It is said that “The world's favourite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May[1]". We think that May might be the best month for a visit to RSPB Ham Wall (though it’s hard to choose the best month as there is always something to see!) as it’s a good time to watch Hobbies hawking for Dragonflies over the reedbeds and hear evocative ‘cuck-oo’ of the enigmatic Cuckoo.
One of the best times to see Hobbies are when they arrive back in the UK after wintering in Africa. They often arrive in good numbers and head to bodies of water to hunt (or hawk) insects. May is a fantastic month to visit Ham Wall to catch this spectacle for yourself as up to 60 Hobbies have been counted soaring through the skies in previous years.
Hobby are medium-sized falcons who are delicate and elegant aerial performers. Adults have dark grey backs, rusty-red ‘trousers’, streaky chest and black lines either side of their beak which gives the appearance of a moustache. They also have long pointed wings, which can give them the appearance of a giant swift in flight, that they use to hunt in mid-air catching dragonflies, swallows, and other birds which it sometimes eats on the wing.
Hobbies can be seen hunting all over the reserve so anywhere with a wide view of the sky can be a good spot to look for them. The Avalon Hide is often a favourite spot to look for them. They are also often seen hunting above Waltons from the Tor View Hide and are frequently seen soaring above the car park.
Hobby are a spring and summer visitor to the UK arriving in late April/ early May before departing again in September to spend the winter in Africa. So, if you can’t visit Ham Wall this month you still have a couple of months to catch their antics before they depart for warmer climes.
Considered a sign of spring Cuckoos arrive at a similar time to Hobbies but spend a fleeting amount of time on our shores. As traditional proverbs say “The Cuckoo comes in April. She sings her song in May. In the middle of June she changes her tune and in July she flies away”, so you don’t have as much time to catch up with a Cuckoo.
Cuckoos are about the size of a dove and have a blue-grey back, head and chest with a stripey black and white belly. They have a yellow ring around their eyes and yellow feet. Their sleek body, long tail and pointed wings give it an appearance similar to Sparrowhawks or Kestrels. Cuckoos are known for being brood parasites and lay their eggs in the nests of other birds to hatch and raise. As the adult birds do not need to stick around to raise their young, they tend to begin their return journey to Africa in June while the juvenile birds leave later, once they have fully fledged.
Male Cuckoos make their distinctive cuck-oo call to defend their territories and attract a mate. The female Cuckoo makes a bubbling ‘kwik-kwik-kwik’ chuckle. It is suspected this sound mimics Sparrowhawks in order to scare host species from their nests so the female Cuckoo can lay one of her own in the nest; which she does in about 10 seconds including removing one of the host birds’ eggs.
Cuckoo can be heard calling across the reserve – we frequently hear them calling from the car park. The grass path around Waltons, the Tor View Hide and the wood near the Avalon Hide are also all great spots to hear Cuckoo.
Cuckoos feature prominently in our folklore and superstitions. There are many superstitions around luck and hearing your first Cuckoo of the year. It is said that the first call of the Cuckoo in spring is lucky, but you must hear it on your right side. To hear it on the left side is a sign of bad luck. It is also said that when you see or hear your first Cuckoo that you should put a stone on your head and run as fast as you can until the stone falls off. You should then return to the spot where it fell the next day and will find money under it. Others say when you should have money in your pocket when you hear the first Cuckoo and that you need to turn it over and spit on it and that this will bring your good fortune and riches in the coming year. If you don’t have any money in your pocket, then it will be a poor year ahead. Others say on hearing the first Cuckoo of spring you must run three times in a circle to ensure good luck for the rest of the year. If we see you flipping coins, running in circles or running with stones on your head we’ll know why!
Unfortunately this once familiar voice is now disappearing from the British countryside, and they are red-listed in the UK. Numbers of Cuckoos breeding in England have declined by two-thirds in the last 30 years. It is thought this is due to a loss of natural habitat and scarcer food availability both in the summer and on their migration routes. You can help Cuckoos and other wildlife by sticking to the paths, giving nesting birds space, and keeping their dogs on leads during the breeding season. The RSPB is working to expand and restore habitats used by Cuckoos and their host species. You can help our work by being or becoming a member.
Accessibility:
Hobbies can be seen and Cuckoos heard from the hard-standing car park or the main hard-standing track running through the centre of the reserve. There is a hard standing boardwalk to reach the Tor View Hide. After crossing the canal there is an undulating grass path which can be muddy to reach the Avalon Hide.
View our full accessibility guide at: https://www.accessibilityguides.org/content/rspb-ham-wall-0
How to get to Ham Wall:
The reserve postcode is: BA6 9SX. The What3Words location is: biggest.sharpened.clots.
For further information on traveling to Ham Wall see the ‘How to get here’ section on our website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/ham-wall/
What else can I see at Ham Wall?
The sound of bird song fills the air and birds can be seen darting around collecting food to feed their young during spring at Ham Wall. The reserve is full of booming Bitterns, food passing Marsh Harriers and fishing Great White Egrets. Swifts, Swallows, Sand Martins and Hobbies glide above the reedbeds while Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Bearded Tits can be heard signing from within. While strolling the secluded paths listen for the evocative call of the cuckoo echoing across the reserve.
’s John Crispin
[1] Edwin Way Teale (1951). “North With the Spring”