The decision is made on sat evening for the three of us to drive up the M4 to Chipping Sodbury in Gloucestershire on Sunday morning the aim being a Woodchat Shrike that would be a lifer for Jimmy & I, we made good time & arrived just after 7 am.
Parking up just off the road the common is spread out in front of us & it is huge area.Three fellow birders pull up & park behind us & it's our lucky day as it was one of them David Poulton that had found the Shrike & they walked with us to the area the bird favoured.
It's a gloomy old day & after half an hour of no luck it starts to rain so not looking good, an hour or so later the rain eased & the sun started to warm things up & that was when the Shrike made it's appearance to big high fives for another lifer Jimmy & I & a year tick for Brian.
The 3 local birders had told us that the common was full of Whinchat & Common Redstart & we soon found that to be true when we see double figures of Whinchat & many Redstart flying about the place.First time any of us had been here & with what the locals were telling us about the amount of birds that they see here we are sure to return. After 3 hours or so of enjoying the locals company we depart for what will be our first visit to Slimbridge Nature reserve.
The weather is still pretty rough so not a lot of people on the reserve, we head to the hides & although there is nothing here to give us a year tick we really enjoy watching what was on offer with Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper,many Godwits & a couple of Cranes feeding out by the beach.
A walk through the conservation area was grand experience being able to get close up to many birds that we only get a distant view of & the birds that we are not able to see if you not able to travel to see them. Once again we shall return on a more weather friendly day.
So over all a smashing day out only 2 ticks but 2 new places visited & meet some really nice birders as well.
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| The Woodchat Shrike at Sodbury |
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| Greywag at Slimbridge |
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| Bewick |
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| Eider |
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| Bean Goose |
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| Bean Goose |
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| Black winged Stilt |
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| Male Eider |
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| Merganser |
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