Considering the weather and recent bird sightings, Kev @kev07713 and I decided that heading southwest would be our best option. Conveniently, this also gave us the chance to meet up with Kev's sister, Karen @hobbylovinglife, and her partner, Dean @worlebirder. They were planning some local birdwatching and had gathered some useful intel. We arranged to meet them early - around 6:30 am - at Pilning Wetlands in Gloucestershire, about an hour and 35-minute drive from home. It was my turn to drive, picking Kev up on the way, and we opted to skip our usual breakfast stop, planning to sort something out later.
On our way, we followed the pin-drop Karen had just shared and arrived to find her and Dean lacing up their walking boots. After a quick catch-up, we set off along the new flood defences and onto the sea wall. Reports had mentioned five jack snipe "showing well" at one of the pools, so we headed in that direction, pausing to scan the water and exposed beach as we walked.
The jack snipe is a small, secretive wading bird that winters in the UK but does not breed here - it is a passage and winter visitor, arriving from its breeding grounds in northern Europe and Siberia around September, and staying until March or April. It is smaller and has a shorter bill than the common snipe. It is well-camouflaged with brown, black, and buff markings, notably "bobbing" up and down when feeding, and prefers dense vegetation where it remains hidden.
A small flock of dunlin flew overhead and one of the rear birds looked smaller - potentially a little stint ... hopefully we'd catch up with the flock later and make an ID then. The call of curlew, green woodpecker, chiffchaff, and Cetti's warbler rang out as we walked along to the pools ahead - apparently this stretch of the track has changed very considerably since Karen and Dean were here last - hopefully it has not affected the birds.
We spotted redshank, coot, moorhen, gadwall, and teal in the pools as we eagerly scanned for our target. Dean was the first to pick out a jack snipe, watching as it flew from the far end of the first pool and low toward the second. I only caught a glimpse of a bird in flight and couldn't confirm the ID. While Kev and Dean stayed behind to scan, Karen and I continued ahead. I paused when I spotted a bird through my binoculars - switching to my scope, I could clearly see it was a jack snipe. I called Karen back for a look - tick.
We signalled Kev and Dean to join us, but by the time they arrived, the bird had vanished - flown? I scanned the water’s edge and briefly picked up a common snipe just before it took off. Despite further searching around the first pool, we couldn't locate another, so we decided to move on and check the second pool where the birds appeared to have relocated.
Setting up our scopes, we all focused on the reeds at the water’s edge. Soon, we locked onto the same bird, a jack snipe. We watched as it moved onto the exposed vegetation to feed, joined by a handful of common snipe. Then another jack appeared. Then a third. As we watched, meadow pipits flitted in, and as Karen scanned the flock, she picked out a water pipit among them. Kev managed to capture some footage, but I struggled to get a clear photo - tracking the snipe was tricky enough. In the end, I opted to record some video for a better record.
Across the pools we could count eight avocet preening and feeding - one of my favourite birds. The avocet is one of the UK’s most striking wading birds and a conservation success story. It is a migratory breeder, returning to the UK in spring (March-April) from wintering grounds and from as far afield as southern Europe and Africa. Since 2016, the estimated number of breeding pairs has remained above 2,000, with a five-year mean of 2,221 pairs.
We'd had a good time on the reserve (49 species) but decided to move on, first for some breakfast and then to travel north to Whelford Pools Nature Reserve in the Cotswold Water Park where there was a drake lesser scaup, first reported on 19 March. The lesser scaup is a rare winter visitor to the UK, seen in small numbers and is a North American diving duck, often found among flocks of tufted ducks. It has a dark head with a slight purple sheen, pale grey back, and black tail - the head has a more peaked shape compared to the rounder-headed greater scaup and the bill is blue-grey with a small black tip.
The first recorded sighting in the UK was in Staffordshire in 1987 and by 2006, over 60 individuals had been recorded, averaging about two per year. Recent records indicate that the number of sightings has continued to rise, with notable events such as a record-breaking flock of 10 lesser scaups observed in Cornwall in 2023.
On the way, we lost Karen and Dean, so waited for them to catch up in the reserve car park. While we waited, we heard a blackcap singing from the dense brambles nearby.
Whelford Pools NR is a former gravel pit transformed into a thriving freshwater habitat, known for its wintering wildfowl. Located within the Cotswold Water Park, the reserve often provides good views of red-crested pochards. While some areas are restricted to protect nesting and roosting birds, visitors can explore designated hides and pathways.
From the car park, it was a short walk to the hide where the scaup had been reported. Dean set up just to the right of the hide, while Kev, Karen, and I went inside. Within minutes, we spotted the scaup, though it was partly obscured by reeds in front of the hide and was diving frequently, staying under for long periods. As we watched, a Cetti’s warbler called just off to the left, eventually flying across in front of the hide.
Dean then popped his head around the door, letting us know he had spotted a drake red-crested pochard at the far end of the pool, about 400 meters away. However, despite searching, we could only find common pochards.
Kev stepped outside for a stroll and returned with news - he’d spoken to another birder who had spotted four red-crested pochards on a nearby pool. We headed over to check but had no luck in locating them.
I paused at a clearing that provided access to the bank overlooking the pool where our lesser scaup had been seen. After a few minutes of scanning, I spotted it again. I stayed there, watching for a good half hour, before the rest of the group rejoined me. We also managed to get a better view of a Cetti’s warbler before it darted along the back of the pool and disappeared - no photo this time.
Kev and Dean said that they'd managed to see some restricted views of a red-crested pochard on the adjacent pool and so we made our way back, looking to see if Karen and I could tick one. The red-crested pochard is a striking diving duck found in the UK both as a resident and as a winter visitor. The male has a distinctive orange-red head with a rounded shape, a bright red bill, and black breast and tail, with pale flanks. The female is quite different with more subdued brown plumage, pale cheeks with a dark cap and a greyish-brown body.
The UK has a resident breeding population - around 40–100 pairs - mainly found in southern and central England, in winter the population increases significantly with several hundred individuals arriving from continental Europe. The Cotswold Water Park is a known breeding location.
Dean fell behind but when he eventually joined us, he immediately picked up a drake red-crested pochard i the pool directly behind the far end of the pool - it took Karen and I a few minutes but eventually we both saw the bird and got our tick.
We hopped into the cars and headed to another site featuring wetland meadows, offering a chance to spot ducks, geese, and woodland birds. In the fields, we noticed stock doves foraging, accompanied by a couple of Egyptian geese.
As we neared the wetland meadows, the number of meadow pipits and pied wagtails steadily increased. To our left, we spotted numerous ducks, including two pairs of red-crested pochards, along with a grey heron and a couple of little egrets. Off to our right, a great white egret stood tall in the shallows.
We walked along the edge of the meadow and Karen spotted something you don't see every day ... a scarlet ibis. The scarlet ibis is not native to the UK but occasionally appears as an escapee from captivity. This striking bright red bird is naturally found in South America and the Caribbean, particularly in Venezuela, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago - there are no confirmed records of genuinely wild scarlet ibises reaching the UK naturally. In the summer of 2024, there was a sighting at Stodmarsh Nature Reserve in Kent - believed to be an escapee freely roaming the area. There had also been reports from Dorset around the same period.
The bird was around 400mm away but conspicuous by its colour - we moved along the path hoping to get a line where we could get a photo and/or a video - we were partially successful, but it was always going to be hard at that distance. We spent a while watching as it appeared and disappeared. We hoped that a wandering muntjac deer might flush it back into the open but in the end, we decided to take one last look on the water behind and return to the car.
On our return along the track we came across a splendid looking duck that seemed very at hope with humans. Looking at references when I got home it appears to have been a Cayuga duck - a domestic breed known for its striking black plumage with an iridescent black / green sheen - plumage that shimmers with deep emerald-green hues when caught in the light, most vivid in sunlight, giving the duck an almost magical appearance. It is primarily kept for ornamental purposes, egg production, and meat. The colour is richest in younger birds and may gradually fade to a soft grey as they age. The overall effect is striking, almost otherworldly.
It originated in the United States in the early 19th century, specifically in the Finger Lakes region of New York (named after Cayuga Lake) and is believed to have descended from wild black ducks crossed with domestic breeds. They can sometimes as ornamental pets for their unique colour and friendly nature.
Reaching the car we talked about what to do next and we agreed to stop with Karen and Dean to watch some owls - at our venue a barn owl is almost guaranteed, but there was also the hope of a short-eared owl. The farmer leaves set-aside / fallow areas to promote biodiversity, and it has become an important habitat for these barn and short-eared owls. The open, unmanaged grassland provide excellent hunting grounds for the owls, which rely on a steady supply of small mammals, particularly field voles, mice, and shrews. The longer grass and undisturbed vegetation allow vole populations to thrive, providing a reliable food source.
After about a 15-minute wait, a barn owl duly appeared, gliding low over the field on the brow, silently scanning for movement. It hovered briefly before diving with precision - a textbook hunting display. We watched for around 20 minutes, enjoying the spectacle, when another owl crossed the back of the field. Raising our binoculars, we confirmed it was indeed a short-eared owl, a year tick for Karen and Dean.
Time passed - Kev and I left the others to remain in the hope for better views while we set off back toward Banbury and our evening plans. Another fantastic day of birding, made even better by catching up with friends - a perfect way to spend a Saturday.
Year list: 144.
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