Well, we are still in January (just), it may be chilly at times but many birds have already got breeding season on their minds. It was an icy and foggy start this morning as I got to the Ham Wall car park but I could hear straight away a couple of bitterns booming. One from Shapwick Heath and one over at Ham Wall.
In fact, during they day yesterday I heard bitterns from at least 6 different locations on Ham Wall and I know of at least 2 others - one thanks to John Crispin who has heard one booming on a few occasions this week within the Waltons section. He also has a short flight in this area on Sunday. It's a great sound to hear coming through the mist in the morning.
Also within the Waltons section grey herons are staking claim to nest sites in the reedbeds (they nest on the ground here rather than in trees which they are better known for). This one, photographed by John Crispin, has been displaying, including sky pointing (like a bittern) and bowing. Thanks John:
John had to take these shots through tree branches so are not as crisp as he would have liked but they certainly give an insight into this interesting behaviour. He also managed to take this shot of a grey heron on one of our rafts. As it opened its bill he expected a pellet to fly out (many birds expel pellets - parts of food they cannot digest - often bones, shell parts, fur or insect casings - depending on their diet. Owls are perhaps best known for this). Anyway on this occasion it was just liquid - disgusting but fascinating. Thanks again John:
Great crested grebes have been seen both weed dancing and head bobbing - mirroring each other as they reinforce pair bonds. Brilliant to watch if you ever get the chance.
Lots of birds are calling more loudly and more frequently - water rails, a classic example. This is the squealing pig like noise coming from the reedbeds. They are a infrequently seen bird so hard to survey visually. We therefore survey using a recording of their call and wait for the responses from other males. This gives us a good idea of the number of potential territories we have. Pleased to say we have a good population here at Ham Wall.
Cormorants too are already looking to set up their old nest sites - they, like herons start early and are colonial nesters. Groups of dead trees in the reedbeds seem to be favourite nest locations. They have already been seen seeking these out and sitting on old nests - staking a claim to it I guess. Thanks again to John Crispin who has sent in this lovely shot of a cormorant in flight showing its breeding plumage:
Of course, we still have large numbers of wintering birds across the levels. Good numbers of wigeon can be seen with several hundred in the section visible from the old rail bridge on the main track and several other hundred across the reserve. Fantastic numbers seen on neighbouring Shapwick Heath this week though with Noah's lake home to numbers into the thousands and great numbers too in the pool opposite the tower hide.
Plenty of teal spotted in Loxtons and Waltons seems to be the preferred haunt of shoveler - particularly on the eastern side. On the west look out for tufted ducks and in amongst them the drake ring necked duck is still present. Try from the Tor View Hide or the 3rd of the viewing screens. Also from this screen lapwing like to loaf about with a few snipe - a party of around 40 were flying tightly packed, as they do, on Monday. Look out also for gadwall, mallard, pochard and the very lovely little grebe.
Lapwing are still present in small groups from the first viewing platform (VP1) - now pushed out into smaller bunches were the water is slightly shallower. We are keeping water levels high here to dry and supress regrowth in the spring. We are however dropping water levels (albeit slowly) from the second viewing platform (VP2) and are hopeful some mud and splashy areas will soon appear. It's dropped around 8cm this week so far and will continue to do so for the following week or so.
Here's how it looks now from the air. The water at the very top centre (under the text) is Loxtons with the line of trees running left to right the main path. The main body of water below is what you see from VP2 and the water top right corner what you see from VP1 currently - gives you a better idea of what it really looks like:
VP2 has also been the most likely place to catch up with the starlings this week. They definitely were behind VP2 in Loxtons last night (a smaller group) as visitors reported them taking off from there this morning. They also has many more from in front of VP2 suggesting they are still in the section distant from here (but in much larger numbers) - it was misty so this is a little bit of educated guess work. We do know the flock is split into at least 3 places but suggest VP2 is a good place to start at present. If things change, staff and volunteers at the car park will hopefully have the latest news.
In front of both platforms is often a good place to see great white egrets. There nearly always seems to be one at VP1. Thanks to John Crispin who captured this character having a good preen in front of VP1 this week:
A walk along the main path can bring many rewards - including the many very friendly robins that frequent the area. Look out also for flocks of long tailed tits and goldfinches, treecreeper - also spotted down the east side of Waltons, bullfinch, several chiffchaffs (one visitor counted 10), Siberian chiffchaff seen and heard on the main track past VP2, buzzards daily, ravens (seen and heard flying over), blackcap (spotted on Monday), stonechats (often a pair opposite VP1), blackbird, song thrush, tit flocks and great spotted woodpecker. Keep your eyes open too for redpolls and siskins - often feeding in the alder trees. Thanks to John Crispin for his shot of siskins doing just that:
Also spotted out and about this week: Barn owl over Loxtons on Monday morning along with a sparrowhawk and 2 marsh harriers (at least 4 using the reserve frequently), 2 otter sightings in Waltons - one on the east side just 10 feet from the bench by the trail and a second this morning seen taking a duck (a photograph was shown to a staff member), roe deer seen around some of the reserve tracks, still 2 glossy ibis often seen hanging around with large numbers of cattle egrets in local fields (a third glossy ibis often seen at Catcott reserve - Somerset Wildlife Trust), an Egyptian goose also spotted locally, Bearded tits once again heard at Waltons and Loxtons with some brief sightings from the Avalon Hide, water pipit spotted in Loxtons on the cut material, a peregrine spotted over Loxtons on Wednesday and kingfishers spotted at both the old rail bridge on the main track and at Waltons from the viewing screens.
Think I'd better leave it there for now. Don't forget to take part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. Thanks for reading!