Covering part of the Avon New Cut in Bristol from Bathurst Bridge to Ashton Avenue Bridge.

Earlier in the year, we let members know that we’d been asked by Ben Barker if we would take part in a wildlife survey for the Greater Bedminster Urban Nature Reserve. Ben already had many BS3 gardens and some local parks contributing, but including the wildlife along the New Cut would increase the diversity of the survey’s findings. Ben described the project this way:

We don’t have a form, it’s just a question of people noting down what they see along the Cut and collecting that information together. You might want to make general comments like ‘can be seen on most days’ or ‘usually seen in small flocks’ or ‘very rarely seen’ or ‘only in the autumn’ or ‘swimming with young’ etc. If pictures can be taken, so much the better. Birds are probably the easiest group to record, but if anyone is interested in butterflies, toadstools or hedgehogs that’s fine too. 

At the end of the year, we will try to collate the information into a report across BS3 which will give a rough idea of the situation in 2024. I think this report will be ‘indicative’ rather than ‘scientific’. Once we have it, we will circulate it as much as we can to raise local awareness.”

This report has been collated by Laura Demery. Much of it is from her observations as she regularly made her way along the Chocolate Path to her allotment, but it does also include occasional input from two or three other FrANC members. Next year it would be great to have more members contributing.

The focus was on birds, but notes have been made of other wildlife that was spotted. Butterflies and moths weren’t included this time and we hope to give them more attention another year.

The counts are the maximum seen of a species at one point in time and cover the period from January to December 2024. 

Bird Species	Number and Frequency
Blackbird	Single, occasionally throughout the year. Both male and female seen.
Black-headed Gull	Frequently and several at a time (up to 12) all year. Mature & juveniles.
Canada Goose	7 in March. 2 in May.
Cormorant	Frequently singles on the water, flying along the Cut or drying their wings standing on rocks. Up to 8 roosting in nearby trees.
Crow	Frequently all year – either singly or small groups of up to 4.
Dunnock	1 in June.

Bird Species	Number and Frequency
Feral Pigeon	Several all year, especially around Ashton Avenue bridge. Maximum 15.
Great Tit	1 in May.
Grey Wagtail	Most months, usually only 1, but once 2.
Heron	1 spotted frequently from July to December.
Herring Gull	All year and often in large groups of mature & juveniles. Up to 50 mixed gulls in the water (Lesser Black-back & Herring Gulls) *
Jackdaw	May, June, Oct. Maximum 10.
Jay	1 juvenile in November.
Lesser Black-backed Gull	See Herring Gull *
Magpie	Frequently, often single, sometimes pairs. 3 in November and December.
Mallard	Frequently. Small groups of males or pairs. Female with ducklings in May. Maximum 7.
Moorhen	Occasionally all year, usually single. Maximum 2.

Bird Species	Number and Frequency
Oystercatcher	1 in May and June. Could have been male and female alternating feeding on the Cut as they were nesting nearby.
Pied Wagtail	1 in June and again in November.
Redshank	January and December. Maximum 2.
Robin	Occasionally single.
Sandpiper (common)	1 in January. 2 in May.
Swan	Pair with 6 cygnets in June to September. Then juveniles on their own in October and November.
Wren	1 in August.

Other wildlife