Fascinated by the Freshwater episode of Wild Isles? Wetlands are brilliant for biodiversity from the beginnings of rivers right down to the mouths! We’re experts in wetland conservation, from restoring old quarries to re-wiggling rivers, in Somerset we have transformed a disused peat extraction site into a lush reedbed nature reserve called RSPB Ham Wall, which now provides a home to Bitterns, Hobbies, Cattle Egret, Great White Egret, Four-Spot Chasers and so much more.
Photo above: View across RSPB Ham Wall reedbeds, Glastonbury Tor in the distance. By David Kjaer (rspb-images.com)
What are the RSPB doing to help freshwater species at RSPB Ham Wall?
RSPB Ham Wall in Somerset is a true gem of a reserve where large swathes of freshwater reedbeds give way to open water, creating a paradise for wetland birds, mammals, and minibeasts. The nature reserve is cared for in a way to create just the right homes and conditions for its wildlife to thrive.
The reedbeds are cut and vegetation removed on rotation to maintain lots of different homes for nature. The cuttings are then turned into soil conditioner which is sold at the reserve to raise funds to help conservation work. Water is also managed to provide the best conditions for wildlife to thrive.
Sky High Hobbies
A special summer visitor to RSPB Ham Wall, which feeds on the reserve’s freshwater species, is the Hobby. These birds love to feast on the 20 species of dragonfly and damselflies living at the nature reserve. Hobbies are similar in size to a kestrel and have pointed wings that give them a crescent moon silhouette, like a swift. They arrive at the reserve in early May and peak in numbers around the middle of the month. Some visitors have reported seeing 60 birds in the air at one time over Ham Wall’s reedbeds. RSPB Ham Wall is one of the best areas of the country to see Hobbies at this time of year.
Photo above: Hobby trying to catch a dragonfly (circled in red) mid-air above RSPB Ham Wall by John Crispin
Most of the Hobbies visiting, use the reserve as kind of motorway service station on their migration journey, to refuel. Their large numbers at the reserve decrease rapidly as they continue their journey to other parts of the country, a few remain in the area over the summer. How visible Hobbies are depends on the weather conditions and how this affects their prey. If their dinner is low to the ground, you can experience Hobbies flying just above your head. On other days they are way up high and just specks in the sky.
The nature reserve has a number of sky watching seats that are brilliant for lying back and watching Hobbies feed – how many will you spot on your visit?
Photo above: Hobby in flight by John Crispin
Booming Bitterns
RSPB Ham Wall is best known for its booming Bitterns, the reserve was actually created specifically as a home for them and this year the site celebrates the 15-year anniversary of male bitterns booming amongst its reedbeds.
Formerly a peat extraction site, RSPB Ham Wall was designed and built (based on the best scientific knowledge at the time) to become a brilliant home for these booming birds. Yes, that’s right – Bitterns make a strange, eerie ‘boom’ sound that can be heard echoing across the reedbeds. The sort of sound you get if you blow across the top of a glass bottle, only much louder.
Photo above: Bittern landing in the water at RSPB Ham Wall by John Crispin
In 1997 Bittern numbers in the UK had reached a low of only 11 booming males left. The RSPB led a research project in partnership with Natural England (formerly English Nature), to work out the needs of Bitterns, and how their homes should be managed to help restore their numbers. Most existing sites for Bitterns in the UK in the nineties, were coastal sites in eastern England, which were also under threat from saltwater flooding due to climate change. The fish that Bitterns eat can’t survive in saltwater, so this flooding threatened the Bittern’s survival too.
The holes in the ground left at the end of the peat extraction process on the Avalon Marshes (of which Ham Wall is part of), provided a perfect opportunity to create a wetland tailormade for Bitterns, well away from the coast and so relatively resilient to the effects of a changing climate.
Work on RSPB Ham Wall started in 1994, however, despite the incredible effort that went into transforming holes in the ground into a haven for Bitterns, including teams of dedicated volunteers and staff planting by hand the stunning reedbeds you can enjoy today, these elusive birds didn’t respond as quickly as expected.
Photo above: Bittern in flight across RSPB Ham Wall by John Crispin
RSPB Ham Wall Site Manager, Steve Hughes, said: “It took bitterns a long time to start breeding at the reserve and to be honest we were starting to lose hope. We’d put loads of work into the reserve and the landscape we’d created looked perfect for Bitterns, but they would turn up, do a bit of ‘booming’, and then clear off again. The team were a bit down in the dumps”. Thankfully in 2008, two male Bitterns turned up, started booming and stayed.
Steve describes: “One was a very loud boomer and the other sounded like a croaky, wheezy, broken church organ. We were really excited, a colleague and I were crouched on a bank in the middle of the reserve at 5.30am, listening to their booming and high-fiving each other - we were so happy.”
Steve continues: “We did lots of monitoring with volunteers that summer and identified two nests and both nests fledged young. In 2009, surveys confirmed the presence of three booming males and six nests, four of which we think fledged young too. And a booming bird was also located on neighbouring Shapwick Heath. Since then, Bitterns have bred every year at RSPB Ham Wall.”
From 2011 the Bittern population at RSPB Ham Wall has continued to expand, eventually reaching a maximum of 18–20 booming males, which seems to be the reserve’s capacity. By 2017, numbers across the whole of the Avalon Marshes in Somerset had reached 42 booming males. The RSPB Ham Wall bitterns are now spreading out and helping to populate other Bittern friendly reedbeds created around the UK. It seems we’ve created a booming bittern factory in the heart of Somerset.
Bittern booming generally starts from February onwards but the best time of year to see the birds is May, when females are feeding chicks and are actively foraging around the reserve.
Carefully looking after freshwater reedbeds for wildlife such as Bitterns, has the knock-on positive effect of attracting other special species to the site, such as Great White Egrets, Little Bitterns and Cattle Egrets, all who have bred on the reserve.
Photo above: Cattle Egret perched on fence with frog in it's beak at RSPB Ham Wall by John Crispin
How does this help local communities?
Ham Wall is a great place to get away from it all and enjoy time in nature. Alongside doing a lot of work with habitat creation and species we have also worked hard to provide visitor facilities that make it easy for people to spend time in nature.
Ham Wall is a popular destination for people visiting Somerset and plays a significant role in growing Somerset’s nature-based tourism industry.
What are our partners doing to help?
The RSPB work closely with other organisations in the area as part of the Avalon Marshes Partnership. This partnership includes Natural England, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Hawk and Owl Trust, the Environment Agency and South West Heritage Trust.
What can I do to help?
Why not create your own mini wetland if you have a garden, by putting in a pond. Water doesn’t have to be created on a big scale to help wildlife, even a small bit can help and you can either create a mini pond or a large pond.
No room for a pond? Save the rain water that does fall in your garden by using a water butt, giving you plenty of recycled water to keep your garden green with during dry spells!
For more information about RSPB Ham Wall Visit: rspb.org.uk/hamwall
Like @RSPBHamWall on Facebook and follow on Twitter
Photos above: One Emperor Dragonfly on a leaf at RSPB Ham Wall by John Crispin
Two - Four Spot Chaser Dragonfly on a leaf at RSPB Ham Wall by John Crispin