Somerset Ornithological Society

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Home How to Join Photo Gallery Bird News Club News Where to go Birding County List Rarity Decisions Talks Walks Links		HURLSTONE AND GREENALEIGH POINTS Click here to open up a map of the site. Note that you can move around the area by using the buttons around the map and enlarge or reduce the scale by using the buttons below the map. Click on your back button to return to this page. MAP REFERENCES O.S. Landranger 181 Minehead & Brendon Hills area O.S. Outdoor Leisure 9 Exmoor Car parking for Hurlstone Point SS898480 and Greenaleigh Point SS970471 INTRODUCTION These two sites are the best for sea watching off the Somerset coast except in the conditions when Burnham-on-Sea comes into its own. They are poor, when compared with the famous sites in Cornwall and Devon, but as good as you will get this far up the Bristol Channel. ACCESS For Hurlstone Point park in the car park at Bossington and follow the signed footpath to the Point which is about 1.0 mile to the north. From the old coastguards look-out scan the Channel. Regulars climb down the rocks to just above sea level, but this is not recommended. Greenaleigh Point can be reached from the car park to the west of the harbour at Minehead. Park here and at the roundabout at the end of the public road follow the footpath signed to Greenaleigh. After walking west for about a mile take the footpath to Greenaleigh Beach which drops down into a field. Watch from this field usually sheltering under the hedge on the west side. SPECIES TO BE SEEN Both sites offer roughly the same species but Greenaleigh, not being as exposed as Hurlstone, is the prefered location in stormy weather. Early and late in the year red-throated divers are regular, with up to 100 being seen in late December, though numbers fall off quickly in January. Great northern and black-thoated divers are recorded each year but are not present in the same numbers as red-throated. At this time wintering auks, both razorbills and guillemots are regular. Puffin and little auk have been noted after winter gales and storms. Sea duck are mainly common scoter, and both velvet scoter and common eider have been present, though not annually. Late spring is when the first Manx shearwaters return. Numbers build up after mid-May and peak in June and July when several thousand birds may be seen feeding in the early morning. At this time fulmar, gannet and auks are also regular. Storm-petrels are seen in small numbers, mostly in misty north westerly winds. Skua passage in spring is sparse but can be excellent in August/September, depending on conditions, with all four species recorded. Strong westerly winds, shifting north-westerly at this time can result in the scarcer shearwaters and Sabine's gulls venturing this far up-Channel. Apart from sea birds the bushes around Hurlstone Point are worth checking for migrants, these tend to be in low numbers but species such as Ring Ouzel and Black Redstart are noted each year. TIMING Winds do not seem to influence feeding birds. However, early mornings are definitely best for the shearwaters, when several thousand can be seen in the first few hours after dawn. By mid-morning most have returned west. In autumn, easterly winds produce the best skua passage. Most birds are thought to come across the country from the east coast. Strong to gale force westerly winds are the time to scour the Channel for the more unusual species. Brian Gibbs
(c) Somerset Ornithological Society

HURLSTONE AND GREENALEIGH POINTS

Click here to open up a map of the site. Note that you can move around the area by using the buttons around the map and enlarge or reduce the scale by using the buttons below the map. Click on your back button to return to this page.

MAP REFERENCES

O.S. Landranger 181 Minehead & Brendon Hills area

O.S. Outdoor Leisure 9 Exmoor

Car parking for Hurlstone Point SS898480 and Greenaleigh Point SS970471

INTRODUCTION

These two sites are the best for sea watching off the Somerset coast except in the conditions when Burnham-on-Sea comes into its own. They are poor, when compared with the famous sites in Cornwall and Devon, but as good as you will get this far up the Bristol Channel.

ACCESS

For Hurlstone Point park in the car park at Bossington and follow the signed footpath to the Point which is about 1.0 mile to the north. From the old coastguards look-out scan the Channel. Regulars climb down the rocks to just above sea level, but this is not recommended. Greenaleigh Point can be reached from the car park to the west of the harbour at Minehead. Park here and at the roundabout at the end of the public road follow the footpath signed to Greenaleigh. After walking west for about a mile take the footpath to Greenaleigh Beach which drops down into a field. Watch from this field usually sheltering under the hedge on the west side.

SPECIES TO BE SEEN

Both sites offer roughly the same species but Greenaleigh, not being as exposed as Hurlstone, is the prefered location in stormy weather. Early and late in the year red-throated divers are regular, with up to 100 being seen in late December, though numbers fall off quickly in January. Great northern and black-thoated divers are recorded each year but are not present in the same numbers as red-throated.

At this time wintering auks, both razorbills and guillemots are regular. Puffin and little auk have been noted after winter gales and storms. Sea duck are mainly common scoter, and both velvet scoter and common eider have been present, though not annually. Late spring is when the first Manx shearwaters return. Numbers build up after mid-May and peak in June and July when several thousand birds may be seen feeding in the early morning. At this time fulmar, gannet and auks are also regular. Storm-petrels are seen in small numbers, mostly in misty north westerly winds. Skua passage in spring is sparse but can be excellent in August/September, depending on conditions, with all four species recorded. Strong westerly winds, shifting north-westerly at this time can result in the scarcer shearwaters and Sabine's gulls venturing this far up-Channel. Apart from sea birds the bushes around Hurlstone Point are worth checking for migrants, these tend to be in low numbers but species such as Ring Ouzel and Black Redstart are noted each year.

TIMING

Winds do not seem to influence feeding birds. However, early mornings are definitely best for the shearwaters, when several thousand can be seen in the first few hours after dawn. By mid-morning most have returned west. In autumn, easterly winds produce the best skua passage. Most birds are thought to come across the country from the east coast. Strong to gale force westerly winds are the time to scour the Channel for the more unusual species.

Brian Gibbs