| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: | |
| When: | Monthly on Friday mornings 4th Friday of month |
| Venue: | Various |
| Cost: | None apart from a possible bird reserve entrance fee |
We visit local birdwatching sites in Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, and also places of birdwatching interest further afield. New members are welcome. Car sharing can be arranged.
The group met locally at Avon Meadows, Pershore last year, as well as travelling to the Gloucester area, the Forest of Dean and to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve of Slimbridge. Birds migrate to either spend the winter here, ducks and geese for example, or to spend the summer months with us as is the case with many insect feeding birds like warblers and flycatchers. We time our visits accordingly.
In winter we went to both Slimbridge and the lakes of the Forest of Dean for overwintering wildfowl. In spring we enjoyed the song of Nightingales at Highnam Woods near Gloucester and Sedge and Reed Warblers at Pershore. Our June meeting was for a special bird, the Nightjar. These summer visitors breed on heathland and appear at dusk to feed on flying insects such as moths, so in June it was an evening meeting to the Forest of Dean. We were lucky to both see them and hearing their strange "churring" song.
Contact Alan Chambers for more information.
Bird Watching Out and About
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Slimbridge January 2026
We went looking for winter wildfowl and waders and we weren’t disappointed. There were tens of thousands of birds in and around Slimbridge and we were lucky to get great views of them in the sun. Even the WWT volunteers and staff seemed taken aback by the numbers.
The key species at this time of year are Bewick’s swans, Russian white-fronted geese, cranes, wigeon, teal, lapwing, dunlin and golden plover and we managed good views of all those, but also saw the rarer Tundra bean geese and two little stints. The highlight was probably some great views of a juvenile goshawk, often sitting in a tree, but then flying to the ground in front of us, albeit at quite a distance.
Bewicks swans - Geoff Bryant 
Goshawk 
Pintail SC -
November 2025 Middleton
The weather was kind as ten of us started our birding in glorious sunshine following the path alongside the stream through Mill Plantation. At the first feeding station there was a good selection of tits and finches and good views of the first of at least three nuthatches. Further along we had glimpses of a treecreeper and siskin. Moving on towards the canal many of the group saw siskin and redpoll, thankfully at a lower level avoiding the neck-straining views we had of the siskin in the woods.
The lakes gave us views of wheeling lapwing and small flocks of winter ducks now looking resplendent in their post-eclipse plumage in the winter sun. There were also at least three goldeneyes, a great white egret and little egret. We timed our visit to the only hide perfectly as a heavy rain shower started on as we entered. After sheltering there until the rain passed we made our way back to the car park picking up sightings of a stonechat and a sparrowhawk.
Robin -SC 
Greenfinch and great tit -SC 
Nuthatch and berries - GB -
October 2025 - WWT Steart Marshes
Somehow, we got away with it. The forecast for the day was not good, especially for the Somerset coast, but the only time the heavy rain troubled us was driving to and from the reserve.
We started at the main reserve, timing our visits between the hides to avoid the rain showers. At least two Marsh Harriers could be seen throughout the day as well as many Kestrels. Other raptors included a Sparrowhawk, a Buzzard a Ravens. Wigeon were present in large numbers. Other winter ducks included Teal and a few Pintail. The highlight was probably the wheeling displays of the Golden Plover and the wonderful views of them from the Quantock Hide.
We finished our day with views across Bridgewater Bay (thank you to Stuart for leading us to the less than obvious viewpoint). Here we had lovely views of more waders; Ringed Plover, Curlew, Grey Plover and Dunlin, swirling around in flocks, catching the light of the sun.
Looking at waders in Bridgewater Bay - Jo 
Golden Plovers - Geoff 
Reed Bunting - Geoff 
Marsh Harrier - Geoff -
September 2025 Grimley
After reports of a fire at Goldcliff and of dried-up pools at Newport the venue was switched to the local birding site a Grimley in north Worcestershire. The weather was good to us though the early sun did provide a few difficulties with viewing. The long-staying Glossy Ibis eluded us, though there was a possible sighting of a bird flying off from the far end of Camp Lane pits to the south. It appears to only be there for the evening roost and ventures off along the Severn valley during the day. Good views were had of passage waders, Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper and winter visiting Common Snipe. Winter duck numbers were starting to increase and wildfowl were coming out of eclipse plumage.
Common tern -Geoff 
Mute Swan - Geoff 
Moorhen - Geoff
