Summer 2025 highlights

July has been an interesting month for local sightings. A flock of Common Scoters were hard to count in the choppy ebb tide waters of the Severn on 17 July, it turned out to total 27 (7 females), I managed a minimum count of 25 (5 females) as the drifted out, often being harassed by gulls causing them to dive. A Wood Sandpiper on the Rushy at WWT Slimbridge was a welcome sighting. Whinchats Pictured below) have begun to turn up locally along with a wide range of adult and juvenile waders on the Severn and WWT scrapes. The water levels are low so Grey Herons, Little and Great Egrets (pictured on Tack Piece) are all concentrating where the fishing is productive. The Severn has been attracting numbers, typically on the ebb tide.

Pick of the birds locally has been the family party of Bearded Tits, I repeatedly missed them of late with my last encounter in November last year, although there has been sightings over the winter and especially recently. On the 9 July, the family group arrived at Middle Point from a little further North along the foreshore, I was then lucky to see them trying to fly out high over the Severn only to return twice, eventually they flew across the Dumbles. A pair with five juveniles.