BIRD WATCHING SPECIAL INTERESTS

Bristol 1904 Arts: The Avians

Within Bristol 1904 Arts the Bird Watching group is colloquially called The Avians. The Avian Group is headed up jointly by Mike Newstead and Jeffrey Mason.

The Avians comprise an informal group who enjoy bird watching trips around Bristol and sometimes further afield. All trips are open to members and their partners.

It is most certainly a “mixed ability” group in terms of birding knowledge and “beginners” are not discouraged from joining.

Normally, each trip involves visiting a suitable location in the morning for a few hours birding followed by a pub lunch somewhere convenient and preferably congenial, although sometimes a packed lunch is more suitable if birding is to continue into the afternoon. We endeavour to arrange 8 or 9 monthly trips through the Autumn, Winter and Spring and sometimes into the Summer.

Although there are many possible locations to visit, we have found it best to use ones which are not overly far away, have fairly easy walking and will usually produce a good number and variety of birds. For example, locations on the Avians’ rota comprise Steart Marshes, Blagdon Lake, New Passage and Pilning Wetlands, Portbury Wharf, the Exe Estuary by way of a boat trip, the RSPB Newport Wetlands Reserve, the various reserves in the Somerset Levels, the Forest of Dean, the Clevedon Coast and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust’s centre at Slimbridge.