Best place to spot a <bird> in Reading...

[ChrisEdwards]

So it's getting harder and harder for me to find birds I've not seen. I've seen most 'common' birds now, but that I mean birds that require little effort to see.

Here are the birds I'd like to see. If you could let me know where you've had most success spotting one in Reading I'd be very grateful!

Any type of Owl
Goldcrest
Bullfinch
Any Egret

I'm sure more will come to me!

[rolf]

Hi Chris, Goldcrests seem to like evergreen shrubs and trees in my experience, but I've seen them on most reserves. Last time I was at Hungerford, Freemans Marsh, there were quite a few of them in roadside bushes adjacent to the A4. Closer to hand there are often a couple on the Loddon side walk to the Ron Bryant hide on the Lea Farm Pit. I also have them in the small nearby wood, you may try looking down along the river at Linear Park near you.

Seen lots of Owls in flight, but seldom see them perched, often one during spring and summer in the field next to the Bittern hide at Lavell's lake.

Bullfinches can be elusive, not had one in the garden for a long time, but saw several last Spring at Thatcham reed beds.

Little Egrets I've seen at Thatcham reed beds, Woolhampton gravel pit (behind the Row Barge) and occasionally at Lavell's, also seem to remember seeing them over at Moor Green Lakes and the odd one at Hosehill.

This bird record spreadsheet may well be useful to you, if you enter a 1 in column D for any sightings, it'll total at the bottom..

[joe]

Hi Chris, I have seen a pair(male and female) of bull finches at the feeders by bittern hide, occasional little egret at Lavell's lake and at Lea farm hide. I've also seen bull finches at Pulborough brooks (rspb reserve), Gold crests can be seen occasionally at london wetland centre. There is a barn owl box on the visitor centre roof at Pulborough they raise some young this year.
Joe

[RacingSnake]

IF I can just jump onto this thread instead of starting my own!!!
I'm also looking for owl spotting places around Reading....
I plan on heading over the M4 towards the Grazeley area on the hunt for them later, but I'm not feeling confident!, I understand the Barn owl population is quite buoyant around Berkshire at the moment so it can't be that difficult... right?!

Not sure if anyone has any 'new' places that I might head out to?

[ChrisEdwards]

Thanks for the reply guys.

I actually saw a Bullfinch at Hosehill a couple of weeks ago, no mistaking what it was!

And I guess I can tick the owl box too. Stuck in traffic on the M4 I saw a white/cream mass near the central reservation, I knew exactly what it was from a distance, poor old barn owl