Twenty-four species of bird identified in Friends of the Avon New Cut (FrANC) report
In the BS3 Wildlife article in January’s South Bristol Voice, p25, Ben Barker referred to a report being prepared by the Friends of the Avon New Cut (FrANC). This report has now been published and is available upon request via MyWildBedminster@virginmedia.com.
This initial report concentrates on birds seen and photographed during 2024. A total of 24 species were identified on the banks or swimming in the water. Some are ‘garden birds’ such as robins and blackbirds, but others like cormorants and Canada geese are ‘specialists’ unlikely to be seen in many other places in Bristol.
The range of species and the number of individuals is quite low, compared to what would have been seen, say, 25 to 50 years ago, but it’s not too late to reverse this downward trend. Indeed, reversing it is a key aim of both FrANC and the BS3 Wildlife Group as the Greater Bedminster Urban Nature Reserve enters its third year.
The FrANC report is one of several being produced by people living in BS3. The Bats of BS3 report appeared in December and is a record of sightings, or rather high pitched sounds picked up by a bat detector, during 2024. We think we have up to 10 bat species, out of the 17 on the UK list, living in or visiting the area. The Avon New Cut is an important corridor allowing bats to move easily through the Nature Reserve.
During 2025 we will be continuing with our butterfly and moth surveys and expanding to include dragonflies and damselflies.
Knowing who our wild neighbours are is the first step to protecting them. This is only going to be possible if enough people both care and join in.
Words by Ben Barker