Birds and Moths

 of Burnham-on-Sea

26th December: There are plenty of Blackcaps around with at least 17 around Berrow Church and a small section of the coastal scrub alone. At Apex I could only locate a single Chiffchaff.

23rd December: A cold, frosty and foggy morning meant viewing was substantially hampered. At Berrow LNR there was a fine male Firecrest and at least one Black Redstart amongst the caravans at Brean.

18th December: There is still one elusive Dartford Warbler at Berrow.

11th December: Surprise of the day was the discovery of a drake Scaup at Apex.

2nd December: Strong westerly winds produced a meager 70 Kittiwakes off Burnham. There are still 2 "tristis" Chiffchaffs with 4 normal Chiffchaffs at Apex.

Kittiwakes, Burnham, 2nd December 2007.

1st December: The only sightings of note were 2 "tristis" Chiffchaffs with at least 4 "normal" Chiffchaffs at Apex and a Common Sandpiper on the Brue.

"tristis" Chiffchaff, Apex, 1st December2007.

27th November: The were a few oddities today with 17 Tufted Ducks on Apex, a Goosander which flew high inland and at least 5 Chiffchaffs at Apex.

21st November: A quick look at Apex and the Brue in the afternoon produced a Teal on the the ponds at Apex, 5 Chiffchaffs, 3 Spotted Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 51 Redshank and 26 Knot.


13th November: Today there was flurry of interest. A very tame Grey Phalarope spent a couple of hours on a puddle on Berrow beach, where there was also a Pomarine Skua.

Pomarine Skua and Grey Phalarope, Berrow, 13th November 2007.

8th November: Very strong winds today produced 100 Kittiwakes and two Grey Phalaropes in the Parrett Estuary.

4th November: Today's highlights all came from Berrow. There was a Yellow-browed Warbler in the sallows at the south end of the reedbed. There were also at least two Dartford Warblers, 5 Chiffchaffs, 1 Wheatear, 20 Blackcaps at Berrow. Overhead 650 Wood Pigeons were moving south.

 3rd November: Not an awful lot to report. There were 700 Knot in the Brue Estuary with a few Redshank, a Golden Plover, 500 Dunlin, 30 Lapwing and 10 Turnstones. The only visible migration was 35 Jackdaws and 200 Wood Pigeon.

October:

31st October: The wader roost on the Brue Estuary contained a Little Stint, A Curlew Sandpiper, 15 Dunlin. 200 Redshank and 500 Knot.

21st October: There was a Short-eared Owl in the dunes at Berrow this morning.

9th October: After some heavy rain in the morning there were 5 Little Stints on the Beach at Berrow. There was also what appeared to be a Mealy Redpoll on Brean Down and a Dartford Warbler.

6th October: There was a fair scattering of migrants on Brean Down today. The highlights included 2 Firecrests, a Ring Ouzel and a Dartford Warbler, with a supporting cast of 30 Goldcrests, a Merlin, 2 Brambling, 2 Redpoll, 480 Meadow Pipits, 60 Chaffinches, 8 Blackcaps and a Wheatear.

5th October: It was a glorious sunny day today with virtually no wind which meant that the "patch" received a fair covering by birders today. An hour and a half watch at dawn produced 200 Chaffinches, 56 Meadow Pipits, 1 Tree Pipit, 19 Alba Wagtails, 4 Brambling, 5 Redpolls, 4 Grey Wagtails, 11 Reed Buntings, 14 Siskins, 1 Redwing, 16 Song Thrushes, 16 Goldfinches, 25 House Martins, 35 Swallows, 9 Skylarks and a Merlin flying south at Berrow. On Brean Down there was a Firecrest, a Whinchat, 40 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 10 Goldrests and passing overhead were 20 Siskins, 10 Redpolls, 3 Grey Wagtails, 45 Swallows and 30 House Martins. While the afternoon high tide wader roost on the Brue Estuary contained 800 Redshank, 200 Knot, 100 Turnstone, 15 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Dunlin, 9 Black-tailed Godwits and a Little Stint.

Whinchat, Brean Down, 5th October 2007.

30th September: In a stiff east wind there were 2 Ring Ouzels, 35 Chiffchaffs, 15 Goldcrests and 10 Blackcaps at Brean Down.

29th September: There are currently a lot of waders using the Brue Estuary to roost, numbers from here are 800 Redshank, 140 Turnstone, 200 Knot, 35 Dunlin, 8 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Ruff, 7 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Golden Plover and a Ringed Plover. Passerine migrants however are thin on the ground and the only birds of note today were a Redwing over Apex and a Redstart on Brean Down.

24th September: Very strong winds from the west failed to bring any exciting birds to our shore and the best that could be mustered from Burnham were 2 Manx Shearwaters, 5 Arctic Terns and a Common Scoter.

7th September: A glorious sunny day today. The first real signs of overhead passage today with a Golden Plover, 30 Meadow Pipits, 5 Yellow Wagtails and 3 Tree Pipits flying south at Berrow.

6th September: The high water highlights at Berrow were 614 Knot and a Bar-tailed Godwit.

4th September: Waders numbers on the Brue Estuary reached 1100 Redshank, 100 Turnstone, 16 Black-tailed Godwits and a Common Sandpiper.

1st September: There were a few odds and ends about today. Two Shoveler and a Fulmar were in the Parrett Estuary. Waders on the Brue Estuary included 600 Redshank, 11 Black-tailed Godwits, 75 Turnstone and 3 Common Sandpipers. While on Stert Island there were 1000 Dunlin, 100 Ringed Plover, 23 Knot and 175 Oystercatchers. In fields along the Axe estuary at Brean a few gulls attracted a Mediterranean Gull and a Yellow-legged Gull.

August:

31st August: Bird of the day was a Sabine's Gull which spent a couple of hours feeding along the Huntspill sea wall before flying over to Stert Island. Otherwise there was a Great Skua off Berrow, where there were also 55 Knot, 70 Sanderling, 200 Oystercatchers and a single Wheatear. On the Brue Estuary there were 5 Black-tailed Godwits, 450 Redshank, 75 Turnstone and a Common Sandpiper.

Sabine's Gull, Huntspill, 31st August 2007.

12th August: There was a sharp shower just after dawn and cloud cover overnight. This produced a very showy Nightingale and a sprinkling of common warblers on the Golf Course at Berrow. While on the beach there was an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Curlew Sandpiper, 400 Dunlin, 170 Sanderling, 120 Ringed Plover, 6 Whimbrel, a Turnstone and two adult Mediterranean Gulls (including our regularly returning 78T, with a brand new colour ring, it has been seen here each July since 2001)

Mediterranean Gull, Berrow, 12th August 2007.

11th August: In around the Brue Estuary and Apex first thing this morning were 350 Redshank, 40 Turnstone, 1 Common Sandpiper, 8 Snipe, 3 Swifts, 50 Swallows, 1 Chiffchaff and a Buzzard. At Berrow there were 232 Oystercatchers, 115 Sanderling, 26 Ringed Plover, 74 Mallard, 2 Little Egrets, 4 Whimbrel, 2 Knot, 3 Teal and a Wheatear.

5th August: Pleasantly warm and sunny here today for a change. At Berrow in the morning there were 115 Oystercatchers, 29 Curlew, 122 Sanderling, 50 Ringed Plover and 45 Swallows. On the Brue Estuary this afternoon were 300 Redshank, 40 Turnstone, 1 Knot, 1 Common Sandpiper and 3 Green Sandpipers.

3rd August: The only sightings today were 62 Oystercatchers and 207 Sanderling at Berrow.

1st August: At Berrow today there were 160 Sanderling, 1 Turnstone, 670 Black-headed Gulls and a Kingfisher.

July:

30th July:  Today's sightings were limited to 318 Sanderling and 107 Dunlin at Berrow.

29th July: There were three adult Mediterranean Gulls on the beach at Berrow today.

28th July: Wader counts from Berrow were 112 Oystercatchers, 100 Sanderling, 1 Knot and 1 Snipe.

26th July: There was a Fulmar stranded on the beach at Berrow today, and a slightly more energetic Arctic Tern.

Fulmar, Berrow. 26th July 2007. © P. Gay

24th July: There were definite signs of autumn today. At Berrow over the afternoon high tide there were 2 Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Sandwich Terns, 3 Knot, 1 Turnstone, 47 Dunlin and what is probably a county record count of 450 Sanderling.

15th July: Today has been very wet, with persistent rain for most of the day. A quick look for Burnham Seafront produced two Common Sandpipers and a couple of Rock Pipits (they don't normally appear here until the autumn).

6th July: The highlight today in windy conditions was a Sooty Shearwater which apparently spent two hour drifting on the tide at Burnham. The were also several Storm Petrels, Manx Shearwaters and a Great Skua seen from here.

2nd July: There were 4 Black-tailed Godwits at Burnham this morning at Burnham. Later in the morning there were about 700 Manx Shearwaters circling the Bristol Channel off Berrow.

June:

29th-30th June: Probably the most extraordinary ornithological event ever to occur in our area unfortunately passed all the local birders by. The discovery of a Yellow-nosed Albatross on a driveway at Brean has gripped every birder in the country. The bird was taken into care and released from Brean Down on Saturday afternoon.

17th June: Surprise of the day was an Osprey flying north over my house around midday, and it was also seen over Berrow after a tip-off.

11th June: There were 8 Common Terns on Berrow Beach this morning.

10th June: Although a pleasant morning the most exciting bird of the day was a Ruddy Shelduck at Berrow, seen feeding at low tide with the Shelduck.

9th June: A walk around Brean Down this morning was very quiet bird wise, with just a  single Spotted Flycatcher near the fort. Unfortunately for me five minutes after I left for home a Honey Buzzard was reported flying south from Brean, I must have driven past the observer whilst they were watching it!.

May:

20th May: Hooray - virtually no wind this morning. The only sightings however were 3 Arctic Skuas which flew up the Brue Estuary and high inland,  a Black-tailed Godwit and a single Redshank  were on the Brue, and a Tree Pipit at Berrow.

19th May: A slight improvement today. Off Berrow this morning during a blustery shower there were 96 Manx Shearwater, 2 Storm Petrels, 1 Arctic Skua, 2 Common Scoter and 30 "commic" Terns.

14th-18th May: The weather remains grim and the birding isn't much better. One Manx Shearwater and a Fulmar were off Burnham on the 14th, two Fulmars off Burnham on 17th and 120 Sanderling at Berrow.

13th May: Today appears as though it will be a wash out, with persistent rain coming in from the south east. The weather has however held a large number of Swallows. About 300 were feeding around the buildings along the esplanade this morning. There were also 20-30 Swifts, 3 Sand Martins and 10 House Martins.

12th May: During a brief look at the Brue Estuary between the showers there was a Black-tailed Godwit, a Common Sandpiper and a Whimbrel.

11th May: You can always tell when I have time off work, as the weather is wet and windy. On the beach at Berrow this lunch time were 10 Bar-tailed Godwits, 40 Whimbrel, 250 Dunlin and 2 Sanderling. There was also a steady passage of Swallows and Swifts, not huge numbers though. 

7th May: The only sightings over this morning's hide tide during windy conditions were an Arctic Skua and 23 Manx Shearwaters.

6th May: A quick look from the dunes at Burnham this evening produced an Arctic Skua and 50 Whimbrel. The big news of the day was the 3-1 thrashing of Rotherham by BRISTOL CITY, this means city will be playing Championship football next season for the first time in eight years!!

April:

30th April: April left us with quite a flurry of interesting birds. With two high tides to watch observers found Berrow the most rewarding. The bird of the day was an Iceland Gull which sat on the sea in the evening. Other sightings from here included and impressive 380 Bar-tailed Godwits, 100 Whimbrel, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Dunlin, 2 Common Terns, 4 Sandwich Terns, 25 Arctic Terns, a Great Skua and 5 Common Scoter.

Whimbrel, Berrow, 30th April 2007



Bar-tailed Godwits, Berrow, 30th April 2007.

29th April: Another very pleasant day. At Berrow this morning there were 111 Whimbrel, 57 Bar-tailed Godwits, 8 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover, 3 Knot, 1 Little Tern and 6 Wheatear. On the Brue there was only a single Redshank and a female Redstart.

28th April: The Spoonbill put in another appearance on Stert Island at lunch time.

26th April: A Hobby flew north at Berrow this morning.

25th April: At Berrow there were 7 Bar-tailed Godwits, 33 Whimbrel, 30 Black-headed Gulls, a Cuckoo and 2 Whinchat.

24th April: The main attraction of the day was a Spoonbill on Stert Island.

23rd April: The only sightings today were a Sandwich Tern and 5 Whimbrel at Berrow.

22nd April: Misty murky conditions out to sea produced 5 Arctic Skuas and 2 Little Gulls off Berrow just before high tide this morning. The number of Reed and Sedge Warblers has increased to 5 and 10 respectively and there are now at least 2 Grasshopper Warblers at Berrow. Flying north were 3 Tree Pipits and a Yellow Wagtail.

21st April: A great start to the weekend when a Hoopoe flew south along the beach at Burnham, pausing only briefly before heading off over the town. Also along the beach at Berrow the were 11 Whimbrel, 9 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, 9 Common Gulls and two Little Gulls. Migrants around the reedbed and golf course included 6 Lesser Whitethroats, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit, 7 Sedge Warblers and a Reed Warbler. On Brean down there were 5 Whitethroats, 1 Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Tree Pipits. In the afternoon a Hobby flew north over Berrow.

Hoopoe and Little Gulls, Burnham, 21st April 2007.

20th April: All sightings today came from Berrow. There was a Sandwich Tern, a Little Tern, 22 Bar-tailed Godwits and 5 Whimbrel on the beach. While in the bushes there were 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler and a Whitethroat.

19th April: The tides at the moment are very high and with virtually no wind, it actually looks very pleasant here.  At Berrow today there were 14 Whimbrel, 2 Shoveler, 20 Dunlin, and 10 Ringed Plover.

17th April: The sound of gulls getting upset is always a sign of something interesting flying over. Today they were in pursuit of a White Stork which drifted over Berrow towards the fields inland, but unfortunately could not be relocated.

16th April: A complete clear out of birds today with just a single Redstart, a Ring Ouzel and a very early Swift on Brean Down and a Reed Warbler At Apex of interest.

15th April: Brean Down was the place to be today. A Richard's Pipit flew north over at 0800, and there was a fall of migrants. Totals for the day were 5 Redstarts, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 150 Willow Warblers, 40 Blackcaps and several Tree Pipits and Chiffchaffs. At Apex there were 2 Sedge Warblers.

14th April: Very similar weather and birds today. There were a lot more Willow Warblers on Brean Down this morning with about 80 being recorded. Otherwise there was a Redstart, a Grasshopper Warbler and 3 Tree Pipits on Brean Down and another Redstart at Berrow.

Willow Warbler and Chaffinch, Brean Down, 14th April 2007.

13th April: Another very pleasant spring day, but not that many birds about. On Brean Down today there was a Redstart, a Ring Ouzel, a Grasshopper Warbler, 15 Willow Warblers, 10 Chiffchaffs, 5 Blackcaps, 2 Wheatears, 50 Swallows, 50 Sand Martins and 10 House Martins.

12th April: Sightings from Berrow included a Ring Ouzel and 4 Barnacle Geese flying high and steadily north.

11th April: Today at Berrow there was a Little Ringed Plover and 4 Grey Plover. While on the Brue Estuary the wintering Greenshank is still present.

9th April: Today saw the first rarity of the year in the form of a Black Kite. The bird drifted slowly north being mobbed by the local gulls. This is the first record for the area. 

7th April: At last we have the first Willow Warblers of the spring with 5 at Berrow. Also at Berrow there were 90 Sanderling.

4th April: The best sighting of the day was 5 Common Scoter off Berrow this morning.

3rd April: Highlight of the day was the wind has subsided a bit. Bird wise there was a Marsh Harrier in off the sea at Brean Down. On the Brue Estuary there were 2 Wheatears, 7 Chiffchaffs and 115 Redshank.

2nd April: Plenty of birds on the move today. On Brean Down there were 500+ Meadow Pipits moving north-east into the howling gale. Also on the move were a single Swallow, 2 Redpolls, 25 Greenfinches, 30 Chaffinches, 35 Goldfinches, 15 Linnets, 3 Redwings and a Coal Tit. While on the Brue Estuary the wintering Greenshank is still present and there were also two Wheatears here.

March:

28th March: A few signs of summer today with the first Swallows of the year at Brean Down, where there were also 1 Sand Martin, 3 Wheatear and 10 House Martins.

23rd March: The only sighting of note today was a Red Kite which spent half an hour circling over Brean Down.

16th March: On Brean Down today there were 6 Sand Martins and a Wheatear.

11th March: There was only one Chough seen for half an hour early this morning, the excitement seems to have come to an end.

10th March: The five Chough are still on Brean Down.

9th March: Incredibly there are now five Choughs on Brean Down. Although they were seen displaying, and it was hoped they would stay and breed, they are colour-ringed brothers and sisters reared in different years from the same nest on the Gower. Also on Brean was a Wheatear today.

Chough, Brean Down. 9th March 2007. © P. Gay.

8th March: Settled weather at last saw a fantastic discovery of two Choughs on Brean Down, they were present for most of the day. Other birds seen in the area included our first Wheatear of the the year on Brean Down and the Green-winged Teal still performing on the Axe Estuary.

3rd March: Despite a bright and sunny day, the howling north west wind reduced any enthusiasm to go birding. The only noteworthy sighting was a count of 12 Blackcaps at Burnham.

February:

24th February: The Green-winged Teal is still on the Axe Estuary where there was also an adult Mediterranean Gull. There were also two different Mediterranean Gulls on Brean Beach.

18th February: It was a very warm and overcast morning here. A walk along the beach from Burnham towards Berrow produced at least 15 Blackcaps, 12 Snipe and an adult summer plumaged Mediterranean Gull. Late news from the Axe estuary: the Green-winged Teal has been rediscovered after several weeks of hiding.

4th-16th February: There hasn't really been much to report over the last couple of weeks. There was a Jack Snipe flushed on the Brue Estuary, where the Water Pipit is still hanging about with the Meadow Pipit flock. During the windy weather on the 12th there were 16 Kittiwakes seen off Burnham. There has also been a couple of Chiffchaffs in a garden at Berrow, one of which is a pale "eastern" type bird.

3rd February: It was a glorious day today with unbroken sunshine throughout. There were also a few birds to be seen. There were 13 Avocets swimming in the Parrett Estuary at high tide, and a Water Pipit on the short grass on the Brue Estuary, where there was also a Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank. There was a single Chiffchaff at Apex as well as a Carolina Wood Duck which is unringed and arrived after the recent storms, unfortunately if you pretend to throw bread out it will hot foot it across to within feet. 

Carolina Wood Duck, Apex, 3rd February 2007.



Common Sandpiper, Brue Estuary, 3rd February 2007.



Water Pipit, Brue Estuary , 3rd February 2007.





Avocets, Parrett Estuary, 3rd February 2007.

15th-16th January: The Yellow-browed Warbler was heard calling on both these mornings.

14th January: The wind dropped today allowing the Yellow-browed Warbler to put in an early morning appearance. This bird becomes, not surprisingly, very difficult to see when the wind increases.

12th January: The Green-winged Teal was seen again today after a couple of days off. There are also at least 3 Chiffchaffs in the Berrow/Brean area.

11th January: The stormy start to the year continues, producing a Razorbill and 110 Kittiwakes off Burnham Seafront today.

8th January: The Green-winged Teal is still on the Axe Estuary.

7th January: The second thoroughly miserable day weather wise in a row, was brightened only by a Green-winged Teal which spent the day in the Axe Estuary.

6th January: A dire day, with persistent heavy rain. The only sightings came from our kitchen window, 10 Blackcaps and 2 Jays.

5th January: The only news today was of 2000 Knot, 2000 Dunlin and 86 Sanderling at Berrow.

4th January: Another stormy day to bring in the new year. Seen off Burnham Seafront today there were 3 Great Skuas, 6 Kittiwakes and an adult Little Gull.

3rd January: Today was very gloomy, but much calmer and meant that the Yellow-browed Warbler showed well around dawn. On the Brue Estuary the Greenshank and Common Sandpiper from 2006 were seen today and there were also 6 Brent Geese. While at Berrow there was a high count of 148 Sanderling, 250 Knot and a Great Skua which paused briefly on the beach.

2nd January: Stormy conditions today produced up to 6 Great Skuas and 37 Kittiwakes from Burnham seafront.

1st January: The Yellow-browed Warbler was heard early in the morning, but blustery conditions hampered actually seeing the bird. Otherwise there was a Chiffchaff at Apex, a Merlin hunting Stert Island and 2 Stonechats on the Brue Estuary.

Stonechat, Brue Estuary, 1st January 2006.