2nd May:  Migrants on Brean included single Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher along with 3 Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Lesser Whitethroat. 15 Gannet were off the fort. In the evening watches from Burnham and Berrow produced around 120 Commic Tern moving upriver whilst the beach held 95 Bar Tailed Godwit and 21 Whimbrel. The Short Eared Owl was still hunting the golf course.

1st May: An amazing 6,500 Swallow passed Brean in a few hours. Also on the move were 14 Yellow Wagtail, 8 Tree Pipit, 450 House Martin and 150 Sand Martin whilst 17 Wheatear were grounded. From the fort earlier were single Arctic Skua, 3 Common Scoter and 6 Tufted Duck.

April:

30th April: A group of 14 Common Tern were settled on Berrow beach where there were also 17 Bar Tailed Godwit and 11 Whimbrel. The Short Eared Owl was still hunting the golf course there and a Cuckoo has been present for a few days. Swallow and smaller numbers of Swift were on the move all day.

29th April: A quite appalling day of weather with constant heavy rain and driving north easterlies. One brave soul did manage a trip to Brean recording a Shag and 2 Tufted Duck.

28th April: A Pomarine Skua and 2 Black Tern off Brean Down together with large numbers of Hirundines including over 500 House Martin.

26th April: 9 Gannet and 2 Sandwich Tern were off Brean where there were also 7 Grasshopper Warbler and 5 Redstart..

22nd April: North west winds continue to keep things very quiet. Just small numbers of the expected migrants on show at Berrow and Brean today. Lesser Whitethroat was new for the year. 2 Bonxie and a Fulmar off Brean Down. A pair of Goosander also flew past the down

21st April: A few migrants on Brean include Cuckoo, 2 Restart, 4 Grasshopper Warbler and a fair sprinkling of Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. Also there were 8 Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper and a Harbour Porpoise. 4 Spotted Redshank including 2 in summer dress were on the Brue Estuary together with a Common Sandpiper.

19th April: An hours watch off Berrow this morning produced 1 Bonxie and 3 Arctic Skua.

18th April: 2 Arctic Skua were off Burnham this afternoon

14th April: Excellent fall conditions helped produce good numbers of migrants mostly at Brean but also further south along the coast. There were at least 17 Redstart, 3 Pied Flycatcher, 200+ Willow Warbler, 25 Blackcap, 5 Wheatear, 4 Tree Pipit and a Cuckoo. A Marsh Harrier flew high north east over Apex.

13th April: Migrants at Brean Down included a reported Nightingale, 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 3 Redstart, 2 Tree Pipit and 15 each of Willow Warbler and Blackcap.

12th April: A Crossbill flew over Burnham. The Brue estuary held 615 Redshank and 2 Spotted Redshank.

6th April: An early Sedge Warbler was singing at Berrow where there were also 40 Knot. A Short Eared Owl has been hunting the golf course there for the past few evenings. Brean Down held a Ring Ouzel and 4 Wheatear whilst small numbers of Swallow and Sand Martin moved through together with a Tree Pipit.

March:

25th March: A male Ring Ouzel was the highlight on Brean Down where there were also 7 Willow Warbler. 3 Red Legged Partridge were also in the Brean area.

24th March: The Parrett / Brue estuary held 250 Oystercatcher, 50 Knot, 4 Bar Tailed Godwit and 2 Spotted Redshank.

23rd March: A decent fall of Chiffchaff overnight with over 30 on Brean Down and a good scattering along the coastline to Burnham.

22nd March: A further 220 Meadow Pipit passed over Brean Down where there were also 22 Siskin and a single Redpoll on the move.

21st March: The first Swallow of the year passed over Brean Down along with 120 Meadow Pipit.

17th March: A hint of early migration with 11 Chiffchaff at Berrow today, where 3 Sand Martin also moved through.  The past few weeks have again seen precious little to report. A few snippets have included a drake Goosander off Berrow on 11th when there was also a Yellowhammer at Bream. 1 or 2 Black Redstart also remain in residence around the Brean area.

February:

25th February: An excellent count of 7 Spotted Redshank on the Brue estuary where there were also 200 Redshank. 2 Siskin and a Redpoll flew over. Otherwise, little to report except c70 Sanderling and a Knot at Berrow.

22nd February: Things remain very quiet. The Lesser Yellowlegs was last seen around the 5th. The only noteworthy sightings recently include 3 Short Eared Owl at Berrow a couple of days ago, a Snow Bunting reported at Burnham marina last weekend and confirmation that the juvenile Bewicks Swan remains with Mutes behind Warren farm, Brean..

4th February: Bitterly cold weather this morning turning to heavy snow fall at lunch time. On the Parrett Estuary at Burnham there were 7 Tufted Duck, 2 Shoveler, 7 Pintail, 17 Mallard, 450 Teal, 900 Wigeon, 8000 Dunlin, and 4 Grey Plover. On the Brue there were just 8 Redshank, the Lesser Yellowlegs and a Jack Snipe. To see Roger Musgrove's video of the yellowlegs click here

January:

30th January: Apologies for the lack of recent updates but its really 'as you were' with little change over the past couple of weeks. The Lesser Yellowlegs remains on the Brue estuary together with 2 Spotted Redshank. The Snow Bunting is still on Burnham beach. Elsewhere there are at least 3 Black Redstart at Brean and around 200 Sanderling at Berrow.

15th January: A Red Kite drifted over Brean village. The Lesser Yellowlegs remains on the Brue estuary where there were also 2 Spotted Redshank. Berrow held 12 Sanderling and 13 Ringed Plover 

9th January: As you were really with just the Lesser Yellowlegs and Snow Bunting to report.

8th January: The Lesser Yellowlegs remains on the Brue as does the confiding Snow Bunting on Burnham beach. 5 Pochard were on Morland pool.

7th January: Both the Lesser Yellowlegs and the Snow Bunting remain in situ.  A rather poorly looking 1st winter Kittiwake was on Apex lake.

6th January: The Lesser Yellowlegs was again on the Brue where there were also 40 Golden Plover, 1 Grey Plover and around 1,000 Lapwing

5th January: Extremely nasty conditions over the last few days has keep most people indoors. However, the Lesser Yellowlegs and Spotted Redshank remain on the Brue estuary where there are also 330 Redshank and 12 Golden Plover.  Nearby the very confiding Snow Bunting is still on Burnham beach.

3rd January: A different Snow Bunting to the Burnham bird was flushed from the Brue estuary today.

2nd January: The Lesser Yellowlegs remains on the Brue estuary together with the Spotted Redshank.

1st January: Happy New Year! The Lesser Yellowlegs remained around the Brue Estuary, where there was 1 Spotted Redshank and 25 Redshank. On the Parrett Estuary there are plenty of ducks including 8 Pintail, 700 Teal and 800 Wigeon. The Burnham Snow Bunting was showing well on the tide-line this morning amongst the hoards of new year walkers. Also on the shore was a washed up wooden pallet covered in Goose Barnacles. At Brean the Bewick's Swan was still among the Mute Swan herd and 2 Black Redstart were around the Caravans near the down.

Lesser Yellowlegs, Brue Estuary. 1st January 2012.