Birdwatching at Oldbury Power Station

See 2021 for a Review of last year.

25/1/22 – A Coal Tit on the peanut feeder by the orchard is the 88th species for me at OPS this year - equal record start to year (with 2019). And for all-comers it is now 93 species at OPS this year, beating the old record start of 90 from 2016. "Thanks", to whoever is filling the feeder ! Also a Treecreeper by the car park. The male Peregrine attacked the Lapwing flock out over the estuary and singled one out. Peregrines are fast and manoeuvrable, but no chance with a Lapwing ! It could have been different if the female Peregrine had not arrived a bit late.

24/1/22 – The Barnacle Goose still feeding with 45 Canada Goose in field to SW of Lagoon 3. And, strangely, a juv/fem Merlin on the ground in the same field. May have been on a kill, but scared off by geese.

Curlew with coloured rings 'ROY' (Red on Left, Orange over Yellow on Right) at Littleton. (Photo by MP.)

23/1/22 – The Barnacle Goose was feeding with 45 Canada Goose in waterlogged field to SW of Lagoon 3.

22/1/22 – Frosty again. The yacht club saltmarsh had 25 Skylark, 11 Yellowhammer and 3 Rock Pipit (plus a probable Water Pipit seen very briefly).

Rock Pipit

21/1/22 – A frosty morning (-4 deg C) was good for raptors. A female Marsh Harrier quartering the shore as it slowly made its way downriver. Some video. And a Merlin chased an isolated Dunlin low over the estuary. The Barnacle Goose was still at Pillhead Gout, as was the Grey Plover (photo below). HE reported a fem-type Black Redstart and a Chiffchaff. MB reported a Grey Wagtail.
PK reported two Harbour Porpoise, just off Lydney Harbour outfall at 10.30am, 150m from shore, moving down stream with falling tide.

20/1/22 – A Barnacle Goose at Pillhead Gout over HT, and a Grey Plover there. The first Little Grebe of the year on a 95% frozen lake. 2 Black Redstart on roofs. A male Blackcap and a Mistle Thrush in the Anchor Inn car park.
AM's WeBS count: 42 Mallard, 197 Wigeon, 143 Teal, 225 Curlew, 766 Lapwing, 109 Dunlin, 110 Snipe (along shore), 23 Redshank, 85 Turnstone, 1 Little Egret, 7 Grey Heron, 2 Peregrine and 4 Stonechat. LP reported 7 Golden Plover (flying over with Lapwing) and a Chiffchaff. Golden Plover is the 90th species at the site this year (with my total at 85).

18/1/22 – The adult male Black Redstart between waterworks and jetty. 2 Redpoll flew from Lagoon 2. The weedy field by the yacht club had: 18 Skylark, 6 Yellowhammer, c100 Redwing and 5 Pheasant. The Starling roost has switched from Lagoon 3 to Lagoon 2 reedbeds, as c4,000 over Lagoon 2 at dusk. And in the Tidal Res. roost, a Common Gull with unusually dark head, which is small with small bill. Could be an Eastern (or Western) subspecies.

17/1/22 – 3 Black Redstart reported (2f, m). AM/MP reported: 250 Redwing and 50 Meadow Pipit in the set-aside field by yacht club and a Blackcap by the lake. 2 Little Egret over and 11 Bullfinch, and I actually got a decent photo. And "thousands" of Starling reported leaving the reedbed roost on Lagoon 2 at dawn.

16/1/22 – The adult and 2 cub Otter reported this morning (photo by HE below - Wow !). Also 3 Black Redstart (m & 2f) and 16 Bullfinch reported. The first Snowdrops flowering (photo taken 1 day earlier than last year).

15/1/22 – A frosty morning (-2 degs C) and 2 Raven on a sheep carcass at the yacht club. Also a Mistle Thrush and 25 Fieldfare. Plus 11 Yellowhammer and a drake Pintail still. 8 Roe Deer is the highest count at OPS. 2 Black Redstart reported.

14/1/22 – An adult winter Mediterranean Gull in the evening roost on the Tidal Res., with c500 Common Gull and 500+ Black-headed Gull. 3 Pintail (2m, 1f) at Shepperdine, 2 Black Redstart (female by the waterworks and male reported by CS), and 10 Snipe on Lagoon 1. TK reported a Tawny Owl hooting by the entrance yesterday at 4:30pm. (Nice photo of Kestrel by TK below.)

13/1/22 – RE reported a Nuthatch with a tit flock at lunchtime. And Little Egret added to OPS year list - roosting in tree by lake in freezing fog. That is 85 species this year (82 for me). The best by end of January was 90 in 2016 (88 for me in 2019).

12/1/22 – 16 White-fronted Goose flew from inland at the yacht club, directly over my head, calling a sqeaky soft 'ky-ok', at 2:45pm. They then turned and flew SW along the shore. (Towards sun, and lost to view.) They seemed heavily barred below with orangish bills (initial thought was Greylags), so possibly 'Greenland' subspecies (although there has been no double-figure count in England in 2022, so seems unlikely!). Some video (one calls once right at start). Last at OPS in 2019, and before that in 2010. Were more numerous before 2000.
The male Black Redstart was on SW side of the jetty at 2:20pm - video. Also a drake Pintail, 7 Stonechat and 2 Skylark over to NE.

11/1/22 – AM reported: 2+ Otter at the back of the lake at 9am, the male Black Redstart between jetty and waterworks first thing this morning, and later with female by the jetty, 6+ Yellowhammer, 2 Kestrel, 47 Canada Goose, 236 Wigeon, 133 Teal, 2 Gadwall, 165 Dunlin, 261 Lapwing, 31 Redshank, 13 Oystercatcher, 65 Turnstone, 8 Ringed Plover and 8 Grey Heron.
2 Greylag Goose were roosting on the Tidal Res. in the fog (photo below); and Redpoll (over) and Jay added to this year's OPS list (81 species). A video of 4 Roe Deer, just 10 yards away and nice and calm.

10/1/22 – A Spoonbill was feeding on the near shore of the Tidal Res. at 11:05am, but then flew upriver after a couple of minutes. (I spotted it from half-mile away by Lagoon 3 and unfortunately my camera wouldn't focus in the misty drizzle.) The last one here was in 2018. January is the best month at OPS for Rare (16) and Very Rare (8) birds. Next best is April with 14 Rare and 6 Very Rare, then October with 12 Rare and 5 Very Rare.
A female-type Black Redstart on the fences and still 10 Yellowhammer by the yacht club. Also a Brambling seemed to fly from the Lagoon 3 hedge, but went to NE, calling. 8 Raven seen this morning; 4 high over to W, the usual pair calling from pylons and another pair by a sheep carcass in Oldbury Pill near the yacht club.

9/1/22 – 286 Lapwing and c100 Curlew in flooded field to SW of Lagoon 3. CL reported 6+ Yellowhammer at the yacht club this morning (photo by CL below) and a flyover Brambling calling. BD reported 3 Green Woodpecker and a pair of Stonechat.
And this beautiful Fox asleep just 10 yards from the path, completely oblivious to people walking past.

8/1/22 – TK reported 20+ Turnstone with Dunlin flock on seawall by Lagoon 1 at HT (photo by TK below). Also, 26 Stock Dove in a flock at Shepperdine and 3 Greenfinch on Lagoon 3.

7/1/22 – The male and female Black Redstart still, by the jetty this afternoon. And now 11 Yellowhammer by the yacht club.

6/1/22 – A very good morning's birding. -1 deg C at dawn, but calm. A 1st-winter Shag was close-in to shore at Shepperdine on the incoming tide at 8:45am. It swam along the shore for 5 minutes allowing me to get some video. Then it flew upriver. Only the 4th record at OPS. I had the first two records; storm-blown juvs. in Sept. of 2008 & 2011. The other record is of a flock of 22 that flew upriver in Aug 2016 (first seen at Severn Beach).
There was a flock of 8 Yellowhammer and 5 Reed Bunting on the saltmarsh at the yacht club. 5 Ringed Plover on seawall and a Grey Plover by yacht club. The flooded field between Lagoon 3 and yacht club held: 253 Lapwing, 15 Shelduck, 2 Greylag Goose, 53 Canada Goose and c100 Curlew. A Treecreeper was with a Long-tailed Tit flock in wood by lake.

5/1/22 – c4,000 Starling murmuration over Lagoon 3 between 4pm and 4:32pm, when they all dived into the reedbed together. Mesmerising. Also, 5 Snipe.

4/1/22 – A Grey Plover and 215 Curlew over HT at Pillhead Gout and c900 Black-headed Gull feeding in fields inland of here. A Blackcap and a Mistle Thrush in the Anchor pub car park. In the flooded field between Lagoon 3 and yacht club: 18 Shelduck, 56 Canada Goose and the Greylag Goose.

3/1/22 – 3 Black Redstart (m + 2f) on fence of Lagoon 2, and then in waterworks this morning - the adult male sang briefly ! A Kingfisher at Oldbury sluice (reported by PB), 3 Stonechat (pair at yacht club and male by waterworks) and c2,000 Starling flew E at dawn (coming out of roost, either Lagoon 3 or further downriver). MP reported a Chiffchaff by the entrance, 7 Grey Heron in field and 'headstart' Curlew '21' & '23' on Lagoon 1.

2/1/22 – At dawn, an adult Otter was with 2 cubs on the lake ! I watched them play for 5 minutes, then made a bit of a faff getting my camera out and they melted away. (Last seen in August.) A Green Sandpiper flushed from the muddy and wet field next to the chicken sheds at Jobsgreen Farm; the Greylag Goose is still with an increased flock of 45 Canada Goose; 242 Wigeon counted (145 x yacht club, 97 x Shepperdine) and c1,000 Black-headed Gull flushed to the estuary, from fields inland by Littleton.

1/1/22 – BD reported 3 Black Redstart - ad male near jetty (photo by @petercoslett below), and 2 fem-types.
Mild at dawn (10 deg C). A pair of Stonechat on jetty saltmarsh, a Greylag Goose with 35 Canada Goose in flooded field to SW of Lagoon 3, a Grey Wagtail (waterworks), and the following all singing: Song Thrush, 8 Robin, 1 Cetti's Warbler and a Collared Dove. On the lake were drakes of: Tufted Duck, 2 Gadwall and a Teal. (A total of 56 species.)