Spring faltered slightly this week with some much colder days and sleet/snow on Wednesday which didn't really settle here but did on higher ground and a little further north in the county.
Not surprisingly, wildlife sightings have been a little slower this week, although some birds seem determined to carry on regardless.
Grey herons are already well underway on nests at several locations including within the Waltons reedbed and we have had reports of great white egrets carrying nesting material this week too. They can often be seen sat by the side of the main drain waiting patiently for long periods for the right moment to strike for a fish. John Crispin photographed this individual doing just that this week - with success, albeit rather small (my limited knowledge leads me to believe this is a small tench - happy to be corrected. Thanks John:
He also took this shot of a bird flying head on to the camera - showing its impressive wingspan:
The change in bill colour (yellow to black/grey), leg colour (now has a red tinge) and the much greener lores are all indicators of birds in breeding condition.
Many other birds are displaying and showing signs that breeding is imminent. Marsh harriers have been seen displaying this week: yesterday from the Avalon Hide and this morning from the Tor View Hide as well as 3 birds passing over the car park together interacting.
Great crested grebes are also going through their elaborate courtship rituals with several pairs seen displaying around the reserve including at Waltons, Loxtons, the Avalon Hide and from the first viewing platform (VP1). This pair photographed by John Crispin this week were spotted building what was either a mating platform or a nest. In any case the efforts were in vain as the pair gave up in the end. Thanks John for capturing these moments though:
No sure this is them straight after giving up but this is the same pair taken by John Crispin in flight. Thanks again John:
As well as resident birds getting on with the business of breeding many of our winter visitors will begin to drift away. Duck numbers seem reduced in general and the starling flock will diminish pretty quickly over the next fortnight as they head back to their own breeding grounds. Fieldfare and redwings will do the same although we have had several reports of redwings this week including: at the car park, a nice group in a tree next to VP1 during the week and a small group spotted this morning between the otter sculpture at Waltons and the main track.
We will of course also welcome many new arrivals over the next few weeks too - something I always look forward to. Excited to hear of reports of small numbers of sand martins over Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath this morning - didn't see any myself. With more sand martins to follow (and hopefully use the artificial bank we installed last year in front of VP1), house martins, swallows, the swifts, numerous warblers and the amazing cuckoo - you can't help get excited about this time of year.
Some warblers overwinter with us these days - the cettis warbler of course with its punchy call (hard to miss). It's a great time of year to see them as they are defending territories to attract a mate and the leaves are not yet coming through on the trees. One was spotted perched up near the Tor View Hide this week.
Blackcaps and chiffchaff are now commonly overwintering too. Chiffchaffs in particular seem to be very abundant this winter. Thanks again to John Crispin for his shot of a chiffchaff amidst the brambles and reeds:
We will also await to see whether any new species colonise the local area. The glossy ibis have become fairly regular fixtures throughout the winters and on into spring without breeding afterwards. It could be this year of course although having been present for much of the week at Ham Wall the last 2 mornings have brought no sightings (maybe just gone somewhere more sheltered) - hopefully they will be back again - it's surprisingly easy to hide in this landscape despite the countless eyes and optics around. The first platform has been one of their favoured spots - early morning in particular.
Despite time ticking on, wigeon are the most numerous duck to be seen from VP1 along with mallard, tufted duck, gadwall and shoveler. I've still been seeing good numbers of teal across the site too and the odd pochard.
Thanks to John Crispin for his shots of wigeon feeding with some Canada Geese on the banks around the VP1 area:
The wigeon were also joined last Saturday (4th) by some black tailed godwits. They most likely dropped in to have a feed before continuing northwards - note their lovely plumage colour. Other waders seen this week include around 15 lapwing and 12 snipe who circled the VP1 area for a while before deciding to find a more suitable area. Thanks once more to John Crispin for his shot:
As things warm up (eventually) we should see more activity from a number of birds and other wildlife. During warm spells last week an adder was spotted next to Street Heath - this is the area just past Loxtons on the main track with the wind pump. Keep an eye out for these and grass snakes along the main path. Any adder sightings anyone has would be very welcome. A study is taking place to genetically test them to see how they are faring. These are small and isolated populations so we need to find out how diverse (or not) the gene pool is.
The odd butterfly has also been reported locally during warmer spells (a small tortoiseshell last week) - look out for other early butterflies that have overwintered such as peacock and brimstone.
One sign of spring which is hard to miss is the boom of the male bittern. Several boomers are being heard around the reserve at the moment - a wonderful sound as it resonates across the reedbeds. There have been one or two sightings this week. We saw one yesterday at the eastern end of the reserve which may well have flown past VP2. The Avalon Hide has been a good location recently and this individual flew and landed in the area in front of VP1 this week. Thanks to John Crispin who was on hand with his camera:
Also this week: 2 great spotted woodpeckers on the feeders at the car park plus on the telegraph poles nearby, green woodpecker also heard on at least 2 days this week, ravens flying over several times throughout the week, singing song thrush along the main path, roe deer seen sitting on the grassy trails on a few occasions in the mornings in particular, bullfinch along the main track along with redpoll and siskin, a badger seen scuttling along the footpath on the way to the Avalon Hide, buzzard seen daily, little egret from VP1 this morning and a water rail which showed well from the Tor View Hide on Tuesday.
Lets hope the weather improve soon. Poorer weather means less visitors (and therefor less information fed back to staff), less activity from wildlife and much harder to write a blog - I know! Excuses! Excuses!
A slightly shorter blog for a change - often I'm fighting the clock to get finished.
Thanks for reading and whatever you do this weekend - have a great time.