.

I hope you stay safe and sane.

Gordon Kirk. BTO regional representative, Gloucestershire

                           MEMBERS BIRD SIGHTINGS                               ó
Any rare or unusual sightings should be submitted for the Society Website using the e-mail
address secretary@dbwps,org.uk
If you do not have access to a computer, send them to; Sandra Drew, 2 Downfield Close,
Alveston, Bristol, BS35 3NJ

Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society (Founded: 1953)                                      Page 7

**PLEASE NOTE** - ‘POSTAL’ SIGHTINGS WILL ONLY APPEAR ON THE WEBSITE

                    MEMBER SIGHTINGS CAN ALSO NOW BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE

   GLOUCESTERSHIRE BIRDING HIGHLIGHTS                                  *
   At the moment we suggest you e-mail The Gloster Birder for up to date news of interesting
   birds etc. seen in the County when the present crisis ends.
   We are happy to include any of your interesting articles or sightings in this column in the
   future.

                            FROM YOUR EDITOR                                         !
   Thank you to Ken Cservenka, Simon Ashley, Dot Jones, Gordon Kirk. Alan Gilbert and Bob
   Axworthy for their contributions to the Bulletin this month. It is nice to have pieces from our
   members to include, so if the mood takes you, please do send something in and we will try to
   include it.
   The new Programme Card is included with this bulletin and there are, as usual, some very
   interesting trips planned. If we continue to receive good levels of support for these outings, we
   may be able to run a mini bus once more.
   PS. Programme Card - If you print page 2 on the back of page 1 this will give you 2 cards- one
   spare which you can pass on to anyone who may be interested in joining DBWPS.
   Please can I have all articles for the next bulletin by 15th of the month. Mike Robinson
   joyandmiker@tiscali.co.uk (acting Bulletin editor)

Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society – Officers & Committee 2020/2021                                ”
Chairman:                 Mike Robinson       45 Parklands, Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershie GL12 7LT        01453 842566
Vice Chair: (co-opted)    Ken Cservenka       19 Overhill Road, Stratton, Cirencester GA7 2LG                 01285 656480
Treasurer:                David Wood          Garden Cottage, Commercial Rd, Chalford Hill, Stroud. GL5 3QZ   07870 553249
Secretary:                Simon Ashley        7 Bramble Lane, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire GL10 2,             07825 668389

Programme Secretary       Mike Robinson       45,Parklands, Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire                01453 842566
Membership Secretary:     Caroline Sandrey    15 Spey Close, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 2NR                     07972 125959
Bulletin Editor:                              Position needs to be filled
Bulletin Distribution:    Jacquelin Hill      37 The Quarry, Dursley, Gloucestershire, GL11 6JA               01453 542303
IT & Communications:      Simon Ashley        secretary@dbwps.org.uk
Librarian:                Louise Bailey       Position needs to be filled

General Committee:       Michael Oates, Peter Steele & David Lyness

                   secretary@dbwps.org.uk                                        www.dbwps.org.uk

                   @DursleyBirds                                                 DursleyBirds

   Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society (Founded: 1953)                                              Page 8