• Discover what flutters, darts, and slithers at Greylake in August

    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 brilliant bugs and slithering snakes. Read on below to discover what you might see on a visit this month.

     

    The dazzling darters: Dragonflies

    These aerial acrobats…

  • Visiting Fivehead Meadow from RSPB Swell Wood

    Did you know that at the bottom of the hill below RSPB Swell Wood there is a fantastic wildflower hay meadow that you can visit year-round but that is at its best during June and July? This flower-rich meadow goes untouched throughout spring and summ...
  • Take a stroll to discover the bluebells of RSPB Swell Wood …

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

     Bluebell carpet

     

    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 Swell Wood

    Look up to discover the herons of RSPB Swell Wood …

    Close up of grey heron with beak open.

    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

    Cramp Balls and Cranes: October at RSPB Swell Wood

    Photo of a scarlet elf cap, a crane flying towards the camera and a fly ageric (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

    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…

  • Visiting Fivehead Meadow from Swell Wood

    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…

  • A placement to remember

    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…

  • A really long walk at dawn- The Breeding Wader Survey Season has started

    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…

  • Take a stroll to discover the bluebells of RSPB Swell Wood …

    Bluebells in foreground with trees in background.

     “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…

  • Chop and flop or flail and wail: a guide to conservation hedge laying

    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 …

    Look up to discover the herons of RSPB Swell Wood …

    Close up of grey heron with beak open.

    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…

  • A Brief Year in Review

    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…

  • Hazel and Herons in Swell Woods

    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…

  • What a typical week looks like at 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.

  • Upcoming Reserve Closures at Greylake and Swell Wood

    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…

  • An update on our curlew work this spring.

    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…

  • Come and explore the snail labyrinth at Fivehead Meadow

    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)…

  • Visiting Fivehead Meadow from RSPB Swell Wood.

    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…

  • Breeding curlew at RSPB West Sedgemoor

    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…

  • Hedgelaying at RSPB West Sedgemoor

    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…

  • A lively start to 2022 at West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake

    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 2nd January a rare bird - a Baikal teal - has been spotted regularly at Greylake, prompting a flurry of footsteps around the reserve. On Sunday 9th January, people visited Greylake in their hundreds! Meanwhile, our dedicated…

  • The best of 2021 at RSPB West Sedgemoor, Greylake and Swell Wood

    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…

  • Willow coppicing and pollarding at Greylake

    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…

  • Autumn arrives at West Sedgemoor, Greylake and Swell Wood

    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…