Report on outing to Cleeve Common, 13th April 2026B
As in previous years we met at the three masts car park on the south side of Cleeve Common where several members saw a Red Kite flying over. The Common was busier than usual on this occasion, perhaps due to the school holidays. However, there was also a fair number of other birders looking for migrating Ring Ouzels and between us we may have been causing more disturbance than would have been ideal. Ring Ouzels are notoriously shy and flighty.
Nevertheless, following a tip-off, we walked diagonally across the Common towards a fenced area known locally as the heather enclosure. On the way across, we had good views of Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Stonechats, and we had so many sightings of Wheatears that it was impossible to make an accurate count of the numbers seen. As with Ring Ouzels, the Wheatears would mostly have been using the hill as a refuelling stop on their migration journey north.
We then walked round the heather enclosure, where there seemed to have been recent conservation work to remove some of the gorse, perhaps to give the heather a better chance of surviving. Up the hill on the East side of the enclosure, we heard Ring Ouzels singing at least 2-3 times, but were unable to locate them visually. There were also Linnets, Dunnocks, Blackbirds and the ever-present Skylarks and Meadow Pipits.
Further round the enclosure, we stopped at the northern (downhill) side for some lunch and an opportunity to check the opposite side of the valley where we had seen Ring Ouzels in previous years. Sadly, we were out of luck, but there were Willow Warblers and the occasional Chiffchaff singing in the trees and bushes all round us. When we resumed our walk, heading across the common towards the south-west, we found a Whitethroat singing and further up we got our first and only sighting of a Ring Ouzel. It was a female and sadly quite a distance away, only identifiable using telescopes.
We continued across the Common and then walked back to the car park along the southern boundary of the common land adjacent to Butterfly Conservation’s Prestbury Hill reserve. The highlight here was a single Tree Pipit, performing according to its name by landing on bushes or trees each time it flew, and not going down onto the ground. One or two butterflies were also seen, but it was too cool and to early in the year for most of them.
A total of 24 species was recorded and the full list is below
Monday, April 13th 2026
Cleeve Common
Complete list
Start: 10:30 End: 13:15
Weather notes: A bright day with partial cloud. Dry with a chilly moderate
wind.
Species
Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)
Red Kite (Milvus milvus)
Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
Magpie (Pica pica)
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
Raven (Corvus corax)
Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
Whitethroat (Curruca communis)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)
Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)
Dunnock (Prunella modularis)
Pied Wagtail (yarrellii) (Motacilla alba yarrellii)
Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)
Linnet (Linaria cannabina)
Thanks to Stuart for these images
