The sightings blog is back this week - sorry I was unable to post last week. I had a very early start last Friday (5.30am) and other things to do before my time ran out. I will endeavour to use as many of the photos people have sent me over the past couple of weeks. What a lovely time to be up and about though. I was leading a dawn chorus walk and we were able to see and hear a whole host of different species.
Surprisingly, the bird we didn't hear was a Cuckoo - despite it being present in a particular spot for several days on the trot, it wasn't there when we passed by on the walk - typical. Cuckoo was heard yesterday ( I even heard one from the car park too) and one was spotted close to the first viewing platform (VP1).
The walk down the main track towards VP1 offers a lot in terms of bird song. Blackcaps seem to be abundant - try to pick out the similar sounding Garden Warbler too. It's song perhaps a little less fluty and a bit more rushed with less pauses. It's often a hard one for people to nail but if you can get them singing together close by it really helps. Listen out also for Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff (an easy song to learn) as well as many of the more familiar birds you might spot in your garden such as Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch, Great Tit and Blue Tit. I'm seeing a few fledged birds around the reserve including a cute young Robin on the main track yesterday.
This Blue Tit was of on another food foray for it's hungry brood during the week:
Goldcrest can also be heard - it's quite a high pitched call often described as a squeaky bicycle wheel. Look out also for Dunnock - often on the path or lurking in the undergrowth and higher up in the trees listen out for the loud repeating calls from the Song Thrush. Both pictured below although according to John Crispin this Song Thrush had quite a weak call:
The reedbeds are alive with the chattering of Reed Warblers & Sedge Warblers. As with Garden Warbler and Blackcap they can be hard to tell apart at first. Sedge Warblers tend to be way more varied in their song with way more pips and squeaks and often add mimicry in their song (I often hear the pinging of Bearded Tits within the song). The Avalon Hide path had them on opposite sides this week. The Sedge Warblers tend to perch more in scrubby edges or brambles too.
By sight they are a bit easier to tell apart - the giveaway being the obvious eye stripe of the Sedge and more streaking on the back when compared to the plainer Reed Warbler:
Reed Warbler
Sedge Warbler
The latter was seen opposite VP1 this week - this is often the place to see Whitethroat too - a traditional nesting spot in the brambles here.
Reed Buntings can also be heard calling within the reeds - you may see one perched up if you are lucky.
Reed Bunting male: Giles Morris
Bearded Tits are much harder to come by at Ham Wall - they tend to prefer the more northern reaches of the reserve, so the Avalon Hide area is often your best bet.
The other call you will almost certainly hear is the very loud and punchy call of the Cettis Warbler:
Cettis Warbler collecting nesting material.
So it seems you can do quite well before you even get to VP1. When you're there look out for a few wading birds such as Lapwing and Redshank. Redshank still being seen but now less vocal then previous weeks:
Whimbrel have also been spotted on a couple of occasions lately but just a single bird here on Saturday. 9 were seen to the south of the reserve last week. A Ruff was around last week but not reported this week. This was seen though - think it may be Golden Plover - not something we get a lot of on passage:
Glossy Ibis are still being seen - perhaps not as regularly as before - as the reeds etc grow they can hide more easily. Take your time to scan the area just in case:
Great Crested Grebes are nesting out here (the photo of the bird in flight below is one of those parents. Toby Fogg also managed a shot of a grebe n flight last week. Better views perhaps will be from the Tor View Hide as Sandie's image shows. Parents were seen feeding youngsters early in the week. On one occasion a feather which was eaten (seen this before) and then a fish later. They have since left the nest but can be seen nearby. Bryn's photo shows another nest around the Loxtons trail. The short path up to the screen in still under water but the longer route round is accessible (you'd just have to return via the same route):
Great Crested Grebe's nest: Bryn Evans
Another nest here - Great White Egret, although since this was taken this nest may have failed. Despite a few nest failures across the Avalon Marshes it's still looking to be a record year for these birds:
Grey Herons are still on nests at Waltons and elsewhere. You may well see herons dropping in such as this windswept looking character:
Mike Pearce's individual looks far less ruffled:
One nest we believe to be still going is the Cranes in front of the Avalon Hide. Not regular sightings as they are sitting for long periods and I'm guessing they don't want to attract attention either. Let's hope this is successful despite the doubts over the female birds age. She is 3, which for a Crane is considered quite young to breed but not unheard of.
The Avalon Hide is probably one of the best places to see Marsh Harriers - plenty of activity noted here this week. Although, these lovely shots were taken by John Crispin from VP1 last week:
Mike Pearce's shot was taken from the Tor View hide as it perched in a nearby bush:
Hobby are also being spotted from the hide. I saw on our sightings board that someone had seen 30 at one point (not sure of the location of this crowd). There was a mention too of 8 together at VP1 earlier in the week but ones and twos are far more common. John Crispin had 4 together this week and managed two in these shots. These were taken at VP2 as was Toby Fogg's image:
The arrival of Hobby often coincide with the larger emergence of dragonflies and damselflies. With the weather so nice yesterday insects were flying a lot higher and some Hobby were way up high, so scan right up if you are searching.
Four Spotted Chasers are beginning to emerge, often in their thousands - the Waltons Trail is traditionally good for this but numbers can vary from year to year. Sandie Andrews took these lovely shots of a nymph emerging from the water around Waltons this week - likely this is four spotted chaser:
Here's what the end product will be - note the extra spot on each wing, which gives it its name:
One from Giles Morris too:
Hairy Dragonfly (pictured below) are also on the wing but I can't say I've seen any other species - Broad Bodied Chaser is a likely candidate (EDIT: One reported this morning)
Hairy Dragonfly: Bryn Evans
Damselflies can be seen in good numbers on the vegetation along the sides of the trails. Blue Tailed, Variable, Azure, Large Red (low numbers) and Banded Demoiselle (look from the old rail bridge for these - exquisite looking things) all seen:
Banded Demoiselle male: Giles Morris
Large Red Damselfly: Bryn Evans
Variable Damselflies
Variable Damsels - Alex Montacute
Newly emerged damsel: Alex Montacute
Mating Blue Tailed Damselflies: Giles Morris
Bryn Evans has once again sent in a great selection of other bugs for your enjoyment so here goes:
Reed Beetle - (Plateumaris sericea): Bryn Evans
Nettle Weevil ( Phyllobius sp genus unknown): Bryn Evans
Click Beetle (Athous haemorrhoidalis): Bryn Evans
Tetanocera - genus of Marsh Fly: Bryn Evans
Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp genus unknown): Bryn Evans
Sawfly (Algaestigma fulvipes): Bryn Evans
This Sawfly was seen by Bryn to repeatedly try and stab the ladybird (without success) with its ovipositor. From Bryn's study into this, they lay their eggs in plant tissue, so we can only assume that the ladybird was preventing this from happening and the sawfly didn't take too kindly to it.
Marsham's Nomad Bee (Nomada marshamella): Bryn Evans
Common Carder Bumblebee: Bryn Evans
Early Bumblebee: Bryn Evans
Butterflies seen this week: Peacock, Holly Blue, Green Veined White, Orange Tip, Brimstone & Speckled Wood - sure there are more that could be added to this list:
Orange Tip male
Brimstone male
Brimstone female
Peacock
The little flurry of Otter sightings continued last week with a sighting at Waltons as well as 2 seen from the Avalon Hide (one of them pictured). Not heard of any sightings so far this week though:
In terms of mammals not much more to report other than the occasional Roe Deer Sighting - this buck spotted by Toby Fogg last week:
Some Grass Snakes still being spotted close to the old rail bridge recently along with 3 Common Lizards. No Adders seen yet sadly but they are being picked up over on Shapwick (I had 3 quite close together on Wednesday) and further down through Ham Wall just past VP2. This one seen over on the Loxtons Trail close to VP2 at the weekend.
Adder: Alex Montacute
Always a chance of seeing Common Frog and Toad or perhaps even a Smooth Newt but if you are hearing a strange croaking in the water, you are possibly hearing Iberian Water Frog. They can often be heard around Waltons and Loxtons in particular and sometimes at the car park. Mike Pearce took this shot yesterday:
These are good fodder for all kinds of birds but herons and egrets in particular. I'm sure a Bittern may be partial to the odd amphibian. You can still hear them booming each day and people have reported seeing two birds in a chase on at least 2 occasions. John Crispin captured this image during the week:
Also this week: Garganey spotted at VP1 on most days although often well hidden, Sparrowhawk over the car park yesterday but also seen at the Avalon Hide during the week, Greylag Goose spotted with young from VP2 and a few sightings of Canada Geese with goslings (see photos below), Kingfisher spotted from the Avalon Hide, Peregrine from VP2 yesterday, Goldeneye reported on Shapwick Heath (saw it myself on Wednesday about half way up on the left - quite close to the track), a flyover from some Cattle Egret at VP1 yesterday morning, Buzzards seen frequently (see photo below) & the male Pintail is still loitering at VP2 - seems to have found a male Shoveler as a friend as they are together quite a lot (photo also below).
Canada Geese
Buzzard
Amongst all the flurry and frantic action of breeding season you can still get a sense of serenity and calm from the Mute Swan as Bryn rightly points out with this photo:
There's always the peace of later in the day too. Apologies to Olivia Atkinson who sent me her sunset shot a few weeks ago. A nice one to finish with:
That's all for this week. I say all - that was actually quite a lot. So much to see during a visit.
Lots of people to thank this week for their photos and information: John Crispin, Sandie Andrews, Mike Pearce, Bryn Evans, Toby Fogg, Giles Morris, Alex Montacute and Olivia Atkinson.
Thanks for reading - why not pay us a visit soon. May is simply a fantastic month to look for wildlife or just enjoy a stroll. Have a great weekend.