Greylake

“There is a silent eloquence/ In every wild bluebell/ That fills my softened heart with bliss” ~ Anne Bronte

Fill your heart with bliss from the silent eloquence of wild bluebells or other wild flowers on a stroll around Swell Wood this spring.

You’ll need to time your visit right to see them. Bluebells have a short window when they are at their peak. Swell Wood is a beautiful spot to view them from mid…

Look up to discover the herons of RSPB Swell Wood …

Did you know that Swell Wood hosts the largest heronry in the South-West with over 100 pairs nesting in the trees here in the spring? Why not visit our Heronry Hide to enjoy the sight of Grey Herons carefully preening and rearranging long wing feathers as they incubate their eggs on the nest and listen to the cacophony of birds calling to each other and the rattling…

Cramp Balls and Cranes: October at RSPB Swell Wood

 (L-R) Sandie Andrews (Scarlet Elf Cap), John Crispin (Common Crane), Abbie Thorne (Fly Agaric)

As the leaves start to turn golden and the air takes on a crisp chill, October is a magical time to explore the wonders of RSPB Swell Wood. Cramp Balls better known as King Alfred’s Cakes (it was believed that carrying them would protect people from attacks of cramp) are…

Discover what flutters, darts and slithers at Greylake in August

(L-R) Scarce Chaser, Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly ,Blue Tailed Damselfly 's John Crispin

While August can be a quieter month for birdlife there is still plenty of wildlife that can be found. A wonderful world of colour awaits at Greylake as the reserve is alive with a kaleidoscope of colours from fluttering butterflies, darting dragonflies to other…

Did you know that at the bottom of the hill below RSPB Swell Wood there is a fantastic flower meadow that you can visit year-round but that is at its best during June and July? In August the meadow will be cut to produce hay which also spreads the seed heads so the meadow flowers again next year. The meadow is awash with plants, with more then 30 different species in a 2x2 metre square, and alive with the humming and buzzing…

This blog was written by Lilli, residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Greylake, and Swell Wood

My 6 months in West Sedgemoor are coming to an end.
I can’t really remember what I was expecting from this placement back in November, but it exceeded my expectations. When I arrived in December it was freezing cold and a thick layer of mist covered the landscape. As always when you are somewhere new it takes a few…

This blog was written by Lilli, residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Greylake, and Swell Wood

 There have been quite a few changes recently at West Sedgemoor. Dan left after one year volunteering, and new residential volunteer Kayleigh from South Africa joined us. Now that the spring finally arrived, we finished the practical winter work and started doing bird surveys. Today’s Blog is about Breeding Wader Survey…

 “There is a silent eloquence/ In every wild bluebell/ That fills my softened heart with bliss” ~ Anne Bronte

Fill your heart with bliss from the silent eloquence of wild bluebells or other wild flowers on a stroll around Swell Wood this spring.

You’ll need to time your visit right to see them. Bluebells have a short window when they are at their peak. Swell Wood is a beautiful spot to view them from mid-April…

This blog was written by Lilli, residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Greylake, and Swell Wood

Compared to Germany, the first difference I noticed in the landscape has been the massive number of hedges. They are literally everywhere. We do have hedges back home as well but not to that extent and especially not in every field. You find most hedges in gardens to create a visual cover and border to the next garden…

Look up to discover the herons of RSPB Swell Wood …

Did you know that Swell Wood hosts the largest heronry in the southwest with over 100 pairs nesting in the trees here in the spring? Why not visit our Heronry Hide to enjoy the sight of herons carefully preening and rearranging long wing feathers as they incubate their eggs on the nest and listen to the cacophony of birds calling to each other and the rattling…

This blog was written by Dan, residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Greylake, and Swell Wood

Yo, how’s it going guys :) Hope you’ve all been enjoying the recent rejuvenation of our blog forum. I’ve been a resi-vol here at West Sedgemoor since April last year and haven’t written a blog yet… I know, I know. I’m very sorry but what can I say, I much prefer working outside than sitting in the office writing…

This blog was written by Kerry - residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake.

Hello, I’m Kerry, a residential volunteer on the West Sedgemoor reserves. I’ve been here a month already and have enjoyed getting stuck into the winter reserve work. Highlights so far include coppicing hazel in the woods, seeing the resident barn owl hunting and learning to drive a tractor.

West Sedgemoor…

This blog was written by Lilli - residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake.

Hi everyone,

We know that for a long time there has been no constant blog posting but we (the three residential volunteers) are going to start writing them regularly now. On a weekly basis we will inform you about what`s happening on the reserves and give you an insight about our daily routines, projects and tasks.

This post was written by the West Sedgemoor residential volunteer team 

Hi guys, long time no see!  

We're just letting you know that Greylake will be closed on 30 January 2023 (for up to 5 days) and Swell Wood will be shut on 1 February 2023. This is due to conservation management work using heavy machinery that will be moving around the site; we need to restrict public access for health and safety reasons.  

Over at…

This blog was written by Nick - residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake.

Some of you may remember a blog I wrote earlier in the spring, about our work to increase the breeding success of curlew on RSPB West Sedgemoor. For those who may have missed it, you can read it here.

The curlew is a large wading bird which has suffered worrying declines in the UK over recent years. RSPB West Sedgemo…

This blog was written by Nick - residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake.

It looks like we’re in for a weekend of lovely sunny weather and what better way to enjoy it than by exploring our newly created snail labyrinth at Fivehead Meadow. The meadow can be accessed from RSPB Swell Wood, just leave your car in the car park (there is also a bus stop nearby, see our website for details)…

Did you know that at the bottom of the hill below RSPB Swell Wood there is a fantastic flower meadow that you can visit year-round but that is at its best during June and July? In August the meadow will be cut to produce hay which also spreads the seed heads so the meadow flowers again next year. The meadow is awash with plants, with more then 30 different species in a 2x2 metre square, and alive with the humming and…

This blog is written by Nick - residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake.

Hello blog readers, before I tell you about our work with curlews I want to quickly introduce myself. My name is Nick and I’m one of the residential volunteers based down here at West Sedgemoor, Greylake and Swell Wood. Considering this is my first blog post, you may be forgiven for thinking I’m a new arrival here…

This blog is written by Jake - residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake. 

After much anticipation, we recently started the reserve’s annual hedgelaying season - something that we’ve all been looking forward to. 

Hedgerows act as important feeding and nesting habitat for birds, mammals and insects, especially in areas where tree cover is generally low (as is the case in much of the…

This blog is written by Josh - Residential Volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake. 

Visitors, volunteers, and staff alike have brought a lively start to 2022 at our reserves. From 2^nd January a rare bird - a Baikal teal - has been spotted regularly at Greylake, prompting a flurry of footsteps around the reserve. On Sunday 9^th January, people visited Greylake in their hundreds! Meanwhile, our dedicated…

As 2021 draws to a close, the team at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Greylake and Swell Wood look back and share a favourite nature experience of the year.

Harry Paget-Wilkes (Site Manager):

Doing any early morning bird survey is always a pleasure (particularly, as if the weather is no good, you don’t go) but this year’s bittern survey in April at Greylake sticks in my mind. This survey involves venturing out at the…

This blog is written by Jake - residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake. 

If you’ve been to Greylake recently, you might’ve noticed that we’ve been cutting back some of the willow.

The technique where select trees are cut back to their base (or stool) is known as coppicing and helps to create a diverse habitat for the benefit of wildlife. Look out for the newly coppiced passage…

This blog is written by Jake - residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake. 

As the water levels rise, the landscape at West Sedgemoor is changing. Although most of the month was largely dry and sunny, a clutch of torrential days made October rather wet and the fields are now reflective sheets of water, the perfect habitat for the wintering wildfowl and waders that have already started to arrive…

This blog is written by Jake - residential volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake. 

Hello everyone! I’m Jake, the new residential volunteer at West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake reserves. I’ll be spending the next six months here and look forward to sharing some of my experiences with you.

As I approached West Sedgemoor last week, my eyes were drawn upwards to a tall, grand monument…

This blog was written by James Conder practical volunteer at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Greylake and Swell Wood

From West Sedgemoor to Saudi Arabia

Marsh harrier 

The first bird I saw at Al Asfar Lake was a Western yellow wagtail. Then it was a Western marsh harrier. And then a little egret. Then I heard piggy squeal of a water rail. I could have fooled myself I was still at RSPB Greylake were it not for the view – a vast…