It’s a guest blog this week! My name is Joe and I am, like Steve Couch, an Assistant Warden here at Ham Wall. However, I also work across Somerset on different reserves. This is my first blog for Ham Wall, and I will attempt to fill Steve’s huge blogging shoes!
Spring feels on the way and the race has begun for every individual animal on Ham Wall to get in condition to breed. No more so than our Bitterns. In order for these wonderful birds to begin grunting and booming, their condition is vital. This is why our water level management throughout the winter is important to keep feeding options open and one of the reasons why we have been so worried by the extreme flooding. We are delighted that these birds have started grunting and numbers have increased. We now have approximately 5 to 6 grunting males currently on the reserve and we expect this number to keep growing as more males come into breeding condition.
Lots of other birds are showing similar behaviours around the reserve, and there has definitely been a marked increase in bird song. The Grey Herons in Waltons are continuing to be very active with more noise and nesting material being brought in, Great Crested Grebes courtship dance is well underway with a lot of head shaking and we are beginning to see the build up of Great White Egrets in different parts of the reserve looking for optimal places to breed.
Some points of interest from around the reserve this week; the Firecrest continues to hang around the boardwalk. For a bird that isn’t particularly rare, it is a delight to see consistent views. So often in the past have I been chasing this little bird and only caught a flashing glimpse. A great tip is to keep your eyes peeled when tit flocks come through. Often, I have found these birds hidden amongst Long-tailed Tits flocks.
Another super bit of behaviour that has been witnessed this week is what I believe is called Kleptoparasitism or Commensalism. This has been occurring between Coot and Gadwall on Waltons. The Coot dives for vegetation under the water, waiting for it on the surface can be multiple Gadwall. As it returns with a beak full of weeds and roots, the Gadwall then either steal what it has brought up or the Coot offers it up willingly. After some research on the subject, it seems this occurs when food sources become scarce. Coot are known to dive deeper than Gadwall. Therefore, this may have happened as a result of the extremely high-water levels. Nonetheless a brilliant bit of behaviour to see up close!
Photo by Mike Uren
Flooding update:
Water levels are continuing to fall all around the reserve and the ground is starting to dry. As heard in the previous blog, Tor view is now open! Avalon hide path is continuing to remain stubbornly high, but we are monitoring the levels all the time and at the earliest opportunity we will get in and do the necessary repairs to get the hide open again. As you might imagine the flooding has caused lots of different issues; one being what we can do and where we can work!
Reserve work:
On the reserve this week staff and volunteers have been battling trees and scrub! The volunteers have again waded their way through a huge amount of work removing different patches of scrub for visitor sightlines and access. They then used the off cuts from the crack willow removed to plant up in a different quieter area! Outside of the volunteer work parties, Steve and I have finished off the Tern rafts by filling them up with cockleshells. Now all we need are Terns! We have also been dealing with some dangerous trees that have fallen across access routes in storm Jocelyn.
Sightings from this week:
Car park & Mini marshes –
Raven, Redwing, Reed bunting, Bullfinch, Siskin, Fieldfare, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Firecrest, Blackcap (M&F)
Viewing platform 1 –
Marsh Harrier, Teal, Tufted Duck, Great White Egret, Great Crested Grebe, Lesser Redpoll, Gadwall, Sparrowhawk, Chiff-Chaff, Little Grebe, Kingfisher, Pochard, Bittern
Tor View Hide & Waltons –
Water Rail, Sparrowhawk, Shoveler, Canada Geese, Pintail, Jack Snipe, Snipe, Grey Heron, Whooper Swans, Lapwing, Bittern, Glossy Ibis
Viewing platform 2 & Loxtons –
Stone chat, Wigeon, Song Thrush, Lesser Redpoll, Treecreeper, Weasel, Long tail tit, Marsh Harrier, Bittern.
That’s all from me. I hope you enjoyed the guest blog as much I did writing it! Thanks for reading and have great weekend!
Joe
Great blog Joe. I'll be able to put my feet up on a few more Fridays now!