Around Gloucester birding

Hawfinch

Yew Tree Brake

Dipper

Forest of Dean

Tack Piece

Scaup

Pintail

Two birding friends kindly offered me a couple hours round Gloucestershire as the one was trying to see 150 species in January. With nothing very far from the car and plenty of painkillers inside me it was nice to get out. 

Hawfinch was the first bird in the notebook as one sat up nicely at Parkend. We didn't have any luck up at the church for Crossbills so we headed to Wenchford Picnic Area where a Dipper was feeding just beneath us. At Cannop Ponds we saw a dozen Manadrin and three Goosander before heading to Yew Tree Brake where we finally saw a Crossbill. Whilst we did stop at New Fancy the weather wasn't very kind so chances to see a Goshawk were unlikely.

Our final stop was Slimbridge as the weather moved in. Our sightings from along the Holden pathway included large flocks of Dunlin, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Barnacle Geese, Black-tailed Godwit, Wigeon whilst other birds of note including a few year ticks three Avocet, 50 Pochard, 40 Redshank, 15 Curlew, 300 Pintail, 110 White-fronted Geese, 118 Bewick Swans and a Greater Scaup.

Many thanks to Pete Walkden for his fantastic images of Hawfinch & Dipper.