This site publishes sightings from the Cotswold Water Park, irrespective of county boundaries or rarity. Each entry shows maximum numbers reported during the day. Records are forwarded to the CWPT Database and then on to Local Record Centres.
You can send in records by using the contact form (Sidebar or Comments page). Or direct to: Email: cwpbirds[at]gmail.com. Twitter: @CWPBirds.
2018 Bird List (165 as at 27/09)
Shorncote – Great White Egret, Little Egret, 40 Wigeon, 15 Teal, 6 Gadwall, 2 Water Rails heard, 4 Green Sandpipers, Curlew over, 137 Lapwings, Buzzard, Green Woodpecker, Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtails, 9 Meadow Pipits, fem Stonechat, 4 Fieldfares, 3 Redwing, 6 singing Cetti’s Warblers, Chiffchaff, 8 Reed Buntings, 4 Bullfinches, 25 Goldfinches, 9 Siskins over. (Plus 9 Roe Deer) – JM.
The Cotswold Water Park is one of a fairly small number of sites in the UK that has traditionally held a small number of wintering Smew. This striking sawbill is much sought after by birders, especially the black-and-white male also known as the “White Nun” and winter numbers have never reached more than the low hundreds across the UK as a whole, with the majority of birds being the less striking “redheads” ie females or immature males. Unfortunately numbers visiting CWP seem to have declined in recent winters, possibly related to climate change, and the birds tend to arrive with colder weather from the east, usually not until after Christmas – although the first of the winter was seen briefly last weekend. They tend to favour the same pits every year, in recent winters the area of pits 28/29/30 near Ashton Keynes (where the above photo was taken) but in previous years have also been seen on the Somerford Keynes pits 44/57 especially after a few days of freezing weather. Let’s hope that this winter is a good one for them locally.
Kingfisher by John Fletcher.
Pit 111 – 2m Goldeneye, 10 Tufted Duck, 16 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Goosander, 11 Tufted Duck, m Shoveler, 8 Cormorant, 9 Greylag Geese, 4 Moorhen, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Mallard, 3 Redwings, 11 Fieldfare, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 6 Lomg-tailed Tits, Kingfisher, 2 Goldcrests, 2 Chiffchaffs.
Pit 111a – 59 Coot, 27 Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, 4 Mallard.
Pit 125 – 62 Gadwall, 52 Teal, 45 Tufted Duck, 2 Red-crested Pochard, 3 Pochard, 4 Great crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Green Woodpecker, 4 Mute Swan, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull – John Fletcher.
Pit 41 – 26 Goosander (16m, 10f), fem Goldeneye, Grey Wagtail, 6 Siskin over.
Pit 44 – 43 Red-crested Pochard.
Pit 57 – fem Goldeneye.
Pit 65 – 4 Goosander (3m, f), 2m Goldeneye. – JM.
Short-eared Owl at Blakehill.
Blakehill – Short-eared Owl hunting from 3.20pm – JM, Ken Cypher, Robin Griffiths.
Pit 114 – fem SMEW briefly then flew west.
Pit 116 – 197 Greylag, 168 Canada Geese, 26 Wigeon, 26 Tufted Duck.
Pit 123 – 124 Pochard, 6 Goldeneye, 2 Common Gulls.
Pit 124 – 64 Pochard, 2 Goldeneye.
Pit 126 – 68 Gadwall, 16 Teal, 130 Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard, Yellow-legged Gull, 10 Common Gulls, Green Woodpecker, 2 Siskins over.
Pit 127 – 800 Lapwing.
John Durell, Robin Griffiths, Steve Davies.
Redwing by Chris Snook.
Cricklade – 50+ Redwings on Leisure Centre football pitch – Chris Snook.
Blakehill – 50-100 Fieldfares and Redwings, 25 Linnets, 2 Reed Buntings – Felicity Cobb.
Pit 12 – Red Kite over – Keith Perkins.
Pit 306/Roundhouse Quarry – 2 Little Grebe, Great White Egret, 2 Shelduck, 227 Wigeon, 160 Teal, 37 Gadwall, 66 Mallard, 14 Shoveler, 21 Tufted Duck, 200 Lapwing, Grey Wagtail, 120 Fieldfare, 4 Cetti’s Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff (also 3 Fallow Deer). Nigel Pleass/ Graham Lawlor.
drake Goosander by Duncan Dine.
Pit 104 – 20+ Goosander – Duncan Dine.
Pit 74/ Twitcher’s gate – 3 Great White Egrets, 42 Little Egrets, 261 Wigeon, 30 Gadwall, 34 Tufted Duck, 29 Pochard, 137 Lapwing over – Nigel Pleass.
Pit 132 – 75 Teal, 60 Wigeon, c180 Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, c35 Fieldfares – JM.
Pit 127 – 5 Egyptian Geese.
Pit 111 – 8 Goosanders – Ian Ralphs.
Whooper Swans by Bev Hughes.
Kempsford – Hannington Wick road – 2 Whooper Swans with the Mute Swan flock in fields on the Wiltshire side of the R Thames – Bev Hughes.
Pit 41 – 14 Goosander (10m, 4redhead) and a Great White Egret – Roger Gillespie.
Grey Wagtail at Shorncote.
Shorncote – 4 Water Rails calling, Shoveler, 15 Teal, 20 Gadwall, 40 Wigeon, 2 Buzzards, 35 Lapwing, Snipe over, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 2 GS Woodpeckers, 4 Meadow Pipits, Grey Wagtail, Skylarks over, 60 Fieldfares, 40 Redwings, 3 Song Thrush, pair Stonechats, 5+ Cetti’s W heard, Chiffchaff, male Blackcap, Goldcrest, 30+ Goldfinches, 25 Reed Buntings, 10 Bullfinches (also 8 Roe Deer) – JM.
Cleveland Lakes 68a/b – 2 Great White Egrets, 25 Little Egrets, 1 Grey Heron, Kingfisher, 1 Goldeneye, several Pochard – Felicity Cobb.
Short-eared Owl by Chris Snook.
Blakehill – Short-eared Owl hunting the plateau from before 2.45pm, keeping mainly to eastern side (further from main track) – Chris Snook, Clive Scarlett.
Ashton Keynes – 2 wary Mistle Thrushes visiting the garden, feeding on rowan berries – John Grearson.
Mistle Thrush by John Grearson.
